June 15, 2018
Greetings!
As always, we're bringing you the latest from Washington and after you're all caught up, check out our latest blog post . Have a great weekend!
This Friday in History...
Arkansas became the twenty-fifth state on June 15, 1836.
The Latest from Congress...
Opioids Week
This week and next week will be considered “opioids week” for Congress with both chambers—the House and Senate—considering over 30 opioid related bills.
After many committee hearings over the last couple of months, the House began debating and voting on  dozens of bills   aimed at responding to aspects of the opioid crisis. Many of the bills the House approved on Tuesday and Wednesday 
were among the least controversial during subcommittee and committee consideration.
Status on Appropriations Process
Yesterday, House appropriators introduced its $177.1 billion Labor-HHS-Education bill. If passed, the bill would provide $89.2 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The bill will likely provide $186 billion in discretionary funding overall with roughly $6.7 billion of that would come from unspent Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funding. Notable proposed funding includes…
Immigration Update
On Tuesday, several House members attempted to move forward on immigration legislation by utilizing a parliamentary maneuver known as a “ discharge petition ”—a tactic designed to force a vote on a bill without a committee hearing. The discharge petition failed to get the last two signatures needed to be successful. However, on Wednesday, Speaker Paul Ryan announced that representatives will vote on two separate bills next week including the " Securing America’s Future Act" ( H.R. 4760 ) introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and another bill yet to be released.
Senate Farm Bill Update 
On Wednesday, June 13, the Senate Agriculture Committee passed the " Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018" (Senate Farm Bill) with bipartisan support. The bill reauthorizes many agriculture and nutrition programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which 40 million Americans currently rely on for food. Current SNAP authorization will expire on September 30, 2018.

The Senate Farm Bill is quite different from the House Farm Bill which failed to pass last month. Highlights of the bill related to SNAP include…
The Latest from the Administration...
CMS Guidance to Combat Opioids
On Monday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released guidance to help states combat the opioid crisis. The agency released an  Informational Bulletin that provides states with information they can use when designing approaches to cover critical treatment services (such as case management services) for Medicaid eligible infants with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. CMS also issued  a letter  to states on how they may best use federal funding to enhance Medicaid technology to combat drug addiction and the opioid crisis. Suggestions range from advanced analytics and public health data, to enhanced statewide interoperability.
 
Also this week, CMS published a  roadmap  outlining the agency’s own efforts to address the crisis detailed in three prongs: (1) prevention of new cases of opioid use disorder, (2) the treatment of patients who have already become dependent on or addicted to opioids, and (3) the utilization of data   from across the country to target prevention and treatment activities.
Housing
This spring, we reported on the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD's) proposed plan   to triple the minimum rent for rental assistance recipients (approximately 4.5 million people). Specifically, the proposal would require recipients to either pay the new higher minimum rent or contribute a larger share of their gross income to their rent, as well as allow recipients to be subject to work requirements. However, as of last week, HUD has reconsidered moving forward with the proposed minimum rent increase because they are no longer “urgent” due to the agency’s additional funding in the budget.  
 
For background, in the fiscal year 2018 omnibus, HUD’s funding was increased by 10 percent and the appropriations bill currently under consideration would give HUD $12 billion more than the amount requested in the White House fiscal year 2019 budget proposal.
Healthcare
This week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan, stated that the Department of Justice has elected not to defend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) against the constitutional challenges raised by 20 states in Texas v. United States . Last year, Congress passed H.R. 1, which will repeal the individual mandate beginning next year. Plaintiffs claim that the elimination of the individual mandate invalidates the entire health care law. In his letter to the Speaker Ryan, Attorney General Sessions wrote that “this is a rare case where the proper course is to forgo defense.” The Attorney General’s stance on the matter means that 15 states, led by California, will defend the ACA.
Reports & Resources
Eviction Rankings
The Eviction Lab at Princeton University has conducted a nationwide database of top evicting large cities in the United States—the first of its kind. Access it here .
Opioid Legislation Guide
For an initial analysis of opioid bills under consideration in the House and Senate, as well as the projected impact for local governments addressing the epidemic, please see  this guide  from the National Association of Counties (NACo).
Announcements
Children and Family Fellowship
The Annie E. Casey Foundation is now accepting nominations and applications for its signature Children and Family Fellowship . This executive leadership program, which will run from April 2019 to January 2021, empowers child and family serving professionals to lead major system reforms and community change initiatives that get results. The Foundation will accept nominations for its 11th class through August 17 . Candidates can also apply to the program directly, no nomination necessary, by September 7 .  
Center for Juvenile Justice Reform Programs
Georgetown University's Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR) is now accepting applications through July 13th for the  Supporting the Well-Being of System-Involved LGBTQ Youth Certificate Program which will be held  October 22-26, 2018  at Georgetown University. View the  curriculum  and  apply .
 
CJJR is also accepting applications through July 27th for the  Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice Certificate Program . The training will be held at Georgetown University from November 5-9, 2018 in partnership with the Center for Children’s Law and Policy. Learn more  and  apply .
2018 NAPIPM Annual Education Conference
Registration for the 2018 National Association for Program Information and Performance Measurement (NAPIPM) Annual Education Conference is now open! Join us August 13-16 in Tampa, FL to learn and network with other dedicated professionals responsible for improving the performance measurement capabilities of health and human services. Topics include real-world innovations from leading experts at the federal, state, and local level, as well as the private sector; SNAP, Child Care, TANF, and Medicaid policy updates; and more! Additional information is available here .
ISM Awards and Fellowships Open
IT Solutions Management for Human Services (ISM), an affinity group of APHSA, is currently accepting nominations for the 2018 Recognition Awards for Excellence in Human Services Information Technology. Any organization may submit a nomination and there is no limit to the number of nominations; however, a separate entry for each nomination must be submitted no later than  Monday, June 25 .
ISM is also accepting applications for fellowships to the 2018 ISM Conference being held September 16-19 in Seattle, WA. Both full and partial travel fellowships are available to state and local government employees. Applications must be submitted no later than  Friday, June 29.