Child Welfare
U.S. Census data show that more children are being adopted by same sex couples, despite state laws that leave the children without the protections afforded other children. Sabrina Tavernise of The New York Times reports that same-sex couple adoptions are outlawed in only two states — Mississippi and Utah — but because same-sex marriage is barred in many states the adoptive parents face hurdles in nearly half the states.
The state of Nebraska easily found Michael Eggleston to collect child support, reports Todd Cooper of the Omaha World-Herald, but it took eight months to alert him to the fact that she had been taken into foster care and three years for him to gain custody of her.
Education/Jobs
Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), writing in The Hill, puts the pressure back on President Obama to support the DREAM Act and the youths it would affect.
With federal legislation on workforce development languishing year after year, reports Kendra Marr of the Politico, businesses are turning to the state house for reforms.
Beth Duckett of the Arizona Republic reports that Scottsdale might outsource its after-school programs to area nonprofits in order to save money.
A Texas law that may pass this session would allow teachers to obtain the criminal histories of students, reports Danny Robbins of the Associated Press.
Juvenile Justice
Jessica Karmasek of the West Virginia Record reports that State Supreme Court Chief Margeret Workman has established a commission to investigate the state’s juvenile justice facilities and the state’s overall juvenile justice practices.
Trey Bundy of California’s Bay Citizen reports on a state audit that found multiple juvenile facilities were keeping offenders in isolation for nearly 24 straight hours. The state’s policy requires juveniles to have at least three hours of each day outside their cell.
The Pennsylvania Senate has approved a bill aimed at protecting juveniles from the kind of shenanigans that went on during the Luzerne County juvenile court scandal, reports Tracie Mauriello of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
