CONFERENCE OF PROVINCIALS OF NORTH AMERICA

ADVOCACY IN SUPPORT OF S. 1146, THE FIND AND PROTECT FOSTER YOUTH ACT: worked with Sen. Cornyn's office and Vista Maria on an advocacy strategy (bill lead is Sen Cornyn). Sent action alert to network urging them to contact House offices to support the bill.

FREDERICK DOGLASS TVPRA (H.R. 5856): Worked with Sen. Cardin's office, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee on an advocacy strategy around Senate passage. Urged network to contact Senators about passage of the FD TVPRA. Also met with Sen. Van Hollen's office - urging him to be a champion of this bill so that it might pass this year. LEGISLATION IN SUPPORT OF SOUTH SUDAN: worked with Rep. Sarah Jacobs office around the promotion of her legislation with Republican offices. UNRWA RESTORATION ACT ORGANIZATIONAL SIGN-ON LETTER TO BIDEN ADMINISTRATION: As a way of complimenting the upcoming rollout of the UNRWA Restoration Act to be introduced by Representatives Carson, Jayapal, and Schakowsky, a sign-on letter was sent to President Biden calling on the Administration to re-engage with Congress in support of funding UNRWA.

FULL FUNDING FOR THE CENSUS IN FY25 APPROPRIATIONS: Letter to House Leadership expressing deep concern about the unacceptably low funding level proposed in the House Commerce Justice Science (CJS) appropriations bill and the bill language that would severely undermine the ability of the Bureau to conduct non-response follow up across all of its surveys, including the American Community Survey, decennial census, and economic censuses. GLOBAL VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN: PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, AND SEXUAL ABUSE, NEGLECT and EXPLOITATION: Sign-on letter to the Biden-Harris Administration calling for an increase in support for essential programs that prevent and respond to violence against children globally in the FY2026 Presidents Budget Request. Half of the worlds children - nearly one billion - are victims of violence annually. Violence against children includes physical, emotional, and sexual violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation. This global public health crisis is exacerbated by the rise of technology-facilitated violence and the harmful use of artificial intelligence, residual effects of the pandemic, a growing number of global conflicts, unprecedented rates of forced migration and displacement, and the worsening climate crisis and environmental degradation. This poly-crisis threatens the safety and well-being of children around the world and must be met with urgency and attention. APPROPRIATIONS FOR CRITICAL FUNDING: Letter urging House and Senate State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs (SFOPs) Appropriations leadership to safeguard and invest in critical funding for peacebuilding, human rights, humanitarian aid, migration, foreign climate aid, poverty-focused development assistance and related accounts in 2025. This letter was prompted once again by the dramatic cuts passed in the House SFOPs bill in 2024. VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN AND YOUTH SURVEYS (VACS) ADVOCACY: Letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reiterating a request for a new $10 million budget line for the Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS), directed by the CDC under the Global Health Programs account. VACS have almost exclusively been funded by PEPFAR; however, due to shifting priorities, PEPFAR will no longer fund VACS after FY25. This loss in funding means the end of future data collection and the post-data collection process used to catalyze policy and programmatic change at the national level of each country that implements a VACS. Fifteen years of U.S. investment in the global gold standard for understanding violence against children and efforts to improve the health, well-being, and safety of children and youth globally are at risk. VACS are national household surveys of children, adolescents, and youth ages 13-24, led by national governments with technical assistance from the CDC. They are the worlds largest and most comprehensive source of data on violence against children. VACS provide data on the prevalence of physical, sexual, and emotional violence against children, adolescents, and youth; the factors that increase their vulnerability to violence, as well as factors that reduce their risk of violence; and the consequences of violence, including physical and mental health consequences, risk behaviors, revictimization and poly-victimization, and becoming perpetrators of violence, themselves. The VACS unique multisector post-data collection Data to Action process has catalyzed policy and programmatic changes for children and VAC prevention and response. VACS data also informs U.S. foreign assistance implementation. HOUSE CUTS IN DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL APPROPRIATIONS: House Republican appropriators have already proposed FY25 funding bills that cut tens of billions below this years levels for domestic and international appropriations, breaking a previous agreement to avoid such deep cuts. Now, some House Republicans are advancing budget process reforms that would pave the way for deeper cuts. The Republican-controlled House Budget Committee has solicited public input by September 6th on proposals that would force cuts significantly below this years spending on programs such as education, Head Start, child care and other children and family services, public health, medical research, housing, nutrition assistance, environmental protection, enforcement of civil rights and worker protection laws, and much more. Letter expressing strong support for funding programs at the levels needed to meet current needs - and calling for revenue levels from fair sources adequate to meet those needs.

IN SUPPORT OF THE MENTAL HEALTH-JUSTICE CARE (H.R. 6451): This legislation advocates for redirecting interventions for mental health crises away from law enforcement agencies. Instead, it suggests deploying trained social workers and professionals to handle such situations, thereby promoting more effective and compassionate responses to individuals in crisis. IN SUPPORT OF PASSAGE OF H.R. 8061 / S. 4514, THE CRIME VICTIMS FUND STABILIZATION ACT OF 2024: Urged network to contact House and Senate offices in support of this bill. The Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) is the primary source of federal funding for victim services, supporting survivors of domestic violence, child sexual abuse, sexual assault, and other serious crimes. However, due to a significant drop in deposits into the Crime Victims Fund (CVF), funding for these critical services has been severely cut. The Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act would help restore the CVF by temporarily adding excess funds from the False Claims Act to the Crime Victims Fund to ensure that vital victim services remain available. This is not taxpayer money--it comes from penalties paid by wrongdoers, and it is essential for supporting victims.

JOHN LEWIS NATIONAL DAY OF COMMEMORATION AND ACTION: Advocated for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act at a public witness on July 17. NON-CITIZEN VOTING: Letter to Gov. Youngkin re: his Executive Order 35, creating a narrative of removing ineligible voters, without much transparency. He is trying insert the issue of non-citizen voting into the election in Virginia. There is obvious concern that this could spread to other states. Is the order necessary? Over 6,300 individuals have been removed, what specific procedures are used to identify individuals? What steps are taken to ensure naturalized citizens are not removed, etc.? VOTER SUPPRESSION - ARMED RAIDS TARGETING LATINO LEADERS: Letter urging Attorney General Garland to investigate Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtons actions, which appear to involve voter suppression and civil rights violations. The letter details recent troubling incidents, including raids on LULAC members and the purge of nearly a million voters from Texas rolls.