Senate to Mark Up Subsidized Guardianship & Aging Out Provisions: The Senate Finance Committee plans a September 10 mark up of a bill similar to the House passed legislation (H.R. 6307) to reauthorize the Adoption Incentives Program as well as provide federal support for relative guardians and funding for states to extend foster care IV-E payments to youth up to age 21, at state option. Also included are competitive grants to states and localities to establish kinship navigator programs. The Committee is all but certain pass the bill, which will give the House and Senate the opportunity later in September to craft a bipartisan bill in hopes that it would be enacted this fall. Click here for a short bill summary prepared by the Senate. A more comprehensive 31 page outline is accessed here.

Elder Justice Act Progressing: The Senate Finance Committee also plans to mark up the Elder Justice Act (S. 1070) The measure would establish a greater role for the federal government in coordinating federal efforts to address and support adult protective services (APS) programs. Included in the package is $100 million in federal funding, subject to appropriations and prorated among the states, supporting state and local APS efforts. Also included is a $25 million competitive grant pot, subject to appropriations, to fund state and local demonstration projects preventing and detecting abuse. There is a similar measure in the House (H.R. 1783) The House Judiciary Committee has adopted the bill, but action is pending in three other House committees.   

NACHSA to Meet at APHSA: Join your NACHSA colleagues and APHSA state and local members at the APHSA fall conference slated for September 14-16 at the Capitol Hyatt in Washington, DC. In addition to hearing the latest from congressional and administration staff on a wide range of late-breaking health and human services issues, NACHSA members will have the opportunity to meet with their counterparts in APHSA's National Council of Local Human Service Administrators. NACHSA will conduct its own meeting on Sunday morning, September 14 as well. Click here to view the preliminary agenda.

The Hyatt Hotel registration deadline is August 8 and the conference registration deadline is August 21.   

For further information, here are links to APHSA's conference materials:

September 14-16,  2008
Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill, DC 

Registration Form
Online Registration 

Make Hotel Reservations
Preliminary-Agenda

General Information

Homelessness Resources Available: The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration launched a new Homelessness Resource Center (HRC) Web site this week. Targeted toward providers who work with people who are homeless, the Web site shares state-of-the art knowledge, evidence-based practices, and practical resources.

National Governors' Association Releases TANF Survey: A survey by the National Governors' Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) reveals the innovative strategies states are using to meet new, more stringent federal requirements of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The survey results, as well as a concise history capturing the evolution of government assistance to needy families and a table demonstrating the changes in states' budgeting patterns affected by new TANF requirements, are in this brief titled Entering the Next Phase of Welfare Reform: State Responses to Changes in Federal TANF Law and Regulations

North Carolina member counties Buncombe and Lincoln recently posted human services jobs. Click here to view them and other recent postings.