The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill that was passed by the appropriations subcommittee in the U.S. House of Representatives last week and this is schedule to be marked up in the full U.S. House appropriations committee this week provides more funding for the child care and development block grant, seven of the children and family services programs, and payments for foster care and permanency that should provide more assistance to homeless people and other low-income people, but some of these programs are funded below the Administration’s requested amount and the bill does not provide any increase in funding for the social services block grant, fifteen of the children and families services programs, and the promoting safe and stable families program.

Overall, the House Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations bill provides a total of $73.2 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services, an increase of $2.6 billion above the fiscal year (FY) 2016 level and $3.5 billion above the President’s budget request.  In particular, it provides $19.4 billion in discretionary funding for the Administration for Children and Families, an increase of $558 million above the FY2016 enacted level and $588 billion below the President’s budget request.

For the child care and development block grant, the House bill provides $2.801
billion, which is an increase of $40 million compared to the FY2016 level but $160
million less than the budget request.  The House bill should contain the $160 million in additional funding that the Administration requested so that more low-income families can access child care and have better quality child care to allow them to
engage in job training or education.

For the social services block grant, the House bill provides $1.700 billion, which is the same level as the FY 2016 enacted level and the budget request level.  If the House bill increased funding for this program, which targets efforts to reduce or eliminate poverty, achieving or maintaining self-sufficiency, and preventing neglect, abuse, or exploitation of children, the number of families and children living in poverty could be reduced further, more families could achieve or maintain self-sufficiency, and fewer children and adults may experience domestic or family violence.

For the children and family services programs, the House bill provides $11.382
billion, which is an increase of $398 million compared to theFY2016 level but $342 million less than the budget request.

Seven of the children and family services programs receive more funding in the House bill than in the FY2016 enacted bill but three of these programs receive less funding than the Administration requested.  In particular, the House bill increases funding for Head Start, preschool development grants, child abuse prevention,
Native American programs, rural community facilities, family violence/battered
women’s shelters, and program direction compared to the FY2016 enacted bill, but for these programs it provides $292 million in less funding for Head Start,
$100 million in less funding for preschool development grants, and $9 million less in less funding for child abuse prevention than the Administration requested.  The House bill should provide this additional requested funding so that more low-income children can receive early childhood education and so that fewer children may be abused.

Fifteen of the children and family services programs receive the same level of
funding in the House bill as in the FY2016 enacted bill but five of the programs
receive less funding than the Administration requested.  Specifically, the House bill provides the same level of funding for runaway and homeless youth, child welfare services and training, adoption opportunities and incentives, social sciences/income maintenance research, the community services block grant, economic development, the individual development account initiative, the domestic violence hotline,
independent living training vouchers, and disaster human services case
management, but for these programs it provides $6 million in less funding for
runaway and homeless youth, $4 million in less funding for child welfare training, $4
million in less funding for social sciences/income maintenance research, and $4
million in less funding for the domestic violence hotline than the Administration
requested.  The house bill should provide this additional requested funding so that more runaway and homeless youth can be assisted, more  child welfare  training is available, and more women, men, and children can safely escape domestic violence and receive help.

For promoting safe and stable families, the House bill provides a total of $404
million, which is the same level as in the FY2016 enacted bill but $20 million less than the budget request.  The House bill should provide this $20 million in additional funding that the Administration requested so that more families may be able to be preserved and reunified and fewer families and children become homeless or
become involved in or spend longer periods of time in the foster care system.

In conclusion, to increase access to early childhood education and child care
assistance so that parents can receive job training and education, to reduce family and child abuse, homelessness, and poverty, and to help keep families safe,
together, or reunited, the House appropriations committee should provide at least an additional $160 million for the child care and development block grant, $292
million for Head Start, $100 million for preschool development grants, $9 million for child abuse prevention, $6 million for runaway and homeless youth, $4 million for child welfare training, $4 million for social sciences/income maintenance research, $4 million for the domestic violence hotline, and $20 million for promoting safe and stable families when it considers the Labor, Health, and Education appropriations bill.