On April 15th, the 2012 budget resolution sponsored by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) was adopted by the House.  The resolution would set discretionary spending at $995 billion less than what the President’s budget included.  A budget resolution does not possess the force of law, but does set guidelines for future legislation including tax bills. One important function is to tell the House Appropriations Committee how much it has for the annual appropriation measures.  This resolution affects federal spending far beyond the upcoming FFY 2012.  Human services will be most impacted through the spending limits being retained at the FY 2008 level, significantly less than what state agencies currently are using to fund many child welfare services.   Another major aspect of the Budget Resolution is to convert the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to a block grant.  With ongoing needs for increased spending for food resources to the chronically unemployed by states, managing SNAP through a block grant will be difficult for many state agencies.  Congress is in recess for two weeks and will return on May 2, when it is anticipated that the Senate Budget Committee will release its draft budget resolution for FY 2012