As I'm sure you know by now, the Minnesota government began its shutdown on July 1 due to a budget impasse between the governor and the legislature. It is now Day 6 and no deal is in sight. Several news outlets (see below for links) have reported that the two sides did not meet over [...]
To wrap up the month of June's focus on international adoption, I'd like to discuss illegal international adoptions, as well as what happens when international adoptions are disrupted. It is important to understand the issues these can cause for the field of child welfare in the United States. Illegal International Adoptions An international adoption can [...]
As the July 1 deadline for the governor and legislature to come up with a budget solution draws nearer, many people are wondering how a government shutdown could affect them. In addition to the previous post highlighting the two different petitions filed by the Attorney General and Governor Dayton, there are several other great resources [...]
Today, June 20, is World Refugee Day. Since our June theme is international child welfare, we decided to highlight a program in the United States that helps unaccompanied refugee minors, in honor of this day. The Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program, overseen by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, "helps unaccompanied minor refugees develop appropriate skills to [...]
This week two petitions were filed in Ramsey County Court regarding continued funding for core functions of the state should a government shutdown occur. The first petition was filed on Monday, June 13, by the Minnesota Attorney General's office. This petition stated that in order to protect the constitutional rights of Minnesotans on a state [...]
In this post we will discuss policies informing international adoption both in the United States and in Minnesota. Note that other countries will have their own policies regarding international adoptions; for examples, see this recent article on new regulations in Ukraine, Mexico, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Future posts will look at how these [...]
'Budget Solution' Meetings The legislature and Governor Dayton have scheduled meetings throughout June to discuss budget solutions to prevent a government shutdown beginning July 1. The two sides met a few times this past week; so far, the GOP-led legislature has offered to increase spending in K-12 education, public safety, and the courts, but will [...]
This first entry in June's theme of international child welfare will discuss a few ways in which international child welfare policies are already impacting policy here in the United States and in Minnesota. Future posts will focus on international adoption as a subset of international child welfare, with an emphasis on policies affecting this practice [...]