Braun Commentary: Approved State Budget Includes Historic Public Education Reforms
Public education will account for more than half of state spending for the first time since 1983 under our new state budget, which passed the Legislature on June 30. The $43.7 billion two-year operating budget covers the day-to-day costs of state government from July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2019. Students from every community in our state will now have the same opportunity and support as their peers in high-performing schools. This year we were tasked with solving a 30-year
Senators introduce 'Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act'
WASHINGTON (KCRG-TV9) -- Sen. Chuck Grassley and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, co-chairs of the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth, and Sen. Al Franken, Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Angus King and Sen. Tim Scott, have introduced bipartisan legislation to help youth aging out of foster care with housing needs. “One of the biggest challenges facing older foster youth is aging out of care and being without a place to live,” Grassley said. “This bill would make it easier for such youth to get federal
Congresswoman Lawrence Introduces the Fostering Academic Information and Resources (FAIR) Act
Washington, D.C. –Congresswoman Lawrence introduced H.R. 3418, “The Fostering Academic Information and Resources (FAIR) Act” to give former foster youth a fair chance at pursuing a college degree. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, 84% of college aged foster youth report wanting to go to college, but only 20% actually attend. This bill ensures that each child is informed of all federal programs available that cover higher education expenses for foster youth: “Former
Supervisors Create “Bill Of Rights” For Foster Youth And Foster Parents
The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to create a “bill of rights” for foster youth that lays out rights, resources and services available to kids and their foster parents. California Bill Does Not Include County Programs California has its own such bill, but county officials said it’s outdated and doesn’t include county programs. Supervisor Janice Hahn championed the move. Maneuvering The Foster Care System “The former foster youth who spoke at (Tuesday’s) meeting told us h
San Diego Grand Jury: County Foster Care Programs Need Measurable Outcomes
A recent grand jury report from San Diego County found that San Diego’s Child Welfare Service (CWS) and Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) lack a way to measure the effectiveness of county child welfare programs. Without a way to determine how the San Diego County’s foster care alumni fare later in life, the grand jury called the county’s inability to demonstrate the long-term effectiveness of their programs and policies “a cause for concern,” according to a report relea
Inslee signs bill to fund pilot project on legal representation for foster kids
Washington will fund a pilot project that will provide legal representation to foster kids in two counties where those kids would otherwise be left navigating court proceedings with no attorney.
Gov. Jay Inslee signed the bill Thursday — Senate Bill 5890 — that makes improvements to the state's foster care system, including a total of $1.4 million over the next two years for the project to test legal representation for foster kids.
"We are definitely considering this a
Health care for foster and adopted children is a real concern
One of my last memories of living with my mother was of her hauling my six siblings and me in a kids’ red wagon to a corner grocery store in the city’s Fox Park neighborhood. The trip felt wildly urgent to her. She was obsessed with our eating a healthy diet. Shortly thereafter, my siblings and I were sent to live in foster care. We never went back home. I was 7. The obsession with fresh fruits and vegetables was partly because she loved us so and wanted what was best, and pa