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House Republicans are proposing to fundamentally alter the way the federal government has been financing Medicaid for more than 50 years. The changes are part of their plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. “This is potentially more major than repealing the Affordable Care Act,” said Joan Alker, the executive director of the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University. Medicaid provides health insurance to 74 million people, or one in five Americans.

In the solidly red state of Utah, lawmakers approved and sent to Gov. Gary Herbert a resolution ( H.C.R. 10 ) on March 7 to encourage state policy and programs to incorporate ACEs science to address “severe emotional trauma and other adverse childhood experiences” in children and adults and implement evidence-based interventions to increase resiliency. Every recorded vote cast by Democrats and Republicans favored the resolution. A detailed context for the recommendations was included in the...

Maine is one of 22 states in the U.S. where corporal punishment is allowed in schools. That would change if LD 527, an act to prohibit corporal punishment , is enacted. Fifteen of the 22 states expressly permit corporal punishment—the other seven (including Maine) do not prohibit it. There are 28 states and the District of Columbia that expressly prohibit corporal punishment. Some of the 110,000 students subjected to corporal punishment are in states where it is prohibited. The Maine bill...

As with any remarkable change, the 2016 presidential election, a swirl of intense acrimony that foreshadowed current events, actually produced a couple of major opportunities for the ACEs movement. It stripped away the ragged bandage covering a deep, festering wound of classicism, racism, and economic inequality. This wound burst painfully, but it’s now open to the air and sunlight, the first step toward real healing. The second opportunity is how the election and its aftermath are engaging...

Trauma-preventive policy! Originally published in The Seattle Times, February 13, 2017 at 12:11 pm Updated February 13, 2017 at 7:56 pm ( http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattle-could-offer-employees-12-weeks-of-paid-parental-leave/ ) Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has asked the City Council to approve an ordinance to increase paid parental leave for city employees to 12 weeks. (Alan Berner/The Seattle Times) The Seattle City Council voted Monday to offer city employees up to 12...

Dr. Veenod L. Chulani ___________________________ The Arizona House of Representatives Committee on Health heard presentations on Feb. 9 on “Overcoming Adverse Childhood Experiences: Creating Hope for a Healthier Arizona.” During the meeting, House Health Chair Heather Carter noted that the hearing was the first step in an ongoing discussion about the importance of addressing childhood trauma. Rep. Carter H.B. 2198 , sponsored by Rep. Heather Carter and co-sponsored by Rep. Regina Cobb who...

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner and Diana Rauner, President of Ounce of Prevention Fund _____________________________________________ Consistent with being the first state to adopt standards for social emotional learning (SEL) in the country, Illinois recently passed legislation (SB 565, Public Act 99-0927 ) to require social and emotional screenings for children as part of the their school entry examinations. Governor Rauner (R) signed the bill on January 20. It goes into effect June 1 of...

Washington state legislator Tana Senn, has introduced the “Summer Step-Up Act” to improve social-emotional learning throughout the calendar year to reduce kids' summer learning loss.

A Utah lawmaker has introduced HCR10 , a resolution encouraging Utah state agencies to become aware of and identify Adverse Childhood Experiences in the children and adults that they serve. The bill also details the impact of ACEs on survivors, and the importance of awareness on our ability to address trauma. The bill was drafted by the Utah Essentials for Childhood effort The Utah Coalition for Protecting Childhood (UCPC) and passed unanimously out of committee yesterday. The legislation...

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner and Diana Rauner, President of Ounce of Prevention Fund _____________________________________________ Consistent with being the first state to adopt standards for social emotional learning (SEL) in the country, Illinois recently passed legislation (SB 565, Public Act 99-0927 ) to require social and emotional screenings for children as part of the their school entry examinations. Governor Rauner (R) signed the bill on January 20. It goes into effect June 1 of...

The Iowa ACEs Advocacy Coalition kicked off the Iowa legislative session with efforts to promote a Resilient Iowa. With a growing advocacy coalition of community based organizations, associations, advocacy groups, philanthropy and business, the group advances joint policy priorities to prevent ACEs and promote resiliency and trauma-informed care. Last week, the coalition held its first advocacy day at the Iowa Capitol, educating elected officials on Iowa ACEs data. The group also promoted an...

A summit is underway this week to develop ways to reduce the number of mentally ill people in county jails. Sheriffs, judges, elected officials, and mental health professionals from 53 countie s are in Sacramento this week. Department of Justice surveys show nearly two-thirds of people in jail have a mental illness. The Stepping Up Initiative is hosting the summit. It was started in 2015 and now counts about 320 counties nationwide as partners in the effort. To read more of Bob Moffitt's...