APHSA Annual Report 2017

staff in HHS-ACF and USDA-FNS as well as key staff and members from House and Senate Committees wanting to learn more about APHSA/CEEWB policy suggestions. You can find "The Future of SNAP: A Modern and Responsive Program" at www.aphsa.org/ content/AASD/en/home.html and “TANF at 20: Time for Rational Changes” at www.aphsa.org/ content/NASTA/en/home.html . Ø Ø Congressional Testimony: In March, CEEWB Director, Russell Sykes testified on the Next Farm Bill: Future of SNAP before the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition along with other key organizations such as the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Food Marketing Institute. His testimony generated numerous follow-up discussions with key staff to the committee as well as one of its Majority members from New York. APHSA has provided language to the Agriculture Committee staff on one important item critical for states that are often overextended in their current workload – the ability to use non-government staff to conduct eligibility and other administrative tasks that are currently not permitted under SNAP (unlike other programs such as Medicaid). APHSA remains optimistic that this language will be included in the Next Farm Bill. Ø Ø Federal Partner Engagement: in coordination with AASD and NAPIPM, the CEEWB continued to engage with senior FNS staff through bi-monthly calls and other avenues regarding SNAP Employment and Training, clarifying the revised SNAP quality control (QC) processes, best practices and innovations, as well as budget and program reforms. Ø Ø Federal Partner Engagement: in 2017, the CEEWB has also made it a priority to meet with key politically appointed agency staff in HHS-ACF and USDA-FNS to share our specific policy, regulatory and practice suggestions as well as the need to better coordinate systems to create more cost and client- effective program delivery in multiple programs including SNAP, TANF, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and Medicaid.

BUILD BUILDING CAPACITY AND EXPERTISE Ø Ø Affinity Group Partnerships: bringing the AASD, NASTA and NAPIPM Affinity Groups into the CEEWB has allowed it to grow and evolve, providing greater benefit to our members. In response to direct member feedback, the CEEWB presented its first “Hot Topics” webinar series, providing opportunities for members to learn more about practices, initiatives and innovations happening in states and localities throughout the nation. Featuring the work being done by APHSA’s members, the webinars covered topics ranging from WIOA, TANF and SNAP Employment and Training alignment to evidence-based strategies for serving job seekers with disabilities. Through our Policy & Practice magazine, we highlighted the work states and localities are doing to provide the opportunities and supports that help low- income individuals get a job, keep a job and start down a sustainable career path. Ø Ø Partnering for Influence: with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the CEEWB, in partnership with the American Enterprise Institute, began conducting a two-year project on child care, non-standard work hours, and child health and well-being. The first component of the project includes analyzing Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study data to assess the relationship between non-standard hour work, child care and child outcomes. The second focuses on state-level policies, and what challenges and opportunities states are experiencing as they seek to serve non-standard hour workers. CONNECT MEMBER ENGAGEMENT AND LEARNING Ø Ø Webinars: the CEEWB Special Topic Webinar Series created a broad, influential reach beyond our core state and local networks to nonprofit and other organizations with similar issues and policy goals. Our work with Convergence on a broad-based economic mobility project has helped us build new and strong relationships with employers in many sectors, particularly areas where our clients are most likely to find employment: retail, health, hospitality and technology support positions. Two major corporate employers led one of the webinars and provided their perspective on what

4