NACHSA and NACo submit congressional testimony, write letters to Congress on pending legislation, comment on federal regulations and publish reports on emerging issues.

Recent studies and federal regulations of importance to county human services administrators include:

NACo has published a Hot Topics Edition of County News, focusing on health reform implementation. NACHSA contributed its thoughts on page five.    

Landmark health reform legislation was enacted in March 2010. NACHSA has prepared a very brief summary of key provisions affecting Medicaid. Click here to view it.  

American Public Human Services Association’s Organizational Effectiveness (OE) staff has increasingly noted the significance of how different support functions (training, policy, quality assurance, human resources…) must collaborate to achieve organizational effectiveness. The Guidebook for Building Organizational Effectiveness Capacity: A Training System Example provides guidelines for promoting constructive and instructive dialogue among different agency components to accomplish the OE goals.

Click here for NACHSA’s summary of President Obama’s budget and policy proposals for federal fiscal year 2011.

Click here to read a one-page summary of a bill to extend the TANF emergency contingency fund through September 30, 2011.

The National Association of Counties has prepared a useful side-by-side of the health reform bills adopted by the House and Senate.

Congress is considering home visiting legislation. Click here to view a House summary.

NACHSA has prepared a two page summary of some of the key items in the 2009 economic stimulus package.

NACHSA is assisting in circulating a letter to Congress supporting increased investments in child welfare programs as part of an economic recovery package. For a copy of that letter, click here.

NACHSA has prepared a summary of recent congressional activity and a preview of potential action in 2009. Click here to view it.

Over 580 national, state and local organizations signed a letter to Congress urging them to act on a bill to promote permanent families for children and youth in foster care through adoption and relative guardianship, support older youth preparing to leave care, and offer first time protections and assistance to American Indian children.  Click here for a two page summary of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act (H.R. 6893). A longer side-by-side may be accessed here. The entire bill may be read here.

Research released by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in June 2008 demonstrate the benefits of kinship caregiver arrangements compared to non-relative foster care. Click here to view the study. The PowerPoint presentation made at the briefing may be accessed here.

Support for the Kinship Caregiver Support Act is gaining momentum. A letter to Congress is being circulated to organizations to sign. Click here for a summary of the bill and a Senate Dear Colleague letter.

NACHSA testified on TANF and Child Support in 2007. Click here to view the testimony. A state-by-state chart detailing how each state has dealt with the TANF time limits may be accessed here.

NACHSA has prepared a summary of the President’s FY 2009 budget which may be viewed here.

Click here to view a summary prepared by NACHSA of health and human services activity in 2007 and an outline what may occur in 2008.

The Center for Law and Social Policy has released state fact sheets on child welfare funding.  Click here to see how your state compares.