The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that since January, when Georgia began requiring families to produce documents of their income (pay stub, W-2 form, income tax return), many Hispanic children in Georgia have been denied Medicaid coverage because their parents cannot provide the required documentation.

The House Republican leadership has announced it will postpone indefinitely a vote to extend critical sections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act for 25 years. Congressional reporters say the decision was in response to intense protest from rank-and-file House Republicans at a closed-door conference meeting.

The Family and Corrections Network is seeking participants for its Children's Bill of Rights Project. Ten statewide, regional, or local collaboratives will be chosen to receive technical assistance to pursue policy reforms, as well as systematic changes that best insures the well-being of children of incarcerated parents. Deadline: July 31, 2006.

Update: If you want to get follow-up materials and a notice when Chiu's paper is released, email jan@connectforkids.org. A summary of this conference call is posted as a field report on Connect for Kids.

I have just learned of Emily Fenichel's tragic death on June 8 in a traffic accident in Washington, DC. Emily was one of the first people I met with when I moved to Washington in 1994. She was smart, passionate and dedicated to her very important work at Zero to Three -- educating parents, providers and policymakers about the developmental needs of children in their earliest years.

The National PTA is urging Sen. Thad Cochran, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee to uphold the promise they made in March to direct $7.1 billion above the president's budget request to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.

Our friends at Douglas Gould and Company, a pr firm for progressive causes, said we could share their case study of why the Prop 82 preschool for all initiative failed at the polls last week in California:

Update: The dropout debate didn't air the week of June 12. Check local listings for time and topics.

We’ve gotten word that Lawrence Mishel of the Economic Policy Institute and Jay Greene of the Manhattan Institute will be talking about the dropout crisis tonight on the Lehrer News Hour.

The New York Times reports that the Senate rejected attempts to move forward with a repeal or cut back to the estate tax in a 57-41 vote, 3 votes short of the needed 60 to end debate and start the vote. Congratulations to the advocates who took the time to understand this complicated issue and make their voices heard on Capitol Hill!

Applications are being accepted by The American Legion. These applications must be mailed to requesting organizations from April 1 through July 1. Grants vary in size from $1,500 to $70,000. Deadline: July 15, 2006.