Photo Courtesy of Sen. Gillibrand’s Office
“As the opioid epidemic continues to tear apart families all over the country, Congress must do everything it can to help protect the children who have been hurt by this crisis,” Sen. Gillibrand said.
By Forum Staff
New legislation recently introduced in the U.S. Senate aims to help ease the financial burden of grandparents and other family caregivers who are raising children because of the opioid crisis, according to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), one of the measure’s cosponsors.
The Grandfamilies Act is based on the success of a bill that was signed into law last year to help grandparents easily find the resources they need when raising grandchildren such as navigating the school system, planning for their families’ future, addressing mental health issues for themselves and their grandchildren, and building social and support networks, Gillibrand noted.
The measure would increase access to Social Security child’s benefits and the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families cash assistance program; incentivize states to create temporary guardianship laws for grandparents who need to step in quickly to help a grandchild; provide support for housing specifically provided for grandparents raising grandchildren.
“As the opioid epidemic continues to tear apart families all over the country, Congress must do everything it can to help protect the children who have been hurt by this crisis,” Gillibrand said. “I am proud to cosponsor this bill to help support the hardworking grandparents and family caregivers who have taken on the responsibility of raising grandchildren because of the opioid epidemic. This legislation would help families across New York and around the country manage this crisis, and I urge my colleagues to quickly pass it into law.”
