As we enter into Day 28 of the partial government shutdown, House Leadership continues to take steps to reopen the government, however, the Senate has remained committed to not voting on any legislation that does not include border wall funding.
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The latest attempt by House Leadership to reopen the government occurred this week when Members voted 237-187 to pass a stopgap measure that included funding for the remaining unfunded agencies through February 8
th. In addition, the House passed an amendment which would prohibit the use of disaster funds for the building of a border wall in a vote of 230-197. The House also attempted to pass another stopgap measure this week, which would run through the end of February but the vote was later vacated due to contentious exchanges on the House floor.
And, in another attempt to reopen the remaining government agencies, House Democrats introduced a $271 billion six-bill package (
H.R. 648) that included the compromise bills drafted by House and Senate negotiators for the remaining unfunded government agencies. This package, while still not including funding for a border wall, includes several compromises that were worked out between appropriators from both chambers. However, the Homeland Security spending bill is not included in the package. This package is an attempt to address Republican Members’ concerns that their input has not been considered in the previous attempts to pass spending bills to reopen the government. This package is expected to be brought to the House floor for a vote and to pass next week.
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Child Welfare & Foster Care Title IV-E Waiver Legislation
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Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced bipartisan legislation that would extend waivers for states receiving Title IV-E. The bill titled the
State Flexibility for Family First Transitions Act, would provide greater flexibility and funding for foster care and child welfare recipients beyond the current federal baseline. The bill extends the Title IV-E waiver by two years -- it was set to expire in September 2019 under the enacted Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) and requires States to report to the Department of Health and Human Services how they will use the extended time to transition programs covered by FFPSA. After introducing the bill, Senator Rubio stated, “By extending this waiver by two years, this bill will ensure that foster families and families receiving child welfare have the support they need in the interim before the Family First Act takes effect.” Currently, there no House companion bill has been introduced but this bill has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee.
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Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
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FNS Provides Guidance as State SNAP Agencies Issue February SNAP Benefits Early
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Last week, the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) began implementation of a plan to ensure that SNAP participants receive benefits for February despite there being no current appropriations for the Department. FNS issued a blanket waiver to allow states to issue SNAP beneficiaries February SNAP benefits early, before or on January 20.
Click here
to view the
Memo to SNAP State Agencies on Early Issuance of February Benefits
released on January 10.
Since then, FNS has issued additional guidance to state SNAP agencies through an
Email to SNAP State Agencies with Questions and Answers Regarding Early Issuance of February Benefits
sent on Friday, January 10 (
available here
) and a
Second Email to SNAP State Agencies with Questions and Answers Regarding Early Issuance of February Benefits
sent on Monday, January 14 (
available here
). These Q&A documents answer a wide range of questions about varying components of the implementation plan. Every state has provided to FNS their plans for implementing the early issuance of February benefits, and they have been working closely with FNS, EBT vendors, and other stakeholders to achieve successful implementation. A number of states issued February SNAP benefits this week, ahead of the January 20
th
deadline.
Some of the most commonly asked questions that are answered in the Q&As include:
- “What cases should be included in the early issuance? Should pending re-certifications scheduled to close on January 31st be included in the issuance file sent by January 20th?”
- “Should re-certifications (expiring in January) that are still pending at the time the early issuance file is sent be included in the early issuance file, or should they be sent after all case actions are complete (interview, eligibility authorization)? Can you confirm that the contingency reserve is available to provide benefits for these cases in February?”
- “For applications with a date of application prior to February but not approved until February - are we to issue the prior months benefits? If a supplement or restoration needs to be issued after January 20th for a previous month of benefits, can these benefits be issued to the customer?”
The Q&As also clarify that even if the shutdown is resolved and the Federal government reopens prior to the early issuance date, states should proceed with the early issuance plan.
Since the plan to issue February SNAP benefits was announced, states, anti-hunger organizations, and other stakeholders have worked together to ensure that SNAP customers are receiving accurate information about how the early issuance plan impacts them. APHSA will continue to offer support and assistance to states and the federal government as they work to ensure SNAP participants have access to benefits despite the government shutdown.
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
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TANF Extension Passed by the House
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On January 10, House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal (D-MA) introduced H.R. 430 – TANF Extension Act of 2019, which extends the program of block grants to States for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and related programs through June 30, 2019. House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Kevin Brady (R-TX) is co-sponsoring the legislation. On January 14 the House of Representatives passed H.R. 430 by a bipartisan voice vote. Lawmakers in the House believe that passing this bill will allow time that is necessary to work out a long-term TANF reauthorization bill. As to the likelihood of the Senate taking up H.R. 430, Senate Finance Committee Chair Charles Grassley (R-IA) said: "I’ll work with my colleagues on the Senate Finance Committee to see if we can find common ground. The goal of any reform to the program should be to help people prepare for work, find jobs and escape poverty." The bill has been received by the Senate and it is expected that it will be taken up in a timely manner.
Summary
of H.R 430.
Read
the House Committee on Ways and Means Press Release on the legislation.
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Shutdown Impact on Affordable Housing
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Due to the shutdown, the Housing Urban Development (HUD) agency has not received funding for fiscal year 2019 and its support of federal affordable housing and community development programs that serve vulnerable and marginalized populations (low-income, seniors, people with disabilities, and the homeless) is now in jeopardy.
The Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF) held a national call this week to discuss the potential impacts of the shutdown on affordable housing and community development programs. National Low Income Housing Coalition President and CEO, Diane Yentel, who detailed the potential impacts when she stated, “Nearly 700 property owners that have HUD contracts to operate housing affordable to the lowest-income seniors, people with disabilities, and families with children have seen those contracts expire due to the shutdown, and more will expire this month and next. These contract suspensions put the homes of nearly 70,000 low-income renters at risk of serious rent hikes and evictions. HUD has asked owners of these properties to dip into their savings, if they have any, to cover the costs. Some will be able to do so, but not forever, and some have already communicated to their tenants that rent hikes are coming. The longer the shutdown goes on, the more untenable it will become for properties owners to keep scraping by without their federal contracts - and the more the lowest-income renters will suffer.” The call also addressed the concerns of public housing authorities, which house over 3 million low-income households nationwide, and are unsure if they can continue business as usual for residents and landlords if the shutdown continues. Regarding the elderly population, HUD has not renewed 224 contracts for rental assistance in Section 202 Housing for the Elderly communities and more are set to expire this month.
Click here
for a link to the recording of the CHCDF national call,
here
for an interactive map showing the impacts of the shutdown on project-based rental assistance contracts, and
here
for a state-by-state breakdown of the expired or expiring contracts
Also, a bi-cameral
Dear Colleague Letter
sponsored by Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and Representative Marc Veasey (D-TX) was circulated to Congress for Member sign-on. This letter will be sent to President Trump to detail the disastrous impact that the shutdown is and will have on the housing industry, particularly affordable housing programs.
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Farm Bill Signed and Enacted Into Law
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Last month, Congress passed the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, commonly referred to as the Farm Bill. Earlier this month, the President signed the bill and it has been enacted into law (
P.L. 115-334
). The law reauthorizes its programs for five years, including mandatory funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). However, the partial government shutdown has threatened the availability of SNAP benefits to its participants. See “FNS and State SNAP Agencies Proceed with Plan to Ensure SNAP Participants’ Access to SNAP in February” in last week’s issue of TWIW and “FNS Provides Guidance as State SNAP Agencies Issue February SNAP Benefits Early” above.
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Call for Proposals - 2019 APHSA National HHS Summit
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APHSA is accepting proposals for the APHSA 2019 National Health and Human Services Summit, May 19-22 in Arlington, VA.
APHSA is elevating critical policy discussions and providing an opportunity for collective conversations with the Administration and Congress for a shared path forward for a modern, responsive and effective human service system.
We are seeking proposals that will create conversations, engage public and private partners from the health and human services sector and include thought leaders in the field.
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NACo Webinar: County Approaches to Improving Birth Outcomes
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On Wednesday, January 23 from 2:00pm – 3:30pm EST, NACo will host a webinar titled,
County Approaches to Improving Birth Outcomes
. Disproportional maternal and child health outcomes further exacerbate social determinants and health inequities. The issue is a complex problem requiring multi-faceted, solutions tailored to the needs of each community. In this informational webinar, participants will hear from county models who have implemented community-based initiatives to address birth outcomes and support the healthy development of children.
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Call for Proposals - Deadline Approaching! NextGen Funding Opportunity
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The Human Services Program at the Kresge Foundation announced a new funding and learning opportunity as part of its Next Generation (NextGen) Initiative, now in its second year. As part of this initiative, Kresge will invest in those nonprofit organizations and public agencies working to advance the social and economic mobility of families. Proposals are due by
12:00 PM (EST), January 28, 2019
.
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Call for Proposals - National Association for Welfare Research & Statistics
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The National Association for Welfare Research & Statistics (NAWRS) has released a Call for Proposals for the 2019 NAWRS in-person workshop. The workshop will take place July 28-31, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The NAWRS workshop convenes researchers and human services stakeholders to bring data and ideas together and to encourage the understanding and sharing of findings, best practices, and innovations that will build up the lives of those served through human services programs.
Submissions are due by March 1, 2019.
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National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development Releases Groundbreaking Report on Education and Achieving Children's Well-Being
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Drawing on input from more than 200 scientists, youth and parent groups, educators, and policymakers, the Commission’s final report, “From a Nation at Risk to a Nation at Hope,” seeks to accelerate and strengthen efforts to support the whole learner in local communities through recommendations for researchers, educators, and policymakers.
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Working-Family Tax Credits Lifted 8.9 Million People out of Poverty in 2017
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The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) together boosted the incomes of 29.1 million Americans in 2017, lifting 8.9 million above the poverty line and making 20.2 million others less poor, our analysis of new Census data shows. These totals include 12.5 million children, 4.8 million of whom were lifted out of poverty and another 7.7 million made less poor. The figures use the Census Bureau’s Supplemental Poverty Measure, which — unlike the official poverty measure — accounts for the impact of taxes and non-cash benefits as well as cash income.
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