Food and Nutrition Improvements: After months of negotiations, the House and Senate have approved the massive farm bill (H.R. 2419) which contains a renewal of the food stamp program, renamed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The president has vowed to veto the measure, arguing that it is over budget and does not reform farm support programs enough. The House and Senate vote margins approving the legislation were both large enough to overcome the anticipated veto and an override is expected before Memorial Day.

The bill contains a over $10 billion in new investments in food and nutrition programs over the next ten years, including a number of increases to the asset limits and income disregards. Click here for an excellent Center on Budget and Policy Priorities summary (8 pp.) of the nutrition improvements and state-by-state charts on the estimated impact. For the actual legislation and description of the bill, go to the House Agriculture Committee website.

Medicaid Regulations:  The House's veto-proof approval of a bill (H.R. 5613) to delay seven pending Medicaid regulations has been stalled in the Senate due to a likely filibuster. House and Senate Democratic leadership have attached the measure to the Iraq war supplemental which would continue funding for operations in that country and Afghanistan. Budget offsets have been identified to pay for the $1.7 billion cost to delay any further action on the Medicaid regulations. The supplemental has begun working its way through both the House and Senate, but final congressional action is not expected until June. Click here to view a National Association of State Medicaid Directors' summary of the proposed regulations.

Adult Financial Exploitation: Missourians Stopping Adult Financial Exploitation is that state's comprehensive campaign on financial exploitation. It educates financial institutions and consumers on how to stop attempted or ongoing financial exploitation before a senior or disabled adult's funds are depleted. The campaign has produced a video featuring Emmy Award-winning actress Doris Roberts, best known for her role as nosy Marie Barone in TV's Everybody Loves Raymond. She provides the narration on how to prevent this fast-growing crime.  The video, brochure, and slide show educates the general public and financial institution employees on how to recognize and report financial exploitation.  All the materials can be downloaded from this site: http://www.dhss.mo.gov/MOSAFE/.

Opportunities for Creating Livable Communities: The most common barriers to creating livable communities are examined in this AARP report. It offers examples of how communities around the country have increased housing and transportation choices for older adults and other community members, serving as an easy, non-technical introduction to how livable communities can be implemented through effective community planning.

AFCARS Adoption and Foster Care Report: The Children's Bureau has released the latest national statistics on adoption and foster care for FY 2006 in their new Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) Report. The figures show some changes in numbers from one year earlier.

• The number of children in foster care dropped from 513,000 on September 30, 2005, to 510,000 on the same day in 2006.
• The number of children entering foster care dropped from 311,000 in 2005 to 303,000 in 2006.
• The number of children exiting foster care increased from 287,000 in 2005 to 289,000 in 2006.
• The number of children waiting to be adopted (with a goal of adoption and parents whose rights had been terminated) increased from 114,000 on September 30, 2005, to 129,000 on the same day in 2006. There was a significant increase in children in foster care with parental rights terminated for all living parents-this increased from 66,000 in 2005 to 79,000 in 2006.
• One figure stayed the same: the number of children adopted with public agency involvement remained static at 51,000.

Read the full report on the Children's Bureau website.

The Importance of Sibling Relationships in Foster Care: Published last month by the Hunter College School of Social Work, this seven page sibling placement information packet summarizes facts and statistics, best practice tips and model programs, policies and legislation, websites and resources, and a bibliography on placing siblings together in foster care settings.    

Educating Children in Foster Care: State Legislation 2004 - 2007: This National Conference of State Legislatures' Educating Children in Foster Care report reviews state legislation enacted between 2004 and 2007 to improve the educational experiences and opportunities of children and youth in foster care. It also provides information on laws and policies regarding early learning and foster care.

Quick Health Facts 2008: This AARP publication provides a snapshot of each state's health care landscape by providing comparable state-level and national data for over 30 indicators. Data are presented for each state on demographics, Medicare, Medicaid, and health insurance coverage.

Succession Planning: While this Annie E. Casey Foundation publication on succession planning is targeted to non-profit organizations, many of the key points would likely apply to the public sector. Building Leaderful Organizations: Succession Planning for Nonprofits notes that development of leadership skills throughout an organization is a key strategy for succession planning and strengthening capacity. The document presents emergency succession planning tools, and offers organization leaders guidance for thinking about when and how to leave an organization.

The federal Office of Community Services recently announced a new summer application cycle for the Assets for Independence program. The summer application due date is June 25, 2008. The program awards five-year grants to government agencies, nonprofits and faith-based organizations to empower low-income families to be economically self-sufficient. Grantees provide financial education training on financial matters and money management, and assist participants with saving earned income in Individual Development Accounts. Click here for more information, including upcoming webinars on the application process.

To view a list of current grantees, click here. 

NACHSA and APHSA Collaboration: In what is hoped to be the first of many initiatives, NACHSA members joined their local colleagues from American Public Human Services Association in a conference call this week to develop an initial TANF pilot to provide information to policymakers on the challenges their customers and staff face with federal TANF statutes and regulations today, and opportunities to craft better policies for family well-being and self-sufficiency tomorrow. Future e-Alerts will update you on this new initiative and how you may contribute to it!

NACo's Strengthening Families Newsletter: Click here  to view NACo's Strengthening Families newsletter. It includes information on recent publications, researches, articles, and grants concerning early childhood development and family economic success.

NACo Annual Conference: NACHSA will meet on Friday, July 11 - the first day of NACo's Annual Conference. The schedule and summary of Educational Sessions that will be offered is now available. Register by May 30 to receive the early bird rate. Click here to view information on the conference.

NACHSA Jobs Online: Just a reminder that NACo posts senior level human services jobs free to NACHSA members. Contact me at tj@wafed.com with the posting.

NACHSA Archives: For those of you who may want to refer to past e-Alerts, NACHSA has created a button in each alert you receive and on its website at www.nachsa.org.