MFFN's Public Policy News
President Obama's proposed Fatherhood, Marriage, and Family Innovation Fund. Read about the proposed $500 million that includes support for fatherhood programs. The Administration for Children and Families has a FAQ here. The Center for Family Policy and Practice has a short brief from June 2010 here. You can also find the Fatherhood and Healthy Families Taskforce Report to President Obama, released in March 2010 here.Child Welfare Legislation Passes and Becomes MN Law! MFFN's work with a collaborative group has resulted in new legislation that will improve child well-being. MFFN thanks Sen. Torres Ray and Rep. Hayden, along with the other co-sponsors and supporters of our bill. For a summary of the legislation and improvements for fathers, noncustodial parents and children, view our latest newsletter here.
2010 Public Policy Agenda: Learn about our work in areas of child support, child welfare, corrections, family court, health, education, and workforce development. Online here (January 2010). Read our position statement on a statutory presumption of joint physical custody in Minnesota here and a short research addendum here (posted April 2010).
Minn. Legislature and Minn. Court of Appeals 2009: Read about laws and decisions in 2009 that affect Minnesota's fathers, online here (4-pages, August 2009).
Public Policy Archive Page
Find information on past legislative sessions and other public policy news here.
Public Policy Websites
Fatherhood Initiative Homepage,
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services: The Department of Health and
Human Services has developed a special initiative to support and
strengthen the roles of fathers in families. Visit this page to learn about current and proposed federal programs.
Center For Family Policy and Practice: Formerly the Center on Fathers, Families, and Public Policy (CFFPP)
is a nationally-focused public policy organization conducting policy
research, technical assistance, training, litigation and public
education in order to focus attention on the barriers faced by
never-married, low-income fathers and their families.
MOAPPP Public Policy Page: This page
details MOAPPP's work as advocates for adolescent pregnancy prevention,
adolescent pregnancy care and adolescent parenting in Minnesota. Check
out the Legislative Agenda pages to keep abreast of important issues
facing the Minnesota state legislature.
National Center for Children in Poverty:
Children thrive in stable families. The more nurturing children receive
at home, the more likely they are to do well in school, form healthy
relationships, and create better lives for themselves. Programs and
policies aimed at assisting low-income families must acknowledge that
parenting is as important as earning money. The Policy Wizard creates state-tables about policies that impact low-income children and families.
The Finance Project: The Finance Project's Promising Practices Catalog offers over 1,000 ideas about innovative policies and programs that support children, families, and communities.
Center For Lobbying in the Public Interest:
CLPI is the only organization whose focus is entirely on encouraging
charities to understand the enormous importance of lobbying and
speaking out on behalf of their constituents, causes and communities.
This site details how nonprofit organizations can become involved in policy issues.
State and Federal Legislation
$10 million per year in Access and Visitation Grants are awarded from the federal government to states to support non-custodial parents' access to and visitation of their children. Online here.
Minnesota's 2007 Child Support Guidelines: Frequently Asked Questions, available here (Feb. 2006). Talking points about the new Child Support Guidelines, available here (Dec. 2005).