Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today signed legislation allowing adoptees for the first time to receive a certified copy of their birth certificate when they turn 18-years-old. This measure (S3419/A5494) helps ensures that all adult New York adoptees will have the same unimpeded right to information about … [Read more...]

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a landmark bill into law Thursday that will end 84 years of secrecy surrounding adoptions in the state. For the first time since 1935 when the state sealed adoption records, adoptees will be able to obtain their original birth certificate when they turn 18 and … [Read more...]

NJ: State task force gathers ideas about how to fight bias crimes among the young (Includes video) NJTV - November 13, 2019 The Interagency Task Force to Combat Youth Bias, comprising representatives of state government branches involved in law enforcement, criminal justice, education and child … [Read more...]

NY: & US: Study reveals New York's hidden victims of opioid epidemic: 125,000 kids Post-Standard - November 13, 2019 An estimated 125,000 kids in New York had parents addicted to opioid drugs or were addicted themselves in 2017, according to a study released today. The report says 114,000 of … [Read more...]

NY: New York's Child Welfare Laws Will Advance Justice (Commentary) Appeal - November 13, 2019 Two bills, awaiting Governor Andrew Cuomo's signature, would help reduce the punitive impact of the child welfare system on kids and their families, including formerly incarcerated … [Read more...]

US: Pence praises rule that would let adoption agencies exclude gay parents NBC News - November 13, 2019 During an event celebrating National Adoption Month, Vice President Mike Pence praised a proposed Trump administration rule that would allow federal funding to flow to adoption agencies that … [Read more...]

US: The Health 202: U.S. to lose thousands of health-care workers if 'dreamers' must leave (Includes video) Washington Post - November 13, 2019 About 27,000 of these "dreamers," as DACA enrollees are known, work in health-care provider and support occupations, according to an analysis of census … [Read more...]

US: The Opioid Crisis Has Affected More Than 2 Million Children US News & World Report - November 13, 2019 At least 2.2 million children had been affected by the U.S. opioid crisis by 2017, with that total poised to grow and the consequences likely to be felt for years to come, a new analysis … [Read more...]

US: Trump officials knew migrant kids would languish in custody (Opinion) Washington Post - November 13, 2019 When thousands of migrant children ended up stranded in U.S. Border Patrol stations last spring, President Donald Trump's administration characterized the crisis as a spontaneous result of … [Read more...]

US: Who Cares for The Kin Caring for Our Kids? (Commentary) Chronicle of Social Change - November 13, 2019 I can't sleep. My stomach is churning, my head pounding. I am livid about a phone call I received at Foster Kinship, a "kinship navigator" program I direct to help connect relative caregivers … [Read more...]