The House and Senate are recessing this week and will return on June 3. 
 
SNAP: The Senate spent last week debating the farm bill, considering a large number of amendments. It rejected amendments to further cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), including an amendment offered by Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) to restrict categorical eligibility determinations only for households receiving cash benefits such as TANF. The Senate however, also defeated an amendment by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) to restore the $4.1 billion in SNAP cuts over ten years made by the Senate Agriculture Committee by restricting the coordination of federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) benefits when determining SNAP eligibility.

 

The Senate also adopted by voice vote an amendment by Senator David Vitter (R-LA) to permanently bar any individual convicted of certain felonies, including murder and rape, from ever receiving SNAP benefits even after serving their time. The amendment would also require place a new administrative provision for SNAP by requiring individuals applying for benefits for their household to state in writing whether they or any other household member has been convicted of such crimes.

 

The Senate farm bill will return to the floor next week, and the House is expected to begin consideration of its bill in mid-June. Its measure cuts SNAP more deeply than the Senate counterpart.

 

Immigration and Child Welfare: The Senate Judiciary Committee adopted its immigration reform bill (S. 744) before Memorial Day. The Committee adopted unanimously a NACHSA-supported amendment offered by Senator Al Franken (D-MN) to require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to act in the best interests of the child when a parent is detained, including allowing the parent to make calls to arrange for care of their children and placing the parent in a detention facility closest to the residence of the child. The intent of the provision is to avoid placing the child in the child welfare system whenever possible. To learn more about the amendment, click here.   The Senate bill is likely to reach the floor in June.

 

Child Care Regulations Proposed: HHS has issued proposed new health, safety and quality regulations for federally-subsidized child care. The rule proposes that child care programs receiving funding under the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) would have to provide health and safety training in specific areas, comply with applicable state and local fire, health and building codes, perform comprehensive background checks (including fingerprinting) and be subject to on-site monitoring. Since its inception in the early 1990's states have had wide discretion over regulating federally-funded child care.

 

Past legislative attempts to revise and reauthorize the CCDBG law have languished in those the House and Senate over the past two decades. The proposed rule would implement some of the proposals that have been considered in previous legislation. Click here to read more about the rule and how to comment on it.