Letters and Correspondence

On July 24, 2019, First Focus Campaign for Children wrote a letter to the Senate Democratic Leadership in support of the Stop Cruelty to Migrant Children Act (S.2113).Excerpt:We urge Senate Democrats to cosponsor, consider, and pass the package introduced by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and some of your colleagues entitled “Stop Cruelty to Migrant Children Act” that seeks to end the “cruel and neglectful treatment of children at the U.S.-Mexico border and reform how children fleeing persecution are treated between the moment at which they arrive at our borders to claim asylum and the ultimate resolution of their asylum case.”...

On June 18, 2019, First Focus Campaign for Children wrote a letter to House Democratic Leadership regarding the "best interests of the child" standard and helpful proposals moving toward that.Excerpt: We urge House Democrats to cosponsor, consider, and pass the following important pieces of legislation: H.R. 3729, the Child Trafficking Victims Protection and Welfare Act, by Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard H.R. 3239, the Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in CBP Custody Act by Rep. Raul Ruiz H.R. 2043, the Fair Day in Court for Kids Act by Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard H.R. 1012, the Reunite Every Unaccompanied Newborn Infant, Toddler, and Other Children...

On June 9, 2019, First Focus Campaign for Children wrote a letter to Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and Representative Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) in support of their School Food Modernization Act of 2019 (S.1949/H.R. 3444).Excerpt:In 2018, school cafeterias served nearly 5 billion lunches, of which three-quarters were at a free or reduced price. Schools are making terrific progress in providing healthier school foods with more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; less salt and saturated fat; no trans-fat; and healthier snacks and beverages. However, many school cafeterias are still using outdated, inefficient equipment which inhibits their ability to meet strong evidence-based school...

On June 25th, 2019, First Focus Campaign for Children wrote a letter to Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Representative Susan Davis (D-CA) in support of their Stop Summer Hunger Act of 2019 (S. 1941/H.R. 3378.)Excerpt from the Letter: First Focus Campaign for Children knows it will take a multi-pronged approach to ensure that these children have enough to eat during the summer months. This includes strengthening and expanding summer meal sites so that they are accessible to more children, extending the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) program so that families can purchase additional food for their children during the summer,...

On June 24th, 2019, First Focus Campaign for Children sent a letter of support to Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Representatives Don Young (R-AK) and Rick Larsen (D-WA) in support of their Summer Meals Act of 2019 (S. 1908/H.R. 2818.)Excerpt from the letter: The Summer Meals Act of 2019 takes the important step of ensuring more low-income children can access nutrition and learning enrichment at summer meal sites by reducing the area-eligibility threshold from 50 to 40 percent, providing transportation grants, increasing the number of meals available, and reducing paperwork burden for sponsors. We look forward...

First Focus Campaign for Children wrote a letter in support of H.R. 3239, the "Save Kids Act," by Representative Raul Ruiz. Excerpt: On behalf of First Focus Campaign for Children, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization dedicated to making children and families the priority in federal policy and budget decisions, we are writing to express our thanks for introducing the Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in Customs and Border Protection Custody Act. Every child has the right to have their basic needs met and to be treated with humanity, but unfortunately the current state of the US border does not guarantee this. In...

On June 20th, 2019, First Focus Campaign for Children wrote a letter to Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) in support of their Hunger Free Summer for Kids Act of 2019 (S. 1966). Excerpt from the Letter: On behalf of First Focus Campaign for Children, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization dedicated to making children a priority in federal budget and policy decisions, I am writing to express our support for the Hunger Free Summer for Kids Act of 2019. This legislation is an important component of the comprehensive package needed to fight summer hunger for millions of our...

On June 18th, 2019, First Focus Campaign for Children sent a letter to the Leadership of the Senate Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Ways and Means and in support of changes to the tax code that lift children out poverty.As you continue to work through a range of tax legislation addressing retirement security, the redesign of the Internal Revenue Service, an extension of temporary tax credits, and other important updates to the tax code, I write on behalf of First Focus Campaign for Children to urge you to adopt critical changes to our tax code that would...

On June 10th, 2019, First Focus Campaign for Children wrote a letter to Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME) in support of their Help Grandfamilies Prevent Child Abuse Act (S. 1181).Excerpt from the Letter: This bill would provide these grandparent caregivers the support and services they need in order to effectively raise their grandchildren. We recognize the importance of this legislation in ensuring that children are raised by a family member when their own parents cannot provide the care they need to thrive. Extensive research has shown that children who cannot be raised by their birth parents have...