Weekly Update 9/18/23

Federal Government Funding: Appropriations Update

The House has only passed the Military Construction-Veteran Affairs bill…

California

In a rare 40-0 vote, the state Senate on Thursday night, 9/14, passed one of the most consequential reforms to the state’s mental health programs in decades, sending it to the governor for certain signing before voters get to weigh in next year…

Governor Newsom announced a lawsuit Saturday, 9/16, against five major oil companies and their subsidiaries, seeking compensation for damages caused by climate change…

President and Administration

The Biden administration is going after health insurers for flouting a federal law requiring them to provide mental health care on the same terms as other care…

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Mandy Cohen formally endorsed updated COVID-19 shots for all individuals six months and older on Tuesday, 9/12, following the CDC's vaccine advisory panel's recommendation earlier in the day…

The Biden administration announced a slate of cancer moonshot initiatives on Wednesday, 9/13, aimed at achieving the president's goal of reducing the cancer death rate by half over the next 25 years…

With schools continuing to find themselves caught in emotional debates over students’ access to controversial books, the U.S. Department of Education has hired a new official to oversee its response to content challenges and take action if it finds that removing materials violated students’ civil rights…

The Agriculture Department plans to use $1 billion allocated from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to support nearly 400 programs that will increase the amount of green space in urban communities…

Education

Middle- and high-school students, who have the least time to catch up before they leave the K-12 system, may be suffering the most as schools emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, warns a new report released Wednesday, 9/13…

A new study reveals vastly improved college enrollment and completion rates for students who attended both KIPP middle and high schools as compared to a similar group of children who applied for enrollment but were not selected in the network’s lottery system…

Public Safety and Justice Update: 9/15/23

There were a record 188 school shootings resulting in injuries or deaths in the 2021-22 school year, according to the latest available data included in a report released today by the Education Department’s National Center for Education Statistics…

According to a new report released by the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the rate of nonfatal violent victimization in the United States rose to 23.5 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older in 2022, after reaching a 30-year low of 16.4–16.5 during 2020–2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic…

Mobile crisis teams have been around for decades in places like Oregon, Arizona, and Georgia and in March 2022, the White House included them as a key pillar of its mental health Unity Agenda, investing almost $1 billion into community-based services that include mobile crisis response…

A Philadelphia police officer was charged with murder after he fatally shot 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry at near point-blank range…

Complying with court orders to end unconstitutional policing in Minneapolis will require hiring nearly three dozen new workers at a cost of millions of dollars each year for years…

Lawmakers wrapping up the legislative session this week have sent dozens of bills to Gov. Gavin Newsom on weighty topics including guns, drugs, and crime and punishment…

Convicted murderer Danelo Cavalcante evaded authorities for two weeks despite a substantial manhunt launched following his escape from Chester County Prison in Pocopson Township, a Philadelphia suburb…

Hunter Biden was indicted this week on federal firearms charges, the latest step in a long-running investigation…

The sudden retirement announcement of San Jose’s civilian police watchdog followed an encounter at a community festival in which she appeared to drunkenly accost police officers working security at the venue…

Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys, was sentenced to 22 years in prison for the central role he played in organizing his followers to attack the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021…

School Safety/Back to School Update - 9/14/23

More than three years after COVID-19 pushed schools into remote learning and sparked a wave of cyberattacks against K-12 infrastructure, President Biden’s administration is unveiling new attempts to protect schools…

On Thursday, 8/17, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Education (ED), Health and Human Services (HHS), and Justice (DOJ), launched a public awareness campaign to highlight federal school safety resources and evidence-based practices available through SchoolSafety.gov…

A group of lawmakers and Parkland activists announced new federal school safety legislation on Thursday afternoon, 7/27, in Capitol Hill…

Explore the crucial importance of school safety measures designed to protect our educational spaces…

The focus on youth mental health has become increasingly common across the country…

Substance Use/Opioids Update - 9/12/23

California

Activists recently introduced a ballot measure that would require courts to warn fentanyl dealers that their actions could lead to murder charges…

California cities and counties that want additional assistance from the state government in cracking down on illegal cannabis production or sales can now tap into a new state program…

Nationwide

According to a new poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly a third of U.S. adults said they or someone in their family has been addicted to opioids…

Emergent has shipped the over-the-counter version of its opioid reversal medication Narcan to major retailers in preparation for a September rollout, the company announced Wednesday, 8/30…

The Biden administration’s Department of Health and Human Services is recommending that the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) significantly loosen federal restrictions on marijuana but stopped short of advising that it should be entirely removed from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA)…

The White House is asking Congress for an additional $350 million for its overdose epidemic response…

This guide examines the types of interventions that support successful reentry for adults with mental health conditions and/or substance use disorders who are leaving jail/prison…

The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) Drug-Related ED Visits Involving Suicide Attempts Short Report focuses on national estimates and characteristics of drug-related ED visits involving suicide attempts…

Weekly Update 9/11/23

Federal Government Funding: Appropriations

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has teed up a procedural vote today (9/11) that will allow the chamber to move forward on the Senate’s version of the FY2024 MilCon-VA, Agriculture, and Transportation-HUD bills…

A funding bump for community health centers is in the works in the Senate, where lawmakers are eyeing a bigger number than their House counterparts…

House Republican leaders unveiled their sweeping health package aimed at boosting transparency in the health care system and addressing drug costs on Friday, 9/8, boasting bipartisan support…

California

California Democrats on Thursday, 9/7, passed legislation that would fine school districts for rejecting textbooks or school library books for discriminatory reasons — a bill backed by Governor Gavin Newsom that he is expected to sign…

It’s long been a fact of life that California’s coastal cities are among the most expensive places to live in the country…

President and Administration

Updated COVID-19 vaccines are coming soon, just in time to pair them with flu shots. And this fall, the first vaccines for another scary virus called RSV are rolling out to older adults and pregnant women…

Education
As Minnesota law enforcement agencies continue to pull officers from school resource officer (SRO) positions in the wake of recent changes to Minnesota law, Governor Tim Walz says he hasn't ruled out using a special legislative session to address the issue…

A federal appeals court has rejected civil rights claims and upheld qualified immunity for a school resource officer who used a stun gun on a Texas high school student with an intellectual disability who was having a violent outburst…

An unprecedented infusion of aid money the U.S. government provided to schools during the pandemic has begun to dwindle…

As a new school year gets underway in California, districts are desperately trying to lure thousands of missing, tardy, and truant students back to the classroom in what many view as a pivotal moment for education in California…