Prevention Institute works in partnership to champion and support an evolving portfolio of federal policies, practices, and investments. Our priorities are selected based on their role in shaping equitable health, safety, and wellbeing outcomes and are grounded in PI’s organizational commitment to racial justice and health equity and values of connection and interdependence.

The sections below reflect Prevention Institute’s most recent legislative, administrative, and regulatory actions. If you are interested in learning more about our work in previous years, contact Sana@preventioninstitute.org.

Community Safety

Photo credit:  Janine Robinson on Unsplash

January 27, 2023

  • PI joined The Time is Now Coalition in a letter to President Biden, urging him to announce a comprehensive plan of action to reduce gun violence deaths at his State of the Union. You can read the coalition’s full recommendations in this letter.  

November 3, 2022  

  • PI signed a letter led by the Community Justice Action Fund that asks for Congressional leadership to hold a hearing to discuss the gun violence epidemic as a public health issue. 

September 19, 2022  

  • PI joined the Civil Rights Corps and Color of Change in recommending a federal legislative agenda for community safety that is built upon evidence-based policies and programs that keep all communities safe. The agenda includes bill recommendations under the following focus areas: Public Health & Prevention Programs, Economic Opportunity & Housing Security, Youth Development & Education, Built Environment & Community Spaces, Institutional Transformation 

December 9, 2021 

  • PI joined the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) in a letter to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services urging them to prioritize police-free youth mobile response services as it defines implementation strategies

October 7, 2021 

  • PI joined Human Impact Partners in a letter endorsing the People’s Response Act, which would build non-carceral, non-punitive infrastructure to respond to public health emergencies 

September 27, 2021 

  • PI joined the Community Justice Action Fund in a letter urging Congress to ensure that the $5 billion investment for evidence-informed community violence intervention programs called for in his American Jobs Plan is included and passed in the final Build Back Better reconciliation package. 

July 13, 2021 

  • PI joined the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) in a letter addressed to the Department of Health and Human Services, advocating for issued guidance and technical assistance for implementation to states that promote and stress the importance of youth mobile response models that do not involve law enforcement. 

June 10, 2021 

  • PI signed a letter of support led by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) calling for Congressional leaders to support FY2022 funding for hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs) and other community violence initiatives (CVIs) 

March 23, 2021 

  • PI submitted a statement for the record in support of gun safety reform to the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Constitutional and Common Sense Steps to Reduce Gun Violence 

March 4, 2021 

  • PI submitted a letter of support for passing universal background checks through an effort led by Giffords, urging Congress to enact meaningful legislation to reduce gun violence 

July 24, 2020 

  • PI joined the Injury and Violence Prevention Network’s congressional letter requesting that the next emergency supplemental funding package to bolster the nation’s response efforts to the COVID-19 pandemic includes funding to respond to and prevent injuries and violence that are adversely and inequitably impacting communities across the country since the start of the outbreak. 

April 14, 2020  

  • Joined a letter to congress led by the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) requesting urgent attention to the needs of intimate partner and sexual assault survivors, their children, and the programs that support them during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

March 24, 2020 

  • PI signed on to Team #MediaJustice’s campaign urging Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai to take action for prison phone justice in COVID-19 relief efforts 

Mental Health & Wellbeing

Photo credit: Kokua Kalihi Valley/Honoulu Aina

October 13, 2023

  • PI signed a letter in support of the Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences (PACE) Act. The PACE Act would support critical efforts at CDC in preventing and mitigating adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). It would additionally support research to improve our understanding of ACEs and inform prevention efforts.

September 14, 2023

  • PI endorsed, and is also a sponsor of, HR 3073, the Bi-Partisan Community Mental Wellness and Resilience Act. The Act recognizes and acts on the growing need for mental health supports in the US. It would establish a competitive grant program at CDC to create, operate, or expand community-based programs that use a public health approach to build mental wellness and resilience.

May 2, 2023

  • PI endorsed the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0), which would address Big Tech data practices contributing to today’s youth mental health crisis.

December 1, 2022

  • PI signed onto a letter that provides recommendations to improve the implementation of the new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, with a focus on prioritizing communities that are marginalized and experience disproportionate impact.

August 31, 2022

  • PI, as a member of the Health Equity and Accountability Act (HEAA) Community Work Group, shared a list of key administrative priorities with Senior HHS Officials, including:
    • Reducing maternal mortality and promoting maternal health equity
    • Affirming civil rights to culturally and linguistically appropriate services
    • Directing HHS to prioritize funding for community and faith-based organizations
    • Building and sustaining workforce diversity (including community health workers)

August 2, 2022

  • PI joined the Well Being In the Nation (WIN) Network in commenting on the proposed changes to the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). The letter expresses support in updating the 30-year-old legislation, and additionally provides suggestions that could strengthen intergenerational health, equity, and wellbeing. 

June 7, 2022

  • PI joined a letter that encourages federal Congressional leadership to prioritize access to primary prevention in current safety and wellbeing efforts for young people in the United States.

April 6, 2022

  • PI joined a letter of support led by the Well Being Working Group that was addressed to the Senate HELP Committee. The letter urges the committee to focus on primary prevention strategies as they develop proposals to improve and expand federal mental health and substance use programs, and to also address root causes of inequities, particularly those stemming from structural racism, by removing barriers to mental health access.

March 30, 2022

  • PI joined Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-2), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and lead sponsor of the Health Equity and Accountability Act (HEAA) of 2022, alongside other organizations committed to achieving health equity in a letter to members of Congress, urging them to sign on as a co-sponsor.

March 7, 2022

  • PI endorsed the student led and authored resolution, Expressing the Mental Health Impacts of Recurrent Climate-Related Disaster on Youth. This Schools for Climate Action resolution calls on Congress to take immediate, effective action on climate change, including supporting the expansion of funding for climate education, resilience, and adaptation of projects that benefit the mental health of youth in addition to studying inequitable impacts of climate-related disasters.

August 25, 2021

  • PI joined the International Transformational Resilience Coalition in requesting Congress to introduce, enact, and fund the Resilience for All Act of 2021. The act would make the prevention and healing of mental health and psychosocial problems through community-based, age and culturally appropriate, population-level initiatives a national priority

April 28, 2021

  • PI joined an effort led by Trust for America's Health by signing onto a letter of support for the re-introduction of the Improving Data Collection for Adverse Childhood Experiences Act. Passage of this bi-partisan bill would allow CDC to expand upon previous ACEs literature in innovative and equitable ways

March 30, 2021

  • PI joined the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) and The Kennedy Forum in signing a letter of support urging the Department of Education to issue guidance that supports schools in prioritizing supplemental funding from the American Rescue Plan Act on mental health services and supports as students return to in-person learning

February 23, 2021

  • PI signed onto a letter led by the Center for Law and Social Policy and partners at the Reconnecting Youth Campaign, calling for Congress to prioritize wellbeing and expanded educational and economic opportunities for youth in the American Rescue Plan

October 15, 2020

  • PI signed on to H.R. 7689, the Improving Data Collection for Adverse Childhood Experiences Act.  

October 6, 2020

April 21, 2020

  • PI endorsed the Dear Colleague letter circulated by Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García to sign on as an original co-sponsor of the Health Equity and Accountability Act (HEAA) of 2020. 

March 20, 2020

  • PI and 87 other organizations signed on to a letter urging the Vice President and Congressional leadership to include funding to address current and future mental health and substance use needs.

Equitable Built Environments, Land Use & Food Systems

Photo credit: Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

November 10, 2023

  • PI endorsed The Lead-Safe Housing for Kids Act, which would amend federal law and protect children from lead poisoning by:
    • Requiring pre-rental lead hazard risk assessments and remediation in pre-1978 federally assisted housing where children reside
    • Requiring the owner of a unit with identified lead hazards to remediate the lead-based paint hazard.
    • Allowing families residing in a home with lead-based paint to relocate on an emergency basis without penalty or loss of rental assistance.
    • Authorizing the appropriations of funds necessary to carry out the bill.
  • PI endorsed The Know Who Owns Your Home Act. The Act would direct HUD to study the feasibility of a national rental registry to empower tenants and better inform property owners, housing policies, and healthy housing efforts. The bill would also help health departments in collecting data that is crucial for public health and code enforcements’ healthy housing efforts.

July 10, 2023

  • PI joined a comment letter led by the Center for Science in the Public Interest on the Food and Drug Administration’s second procedural notice on front-of-package labeling research.

June 27, 2023

  • PI joined a letter led by the Center for Science in the Public Interest that urges the Federal Trade Commission to provide an updated report on food industry marketing activities and expenditures targeted toward children and adolescents. The letter details how this updated report will provide critical insight into how these advertising practices are adversely impacting youth, particularly youth of color.

March 31, 2023

  • PI joined Human Impact Partners, the National Collaborative for Health Equity, and other public health organizations in providing public comment on the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule. The letter provides detailed recommendations on how the AFFH rule could improve health and equity.

December 6, 2022

  • PI signed a petition submitted to the FDA, in support of repealing the authorized the use of FD&C Red No. 3 as a color additive in foods (including dietary supplements) and in ingested drugs.

December 10, 2021

  • PI joined a Children Thrive Action Network effort in a letter that calls on Congress to pass the Build Back Better (BBB) Act before the holiday recess. Passing the BBB would reduce childhood poverty and provide continued support for most vulnerable children, make the most significant investments in climate and environmental justice in history, and create transformative improvements in our nation's care infrastructure.

October 22, 2021

  • PI joined the California Work & Family Coalition in a letter to the Biden-Harris Administration and Congress, calling on them to maintain crucial provisions of the Build Back Better Act, including paid family and medical leave, affordable care and preschool, and the expanded Child Tax Credit.

October 19, 2021

  • PI wrote a letter in partnership with the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network addressed to the Department of Treasury, urging them to immediately publish all American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) Interim Reports and Recovery Plan Performance Reports to ensure that all SLFRF Program recipients are held accountable for promoting equitable outcomes and are leveraging community engagement in the decision making process.

July 6, 2021

  • Prevention Institute informed the federal government of strategies and recommendations to advance health equity through submission of a public comment letter to the Office of Management and Budget. The letter details examples of frameworks, methodologies, and guidelines that federal agencies can utilize in developing their plans for E.O. 13985 implementation.

February 18, 2021

  • PI joined Public Advocates, in partnership with Housing Now! California, in a sign on letter, urging the U.S. Department of the Treasury to rescind the Trump Administration’s FAQ on emergency rental assistance and replace it with guidelines that ensure accessibility to all eligible landlords and tenants.

February 16, 2021

  • PI signed on to a letter supporting the American Rescue Act.

February 11, 2021

  • PI signed on to a letter in support of the proposed $350 billion in aid to states, cities, counties, tribes, and territories.

February 10, 2021

  • PI signed the U.S. Call to Action on Climate, Health and Equity, which lists 10 policy recommendations to help the Biden-Harris administration develop coordinated strategies across the government for tackling climate change, health and equity.

January 28, 2021 

  • PI joined a letter by Families for Safe Streets, Toward Zero Deaths, Road to Zero Coalition and Vision Zero Network to urge President Biden and his administration to commit to reduce traffic fatalities to zero by 2050.

August 20, 2020

  • PI signed on to this letter urging Congress to exercise its authority to empower state and local governments with the funding and guidance needed to ensure a safe and secure election.

April 20th, 2020 

  • Prevention Institute submitted a federal comment strongly opposing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s  “Simplifying Meal Service and Monitoring Requirements in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs” proposed rule (85 FR 4094). If implemented, this rule would undermine efforts to improve the quality and nutritional value of foods served in schools.

April 13th, 2020

  • PI joined over 175 organizations on the National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity (NANA)’s request to Congress to address school meals, SNAP, WIC, and SNAP-Ed in the fourth COVID supplemental.

March 9th, 2020 

  • Prevention Institute submitted a federal comment strongly opposing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s proposed changes to the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule which would severely weaken AFFH protections and in turn perpetuate the community disparities that result in health inequities.

Equitable Public Health & Health Systems

December 21, 2023

  • PI joined a sign-on letter by The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights that calls on the HHS Office for Civil Rights to release the final rule implementing Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act as quickly as possible. This ruling would protect against discrimination in health care based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, and disability.

November 9, 2023

  • PI joined 70+ organizations led by the National Health Law Program, National Partnership for Women & Families, and National Women’s Law Center, in expressing strong support and offering recommendations on the HHS Office for Civil Rights’ proposed rule § 504. The full list of recommendations can be read here.

September 20, 2023

  • PI joined a letter to the Senate HELP Committee, urging them to reject the cut of $980 million from the Prevention and Public Health Fund (Prevention Fund) that was proposed in the Bipartisan Primary Care and Health Workforce Act. A cut in the Prevention Fund would put Americans at risk for greater illness, injuries, and preventable deaths.

September 18, 2023

  • PI endorsed the Health Equity and MENA Community Inclusion (HEMCI) Act. The HEMCI Act would:
    • Include a “Middle Eastern or North African” response option on all federal information collection forms.
    • Enable HHS to provide higher quality, more culturally competent and linguistically appropriate healthcare services to MENA populations.
    • Enable HHS to produce a more accurate picture of overall health disparities and MENA communities’ healthcare conditions by requiring HHS to conduct a comprehensive health study of MENA populations.

June 12, 2023

  • PI endorsed the Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act. This bill would address chronic underfunding of state, local, tribal, and territorial public health infrastructure through a dedicated investment in foundational public health capabilities and workforce.

May 22, 2023

  • PI joined 712 organizations in the Coalition on Human Needs’ group letter, calling on Congress to support investments in our communities and take a responsible approach to the federal budget. This includes rejecting efforts that take away assistance from people with low income as well as imposing unnecessary administrative barriers. The letter additionally calls for a clean increase or suspension of the debt ceiling.

May 9, 2023

  • PI signed onto the Women’s Health Defense Table’s letter, which opposes H.R. 2811 (the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023) and additionally urges Congressional leadership to exclude Medicaid work requirements from any debt ceiling deal, budget negotiations, or legislation.

May 1, 2023

  • PI joined 105 other organizations in the National Network for Arab American Communities’ sign-on comment letter to OMB, urging them to revise Directive 14 to require that all agencies collect, report, and utilize detailed data on race and ethnicity through a combined question that includes a “Middle Eastern or North African” (MENA) response option.

April 20, 2023

  • PI joined fellow organizations working to improve health care access and equity in a letter that both supports and calls for swift finalization to OMB’s Initial Proposals for revision of the race and ethnicity statistical standards.

April 17, 2023

  • PI signed a joint letter addressed to Secretary Becerra, urging for stronger federal actions to combat antibiotic use tracking and oversight.

April 5, 2023

March 30, 2023

  • PI, alongside 200+ civil rights, health care, and community groups, signed a letter of support  urging HHS leadership to address the Medicaid unwinding. Advocates are asking for the strongest possible use of legal authority granted by Congress to prevent state Medicaid programs from needlessly terminating health care for millions of eligible people.

February 24, 2023

  • PI joined a follow-up letter addressed to Secretary Becerra, urging him to establish a Children’s Interagency Coordinating Council housed in the Office of the Secretary, Health and Human Services.

December 14, 2022

  • PI endorsed the Senate Resolution Declaring Racism a Public Health Crisis. The 2022 resolution acknowledges that health care disparities have existed in America for centuries and how these disparities are currently being magnified and exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

October 7, 2022

  • PI joined a letter expressing concern about the Center of Drug Evaluation and Research’s proposal to withdraw 17P treatments – a drug that has been recognized as the standard of care to prevent premature birth. If withdrawn, it could deepen existing maternal and infant health inequities, which disproportionally effect Black mothers.

October 3, 2022

  • PI joined The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights in a comment letter to the Office for Civil Rights and Department of Health and Human Services, strongly encouraging the Biden-Harris Administration to finalize the proposed rule changes to Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The letter supports the proposed rule, “Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities” and asks them to consider several recommendations that can be read here.

September 27, 2022

  • PI joined 116 organizations across various sectors and geographical regions in a comment submitted to the Office for Civil Rights and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in support of the proposed rule change to Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. The letter urges HHS to be explicit and create strong federal protect against sex-based discrimination.

September 15, 2022

  • PI, alongside 84 groups, addressed a letter to Secretary Becerra, urging him to establish a Children’s Interagency Coordinating Council housed in the Office of the Secretary, Health and Human Services.

September 15, 2022

  • PI signed a letter led by the Human Rights Campaign calling on the Senate to pass the Respect for Marriage Act.

May 20, 2022

  • PI joined the National Network for Arab American Communities’ coalition letter to Congress, urging members to co-sponsor The Health Equity and Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Community Inclusion Act of 2022. If passed, the Act would give long-awaited recognition to the MENA community in the Office of Minority Health within the DHHS.

January 19, 2022

  • PI, alongside 225+ organizations, joined a letter calling for the swift passage of S. 1975, the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), in the Senate. If passed, the WHPA would give recognition to seeing reproductive rights as human rights and protect access to abortion.

September 17, 2021

  • PI, alongside 243 other organizations, joined a letter to Congressional leadership, expressing support and appreciation for the inclusion of maternal health provisions in the Committee on Energy and Commerce print of the Build Back Better Act

June 15, 2021

  • PI joined an effort led by Trust for America’s Health by signing onto a letter of support urging Congressional leadership to include Senator Murray’s Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act (PHISLA, S. 674) in any infrastructure legislation being develop.

May 24, 2021

  • PI joined the First Focus Campaign for Children in a sign-on letter shared with congressional leaders urging them to make the Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP) permanent

March 18, 2021

  • PI joined an effort led by Trust for America’s Health, the American Public Health Association, and Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum by signing on to a letter, urging the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Director of CDC to ensure that funding provided by the American Rescue Plan Act prioritizes communities of color and tribal communities that are disproportionately affected and underserved

March 2, 2021

  • PI joined Trust for America's Health and others in endorsing the reintroduction of the Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act by Senator Patty Murray (D, WA). The bill would strengthen the public health system of the United States through investment in state, local, tribal and territorial public health infrastructure

February 26, 2021

  • PI joined a letter led by Trust for America's Health in support of the Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act, which would restore funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund to its originally authorized level of $2 billion.

February 6, 2021

  •  PI signed on to a letter to congressional leadership in support of sustained funding for core public health infrastructure and workforce. 

January 8, 2021

  • PI signed on to a letter urging President-Elect Biden to move swiftly to repeal Executive Order (EO) 13950, Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping

December 15, 2020

  • As members of Families USA’s Health Equity Task Force for Delivery and Payment Transformation, PI joined a letter sharing recommendations for the Biden-Harris COVID-19 Task Force.

December 8, 2020

  • PI joined a letter urging Congress to take swift action in passing the bipartisan Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act (H.R. 4995) and the bipartisan Helping MOMS Act of 2020 (H.R. 4996) to address maternal mortality and improve maternal health outcomes including addressing stark and persistent racial inequities in maternal morbidity and mortality.

November 20, 2020

October 14, 2020

  • Along with 13 other public health organizations Prevention Institute signed on to a statement condemning the Great Barrington Declaration–the herd immunity scheme for controlling the spread of SARS CoVID-2.

October 9, 2020

  • PI signed on to a letter to urge Senate to take immediate action to address the COVID-19 pandemic instead of focusing on the SCOTUS confirmation process.

September 25, 2020

  • PI signed onto a letter to President Trump from public health experts expressing our concerns about the federal government's position on ACA repeal in California v. Texas.

September 3, 2020

  • PI signed on to a group letter to congressional leadership advocating for increased funding to prevent older adult falls

September 1, 2020

  • PI signed on to this letter to Vice President Pence, head of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, urging a reversal of the recent revisions in CDC guidelines around COVID testing.

July 21, 2020

  • PI signed on to this letter advocating that the Health Force and Resilience Force Act (H.R. 6808/ S. 3606) be included in the next COVID-19 response package. 

July 15, 2020

  • PI signed a letter urging Congress to address barriers to COVID-19 communications.
  • PI signed on to this letter urging the administration to reverse its decision to bypass the CDC in the collection of COVID-19 patient data.

July 14, 2020

  • PI signed on to this letter in support of science and public health experts on COVID-19
  • PI signed on to this letter urging Congress to include the Pandemic TANF Assistance Act in next COVID-19 relief

June 29, 2020

  • PI signed on to this letter to the HHS Secretary to extend the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency declaration.

June 25, 2020

  • PI signed on to this letter to HHS Secretary Azar urging him to strengthen and affirm the role of CDC.

June 25, 2020

  • PI signed on to this letter to President Trump from public health officials expressing our concerns about the federal government's position on ACA repeal in California v. Texas. 

June 24, 2020

  • PI joined two letters—one to the House and one to the Senate—supporting the Public Health Loan Repayment Program included in the HEROES Act, and urging Congress to create and fund this program as part of the next COVID-19 package.

June 15, 2020

  • PI signed on to this letter urging Congress to ensure that every state is required to implement a vote-by-mail option before the 2020 presidential election so that every person in the U.S. who is eligible to vote is able to do so without risking their health.

May 20, 2020

  • PI joined over 170 organizations in a request to Congress led by National League of Cities (NLC) urging them to include direct fiscal funding to local governments in the next COVID-19 stimulus as part of the Cities are Essential campaign. 

May 11, 2020 

  • PI joined 38 other organizations in a letter led by the Health Equity Collaborative urging HHS to expand federal funding opportunities to address the impact of COVID-19 within communities of color and rural communities.

April 24th, 2020 

  • Prevention Institute joined letters to Congress and the department of Health and Human Services led by the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum and Trust for America’s Health calling for collection and reporting of demographic data on COVID-19 patients, either in the next legislation or by agency action. 

April 3, 2020

April 1, 2020

  • PI joined a request in support of establishing a loan repayment program as part of a Phase 4 COVID-19 response for public health professionals who agree to serve two years in a local, state, or tribal health department, in order to help recruit and retain trained staff.

March 20, 2020

  • PI signed on in support of this letter calling on Congressional leaders to provide an additional $4.5 billion in funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state, local, tribal, and territorial health infrastructure to  pay for such essential activities as disease surveillance, epidemiology, laboratory capacity, all-hazards preparedness and response; policy development and support; communications; community partnership development; and organizational competencies.

March 13, 2020

  • Along with fifty-five national public health organizations, PI signed this letter to call on Congress, the Trump Administration, and state legislators to pass paid sick leave legislation in response to the coronavirus.

Immigration Justice

Photo of the Solidarity Mural by the City of Dubuque, Iowa.

December 15, 2023

  • PI, alongside 260+ organizations nationwide, joined the Children Thrive Action Network in urging the White House and Congress to oppose anti-immigrant and anti-asylum polices in supplemental funding negotiations. This comes as a response to the considerations being proposed that would restrict asylum, expand expedited removal, detain families, and revive Title 42.

November 16, 2023

  • PI endorsed the Protection of Kids in Immigration Detention (ProKid) Act, which would establish an Office of the Ombudperson for Immigrant Children in Government Custody under HHS. This office would serve as an extra layer of oversight to ensure children’s safety and enforce transparency, protection, and accountability for immigrant children in government custody. The full bill language can be read here.

October 11, 2023

  • PI joined fellow organizations fighting for justice, equity, child wellbeing, and human rights in a letter urging President Biden to finalize the proposed rule that would expand health coverage to DACA recipients, and other certain immigrant children.

June 16, 2023

  • PI joined 84 additional organizations in signing the Children Thrive Action Network’s child-focused comment in response to the Biden Administration’s proposed rule to expand federal health coverage programs to DACA recipients. The letter highlights the impacts that having access to health care coverage will have on the well-being of DACA recipients and their children; expresses support for provisions that will expand coverage to other immigrant children; and makes recommendations to improve the rule to address additional barriers and gaps.

May 25, 2023

  • PI signed the Protecting Immigrant Families’ letter, joining various national, state, and local organizations in united opposition of using the Congressional Review Act to repeal the Biden Administration’s public charge regulations.
  • PI endorsed the Lifting Immigrant Families Through Benefits Access Restoration (LIFT the BAR) Act. The Act would repeal the arbitrary “5-Year Bar” and lower other barriers to health care, food security, and antipoverty programs for millions of immigrant families.

May 10, 2023

  • PI joined more than 170 national, state, and local organizations in a letter opposing S. 1473 (the Sinema-Tillis bill). If passed, this bill would effectively end the right to asylum at the U.S. southern border. This would affect all people seeking safety at our borders, including children travelling alone or with their families.
  • PI, alongside organizations representing immigrant rights, food and nutrition, health care, housing, civil rights, and more, called on Congress to repeal the “five-year-bar” and to quickly enact the Lifting Immigrant Families Through Benefits Access Restoration (LIFT the BAR) Act.

May 3, 2023

  • PI joined fellow organizations, who support the health, safety, and wellbeing of children, in united opposition to H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023.

March 31, 2023

  • PI endorsed Congresswoman Jayapal’s Lifting Immigrant Families Through Benefits Access Restoration (LIFT the BAR) Act. The Act would remove the 5-year waiting period and other restrictions for lawfully present immigrants in accessing federal public benefits, including Medicaid, CHIP, SNAP, TANF, SSI, certain housing assistance and other important services. Full details on the LIFT the BAR Act can be read here.

January 27, 2023

  • PI endorsed the statement from the Children Thrive Action Network, which urges the Biden-Harris administration to uphold children and families’ right to asylum in their recently proposed border enforcement measures.

November 10, 2022

  • PI, alongside 225 state, local, and national immigrant, labor, faith, health, and human rights organizations signed a letter addressed to Congressional leadership, urging them to prioritize DACA protections in any end-of-year package.

October 4, 2022

  • PI signed a letter led by the National Immigration Law Center, UnidosUS, the Center for Law and Social Policy, and United We Dream, calling on the Biden-Harris Administration to expand coverage eligibility for public health insurance programs to DACA recipients.

August 2, 2022

  • PI joined an additional 285 organizations in the Immigration Hub’s letter, requesting that Senators oppose any anti-immigrant amendments in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

July 15, 2022

  • PI, alongside 208 other organizations, joined a letter addressed to House leadership opposing the amendments that would codify the Title 42 expulsions policy through the FY23 appropriations process.

July 13, 2022

  • PI joined 39 organizations represented by law, immigration, children’s rights, and public health advocates in support of the introduction of the Children’s Safe Welcome Act.

June 1, 2022

  • PI, along with 750+ national, state, and local organizations, joined the Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) campaign in a letter of support to Congress for the Lifting Immigrant Families Through Benefits Access Restoration (LIFT the BAR) Act.

May 16, 2022

  • PI signed onto a letter led by AAP and Unidos in support of the HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program, which provided COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccine administration for uninsured individuals throughout the pandemic, regardless of their immigration status.

April 20, 2022

  • PI joined an effort led by CLASP, the American Academy of Pediatrics, First Focus On Children, the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, and The Children’s Partnership in signing a child-focused comment letter that responds to DHS’s notice of proposed rulemaking on public charge.

April 13, 2022

  • PI signed onto a letter of support led by the National Immigration Law Center, Center for Law and Social Policy, Community Catalyst, and UnidosUS that was addressed to Congress, urging them to oppose any extension of restrictions on Asylum seekers under Title 42.

April 5, 2022

  • PI joined 1,000+ organizations in PIF’s sign-on comment to the DHS. The letter includes support and recommendations for how to improve on the public charge notice of proposed rulemaking published in the Federal Register on February 24, 2022. The proposed changes are critical in encouraging millions of persons in immigrant families to get the help and care they need.

January 6, 2022

  • PI signed on in support of PIF’s comment letter to the U.S. Department of State, which urges them to issue rulemaking as soon as possible to remove the text of the October 2019 rule from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and restore longstanding prior regulations

December 22, 2021

  • PI joined 70 other organizations in an effort led by the Children Thrive Action Network in signing two letters, one to Senate Leadership and the other to the Biden-Harris Administration, to push for swift passage of the Build Back Better Act and for it to include a pathway to citizenship, even if it means disregarding the parliamentarian’s opinion

October 18, 2021

  • PI joined an effort led by CLASP, First Focus On Children, the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, and The Children’s Partnership by signing onto a child-focused comment letter in response to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) advance notice of proposed rulemaking on public charge. The comment letter emphasizes that DHS consider the unique needs of children in this process and that they do not restrict their ability to access critical benefits that can support their health and wellbeing.

October 13, 2021

  • PI, along with 630+ organizations, joined the Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition letter addressed to the Department of Homeland Security in response to the advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) on public charge, urging the department to clarify public charge regulations and to publish a fair and reasonable final rule, as recommended in the letter, to limit harm to immigrants and their families.

September 13, 2021

  • PI, along with 500 other organizations, joined the Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) campaign in signing a letter of support addressed to Congressional leaders, calling on them to enact the Lifting Immigrant Families Through Benefits Access Restoration (LIFT the BAR) Act

August 30, 2021

  • PI joined 70 organizations in signing a letter led by First Focus on Children and Children’s Defense Fund, urging Texas Governor Greg Abbott to withdraw an executive order that directs the state to remove licenses from children’s shelters that serve unaccompanied children

May 13, 2021

  • PI joined a letter led by the We Are Home campaign, in partnership with the Children Thrive Action Network, urging the Biden-Harris Administration and Congress to include a pathway to citizenship for immigrant youth, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, essential workers, and their families in any economic recovery legislation that moves forward via budget reconciliation

May 12, 2021

April 29, 2021

  • PI endorsed the Children Thrive Action Network’s (CTAN) policy principles, which aim to advance the wellbeing of children of immigrants through securing a path to citizenship; advancing the health, educational success, and economic security of children and their families; and promoting child wellbeing and family unity in immigration policy.

April 5, 2021

  • PI joined MomsRising in signing onto a letter of support urging the Biden-Harris administration and Congress to support a pathway to citizenship for essential workers, Dreamers, and TPS holder in the next economic recovery package.

March 12, 2021

  • PI joined efforts led by the Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition by signing a letter shared with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, asking them to issue written guidance and clarify that COVID-19 is as an “emergency medical condition”. Doing so would allow federal Medicaid funds to pay for COVID-19 testing, treatment, and related services for immigrants ineligible for full-scope Medicaid because of their immigration status. It would also, following the guidance of the American Rescue Plan Act, mandate coverage of vaccines and vaccine distribution for those eligible for emergency Medicaid.

March 3, 2021

  • PI joined an ask led by the Protecting Immigrant Families coalition urging the Biden-Harris administration to act on all fronts to mitigate the harm and reverse the Trump administration’s public charge regulation by: (1) Directing the Justice Department to withdraw its appeals of all lawsuits challenging the regulation; (2) Protecting future agency rule-making; (3) Communicating to immigrants and their families that the policy has been reversed and that it is safe to access health, nutrition, and other programs for which they are eligible; and 4) Developing and issuing new public charge regulations as soon as possible

March 1, 2021

  • PI joined a letter led by the National Immigration Law Center, in partnership with the Children Thrive Action Network, urging congressional leaders to ensure that COVID-19 relief in the American Rescue Act is inclusive of mixed-status immigrant families.

February 16, 2021

  • PI signed on to a statement underscoring the importance of immigrant access to benefits. 

January 15, 2021

  • PI joined a letter by The Center for American Progress, in partnership with Community Change Action, United We Dream, the Service Employees International Union, the National Domestic Workers Alliance, the National Immigration Law Center, The Immigration Hub, and FWD.us, to the Senate and House of Representatives to include permanent protections and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who are longstanding members of our community, including DACA recipients, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and those essential workers who have been on the frontlines during this pandemic.

December 18, 2020 

  • PI joined letters to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Biden COVID taskforce to ensure immigrant access to vaccines. 

December 2, 2020 

  • As members of the Center for Law and Social Policy’s Children Thrive Action Network, PI joined a letter sharing priorities to defend and support America’s children in immigrant families with the Biden-Harris transition team.

July 15, 2020

  • PI signed on to this letter urging Congress to take action to address the exclusion of immigrant families, workers, taxpayers, and their U.S. children and spouses  from the CARES Act and other COVID-19 recovery packages in the next pandemic relief legislation.

May 29, 2020 

  • PI joined over 250 organizations in a letter led by the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum urging Senators to support the Health Equity & Access under the Law (HEAL) for Immigrant Women & Families Act of 2020 (S. 3799) which was introduced for the first time in the Senate by Senator Cory Booker on May 20, 2020.

April 15th, 2020 

  • PI joined over 550 national, state and local organizations led by the Protecting Immigrant Families Campaign letter to congress urging an immigrant-inclusive COVID-19 response package.

March 20, 2020

  • PI and more than 630 others signed on to a letter to Congressional leadership calling for immigrants to be included in the COVID-19 3.0 relief package. 
  • PI endorsed this Dear Colleague letter asking Congress to prioritize critically needed funding and resources for our nation’s immigrant population during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Appropriations and Administration Priorities

For the FY24 federal appropriations period, PI submitted four prioritized appropriations requests in addition to joining a number of group efforts to secure funding that addresses health, safety, and wellbeing through racial justice and health equity.

PI’s priority requests include:

  1. $102.5 million for the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health program (REACH) at the CDC. This recommended funding level would provide $75.5 million for the core REACH program and $27 million for the Healthy Tribes program. The increase to the core REACH program will allow CDC to flexibly expand the program’s impact to better meet high community demand and fund more community-based organizations and coalitions that are tailoring interventions to improve social and environmental conditions for better health in their communities.
  2. A minimum of $268 million in CDC funding for Community and Youth Violence Prevention--including Community Violence Intervention. These funds would allow the CDC to support actionable, proven community-driven public health strategies that can prevent and reduce violence in communities facing the highest burden of violence.
  3. $35,000,000 for Firearm Injury and Mortality Prevention Research for the CDC.  Expanded funding is necessary to address the relationship between racial justice and violence prevention by ensuring that these research dollars fully reach researchers of color and institutions who are partnering with and working in communities of color that currently face the highest burdens of gun violence.  
  4. $11.581 billion overall for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

FY24 Appropriations Group sign ons

  • PI joined 700+ signers, including APHA and other health organizations, in a letter urging Congress to reject a full-year CR, which would significantly cut NDD program appropriations. 
  • PI signed onto the CDC Coalition’s year-end FY24 appropriations letter, urging Appropriations Committee leaders to prioritize CDC funding and to reject any cuts or damaging policy related to the agency’s programs in any final FY24 LHHS bill. 
  • PI joined local, state, and national groups in the Coalition for Human Need’s letter, which urges Congress to pass a continuing resolution (CR) that includes funding for WIC, child care, energy assistance, substance use crisis, and more.
  • PI signed onto the Federal Good Food Purchasing Coalition’s letter, which requests three FY24 appropriations provisions that would support updates to the Food Service Guidelines for Federal Facilities, as well as funding for agency and department trainings to support implementation and funding to support full implementation at the VA.
  • PI, BCHC, and Safe States Alliance led a FY24 LHHS appropriations sign-on letter requesting $268 million – with $250 million dedicated to the CVI initiative – for Community Youth Violence Prevention through CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention.
  • PI, alongside the 143 members of the CDC Coalition and other supporting state, national, and academic organizations, shared a letter with LHHS appropriations leadership urging them to include at least $11.581 billion for CDC’s programs in the FY24 LHHS bill.
  • PI joined public health, environmental health, and other supporting organizations in a letter of support that would fund $420.85 million for CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health in FY2024 appropriations.
  • PI, TFAH, and the YMCA, led a House Dear Colleague letter that respectfully urges LHHS Appropriations leadership to fund programs in FY24 LHHS appropriations designed to improve minority and racial health disparities. The letter calls for the following (more details can be found in the full letter):
    • Increasing funding for NIH’s National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities 
    • Increasing health workforce programs at the Health Resources and Services Administration
    • Increasing funding for CDC’s REACH program and the office of HHS Secretary
    • Increasing support for the Historically Black Graduate Institutions program at the Department of Education
  • PI signed onto the Gun Violence Prevention (GVP) Research Roundtable FY24 LHHS appropriations letter, calling on Congress to provide $35 million for CDC, $25 million for NIH, and for the first time, calling on Congress to continue $1 million at the National Institute of Justice (NIJ).
  • PI joined 97 other organizations dedicated to improving the health of all women, children, and families in a letter to appropriations committee leadership, urging for at least $1 billion for the Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services Block Grant in the FY24 LHHS Appropriations bill.
  • PI signed a letter of support requesting $10 million in funding for the Division of Violence Prevention at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to research child sexual abuse prevention.

 

FY23 Appropriations

For the FY23 federal appropriations period, PI submitted four prioritized appropriations requests in addition to joining a number of group efforts to secure funding that addresses health, safety, and wellbeing through racial justice and health equity.

PI’s priority requests include:

  1. $102.5 million for the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health program (REACH) at the CDC. This recommended funding level would provide $75.5 million for the core REACH program and $27 million for the Healthy Tribes program. The increase to the core REACH program will allow CDC to flexibly expand the program’s impact to better meet high community demand and fund more community-based organizations and coalitions that are tailoring interventions to improve social and environmental conditions for better health in their communities. It would also allow CDC to consider expanding the prioritized communities of focus to include Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) communities, who are currently ineligible to apply and experience high rates of chronic disease inequities and persistent discrimination.
  2. A minimum of $250 million for a new Community Violence Intervention Initiative at the CDC. Establishing a new community violence intervention and prevention initiative allows CDC to support up to 75 cities and communities facing the highest burdens of violence in applying community driven, public health approaches to reduce and prevent community violence. Funds will support scaling up existing community violence prevention efforts and implementing and evaluating evidence-based and evidence-informed community violence prevention strategies based on communities needs and priorities.
  3. $35,000,000 for Firearm Injury and Mortality Prevention Research for the CDC. Continued and expanded funding could support the creation of additional, large, multi-year studies and accelerate the rebuilding of a research community that shrank in the decades before Congress restored this federal funding. Importantly, expanded funding is necessary to address the relationship between racial justice and violence prevention by ensuring that these research dollars fully reach researchers of color and institutions who are partnering with and working in communities of color that currently face the highest burdens of gun violence.  
  4. $11 billion overall for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

FY23 Appropriations Group Sign Ons

  • PI joined a TFAH led letter in requesting $102.5 million for the REACH and Healthy Tribes programs. This increase in funding would allow the REACH program to add an additional 33 programs and for the Healthy Tribes program to continue supporting American Indian/Alaskan Native wellness  
  • As a member of the Injury and Violence Prevention Network, PI joined a letter in support of $10 million in FY23 for child sexual abuse prevention research at the CDC
  • PI signed onto a letter of support addressed to House and Senate appropriator leadership, advocating for a focus on primary prevention strategies when drafting FY23 appropriations legislation and for them to additionally address root causes of inequities, particularly those stemming from structural racism
  • PI joined as an organizational endorser on a House Dear Colleague Letter urging for the highest possible funding level in FY23 for federal programs at HRSA, CDC, and NIH to improve mental health and eliminate inequities in maternal health outcomes
  • PI joined 108 national and academic organizations in a letter addressed to Senate and House Labor-HHS Appropriations Committees leadership, calling on them to fund the Title V Maternal and Child Health Programs Block Grant in FY 2023 at $1 billion
  • PI, alongside 178 state and national organizations, joined a letter addressed to House and Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Committee leadership in support of at least $11 billion for the CDC in the FY23 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill
  • PI, in addition to 287 medical, public health, and research groups, joined a letter of support addressed to Senate and House Appropriations Committees leadership, asking for them to provide $35 million for the CDC and $25 for the NIH for gun violence prevention research
  • PI joined a letter to Senate and House Appropriations Committee leaders, urging them to increase funding for the CDC’s Climate and Health Program to $110 million in the FY23 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill
  • PI joined the Invest in Us Coalition in a letter to the House and Senate Appropriations LHHS and CJS subcommittees, asking for them to fund CVI initiatives at $750 million, which would be evenly split between DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs and CDC’s Injury Prevention Division.
  • PI joined the Invest in Us Coalition in a letter addressed to the Appropriations Committee leadership, urging them to provide at least $250 million for community violence intervention initiatives in FY23 legislation.

November 28, 2022

  • PI signed a letter asking Congressional leaders to enhance the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and to prioritize tax credits that support children youth and families in end-of-year congressional bills.

FY22 Appropriations

FY22 Appropriations Group Sign Ons

  • As a member of the Injury and Violence Prevention Network, PI signed a letter of support urging appropriators to finalize the FY 2022 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill and to include the funding levels proposed in the House-passed bill
  • PI joined CDC Coalition members in a letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leadership urging them to include at least the House-passed level of $10.5 billion for CDC in any final FY2022 appropriations package
  • PI signed on in support of a bipartisan Dear Colleague letter urging the highest possible funding level in Fiscal Year 2022 for programs at HRSA, CDC, and NIH that seek to prevent maternal deaths, eliminate inequities in maternal health outcomes, and improve maternal health
  • PI, alongside 205 other organizations, signed onto a letter urging Congressional leadership in the Committee on Appropriations to support President Biden’s request for increasing funding to $153 million in Fiscal Year 2022 for the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)
  • PI joined an ask led by the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs urging the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies to support at least $750 million for the Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant in Fiscal Year 2022
  • PI collaborated with the Society for Public Health Education, Trust for America’s Health, YMCA of the USA, National REACH Coalition, Public Health Institute, and National Association of City and County Health Officials in writing a letter to Congressional leaders, urging them to provide at least $102.5 million for the CDC’s Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) program in the FY 2022 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill – with $75.5 million going to REACH grantees and $27 million for its affiliated program Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country (GHWIC)
  • PI joined an effort led by the American Lung Association and the American Public Health Association by signing onto a letter shared with members of the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, urging them to increase funding for the CDC’s Climate and Health Program to $110 million in FY 2022
  • PI joined advocates in signing on to letters shared with leaders in the House Committee of Appropriations and Senate Committee on Appropriations, requesting $10 million to research child sexual abuse prevention at the Division of Violence Prevention at CDC in the FY 2022 Labor, Health and Human Service, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill
  • PI joined 200 medical, public health, and research organizations in letters addressed to House and Senate leadership within the Committee on Appropriations, urging them to increase funding for Gun Violence Prevention research to $50 million evenly split between CDC and NIH in Fiscal Year 2022
  • PI joined CDC Coalition members in a letter that was shared with House and Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies subcommittee leaders, urging them to provide at least $10 billion in funding for programs at the CDC in the FY 2022 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill

July 2, 2021

  • PI joined advocates in a letter of support urging the Biden-Harris administration to establish a White House Office on Children and Youth, federal children’s cabinet, and a White House Conference on Children and Youth.

FY21 Appropriations

FY21 Appropriations Group Sign Ons

  • PI joined a letter urging Congress to fund the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office on Smoking and Health at the House-passed funding level of $240 million as negotiations continue on the fiscal year 2021 appropriations bills.
  • PI joined a thank you letter led by ASTHO applauding the inclusion of the Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program in the HEROES Act and recommending its inclusion in emergency COVID-19 legislation with funding appropriated for FY2020 and FY2021. 

December 20, 2020