September 27, 2019
Greetings!
Thank you to all our members who attended the 2019 ISM Conference—we enjoyed seeing you in Milwaukee! Those who didn't attend can check out all our activities on Twitter under #ISMMKE and resources will soon be available on our website. Congratulations to all the ISM Award Winners; check out the details here. We'll see you in Kissimmee, FL on September 13-16 in 2020!

Don’t forget early registration and hotel rates are closing soon for additional APHSA conferences—details in the conference section below.

The House and Senate will be on a two-week recess in early October so we will take a short break too; l ook for us back in your inbox on October 18. Here is the latest we are following around Washington.
Legislative & Other Updates
APHSA Prepares FY 2020 Federal Budget Update for Human Services Agencies
While the Senate’s passage yesterday of a continuing resolution provides short-term funding for key federal programs, there remain differences between House and Senate appropriators to pass an FY 2020 budget. APHSA has prepared a summary of key differences in funding for human services programs and developed a detailed side-by-side comparison, so state and local human services leaders can stay informed on emerging issues and potential impacts of ongoing budget discussions.
 
Senate Passes Continuing Resolution to Avert Government Shutdown
On Thursday, the Senate passed a continuing resolution to fund federal programs at current levels through November 21. The bill, which was previously approved by the House, is expected to be signed by the White House. 
 
Child and Family Well-Being
Office of Child Support Enforcement Invites More Collaboration
In a blog released this past Wednesday, the Commissioner of the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) urged more collaboration with child welfare agencies to improve outcomes for families. OCSE highlighted several key areas where child support enforcement agencies could help stabilize at risk families, such as finding and enforcing support payments to a custodial parent to help meet reunification plans, finding a noncustodial parent as a placement option, or preventing a child’s removal due to poverty or neglect by getting support payments into a custodial parent. OCSE suggests that child welfare and child support agencies meet and hold cross-training regularly to help identify when child support enforcement is appropriate, especially in the light of the Family First Prevention Services Act when child welfare agencies will come into contact with at risk families earlier.

Employment and Economic Well-Being
Congressional Hearing Examines Racial and Gender Wealth Gap and Solutions
On Tuesday, September 24, the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion held a hearing entitled “Examining the Racial and Gender Wealth Gap in America.” The hearing examined the state of the racial and gender wealth divide in America and explored policy and industry solutions to improve wealth building opportunities for women and minorities. A recording of the hearing as well as witness testimonies and a committee memorandum are available.

USDA Awards Grants for Customer Service Projects to Improve, Modernize the SNAP Application Process
On Wednesday, September 25, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it has awarded $5 million in USDA Process and Technology Improvement Grants (PTIGs) to support customer service projects to improve and modernize application processing in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Grants were awarded to Massachusetts, Mississippi, Illinois, Nevada, Michigan, and Hennepin County (MN). The projects range from testing the effectiveness of a text messaging intervention at reducing SNAP churn; implement SNAP Model Notice Toolkit to modernize recipient notices; develop an error-prone profiling system that will nudge specialists and their supervisors to act based upon the error profile to reduce SNAP payment errors; and more.

Upcoming Events
APHSA & National Alliance for Hispanic Health Webinar: Health & Human Services Integration
APHSA is pleased to be partnering with the National Alliance for Hispanic Health for a webinar on integrating health and human services. Phil Basso, APHSA Director of Organizational Effectiveness (OE) will be speaking. The webinar will focus on comprehensive approaches that are moving beyond a medical model and focusing on the needs and well-being of communities and families to support the health of individuals. Learn more about the full 2019 Healthy Americas Webinar Series celebrating  Hispanic Heritage Month here.

Friday, October 4, 1:00-2:00 PM EST
The National Staff Development and Training Association (NSDTA) Annual Education Conference ~ An APHSA Affinity Group Event
The 2019 NSDTA Education Conference is designed to assist Health and Human Services leaders responsible for training, staff and organizational development/effectiveness and workforce planning shape the future of these vital programs through collaboration, innovation and the exchange of experience and knowledge amongst attendees.

October 20-23 | Long Beach, CA
American Association of Health and Human Services Attorneys (AAHHSA) Annual Education Conference ~ An APHSA Affinity Group Event
The AAHHSA Annual National Education and Training Conference is a comprehensive learning and networking experience for attorneys who represent the state and local government agencies that administer health and/or human services programs. The overarching goal of the conference is to facilitate the exchange of information between attorneys and promote pragmatic innovation in the field of H/HS services.

October 27-30 | Arlington, VA
American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting & Expo
"Creating the Healthiest Nation: For science. For action. For health, " is the theme for the APHA Annual Meeting and Expo, the largest and most influential annual gathering of public health professionals. Nearly 13,000 attendees join each year to present, learn and find inspiration. APHA brings together people and organizations who make a difference from the global level to the local level.

November 2-6 | Philadelphia, PA
Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) Annual Research Conference
"Rising to the Challenge: Engaging Diverse Perspectives on Issues and Evidence," is the theme for the APPAM Conference, a multi-disciplinary research conference attracting the highest quality research on a wide variety of important current and emerging policy and management issues. Conversations will reach across disciplinary, methodological and ideological divides and take place across 300+ educational programs in a variety of formats, including panels, roundtables, poster presentations, super sessions and special events.

November 7-9 | Denver, CO
Call For Papers Now Open For 2020 State Healthcare IT Connect Summit
The State Healthcare IT Connect Summit has grown and evolved into an important national venue. Public and private sector thought leaders share ideas and benchmark implementation strategies of State Health IT Systems, with an anticipated 1000+ attendees & 45+ state teams at the 2020 program. Cross-cutting agenda themes include: Data Quality, Program & Business Metrics, Evolving Procurement Approaches, Organizational Change Management, Interoperability, Consumer Data Access, Integrating SDoH, Advanced Analytics, Security and Privacy. Submission deadline is Friday, October 4.

April 27-29, 2020 | Baltimore, MD
APHSA Career Center - Post Your Open Positions Today

APHSA serves as a clearinghouse for job opportunities throughout the health and human services (H/HS) field. Employers reach a wide audience of candidates looking for careers in H/HS and job seekers will find a bevy of opportunities throughout the country.