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Morna Murray
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Morna Murray is a public policy and children's advocate/consultant. She previously served as Vice President and Counsel, Children’s Policy and Strategy for First Focus. In this capacity, she worked in all policy and strategic operations at the federal level and with state partners, with a special focus on child health and early childhood development and education. From 2007 to 2010, she served as senior counsel to Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr. in the areas of early childhood education, child health, domestic and international health, mental health, child welfare, youth violence, domestic violence, and family economic security issues. From 2003 to 2007, Ms. Murray was Director of Youth Development for the Children’s Defense Fund in Washington, D.C. In that capacity, she directed organizational work focused upon a continuum of critical and interconnected issues in child well being, including health care, early childhood development, child welfare, education, and juvenile justice. From 1995 to 2003, Ms. Murray was Executive Director of the Victim’s Assistance Legal Organization. She led a diverse team of national leaders in public policy, direct service, government and academia and developed and provided national trainings and curricula for community-based and criminal and juvenile justice system professionals in all areas of victim assistance. She authored curricula and articles on child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, juvenile justice, restorative justice, and leadership and ethics.

After graduating from the George Washington University Law School, Ms. Murray clerked for U.S. District Judge William J. Zloch. She has served as a Guardian Ad Litem for abused and neglected children. She is a member of the Connecticut, D.C. and Florida Bars. Ms. Murray lives with her husband in Great Falls, VA. They have five children.

Blog Entries by Morna Murray

What Paul Ryan's "Path to Prosperity" Really Means

(7) Comments | Posted March 13, 2013 | 1:25 PM

Rep. Paul Ryan's budget proposal, "Path to Prosperity," is pretty much identical to last year's Ryan budget proposal, "Path to Prosperity." Yet this time around it is getting more attention, more outrage, more incredulity.

I am hoping this signals a shift in America's consciousness. It's not simply, as many...

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The Public Good Versus Ann Coulter

(82) Comments | Posted November 21, 2012 | 11:56 AM

There were certain words not allowed in our house growing up, my mother being the ultimate (and frankly very effective) authority on these issues. And I owe her much for that. There were the usual curse-words, but I still literally cringe when I hear the word "retard," recently used by...

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Welfare-Work: How About the Facts?

(9) Comments | Posted September 5, 2012 | 11:58 AM

It's hard to turn on your TV or computer without seeing the Romney-Ryan campaign claiming that President Obama has eliminated the "work" requirement from welfare reform. Possibly the most fascinating thing about this campaign controversy is the fact that there is no controversy. The accusation is false. This is about...

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Is Poverty Not "Sexy" Enough?

(5) Comments | Posted August 30, 2011 | 4:11 PM

The title of this piece may seem irreverent or even crude. When I first heard it, I thought so. I still do. But I've been working in children's policy for more than 20 years, including in the U.S. Senate, and the number of high level policy experts and communications specialists...

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King Solomon and the Debt Deal

(2) Comments | Posted August 2, 2011 | 5:35 PM

Remember the classic Old Testament story that demonstrates the true nature of maternal love -- concern for the child, over and above herself? King Solomon was faced with deciding which of two women was the "real" mother of a baby. Both presented compelling arguments, and there was no way to...

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Deficit Reduction: Not at the Cost of Our Children

(4) Comments | Posted January 21, 2011 | 1:20 PM

No one questions we are in tough times. More than one in five children is poor; one in four children is at risk of hunger; nearly 8 million children go uninsured; unemployment is unacceptably high; and poverty is rising. Families are struggling, and as they do, so do their children.

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