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Bipartisan Amendment to Keep Families Together Passes Senate Committee

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May 20, 2013

Washington – The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee today approved an amendment sponsored by Senators Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to strengthen protections for children in the Senate “Gang of 8” comprehensive immigration reform bill (S. 744). The amendment was cosponsored by Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Democratic Senators Chris Coons (Del.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), and Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), and by Republican Senators John Cornyn (Texas) and Ted Cruz (Texas).

175 Advocacy Groups Endorse Bill Protecting Foster Kids from Deportation

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May 20, 2013

Washington – As Congress debates immigration reform, 175 state and national organizations led by the First Focus Campaign for Children today endorsed the Foster Children Opportunity Act (H.R. 2036).

House Farm Bill Would Make Child Hunger Worse

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May 16, 2013

Washington – The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture voted Wednesday to cut nearly $21 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), an investment that allocates 47 percent of funding to U.S. children. The Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act (commonly referred to as the Farm Bill) would also weaken two other child nutrition initiatives: SNAP-Education (“SNAP-Ed”) and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP). First Focus Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley released the following statement in response to the vote:

In the News

High Stakes for Children in Immigration Reform

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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

Tick Tock: Kids Stand to Lose Billions on March 1

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February 22, 2013
By Madeline Daniels

Representative Steve King Introduces Bill that Harms America's Children

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January 23, 2013
By Kevin Lindsey

One of the first bills (H.R.140) of the 113th Congress, introduced by Rep. Steve King (R-IA), is a tired idea that would make children of undocumented immigrant parents ineligible for “birthright citizenship,” the provision in the Fourteenth Amendment that grants all babies born in this country U.S. citizenship.

Crediting Children and Families

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December 3, 2012
By Kayla Klein, First Focus Intern Associate

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC) are tax credits designed to support low income working families and help them meet their children’s basic needs. At the end of 2012, these tax credits require Congressional action to continue in their current forms and face changes that could have devastating effects on the millions of children who currently receive them.