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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).

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).

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

Helping Shattered Families - California Legislation Needs Governor’s Signature to Become Law

August 30, 2012
By Yali Lincroft

ImmigrantKids.jpgJuana Reyes is an undocumented single mother of two U.S. born citizen children who sold tamales in front of Walmart in Sacramento, California for years. Her troubles began when she was arrested on June 28, 2012 for trespassing and Reyes was identified as a deportable alien by the local sheriff’s department.

White House Report Pinpoints the Impact of Teacher Layoffs and Class Size

August 23, 2012

Investing in our FutureA recent report by the White House highlights severe cuts to public education as we begin the 2012-2013 school year, and we near the final stretch of a Presidential Campaign that introduces two drastically different versions of a federal budget, which with an impact on our schools.

Rep. Paul Ryan’s Cuts To Kids

August 22, 2012
By Madeline Daniels

As an advocacy organization that advocates to ensure children and families are a priority in federal policy and budget decisions, we have been closely following the coverage of the announcement of Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on the Budget, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) as candidate for Vice President. We have read a lot about Rep. Ryan’s role in writing the House fiscal year 2013 budget, and what this plan would mean for the country.