Capitol Report

Shame on United States Senator Joe Manchin for privately expressed comments disparaging working families, as confirmed by multiple sources according to national news organizations, saying that West Virginians who receive the Child Care Tax Credit would “…misuse the payments for drugs.” It’s a horrid description of not only his own constituents in a state with exceedingly high poverty rates but a savage slight to everyday families across the entire country. It continues a warped and ugly mischaracterization of millions who certainly don’t deserve it. He has not refuted that he made the comments. It is estimated about 10 million American children would fall back into poverty without the Child Tax ...Read More

This week concludes the last of six committee weeks in advance of 2022 legislative session, which begins early on January 11 rather than March. Our overall takeaway from the committee meetings so far is there was more about children’s issues that wasn’t calendared for public discussion than what was. Two developments in particular were not brought publicly to the attention of legislators by the Florida Department of Children & Families.   Is DCF Playing Politics With Unaccompanied Children? The first was Department of Children and Families’ (DCF) refusal to issue a license decision to Lutheran Services of Florida so it could continue its Sarasota shelter for 60 unaccompanied immigrant children. ...Read More

The Florida Legislature will convene for its 2022 session on January 11. This early start has pushed “Committee Weeks” into the fall of 2021. Six are scheduled. The first meetings took place the week of September 20. The Capitol was re-opened to the public. American Children’s Campaign was represented by Roy Miller, Michael Sonntag, and Tom Griffin with Smith, Bryan and Myers. Committee hearings were monitored and reported by the Policy Team of apprentices under the direction of Amanda Ostrander. Most committee hearings were introductory in content, with executive branch agencies providing updates on their work and priorities since the close of the 2021 session in May. Of special interest ...Read More