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…