On Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, ACTION Ohio hosted an initial meeting with Representative Mike Carey's Senior Policy Advisor Ryan Dalbec. OHIO YAB Youth Ambassador Lanasha Steele shared her testimony, paired with areas of interest to partner on in the future.
Link to slides from the virtual presentation.
Ryan was no stranger to the needs of foster youth; his former boss, Arkansas Representative French Hill, serves on the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth. During the past 3 years, both Representative Hill and Ryan participated in previous Congressional Foster Youth Shadow Days.
Ryan mentioned that the most recent Ways and Means meeting regarding Chafee took place in November 2025, and there is interest in working on Chafee this year, but they don't yet know the timeline. He will alert us to upcoming developments.
#JourneytoSuccess
Journey to Success is a multi-state policy campaign focused on engaging and educating federal policymakers about what’s working and not working to support successful outcomes for youth in foster care.
ACTION Ohio is honored to partner in this work, and appreciates this opportunity to elevate the voices of today's foster care youth and young adults. It's vitally important for decision-makers to hear directly from young people in and from foster care.
The early months of 2026 are a vitally important window of time to connect with Members of Congress.
- During 2025, key Congressional committees and caucuses held a series of hearings to examine the Chafee and ETV programs. This lays the groundwork for future legislative action to improve these programs.
- Melania Trump's Fostering the Future Initiative is a catalyst to put reforms in motion.
- Early 2026 is a vitally important opportunity to connect with Congressional Leaders, and to advise them on reforms that will directly benefit young people in and from foster care in their states.
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