With Addiction Crisis in Mind, Brown’s Bipartisan Bill Required Creation of Advisory Council that Will Assist Grandparents, Other Relatives Raising Children President Trump Signed Brown’s Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act into Law in June
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown announced that Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Community Living (ACL) is now accepting nominations for the advisory council created as part of Brown’s Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act, which President Trump signed into law in June. Brown passed legislation to create the council in light of the addictions crises, which has forced many grandparents and other family members to step in and raise children whose parents are unable to care for them. He is urging Ohioans to apply. The Advisory Council will include at least one grandparent who is raising a grandchild, and at least one older relative caring for children.
Anyone may nominate themselves, as well as one or more qualified grandparents raising grandchildren or older relative caregivers of children for membership on the Council. The ACL is also seeking nominations for those who may be able to provide subject matter expertise or technical contributions to the Advisory Council, including academic professionals, providers of supportive services, mental or behavioral health experts, and legal and financial service providers.
Nominees will be appointed based on their demonstrated knowledge, qualifications, and professional or personal experience related to the purpose and scope of the Advisory Council. Ohioans can find additional information about the nomination process here.
“We have a long way to go to support these families, but creating this task force is one step in the right direction,” said Brown. “We need to learn more about the challenges facing grandparents and other relatives in Ohio who have stepped up as caregivers, so we can support them as they raise these children and I encourage Ohioans to apply so they can bring their ideas and experiences to the table.”
The council will identify, coordinate, and share information and resources to support grandparents and other caretakers. In addition to compiling tools and resources, the Advisory Council will develop a report that includes best practices, resources, and other useful information for grandparents and other older relatives raising children. The report will then be delivered to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and state agencies responsible for carrying out family caregiver programs.
Additional Background
Grandparents are stepping up into a parenting role increasingly as parents overdose or enter recovery for addiction. In response to this trend, the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act would establish a federal task force to support grandparents raising grandchildren to identify, coordinate and share information and resources to help grandparents and other relatives who are stepping up to raise children meet the needs of kids in their care while maintaining their own health and well-being.
The Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act was also sponsored by U.S. Sens. Bob Casey (D-PA) and Susan Collins (R-ME).
The formation of this task force complements the March spending bill that was signed into law, which includes funding to ramp up response to the opioid epidemic. The package includes $65 million to fund opioid detection devices and equipment called for in Brown’s INTERDICT Act, which President Trump signed into law earlier this year. The devices will help Customs and Border Agents detect and stop dangerous drugs like fentanyl before they enter the U.S.
Earlier this year, Brown worked to ensure that Ohio will be among the first in line to receive the opioid funding included in the agreement. Brown originally announced $6 billion in opioid funding as part of the long-term spending agreement Congress reached earlier this year. The spending package Congress passed allocates the first $3 billion of money that will be spent. At Brown’s urging, the package specifically prioritizes the hardest-hit states, like Ohio.
Earlier this month, Brown secured several provisions in a final addiction package, including his Caring Recovery for Infants and Babies (CRIB) Act, which is now headed to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
The bill also included the Trauma Informed Care Act for Children and Families, which would create an interagency taskforce to develop best practices to support at-risk children and families who have experienced trauma, such as parental substance use. The taskforce would also promote practices to help parents, foster parents, and kinship caregivers to prevent and treat childhood trauma and allow the CDC to work with states to collect and report data on childhood trauma. Finally, this bill would increase funding to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and create grants to support mental health care for youth in schools. Brown was a cosponsor of this bill, which was introduced by Senator Heitkamp (D-ND).