Delafield, WI — IRG Action Fund sent a memo on Tuesday this week to the Legislature’s powerful Joint Committee on Finance urging the adoption of common-sense, pro-family child welfare reforms in the upcoming state budget. The reforms originated in the Institute for Reforming Government’s (IRG) report earlier this year, Building Brighter Futures: Reforming Child Welfare in Wisconsin. 

WHAT HAPPENED

The IRG Action Fund memo outlined two key reforms from IRG’s recent Building Brighter Futures report—both of which already enjoy bipartisan support, and were included in Governor Evers’ proposed budget earlier this year:

  • End the use of parent debt to block reunification. The state currently requires parents to pay the cost of their child’s foster care, and can withhold reunificationif they fall behind—even when they’ve done everything else right to regain custody of their child. Debt should never be a barrier to reuniting families.
  • Protect Social Security benefits for foster youth. The government routinely takes federal Social Security payments intended for children in care. While the government uses the funds to pay for the child’s care, these benefits are private property and should be held in escrow for the child’s future—not usurped and spent without the consent of the owner.

THE QUOTE

“These are straightforward reforms rooted in conservative principles—personal responsibility, family stability, and limited government,” said Chris Reader, Executive Vice President of IRG Action Fund. “Wisconsin kids deserve a child welfare system that works for them, not against them.”

“These are the kinds of targeted fixes that restore trust in public systems,” Reader added. “They protect the rights of children and parents, help parent/child reunification, and put families first.”

WHAT’S NEXT

The Joint Committee on Finance is expected to vote on the state budget in the coming weeks. IRG Action Fund is calling on lawmakers to act now and prove that bipartisan, pro-family progress is possible—even in divided times.

📄 Read the full memo here.
📘 Full IRG Report here.

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