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 Expeditiously (REUNITE) Act by Rep. Adriano Espaillat
• H.R. 541, the Keep Families Together Act by Rep. Jerrold Nadler
• H.R. 2572, the Protect Family Values at the Border Act by Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard
• H.R. 2217, the Families Not Facilities Act of 2019 by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
• H.R. 3451, the Humane Enforcement and Legal Protections for Separated Children Act of 2019 by Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard
• H.R. 3452, the Help Separated Families Act of 2019 by Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard

View the letter.

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.” We would also urge the Senate to pass legislation to codify the Flores Settlement Agreement, which provides for basic health and safety standards for all children in federal immigration custody, and a “best interest of the child” standard for all policies that govern how our government interacts with children.

View the letter.

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 the last year, six migrant children have tragically died in U.S. custody. 

Read the full letter here.

On June 10th, 2019, First Focus Campaign for Children wrote a letter to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee in opposition to Senator Lindsey Graham's (R-SC) Secure and Protect Act of 2019 (S. 1494).

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 strong opposition to the Secure and Protect Act of 2019.

As an organization committed to the health and safety of all children in the United States we are extremely concerned with the attempts of both Congress and the Administration to undermine vital protections for children such as the Flores Settlement Agreement and the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) to allow for the prolonged detention of children and immediate repatriation of unaccompanied children to dangerous situations. 

Read the full letter.

Excerpt:

On behalf of the First Focus Campaign for Children, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization dedicated to making children and families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions, we write today in support of H.R. 2820, The Dream Act of 2019; H.R. 2821, The American Promise Act of 2019; and H.R. 549, the Venezuela TPS Act of 2019.

Because Congress has neglected to act, the future for more than 800,000 recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program still remains uncertain. DACA recipients and Dreamers have shown great resilience over the last two years, and have continued to further their education, strengthen their job skills, and volunteer to protect their communities all without the certainty of what their future may hold. We are encouraged to see a Dream Act that expands eligibility to include all who were brought to the U.S. as minors and includes a pathway to permanency.

Blueprint Shows How 116th Congress Can Act on the Best Interests of Children (more…)

Any policies that affect children should base their foundations on the best interests of the child.

(more…)

First Focus Campaign for Children submitted the following statement for the record to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Excerpt from the statement:

The First Focus Campaign for Children is a bipartisan advocacy organization dedicated to making children and families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions. As an organization dedicated to promoting the safety and well-being of all children in the United States, we have been urging both Congress and the Administration to uphold the best interest of the children involved in all decisions regarding the long-term impact of forced family separation and detention due to immigration enforcement. 

While we are grateful that court-ordered reunification efforts are underway, we remain concerned about the 711 children who have yet to be reunified with their parents, the treatment and standards that these children are subjected to while in the care of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the lack of legal representation to ensure the best interest of the child in all immigration proceedings. 

Read the full statement.

First Focus Campaign for Children and 60 other groups sent a letter to the United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies regarding the crisis of family separation and detention.

View the letter.

Excerpt:

We the undersigned organizations are writing to express our profound concern over the cruel and harmful practice of separating families at our southern border. We request that you act to help swiftly reunite families and ensure this is done in a manner that absolutely protects the children, upholds legal standards prohibiting family detention, and increases government transparency for the public. During the House Appropriations Committee mark-up of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) annual appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2019 (FY 19), we were extremely troubled and alarmed to see the Cole amendment pass, as it would override crucial protections established by the Flores Settlement Agreement. However, we were pleased to see the Committee include a number of important provisions in the Manager’s Amendment, as well as several other amendments by voice vote, that would lead to real progress in addressing this urgent crisis. As the FY 19 Labor-HHS spending bill advances further, we urge you to:

1. Strike the Cole (No. 2) Amendment overriding Flores protections for children,
2. Support the four provisions in the Manager’s Amendment pertaining to Congressional oversight of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and permitting in-kind donations to ORR care facilities,
3. Support the 12 amendments adopted by voice vote aimed at protecting children in the care of ORR and facilitating family reunification, and
4. Support additional amendments that, had they passed, would strengthen efforts to protect these children and families.

Our nation’s children face an array of problems, including poverty, violence, abuse, neglect, hunger, poor nutrition, education inequity, homelessness, lack of health coverage, infant and child mortality, and family separations in mixed-status households. These obstacles demand attention, policy solutions, political will, and action that to make children a priority.

Unfortunately, kids are far too often an afterthought in Congress. The problem is that children can’t vote and don’t have Political Action Committees (PACs) that garner and demand attention.

Children need Champions and Defenders, who are willing to focus on, support, raise their voices, and attach their name to legislation that would improve the lives of our nation’s children and actively oppose legislation that would harm kids.

In an attempt to recognize the lawmakers in the First Session of the 115th Congress who are actively working and trying to improve the lives of our nation’s children through public policy change, to improve the lives of our nation’s children through the policy process, we are pleased to present our Champions and Defenders for Children Scorecard.

View the Champions for Children website.

Download the full report.

See also the previous award recipients:

• 2015
• 2014
• 2013
• 2012
• 2011