Urge the U.S. House of Representatives to pass bipartisan legislation supporting child welfare and child support enforcement programs

Key Takeaways

After unanimously passing out of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee on July 24, the bipartisan Protecting America's Children by Strengthening Families Act (H.R. 9076) is set for House consideration during the week of September 16. The bill makes modest improvements to Title IV-B programs, including new resources for child welfare workforce recruitment and retention and additional flexibility to serve families experiencing poverty. The measure will be considered in conjunction with the bipartisan Strengthening State and Tribal Child Support Enforcement Act (H.R. 7906), which is a critical technical fix that will protect the continuity of operations for county child support enforcement agencies.  

• Why it matters to counties: Counties support H.R. 9076, which will support our ability to provide flexible services to children, youth and families at-risk for or currently involved with the child welfare system. Additionally, H.R. 7906 will protect counties and our intergovernmental partners from steep and unnecessary administrative costs related to child support enforcement. Learn more about both measures here.
• Take action: Call or email your U.S. House Representatives today to urge them to pass the Protecting America's Children by Strengthening Families Act (H.R. 9076) and Strengthening State and Tribal Child Support Enforcement Act (H.R. 7906) to help counties stabilize vulnerable families.  
• Next steps: If H.R. 9076 and H.R. 7906 clear the U.S. House, they must then also pass the U.S. Senate before becoming law. Stay tuned for updates and additional action alerts from NACo.