Latest news with #KatieBritt
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
GOP senators launch new push to back mothers with MOMS Act
EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., will put forward the MOMS (More Opportunities for Mothers to Succeed) Act on Tuesday, aiming to provide critical support to America's mothers, both prenatal and post-partum, as Mother's Day arrives Sunday. Britt said the number of births in the U.S. in 2023 was the lowest since the Carter administration, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "The Republican Party is the party of life, the party of parents, and the party of families," she added to Fox News Digital. "At the heart of the MOMS Act is building a comprehensive culture of life to give moms, children and families the support system they need to thrive and live their American Dream." 5 High Tech Mothers Day Gifts That Show You Really Care "As a mom myself, I don't have to wonder what other moms are facing – I'm living it. I know firsthand that there is no greater blessing in life than our children and I also understand the types of challenges that women face during their pregnancy journeys and while raising their kids. I'm proud to support women throughout these seasons of motherhood, and the MOMS Act is part of my continued commitment to fight on their behalf. Read On The Fox News App Britt is joined on the bill by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and several dads as well, including Sens. Jim Justice, Steve Daines, R-Mont., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., David McCormick, R-Pa., Charles Grassley, R-Iowa and others. McCormick told Fox News Digital he was proud to join such a "pro-family effort," while warning that the U.S. birth and fertility rates have been "alarmingly low" for some time. For Mother's Day, A Virginia Mom's Stunning Discovery Reminds Her Of God's Loving Presence "I'm proud to join [my] colleagues in this pro-family effort to help ensure new and expecting mothers can access the resources they need for the long-term health and well-being of themselves and their children," he said. The MOMS Act would establish a new "pregnancy-dot-gov" for expectant and post-partum mothers as well as those with young children, in order to increase access to adoption agencies, pregnancy resource centers and other assistance by ZIP code. For states like Alabama, where rural communities are especially in need of such support, it would establish a grant program that would help assuage the more than 20 counties in the Yellowhammer State alone that are considered "maternity care deserts." Britt's last attempt at putting forward MOMS Act legislation was blocked by Democrats whom she said had erroneously characterized the bill as creating a federal pregnancy database, among other "outlandish" claims. The 2025 version also includes Cramer's Unborn Child Support Act to allow state governments to apply child support obligations during gestation. While no Democrats have yet come out in public support, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine recently co-sponsored the Child Care Availability and Affordability Act with Britt to strengthen tax credits aimed at lowering the cost of day care and the article source: GOP senators launch new push to back mothers with MOMS Act
Fox News
11-05-2025
- Health
- Fox News
GOP senators launch new push to back mothers with MOMS Act
EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., will put forward the MOMS (More Opportunities for Mothers to Succeed) Act on Tuesday, aiming to provide critical support to America's mothers, both prenatal and post-partum, as Mother's Day arrives Sunday. Britt said the number of births in the U.S. in 2023 was the lowest since the Carter administration, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "The Republican Party is the party of life, the party of parents, and the party of families," she added to Fox News Digital. "At the heart of the MOMS Act is building a comprehensive culture of life to give moms, children and families the support system they need to thrive and live their American Dream." "As a mom myself, I don't have to wonder what other moms are facing – I'm living it. I know firsthand that there is no greater blessing in life than our children and I also understand the types of challenges that women face during their pregnancy journeys and while raising their kids. I'm proud to support women throughout these seasons of motherhood, and the MOMS Act is part of my continued commitment to fight on their behalf. Britt is joined on the bill by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and several dads as well, including Sens. Jim Justice, Steve Daines, R-Mont., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., David McCormick, R-Pa., Charles Grassley, R-Iowa and others. McCormick told Fox News Digital he was proud to join such a "pro-family effort," while warning that the U.S. birth and fertility rates have been "alarmingly low" for some time. "I'm proud to join [my] colleagues in this pro-family effort to help ensure new and expecting mothers can access the resources they need for the long-term health and well-being of themselves and their children," he said. The MOMS Act would establish a new "pregnancy-dot-gov" for expectant and post-partum mothers as well as those with young children, in order to increase access to adoption agencies, pregnancy resource centers and other assistance by ZIP code. For states like Alabama, where rural communities are especially in need of such support, it would establish a grant program that would help assuage the more than 20 counties in the Yellowhammer State alone that are considered "maternity care deserts." Britt's last attempt at putting forward MOMS Act legislation was blocked by Democrats whom she said had erroneously characterized the bill as creating a federal pregnancy database, among other "outlandish" claims. The 2025 version also includes Cramer's Unborn Child Support Act to allow state governments to apply child support obligations during gestation. While no Democrats have yet come out in public support, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine recently co-sponsored the Child Care Availability and Affordability Act with Britt to strengthen tax credits aimed at lowering the cost of day care and the like.
Fox News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Dems, GOP form rare alliance on youth homelessness bill as crisis impacts nation
More than 4 million youth and young-adult families face homelessness, statistics show, prompting rare bipartisan action in Congress to expand federal support and address the growing crisis. Sens. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., and Katie Britt, R-Ala., will introduce the Homeless Children & Youth Act on Wednesday, which is the former's first piece of major bipartisan legislation in her short tenure since being sworn-in in January. Officials must ensure that children experiencing homelessness can get the support they need to exit that situation for good, Alsobrooks told Fox News Digital. "This legislation will begin to close the barrier to services for many young families and is a true action to one of my guiding principles: 'love your neighbor as yourself.' No person deserves to experience homelessness, and HCYA is an important step in ending homelessness in our communities and breaking generational cycles," she said. NEW LAW CLAMPS DOWN ON HOMELESS AS BLUE CITY ADVOCATE ADMITS THE 'FRUSTRATION' IS JUSTIFIED Britt added, "No child should be prevented from receiving the critical assistance they need," and that the bill will "streamline" the definition of homelessness across all federal agencies. The bill seeks to better define homelessness in a federal context in order to provide fuller resources. In that current code, in some areas of government, it excludes counting youths who stay with people other than their parents or live in motel rooms as experiencing homelessness, while other federal programs consider them so. It would also "improve visibility and understanding" of the issue, as proponents said youth are often overlooked as a bloc of people that can face homelessness. By standardizing the definition of youth homelessness, and also opening up more federal resources to affected people, the bill will help communities break the cycle, proponents said. TRUMP SAYS DC MAYOR BOWSER MUST CLEAN UP HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS IN THE CAPITAL Youth homelessness has been an issue in the Washington, D.C., area, where Alsobrooks led a collar county for several years prior to defeating former Gov. Larry Hogan for her current seat. During her time as Prince George's County executive, the county established the Youth Action Board, which aims to directly address the crisis from a young person's perspective. In 2024, Alsobrooks credited the Department of Housing and Urban Development for an additional $2 million grant to assist organizations in Prince George's that combat youth homelessness. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In nearby Frederick County, north of the nation's capital, one homeless assistance group praised the legislation. "Programs like ours could serve these youth immediately upon experiencing homelessness," Melissa Muntz of Student Homelessness Initiative Partnership of Frederick told Fox News Digital. "Shortening a young person's period of homelessness by providing immediate support increases the likelihood that the youth will remain connected to school," Muntz said. "We know that youth who do not graduate from high school are significantly more likely to experience homelessness as adults, making this an early intervention to prevent adult homelessness." At least 15 other homelessness advocacy groups have also endorsed the act, according to its sponsors.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Senator Katie Britt is pushing to make breast cancer tests more accessible and affordable
ALABAMA (WDHN) – Enterprise native Senator Katie Britt has announced the 'Access to Breast Cancer Diagnosis Act,' where she aims to eliminate out of pocket expenses for diagnostic breast cancer tests. Today, the law does require insurance companies to provide no co-pay coverage for breast cancer screenings, but that does not help everyone. The current law does not extend this factor to the diagnosis testing, which includes 3D mammograms, MRI's and ultrasounds. Recent reports say that around 10% of mammograms require a follow up diagnostic test. According to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lifespans. Also, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health, the breast cancer rate in Alabama is 121%, which is lower than the U.S. rate of 126%. Experts said they expect over 316,000 new cases of breast cancer will occur across the U.S. Britt introduced this legislation to the 118th Congress. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Readers on the need for child-care support and a close call
Working families with young children in Oklahoma need support finding and affording child care. Updating child care tax credits like the ones included in the Child Care Availability and Affordability Act sponsored by Sens. Katie Britt, of Alabama, and Tim Kaine, of Virginia, would help. In his role on the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. James Lankford, of Oklahoma, can help prioritize the needs of working families by including these provisions in the upcoming tax package. Expanding tax credits like the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) would put more money in parents' pockets for child care. This tax credit helps children thrive while recognizing child care as a necessary expense that helps parents go to work. However, it hasn't been updated in more than 20 years, so it hasn't kept pace with what child care actually costs. Currently, the average credit families receive is $587. Under the Britt-Kaine proposal, a parent with one child paying $12K for child care ($1K per child per month) would receive a credit of $1,750. Parents with two children would receive even more. Families with young children can't push pause on their child care needs and deal with it a few years down the road — kids don't work like that! Protecting and expanding the CDCTC is a pro-family and pro-work solution that benefits everyone. ― Elissa Kuykendall Want the latest Viewpoints? Sign up for the Public Square newsletter. I've enjoyed our articles about the 1995 bombing, and I have a small anecdotal event that happened on that dreadful day. I was an officer at a bank in El Reno, American Heritage Bank, and the morning of the bombing I had an 8 a.m. meeting at the state Capitol. The day before, one of our officers, Robert Hadley, who had reached retirement age, came in to let me know he had an appointment the next morning at the Social Security office at the Murrah Building to set up his Social Security benefits. Because of my meeting at the state Capitol, I asked Robert if he could move his meeting time at the Social Security office. Minutes later he told me he was able to get a 2 p.m. appointment, and that he and his wife and a 10-year-old grandson would make that work. We know what happened that morning and I was walking in the parking lot when the bomb went off. I felt the explosion like everyone else did. Once we realized how narrowly Bob, his wife and grandson had avoided being in that office, he retired that week knowing how precious life is. Thank you for sharing the moment in history that we all wish had never happened. ― Douglas Tippens, El Reno More: Oklahoma City bombing, 30 years later: Our city's stories of strength, healing and hope Oklahoma's rural counties are facing a crisis. With limited behavioral health services and high rates of substance use and incarceration, it's time we invest in real, community-driven solutions. That's why I'm writing in support of Senate Bill 251. This letter is part of a statewide advocacy project I've been working on with my classmates at the University of Oklahoma's School of Social Work. Over the past few months, our team has written policy briefs, hosted conversations, and even met with professionals and policymakers to advocate for this bill. SB 251 stood out to us because it offers a practical, much-needed path toward justice and healing across Oklahoma. The bill creates the County Community Safety Investment Fund and ensures every county — no matter how small — receives a minimum share of funding to build or strengthen local programs. These services include crisis response teams, recovery support, and jail diversion programs. These kinds of services are critical. People living in rural Oklahoma are 57% more likely to struggle with meth or opioid use, and nearly one in three rural women report experiencing intimate partner violence, according to the Oklahoma Council for Justice 251 isn't just smart policy — it's the kind of investment that could make our communities safer, healthier and more hopeful. I truly hope our lawmakers will move it forward this session. — Victoria Mendez, OU-Tulsa School of Social Work This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How a family narrowly missed the OKC bombing | Letters
