CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A secretive group with unknown donors is attacking lawmakers who oppose granting a multi-million-dollar managed-care contract for West Virginia foster children. One lawmaker calls it "underhanded and misleading" to suggest he doesn't support foster families.

Del. Cody Thompson, D-Elkins, got a spam text on his phone that linked to an attack video aimed at him. He said at least a half-dozen delegates have been targeted with nearly identical videos because they disagreed with privatizing the care.

"Adamant supporters for our foster-care children, but they're trying to sway the public that we're not in favor of helping to find a solution, and that's not the case," Thompson said. "But we don't necessarily believe that turning to a privatized system is the best answer."

The attack videos are from the "1863 PAC," a group that doesn't disclose its funding sources, and requests for comment were not returned. Supporters of one centralized, managed-care contract have said it would help ensure that no foster children fall though the cracks. Opponents of paying a for-profit company for the work say that would drain badly needed funds away from the state foster-care system.

House Bill 2010 is a large piece of legislation aimed at what many agree is a crisis in state foster care, much of it driven by families with drug problems. The managed-care provision is just one part of the bill.

Thompson said one of the frustrating things about the attack is that it takes a complex and difficult policy debate and turns it into a cartoon battle of good versus evil.

"It was very underhanded, very misleading," he said. "Del. (Chad) Lovejoy (D-Huntington), his son received a text message and his son texted his father and said, 'Well, dad, what's going on?' That's just a very underhanded, low-ball tactic."

HB 2010 has passed out of the House and now is in the state Senate.

The video is online at youtube.com, and details of HB 2010 are at wvlegislature.gov.


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As Alabama's legislative session kicks off, one advocacy group is calling for urgent action to protect children's health and safety.

VOICES for Alabama's Children has outlined 10 key policy priorities for 2025, with a focus on reducing preventable deaths and expanding access to health care. The group's data show more children are losing their lives to car accidents and firearms.

Apreill Hartsfield, policy and data analyst and director of Alabama Kids Count for Voices for Alabama Children, said lawmakers could strengthen child passenger safety laws and implement firearm safety measures to help save lives.

"Hopefully, a child does not come across a firearm but if they do, that there are devices on those firearms that will keep them from being accidentally discharged," Hartsfield urged. "Because this is a reason why children in our state are dying."

Lawmakers have already prefiled about a dozen firearm-related bills. Among them is House Bill 26, which would ban pistols modified to function as machine guns, and House Bill 103, which would require secure firearm storage, making it a crime if a minor gains access due to negligence, with some exceptions.

Hartsfield thinks expanding health care access should also be at the top of lawmakers' agenda. While most Alabama children are covered by Medicaid or ALL Kids, nearly 200,000 working adults remain uninsured, creating challenges for families trying to stay healthy. She stressed when parents have health coverage, their children also reap the benefits.

"The children are more likely to be covered by insurance and are more likely to get regular medical care, to do those 'well baby checks' and just to try to stay ahead of any kind of illness, or any kind of developmental delay," Hartsfield explained.

She added other priorities include expanding mental health services, strengthening tobacco and vaping laws to reduce underage use, and increasing funding for nutrition programs like Summer EBT. The group also wants to see stronger data-driven juvenile justice reforms and updates to the state's public school funding formula to better meet students' needs.


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Tennessee's "State of the Child" 2024 report shows some progress, but also highlights ongoing concerns.

The report from the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth examines kids' health and mental health, education, family economics, and childcare.

It also looks at the state's child welfare and youth justice data.

Kylie Graves is the director of policy and legislative affairs at the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth.

She said a key indicator they look at most frequently is the percentage of children living in poverty. She noted that the percentage of children living in poverty in Tennessee did go up slightly between 2022 and 2023.

"So in 2023 we had 19.7% of our children under 18 living below the federal poverty line," said Graves. "For our kids under five, it was 20% - just a little bit above that. That did stay consistent between '22 and '23, so we saw no change in the under five poverty rate."

Graves noted that the annual report provides a comprehensive overview of child well-being in the state.

She said it tracks progress, comparing it with previous years and other states, and highlights areas for growth.

Graves said the report consistently reveals the high cost of infant center-based child care for families in Tennessee.

"The average market rate is $13,126, and so it's very expensive for a lot of families," said Graves. "That does make it more expensive than in state tuition for all but one of our state universities."

Graves pointed out that Tennessee's education system is showing progress, with T-CAP scores rebounding post-pandemic - though most students are still only "approaching" expectations.

She said teen mental health is still a serious concern, with nearly one in four high school students reporting thoughts of suicide.




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New child labor laws went into effect in Virginia at the start of the year, but some advocates say more can be done.

House Bill 100 took effect in January, raising the maximum financial penalty to $25,000 -- up from $10,000 -- if a child dies or is seriously injured while working in violation of labor law. Cases that do not involve injury or death will have stiffer penalties, too, with maximum fines set at $2,500.

Nina Mast, a policy and economic analyst for the Economic Policy Institute, said it is just the start of combatting illegal child labor in the Commonwealth.

"This was a really important first step in the overall goal of strengthening child labor standards in Virginia," she said, "but the penalty amounts are really only as effective as the enforcement can be in the state."

Mast added that the legislation also created a group made up of youth-serving organizations and young people to explore the creation of workers' rights education for high school students.

Going forward, Mast said new laws must keep young people from working in dangerous or hazardous work environments, including staffing agencies that are often used to fill meatpacking and construction jobs. That keeps the main company from being held liable.

Mast said state labor agencies need more employees to hold companies accountable.

"Employers know this. They know that they will largely get away with violating the law and no one will ever enforce those violations," she said. "Adding capacity is really important to signaling to employers that the law will actually be enforced when violations are found."

Before the law went into effect, there was no minimum financial penalty for business owners who broke child labor laws.


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