Drafts of the continuing resolution (CR) passed by the House of Representatives tonight does not include an extension of Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV), a federal program that funds states to pair professionals with new and expecting mothers.
The program expired at the end of September, at the same as the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which is included in the CR. As The Imprint reported last month, state and local home visiting programs are already starting to contemplate cuts if MIECHV funds expire.
Advocates for a MIECHV reauthorization had hoped the program would at least get temporary relief in the CR.
“Congress’s failure to include funding for [MIECHV] in the proposed continuing resolution puts the stability of this evidence-based program at risk and unnecessarily threatens harm to the families who rely on home visiting services,” said Lori Freeman, CEO of the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP), in a statement issued this evening. “Action to renew funding for MIECHV is long overdue and must not be further delayed.”