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Washington D.C. – On Thursday July 21, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council,Melody Barnes, Senator Robert Menendez, Senator Patty Murray, and Representative Danny Davis will provide remarks at the third national Children’s Budget Summit. Organized by the bipartisan child advocacy group, First Focus, the event aims to galvanize children’s advocates, the media, Members of Congress, and the public to protect the best interests of children as we seek solutions to our nation’s budget challenges.

Two publications will be released at the Summit: Children’s Budget 2011, First Focus’s fourth annual comprehensive guide to the over 180 children’s programs funded by the federal government; and Kids’ Share 2011, the fifth annual examination of the federal spending trends and tax policies that support and impact children and families, produced by the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution. In addition, key findings from a First Focus/Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research public opinion survey that gauged the American public’s support for protecting children’s programs in the federal budget will be discussed.

The theme for this year’s Children’s Budget Summit is “Perspectives on Children as a National Priority.” Speakers at the event will represent a variety of viewpoints and will include:

  • Melody Barnes, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council
  • Senator Robert Menendez
  • Senator Patty Murray
  • Representative Danny Davis
  • Nebraska State Senator Jeremy Nordquist
  • Commissioner Mike Carpenter, Shelby County, Tennessee
  • Julie Rovner, Health Policy Correspondent at National Public Radio
  • Dr. Drew Westen, Messaging expert and author of The Political Brain
  • Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus
  • Julia Isaacs, Child and Family Policy Fellow at the Brookings Institution
  • Eugene Steuerle, Richard B. Fisher Chair and Institute Fellow at the Urban Institute
  • David Walker, Vice President at Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research
  • David Kirp, Author of Kids First: Five Big Ideas for Transforming Children’s Lives and America’s Future
  • David Lawrence, President of The Children’s Movement of Florida
  • Jamal Simmons, Principal at the Raben Group

When:
Thursday, July 21, 2011
8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Where:
National Press Club
Holeman Lounge (13th Floor)
529 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005