Testimony & Comments

• Apr 22, 2013  |  Marcie Foster Testimony to the Committee on Education on the FY14 Budget for the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education In 2013, it is a complete misnomer to label adult education as simply a "literacy" program. It is so much more. Adult education is an oft-overlooked and integral part of the District's workforce development system. Gone are the days when one could attain self-sufficiency with only a high school diploma. Today's workers need higher level skills and often postsecondary-level credentials to compete for jobs in the changing economy. In fact, by 2018, 71 percent of all jobs in D.C. will require some postsecondary training beyond high school. Yet far too many workers in the city are falling far short of these credential requirements and will be left behind. Download PDF
• Apr 17, 2013  |  Jodie Levin-Epstein Testimony on Working Families Flexibility Act As the Committee on Education and the Workforce considers The Working Families Flexibility Act (H.R. 1406) sponsored by Representative Martha Roby (R-AL), CLASP urges the Committee not to move measure forward. A mission of the Committee is to protect the workforce; the bill would add a new wage rule that raises the specter of greater vulnerability for the non-exempt workforce. Since enforcement of basic wage rules is woefully under resourced, we need to fix that first. Download PDF
• Apr 15, 2013  |  Elizabeth Lower-Basch, Julie Strawn, and Patrick Reimherr Comments on Education and Family Tax Benefits CLASP submits comments on family and education tax credits to the Education and Family Benefits Working Group, House Committee on Ways and Means as part of the committee's work to review possible changes to the federal income tax system. Download PDF
• Feb 28, 2013  |  Elizabeth Lower-Basch Testimony on TANF Work Requirements This is the testimony that Elizabeth Lower-Basch delivered before the Ways and Means Human Resource Subcommittee regarding TANF Work Requirements and Waivers. Download PDF
• Feb 24, 2013  |  Stephanie Schmit Comments on Developing Assessments for Kindergarten Entry CLASP comments on the appropriate development of Kindergarten Entry Assesments (KEA), which are the focus of recent Enhanced Assessment Grants. Download PDF
• Jan 15, 2013 Comments on Inclusion of Work Data in Electronic Health Records These comments were submitted to the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Policy Committee at HHS by CLASP and several partner organizations. The comments advocate for the inclusion of industry and occupation data in electronic health records in order to provide useful data for improving job quality. Download PDF
• Nov 01, 2012  |  Hannah Matthews Comments on the Child Care and Development Fund Plan for States/Territories for FFY 2014-2015 CLASP comments on the revisions made to the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Preprint in FFY 2012-2013 as well as makes suggestions on how to improve the FFY 2014-2015 Preprint. Download PDF
• Oct 18, 2012  |  Helly Lee Comments on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Access to Health Care CLASP comments on rule changes regarding health access provisions for young immigrants granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and reiterates the goal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to ensure access to affordable health care. Download PDF
• Sep 07, 2012  |  Helly Lee Comments on Data Collection to Support Eligibility Determinations for Insurance Affordability Programs CLASP submitted comments to CMS on proposed data collection for the single, streamlined application mandated in the Affordable Care Act. Download PDF
• Aug 01, 2012  |  Hannah Matthews Testimony for the Record on CCDBG Reauthorization: Helping to Meet the Child Care Needs of American Families CLASP submitted testimony for the record after the July 26th hearing on CCDBG reauthorization held by the subcommittee on Children and Families of the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Download PDF
• Jul 31, 2012  |  Linda Harris and Kisha Bird CLASP Comments to U.S. Department of Education Request for Information on Strategies for Improving Outcomes for Disconnected Youth Our comments here draw upon CLASP's decade of policy work at the national, state, and local levels related to disconnected youth. We believe our comments in response to the U.S. Department of Education Request for Information on Strategies for Improving Outcomes for Disconnected Youth will serve to inform the development of the Performance Partnership Pilots as well as federal cross-agency policy development and funding decisions that can address our current challenges, develop the human capital needed to fuel our economy, and unleash the untapped potential and talent of the millions of young people who have fallen through the cracks. Read Online   |   Download PDF
• Jul 31, 2012  |  Campaign for Youth Comments to U.S. Department of Education Request for Information on Strategies for Improving Outcomes for Disconnected Youth On behalf of the Campaign for Youth, a coalition of national youth policy and advocacy organizations focusing on low-income youth who are out of school and/or out of work, we applaud the Obama Administration and the U.S. Department of Education for its leadership in bringing attention to the unique challenges facing youth and for its thoughtfulness in gathering input from a broad range of stakeholders to inform its work around disconnected youth. Download PDF
• Jul 11, 2012  |  Elizabeth Lower-Basch Testimony for the Record: Plateaus, Cliffs and Work Incentives CLASP submitted Testimony for the Record for the House Ways and Means Committee's hearing on work incentives in low-income support programs. Download PDF
• Jun 11, 2012  |  Elizabeth Lower-Basch Comments to HHS on TANF Assistance and Electronic Benefit Transactions A new law requires states to restrict access to TANF assistance from ATMs and POS devices in certain locations. This document responds to HHS' request for comments on how to implement this provision. Download PDF
• May 17, 2012  |  Elizabeth Lower-Basch Testimony for the Record on State Spending and Work Participation CLASP submitted Testimony for the Record for the House Ways and Means Committee's hearing on State TANF Spending and its Impact on Work Requirements. Download PDF
• Jan 27, 2012  |  CLASP Comments on the Department of Education's Strategic Plan FY2011 - 2014 In January 2012, CLASP provided comments on the Department of Education's Strategic Plan for FY 2011 - 2014. CLASP applauded the Department for putting forth a strategic plan that raises expectations for our nation's education system at all levels and moves the country toward meeting the goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. Download PDF
• Jan 03, 2012  |  Christine Johnson-Staub CLASP Encourages Reversal of Medicare Ruling on Developmental Screening These comments were submitted to the Department of Health and Human Services in response to a final rule that removes developmental screenings from the Medicare fee schedule. CLASP urges the ruling be reversed and that developmental screenings not be removed from the Medicare fee schedule. Many states align Medicare, Medicaid and private pay fee policies, and removal of developmental screening from the fee schedule may result in the same critical service not being covered under state Medicaid policies. Download PDF
• Oct 03, 2011  |  Vickie Choitz and Julie Strawn CLASP Testimony for the Record on Nontraditional Students On Sept. 30, 2011, the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance held a hearing on higher education regulations and nontraditional students. CLASP submitted comments focusing on the primary barriers to access and persistence for nontraditional students and promising strategies and policies and the role of the federal government in helping nontraditional students in overcoming the barriers. Download PDF
• Sep 22, 2011  |  Elizabeth Lower-Basch Improving Work and Other Welfare Reform Goals On September 8, the Human Resources Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on TANF, in preparation for the pending reauthorization of the block grant. CLASP submitted this testimony for the record. Download PDF
• Aug 26, 2011  |  Marcie Foster and Vickie Choitz Comments on Model Financial Aid Offer Form The Department of Education requested comments on recommendations for improving the model financial aid offer form as required by the Higher Education Act. CLASP recommends that these letters should provide direct and transparent information that will help the student make informed enrollment and financial decisions. They should also serve as an educational tool that helps students better understand the true costs of college and develop a plan for funding their education. Download PDF
• Jul 27, 2011  |  Rutledge Q. Hutson and Tiffany Conway Perrin Testimony for the Record on Hearing on Child Deaths due to Maltreatment This testimony was submitted to the House Ways and Means Committee, Subcommittee on Human Resources in response to the July 12, 2011 Hearing on Child Deaths due to Maltreatment. CLASP encourages steady work towards comprehensive child welfare financing reform in order to reduce child fatalities and all child maltreatment. Download PDF
• Jul 12, 2011  |  CLASP AND OTHER NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge Comments on Selection Criteria CLASP wrote and submitted comments with other national organizations to the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services on the draft Early Learning Challenge proposal. Download PDF
• Jul 05, 2011 CLASP Comments on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on SNAP Eligibility, Certification, and Employment and Training Provisions These comments, submitted to the US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), were in response to a request for public comment on SNAP Eligibility, Certification, and Employment and Training Provisions. CLASP's recommendations are intended to help FNS implement provisions of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act (FCEA) of 2008, Pub. L. 110-246. The recommendations focused on four main areas: the dependent care deduction, access to benefits, transitional benefits, and employment and training services. Download PDF
• Jun 03, 2011  |  CLASP and other national organizations Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Comments to Administration These comments were sent to the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services as recommendations for designing the Early Learning Challenge. Download PDF
• May 23, 2011  |  Beth Davis-Pratt, Hannah Matthews, and Heath Prince CLASP Comments on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Family Educational Rights and Privacy These comments, submitted to the Department of Education, were in response to a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Family Educational Rights and Privacy. CLASP's comments commend the Department for proposing changes to FERPA regulations that appear to greatly facilitate the sharing of data across systems and clarifying earlier interpretations of FERPA that created barriers to using education data for evaluation and research purposes. CLASP asks for clarification on the definitions proposed to better understand what agencies will be allowed to access the data and for what purposes. CLASP also encourages the Department to consider making important changes to facilitate data sharing at the individual level between child welfare and education agencies to improve outcomes for children in foster care. Download PDF
• May 23, 2011  |  Marcie Foster Public Comments on Measures and Methods for the National Reporting System for Adult Education CLASP provided comments on the proposed revisions to the National Reporting System, as outlined in the March 22, 2011 Federal Register (FR Docket ID: 2011-6717). Download PDF
• May 20, 2011  |  Rutledge Q. Hutson CLASP Comments on Federal Monitoring of Child and Family Service These comments, submitted to the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), were submitted in response to a request for public comment on Federal monitoring of Child and Family Service Programs through the Child and Family Service Review (CFSR). CLASP's recommendations are intended to help ACF modify the CFSR process in ways that balance accountability and continuous quality improvement. Download PDF
• May 11, 2011  |  Evelyn Ganzglass Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training on Removing Inefficiencies in the Nation's Job Training Programs In May 2011, the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training to the Committee on Education Workforce in the U.S. House of Representatives, held a hearing on removing inefficiencies in the nation's job training programs. Evelyn Ganzglass, Director of Workforce Development at CLASP testified before the committee on the steps Congress should take to create a more coherent and effective workforce system. Download PDF
• May 09, 2011  |  Beth Davis-Pratt and Rutledge Q. Hutson CLASP Comments on American Community Survey Kinship care means different things to different people and organizations. Most broadly, it can be used to define any care provided by grandparents or other relatives. More narrowly, in using this term to talk about grandparents and other relatives raising children in kinship care, it is often thought of as only those families in which the grandparent or other relative has taken over primary responsibility for most of the basic needs of the child (such as feeding, clothing, providing shelter, and meeting the child's health, educational, and emotional needs) on a daily basis without either of the child's parents present in the household. Not surprisingly, the needs of different types of kinship families vary greatly. In these comments to the Census Bureau, CLASP makes a number of recommendations to strengthen the data collected in the American Community Survey to provide a better estimate of the number and types of kinship families in the United States. Download PDF
• Apr 19, 2011  |  Elizabeth Lower-Basch Testimony for the Record on GAO Report on Duplication of Government Programs, Focus on Welfare and Related Programs In April 2011, the Subcommittee on Human Resources to the Committee on Ways and Means in the U.S. House of Representatives, held a hearing on Duplication of Government Programs with a focus on welfare and related programs. CLASP's testimony for the record focuses on how the programs should be coordinated into a system of benefits that is easy to access, unstigmatized, responsive to economic hardship, open to all, and fully funded. Education and training are drivers of economic mobility and opportunity, and low-wage workers and low-income individuals need access to them to enter and advance in the labor market. Download PDF
• Mar 17, 2011  |  Vickie Choitz Risky Business: Helping Low-Income Adult Students Minimize College Financial Risk and Maximize Success These comments were shared with the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance's spring hearing on the congressionally mandated net price calculators and the barriers to access and persistence faced by non-traditional students. CLASP public comments focused on Session II: Nontraditional Students - Barriers to Access and Persistence, recommending that the federal government maintain a fervent commitment to grant aid for these students; provide more student support services tied to student aid; and hold higher education institutions accountable for results to lower-income, lower-skilled non-traditional students. Download PDF
• Mar 14, 2011  |  Elizabeth Lower-Basch Testimony Before House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources CLASP senior policy analyst, Elizabeth Lower-Basch, testified during the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources Hearing on Use of Data Matching to Improve Customer Service, Program Integrity, and Taxpayer Savings. CLASP shares the concern with reducing error rates and fraud to save taxpayer funds, preserve funding for those who are truly eligible for programs, and protect public support for programs. Data matching can reduce administrative costs by sharing information collected by one program with another, and reducing the number of visits that customers must make to various offices. This also improves customer service, and reduces the time that applicants must take away from work or other responsibilities. Read Online   |   Download PDF
• Jan 24, 2011  |  Kisha Bird (Campaign for Youth) Input for a Strategic Plan for Federal Youth Policy: Comments to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services The Campaign for Youth believe's a Strategic Plan for Federal Youth Policy must effectively support the outcomes of youth living in communities of high youth distress, youth of color, and those disconnected from the mainstream. Our comments and recommendations relate specifically to ensuring the needs of disconnected and high needs youth are adequately addressed. Download PDF
• Dec 20, 2010  |  Danielle Ewen Comments on Notice of Proposed Rule Making on Head Start Designation Renewal System CLASP submitted comments on the proposed regulations to implement the statutory provisions of the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 published September 22, 2010, at 75 Fed. Reg. 57704. Download PDF
• Nov 15, 2010  |  Elizabeth Lower-Basch CLASP Testimony on DC Time Limits Proposal Download PDF
• Oct 22, 2010  |  Rutledge Q. Hutson & Tiffany Conway Perrin Comments in Response to the Administration for Children and Families' Request for Comment on Child Welfare Data Systems CLASP urges the Administration for Children and Families to take a comprehensive approach in making changes to the child welfare accountability system. Such an approach is needed and will yield a system that will: ensure that children are receiving the services and protections they are guaranteed under title IV-E; allow child welfare agencies to identify evidence of particularly effective practices or problematic trends that can help them shape practice; and, provide important information to policymakers and advocates to help better understand how well existing policies are working and ways in which they may be improved. Download PDF
• Oct 05, 2010  |  Elizabeth Lower-Basch Lessons from the TANF Emergency Fund In September 2010, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on Welfare Reform: A New Conversation on Women and Poverty. CLASP's testimony for the record focuses on the experience of the TANF Emergency Fund and the lessons that can be taken from it for reauthorization. Download PDF
• Oct 04, 2010  |  The Steering Committee of the Coalition to Promote Access and Opportunity Comments in Response to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' Request for Comments on State-Level Health Information Exchanges The Coalition to Promote Access and Opportunity is dedicated to alleviating poverty for millions of Americans by promoting federal, state and local policy agendas that facilitate comprehensive, coordinated access to underutilized public benefits and related resources. The steering committee of the Coalition took the opportunity to comment on the planning and establishment of the health care exchanges to be created under the Affordable Care Act. The implementation of these exchanges is a critical component of meeting the Affordable Care Act's goals of universal health care coverage and "no wrong door" for access to benefits. Download PDF
• Sep 09, 2010  |  Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield Comments on Department of Education Proposed Regulations on Gainful Employment Download PDF
• Sep 03, 2010  |  Rutledge Q. Hutson Supplemental Testimony on Comprehensive Child Welfare Financing Reform Supplemental testimony on comprehensive child welfare financing reform submitted to the U.S. House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support. CLASP argues that the broad components of comprehensive financing reform should include: expanding Title IV-E funds to support the full continuum of services needed by children who have experienced or are at risk of experiencing child abuse and neglect; increasing support to enhance the child welfare workforce; and, increasing accountability - both fiscal accountability and accountability for the outcomes children and families experience. Download PDF
• Aug 18, 2010  |  Rutledge Q. Hutson & Tiffany Conway Perrin Comments on Proposed Criteria for Evidence of Effectiveness of Home Visiting Program Models These comments, submitted to the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Administration for Children and Families, were submitted in response to the proposed criteria for evidence of effectiveness of home visiting program models to be implemented by states under the new home visiting program established in the Affordable Care Act. CLASP's comments include recommendations for strengthening the final criteria so that they better reflect the law's goal of helping states build the capacity to implement a coordinated system of early childhood home visitation. The recommendations also encourage strengthening the final criteria by providing much needed information, particularly as related to process, so that states are well-prepared to update their state plans and dialogue with HRSA/ACF as appropriate. Download PDF
• Aug 09, 2010  |  Rutledge Q. Hutson Comments to Office of Child Support Enforcement: Proposed Rulemaking on Safeguarding Child Support Information These comments address proposed changes to the sharing of child support information specifically as related to information sharing with child welfare agencies for child welfare purposes. CLASP hopes that the final regulations more clearly identify what information can be shared to help child welfare agencies carry out their responsibilities under Titles IV-B and IV-E and that, in particular, they clarify how information regarding family violence can be shared in a safe and appropriate manner. Download PDF
• Jul 29, 2010  |  Rutledge Q. Hutson Testimony on How Child Welfare Waivers Can and Cannot Promote Child Well-Being On July 29, Rutledge Q. Hutson testified before the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support on improving the outcomes of children who come into contact with the child welfare system, and the role of Title IV-E demonstration projects in improving those outcomes. Read Online   |   Download PDF
• Jul 08, 2010  |  Elizabeth Lower-Basch CLASP Letter to ACA Enrollment Workgroup On July 1, Elizabeth Lower-Basch sent this letter to the ACA Enrollment Workgroup, recommending the use of health care reform as a platform for benefits access. Download PDF
• May 21, 2010 Letter Supporting the 2010 Jobs Bill On May 20, CLASP Executive Director Alan Houseman sent this urgent letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, urging support for the Promoting American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010. Read Online   |   Download PDF
• Apr 22, 2010  |  Julie Strawn The Role of Education and Training in the TANF Program: Read Online On April 22, Julie Strawn testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on the importance of education and training in today's economy, and the role that TANF can play in helping low-income parents obtain economic opportunity and better the lives of their children. Download PDF
• Apr 22, 2010  |  Julie Strawn The Role of Education and Training in the TANF Program: Watch Online Read Online
• Apr 01, 2010  |  Eric Odier-Fink Letter of Support: Justice Clothing A letter of support to members of Congress for the passage the Healthy Families Act from Eric Odier-Fink, a small business owner of Justice Clothing in Bangor, Maine. Read Online   |   Download PDF
• Mar 31, 2010  |  Campaign for Youth, Linda Harris Co-Chair Letter to House and Senate Budget Committee Members on the FY 2011 Budget We have an opportunity deficit in our nation. An estimated 5.2 million youth ages 16-24 are out of school and out of work. Without purposeful efforts to connect unemployed youth to jobs, paid work experience, education, and training to prepare them for openings in the new economy, those youth will most likely spend the better part of a decade with few opportunities to work, gain skills, or earn family sustaining wages. The Campaign for Youth urges Congress to increase opportunities for low-income and disconnected youth and young adults with limited labor market to access training, education supports, and good jobs that will help spur economic development in local communities across the nation. Download PDF
• Mar 25, 2010  |  Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt Reauthorizing ESEA: Considerations for Dropout Prevention and Recovery American school districts are losing the battle to successfully educate a large number of the nation's youth. The reauthorization of ESEA is a prime opportunity to rethink how we can strengthen our commitment to reconnect with youth who have left school without receiving their diploma. These comments, submitted to the US House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor, focus on how to amend ESEA to ensure that struggling students and high school dropouts have access to systems, support, and funding to remain in school or re-enter the educational system and attain a viable education that prepares them for post secondary opportunities and success in careers. Download PDF
• Mar 25, 2010  |  Elizabeth Lower-Basch TANF's Role in Providing Assistance to Struggling Families Testimony for the Record for Hearing on TANF's Role in Providing Assistance to Struggling Families Download PDF
• Mar 18, 2010  |  Evelyn Ganzglass Testimony of Evelyn Ganzglass on 2011 Budget Priorities for Education and Labor This testimony calls on Congress to sustain the level of Recovery Act investment in workforce programs. It further urges lawmakers to increase the funding for youth programming to $3 billion for expanded summer and year-round youth activities and for targeted grants to high poverty communities to build pathways for youth to opportunities in growing sectors of the economy. Read Online   |   Download PDF
• Mar 09, 2010 Mollahan MAP Appropriations Letter 20100305 Download PDF
• Mar 09, 2010 Obey MAP Appropriations Letter 20100305 Download PDF
• Mar 05, 2010  |  Kisha Bird (CFY) and CCRY Network Building on the Legacy of Youth Opportunity: Implications for Federal Policy For young people who live in communities plagued by high dropout rates, high youth unemployment rates, greater incidence of juvenile crime, violence, and gang activity, the prospects are bleak and there are few pathways to education, work and responsible citizenship for those disconnected from work and school. Fortunately, we have a roadmap for reaching out to, reconnecting and providing opportunities to disconnected youth. Agencies and organizations that serve youth who are disconnected from school and employment are increasingly working together using a systems approach that improves outcomes and reduces the gaps in services and supports that can occur in more fragmented systems. In the first half of last decade nearly 100,000 disadvantaged and disconnected youth nationwide were able to continue or complete their education and enter the workforce thanks to Youth Opportunity Programming. Unfortunately, funding was discontinued in 2005, and in the ensuing years federal funding for comprehensive youth programming continued to decline despite this being the most difficult economic environment since pre-World War II for the nation's youth. This paper outlines the key lessons of the Youth Opportunity Experience and building on existing strength, experience, and capacity describes its implications for current federal policy, including the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and the Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Download PDF
• Feb 22, 2010  |  Jodie Levin-Epstein Members of State Commissions on Poverty and Opportunity Urge Federal Action on Poverty Measure As members of state economic opportunity and poverty reduction task forces that are currently in operation or have completed their mission, we write to urge the federal government to move forward in implementing a modernized income poverty measure. Download PDF
• Jan 29, 2010  |  Danielle Ewen Testimony of Danielle Ewen for U.S. Department of Education ESEA Listening Tour Danielle Ewen's testimony lays out principles to consider for early childhood issues in the upcoming reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and CLASP's recommendations for changes to the law. Download PDF
• Dec 18, 2009  |  Campaign for Youth Putting Youth To Work: A Jobs Strategy Linking Youth to Our Economic Recovery The number of unemployed youth and young adults in the United States is reaching record highs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly four million people under the age of 25 are considered officially unemployed. This paper outlines recommendations to ensure youth, especially those in high poverty communities, are a part of the nation's short and long-term economic recovery and job creation efforts. Download PDF
• Nov 09, 2009  |  Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt (CLASP) & Kisha Bird (CFY) Comments to United States Department of Education: Notice of Policy Priorities for Investing in Innovation Fund The Investing in Innovation (I3) Fund offers local education agencies (LEAs) and nonprofit organizations an opportunity to rethink how they educate children and youth and to use school reform efforts as a foundational vehicle to work across sectors and explore new and innovative ways to support student learning from birth through postsecondary education. Our comments and recommendations relate specifically to ensuring the needs of struggling students and disconnected youth are adequately addressed. Download PDF
• Oct 08, 2009  |  CLASP CLASP Testimony to the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support This written testimony to the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support discusses how American Recovery and Reinvestment Act spending has helped safety net programs such as TANF, child care subsidies, unemployment insurance, workforce development programs, and Medicaid, respond to the recession. Download PDF
• Oct 05, 2009  |  Elizabeth Lower-Basch Testimony to the DC City Council on the TANF Emergency Fund In this testimony delivered to the Human Services Committee of the DC City Council, Ms. Lower-Basch highlights some of the ways to draw down TANF Emergency Funds based on already budgeted expenditures and third-party contributions. Download PDF
• Sep 30, 2009 CLASP Statement for the Record: September 15, 2009 Hearing on the Implementation of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act Statement for the record of the September 15, 2009 Hearing on the Implementation of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act submitted to the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, Committee on Ways and Means. Download PDF
• Sep 25, 2009  |  Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt (CLASP) & Kisha Bird (CFY) Comments to United States Department of Education: Notice of Proposed Requirements for School Improvement Grants. Docket ID ED-2009-OESE-0010 Resources through School Improvement Grants offer our nation's most challenged school districts an opportunity to utilize best practices to rethink time and learning and provide our children and youth with a first-rate education experience. The rigorous interventions included in the School Improvement Grants Notice will not only raise the bar for the nation's lowest performing schools but it will provide state education agencies (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs) with the tools, strategies, and resources to effectively turn schools around and support our most disadvantaged students. Our comments and recommendations relate specifically to giving increased attention to struggling students and disconnected youth. Download PDF
• Sep 22, 2009  |  Campaign for Youth Comments to the Corporation for National and Community Service on Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act Download PDF
• Sep 16, 2009  |  Campaign for Youth Workforce Investment Act Reauthorization: A Catalyst for Reframing Investments in Youth Download PDF
• Sep 09, 2009  |  Child Care and Early Learning Coalition Letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on FY 2011 Budget Request for Child Care and Head Start CLASP signed this coalition letter urging HHS to prepare a FY 2011 budget that allows for substantial increases in funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, Head Start, and Early Head Start. Download PDF
• Aug 25, 2009  |  Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt (CLASP) & Kisha Bird (CFY) Comments/Recommendations in response to Department of Education Proposed Race to the Top Fund Rules in Federal Register Document ED-2009-OESE-0006 The Race to The Top Fund will pave the way for sustainable reforms that transform the educational experience for American students. Our comments are centered around increasing the focus on students who have dropped out through targeting investments for dropout recovery and providing state education agencies (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs) with strategic direction to implement innovative models to reengage youth who have dropped out. Download PDF
• Aug 25, 2009  |  Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt Comments/Recommendations to United States Department of Education on Proposed State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Rules. Docket ID ED-2009-OESE-0007 State Fiscal Stabilization Funds, made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), will pave the way for sustainable reforms that can drastically improve the educational experience and outcomes for all of America's students. Our comments on the proposed rules derive from our concern for the nation's high school dropouts. We seek necessary reforms to prevent youth disengagement from school or to re-engage them in educational options that meet their needs. A national emphasis on this population will drive state and local education agencies to think more critically about and reach out more intentionally to serve the educational needs of these young people. Download PDF
• Jul 24, 2009  |  Elizabeth Lower-Basch Testimony on TANF Sanctions for the Washington, DC Council As part of the budget gap closing process, the District of Columbia is considering imposing increased sanctions on TANF recipients. In this testimony for the DC Council, Elizabeth Lower-Basch reports on the research on TANF sanctions. Download PDF
• Jul 20, 2009  |  Danielle Ewen Letter To House Committee On Education And Labor On Early Learning Challenge Fund CLASP wrote a letter of support for the proposed Early Learning Challenge Fund to Chairman Miller. The proposal creates the opportunity for states to make significant investments in the quality of early childhood programs serving disadvantaged children and their families. Download PDF
• Jun 01, 2009  |  Tiffany Conway Comments to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid on the Proposed Rule on Case Management Services CLASP supports the proposed partial rescission of the case management services interim final rule (CMS-2237-IFC) and believes that the rescission will help ensure that abused and neglected children receive critical case management services. Download PDF
• Apr 28, 2009  |  Linda Harris WIA Reauthorization: Opportunity to Rethink the Nation's Youth Delivery System Presentation to the Working for Change Forum sponsored by Community Services Society of New York and Coalition for Human Needs. Download PDF
• Apr 15, 2009  |  Linda Harris Considerations for WIA Reauthorization: Title I Youth Provisions WIA reauthorization provides the opportunity to re-think and strengthen the youth delivery system across the country. CLASP recommendations focus on increase targeting to high risk youth and more strategic alliances among youth serving systems. Download PDF
• Mar 18, 2009  |  Danielle Ewen Testimony On Growing Federal Investments In Head Start And Early Head Start This testimony, presented on March 18, 2009 to the Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, discusses the importance of Head Start/Early Head Start programs that support our most vulnerable infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and their families. Download PDF
• Feb 25, 2009  |  Linda Harris Recommendations to USDOL on Guidance to States on Implementing Youth Activities in the Recovery Act The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides $1.2 billion dollars for youth activities under the Workforce Investment Act. Much attention has been focused on summer jobs. The Center for Law and Social Policy and The National Youth Employment Coalition, based on input from administrators and providers in local workforce systems and from organizations at the national level, advanced a set of recommendations to the Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration in an effort to assure that ARRA funds are also used in an effective and innovative way to engage out of school youth in jobs, training, and education support activities related to the economic recovery. Download PDF
• Nov 24, 2008 Written Comments on Workforce Investment Act Reauthorization Submitted for the Senate WIA Listening Session These comments contain CLASP's recommendations for changes for Titles I and II of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) address selected problems specific to each program and to promote closer connections between these two programs and greater alignment with other workforce development programs to better advance the prospects of low-income, low-skilled youth and adults. Download PDF
• Oct 02, 2008  |  Elizabeth Lower-Basch CLASP Comments on HHS Regulation Disallowing Credit for Excess MOE In these comments, CLASP urges the Department of Health and Human Services to maintain a provision that gives states an incentive to spend more of their money than the minimum required to avoid penalty. CLASP strongly disagrees with HHS' claim that reduced cash assistance caseloads mean that there is less of a need for additional spending. Download PDF
• Sep 11, 2008  |  Elizabeth Lower-Basch Families and Workplaces in the Twenty-First Century: Multiple Roles Place Heavy Demands on American Workers This testimony on work-life challenges was given before the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support of the Committee on Ways and Means on September 11, 2008, as part of a hearing on the pressures facing American workers. Download PDF
• Jul 02, 2008  |  Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt and Jonathan Larsen (National Youth Employment Coalition) Comments/Recommendations in response to Department of Education Proposed NCLB Rules in Federal Register Document E8-8700 Adaptations to No Child Left Behind provide an opportunity to strengthen our nation's educational structure and system of services to better educate struggling students and to re-engage youth who have dropped out. Our comments relate specifically to giving increased attention to struggling students and disconnected youth. Local education agencies can be incentivized to pay closer attention to these populations through increasing the graduation rate requirements, and Supplemental Education Services and public school choice are potential vehicles for providing these students with the educational environments and supports to increase their academic success. Download PDF
• May 05, 2008  |  Vicki Turetsky; Tyler Moran (National Immigration Law Center) Testimony on Employment Eligibility Verification Systems and the Potential Impacts on SSA's Ability to Serve Retirees, People with Disabilities, and Workers. Written statement delivered before the Subcommittee on Social Security Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives Download PDF
• Jan 29, 2008 CLASP Recommends Improvements to Economic Stimulus Package The following letter was sent to Senators suggesting improvements to the economic stimulus package to help those hardest hit by an economic downturn. Download PDF
• Sep 17, 2007  |  Tiffany Conway and Rutledge Q. Hutson Submission in Response to Senator Gordon Smith's July 26, 2007 Call For Papers to Examine the Needs of Grandparent and Other Relative Caregivers In this paper--a response to a call for papers from Sen. Gordon Smith--CLASP details the reasons to support kinship care, recommends areas for additional research, highlights current challenges states face, and addresses common myths. CLASP encourages Congress to adopt the provisions of the Kinship Caregiver Support Act. Download PDF
• Sep 11, 2007  |  Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt, Linda Harris, Mala Thakur, and Jonathan Larsen Recommendations to Improve No Child Left Behind for Struggling Students and Disconnected Youth Every day, an estimated 2,500 students across the nation drop out of high school. While the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has succeeded in bringing to light the disparities that exist in our education system, it has failed to shine a light and provide solutions to the pressing problem of high school dropouts. These recommendations--by CLASP and the National Youth Employment Coalition--focus on how the resources in NCLB can be used to ensure that these youth have access to systems, support, and funding to attain a viable education that prepares them for future learning opportunities and the world of work. Download PDF
• Jul 20, 2007  |  Linda Harris and Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt Recommended Changes to the No Child Left Behind Act to Address Workforce Issues CLASP recommendations submitted to the House Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness of the Committee on Education and Labor. Download PDF
• Jul 19, 2007  |  Linda Harris Recommendations for WIA Reauthorization Legislation: Title I Youth Provisions Reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) is happening at a particularly important time for state and local youth delivery systems. During the past few years, increased attention has been given to the unacceptably high dropout rates in districts across the country. As local communities seek to put interventions in place, WIA can and should play a pivotal role. It is important that the reauthorization incorporate the past five years' experiences and lessons learned related to youth delivery, especially in economically distressed areas. Download PDF
• May 17, 2007 Recommendations for Reauthorization of Title I of the Workforce Investment Act Adult and Youth Programs The United States economy is undergoing a major transformation. This requires a new vision for workforce policy--one that promotes a \"high-road\" path to U.S. competitiveness and greater economic opportunity for all workers. These recommendations for reauthorization of Title I of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) focus on both the supply and demand sides of the labor market, in order to address the long-term needs of workers and employers in the new competitive economy. (Updated July 3, 2007.) Download PDF
• Mar 22, 2007  |  Danielle Ewen, Elizabeth Lower-Basch, Julie Strawn, and Vicki Turetsky Congress Should Take Action to Restore Flexibility and Funding Lost in 2006 Welfare Reauthorization and HHS Regulations On March 6, 2007, the House Ways and Means Committee, Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support held a hearing on the changes made by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) to programs assisting low-income families. In this testimony for the record, we discuss some of the early effects of the DRA and proposed regulations on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, child care, and child support participants and programs and offer recommendations as to how Congress should respond. Download PDF
• Aug 29, 2006  |  Rutledge Hutson Comments to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Medicaid Citizenship Documentation Interim Final Rule This document contains CLASP's official comments to CMS on the interim final rule published in the federal register on July 12, 2006. The regulations implement the citizenship documentation requirements of Section 6036 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. Download PDF
• Aug 28, 2006  |  Elizabeth Lower-Basch, Rutledge Q. Hutson, Amy-Ellen Duke, and Julie Strawn Comments to HHS on the TANF Interim Final Rule These are CLASP's official comments to ACF on the interim final rule published in the Federal Register on June 29, 2006. These regulations implemented changes to TANF made as part of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. Download PDF
• Aug 10, 2006  |  Elizabeth Lower-Basch, Amy-Ellen Duke and Allegra Baider Model Comments on TANF Interim Final Rule -- Workforce Development System These model comments on the interim final TANF regulations are focused on specific issues related to the definition of work activities and reporting requirements that are of interest to the workforce development community. Download PDF
• Aug 10, 2006  |  Allegra Baider and Elizabeth Lower-Basch Model Comments on TANF Interim Final Rule -- Transitional Jobs These model comments on the interim final TANF regulations are focused on specific issues related to the definition of work activities and reporting requirements that are of interest to Transitional Jobs providers. Download PDF
• Aug 10, 2006  |  Elizabeth Lower-Basch, Amy-Ellen Duke, and Allegra Baider Model Education and Training Comments on TANF Interim Final Rule These model comments on the interim final TANF regulations are focused on specific education and training issues related to the definition of work activities and reporting requirements. Download PDF
• May 14, 2004 Written Testimony on H.R. 4283, the College Access and Opportunity Act On May 12, 2004, CLASP, The Workforce Alliance, and the National Consumer Law Center submitted testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce on the Higher Education Act (HEA) reauthorization. The testimony focuses on the importance of preserving key provisions that protect borrowers from fraud and abuse. (Publication No. 04-32). Download PDF
• Aug 04, 2003  |  Rutledge Q. Hutson Comments on the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System This letter, submitted by CLASP to the federal Childrens Bureau, comments on how to improve the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS). The data collected through AFCARS provide critical information to federal, state, and local governments, as well as to advocates and researchers, which can be used to improve program management and to enhance policy development and implementation. These comments offer suggestions about improving AFCARS so that this data collection system can be a more effective tool in improving the welfare of children in foster care and of those who have been adopted through the child welfare system. The comments fall into four general categories: (1) developing the capacity to track children over time; (2) improving the comparability of data across states; (3) collecting critical additional data and (4) enhancing access to data on a timely basis. Download PDF
• Oct 11, 2001 Written Testimony of Vicki Turetsky Vicki Turetsky is a senior Staff Attorney at CLASP. Submitted for the record in the October 11, 2001, hearing of the Social Security and Family Policy Subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, which heard testimony on S. 685, the \"Strengthening Working Families Act of 2001.\" The statement urges the Senate Finance Committee to act favorably this session on the legislation, which includes child support distribution provisions. Download PDF