By Zachary Tashman The Expanding Access to School Meals Act of 2019 (H.R.5308), introduced by Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13), would expand the free school lunch and breakfast programs to millions of children. The bill would extend free school meals to all children from households that fall at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty […]

By Zachary Tashman On Thursday, November 7th, the National Assembly hosted a Washington Policy Council to discuss strategies for ensuring a fair and accurate count in the 2020 Census, particularly among young children. Deborah Stein, Network Director at Partnership for America’s Children, presented findings from the CountallKids campaign outlining  why so many young children are […]

On October 3rd, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a Proposed Rule on the Standardization of State Heating and Cooling Standard Utility Allowances. The regulation would prevent states from establishing utility and housing allowances when determining Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. This provision allows individuals and families who spend more than half their income […]

By Zachary Tashman The Older Americans Act (OAA), first passed in 1965, authorizes a range of services and programs that ensure senior citizens remain independent and able to meaningfully participate in their communities. In 2016, 11.3 million older adults were served by programs authorized under the OAA. These programs include providing seniors with 45.2 million […]

By Marie Camino Last week, following the release of the final Public Charge regulation, Senator Maizie Hirono (D-HI) introduced the Protect American Values Act, Senate companion legislation to the No Federal Funds for Public Charge Act (H.R. 3222). The bill would prohibit the government from using federal funds to enforce the Department of Homeland Security’s […]