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Blumenthal, Murkowski File Bipartisan 'Little DREAMers' Amendment

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June 18, 2013

Washington – The First Focus Campaign for Children today applauded U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) for filing a bipartisan amendment to strengthen the DREAM Act provisions of the Senate “Gang of 8” comprehensive immigration reform bill. The senators’ “Little DREAMers” amendment would eliminate obstacles that deny younger children a five-year path to citizenship, which is available through the underlying bill to older children and young adults.

Children’s Advocates Urge House to Protect Child Nutrition

June 18, 2013

Washington – The First Focus Campaign for Children, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization, sent a letter today urging members of the U.S. House of Representatives to reject provisions of the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act (colloquially, the House “Farm Bill”) that weaken investments in child nutrition.

House Appropriations Committee Vote Weakens Child Nutrition Safety Net

June 13, 2013

Washington – The U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Appropriations voted today to approve legislation funding the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and related agencies for federal fiscal year (FY) 2014. The legislation provides $214 million less for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) for FY 2014. The lower WIC funding brings the bill in line with lower overall funding allocations made under the House-passed FY 2014 budget resolution.

In the News

House Votes to Defund DACA

in

June 6, 2013
House Votes to Defund DACA

High Stakes for Children in Immigration Reform

in

May 21, 2013
By Alison Burns
Public News Service

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Let's Protect our Children

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January 11, 2013

Let's Protect our ChildrenThis ad calling on Congress to protect critical investments in our children including early childhood, education, and nutrition from upcoming budget negotiations ran in the Jan. 11, 2013 print edition of Politico.

Champions for Children 2012

October 2, 2012

Champions for Children 2012First Focus Campaign for Children recognized the 2012 Champions for Children and Defenders of Children on Tuesday, October, 2012 in Roll Call Newspaper.

A Utah Success Story

June 14, 2012

A Utah Success StoryThis ad ran in UtahPolicy.com, a leading Utah political blog, during the weeks immediately before and following the state's 2012 presidential primary election. We worked with Voices for Utah Children to place the ad, which linked to a page urging policymakers and opinion leaders to reject threats to invest in CHIP.

Top of Our List

Bill Attempts to Ban Seclusion and Restraint

June 18, 2013
By Brianna Gross

What would you do if your child came home covered in bruises and cuts, maybe even a tooth knocked out? Oh, that’s a normal day for my child, you think, roughhousing on the playground, kids will be kids, that sort of thing. But what if you found out that those injuries were inflicted by a teacher?

How about if you found out that your child missed history, math, and English class because she was locked in a room alone for three hours, with no bathroom breaks, no surveillance, and no supervision?

Keeping a Focus on Children as Immigration Reform Hits the Senate Floor

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June 18, 2013
By Anthony Eleftherion

With the Senate currently debating possible reforms to our nation’s immigration system, we at First Focus Campaign for Children, along with a host of other organizations, want to ensure that the interests and needs of children and families are met in the immigration reform bill (S.744).

Po-tay-toe, po-ta-toe? Either Way, a Less Healthy WIC

June 14, 2013
By Radiah Shabazz

This week the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee passed an amendment to the FY 2014 Agriculture Appropriations Bill that would allow for fresh white potatoes to be included in the WIC food package.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) provides federal grants to states for food assistance, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant and postpartum women, as well as infants and children up to age 5 who are found to be at nutritional risk.