Budget Policy & Priorities / Public News Service

Estimates showed if the House budget is passed, some 750,000 eligible people - primarily toddlers, preschoolers, and postpartum adults - could be turned away from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. (Adobe Stock)

Thursday, September 28, 2023

Justice group: Congressional budget cuts will hurt vulnerable New Jerseyans

Economic justice advocates in New Jersey are calling on Congress to avoid deep cuts in the 2024 federal budget proposed by a small group of hard-line …

Some of the warning signs of suicide include increased use of drugs or alcohol, talking about wanting to die or talking about being a burden to others. Concerned family and friends are advised to seek help by calling the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or the New Hampshire Rapid Response hotline at 1-833-710-6477.(Adobe Stock)

Thursday, September 28, 2023

Annual walk builds support, awareness of suicide prevention

New Hampshire's largest mental health awareness event takes place this weekend and organizers said it is a chance to remind lawmakers mental health ca…

House Republicans continuing resolution proposes cutting 110,000 slots in the Head Start program, and waitlisting over 2 million women, infants, and children for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. The Senate has already passed a bill which awaits action in the House. (Adobe Stock)

Thursday, September 28, 2023

New Yorkers worry about effects of government shutdown

New Yorkers are preparing for an impending government shutdown. State officials are worried about how it could impact the work state agencies have …

Conservative legal groups are calling for a constitutional convention as early as 2025. (Kasia Biel/Adobestock)

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Progressives call push to change Constitution 'risky'

Progressive groups are speaking out against the idea of a constitutional convention, warning it could be used to impose conservative policies on …

A new national poll found 79% of Republican voters say America's economic future depends on bringing back training programs for blue-collar jobs which do not require a four-year degree, such as manufacturing. (Winnievinzence/Adobe Stock)

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Poll: PA GOP voters voice support for strong manufacturing policies, tariffs

A new poll found Pennsylvania Republican voters want political candidates to prioritize preserving and growing manufacturing including tariffs in the …

Ag-based organizations say if there's a government shutdown, it would add more stress to those trying to adopt a new Farm Bill because lawmakers could not consult with furloughed USDA staff about the importance of certain programs. (Adobe Stock)

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

WI ag groups in 'wait-and-see mode' on Farm Bill

The current Farm Bill expires Sept. 30 and with a looming government shutdown, reauthorization does not appear imminent. Wisconsin farm groups say …

The New York City Mayor has declared a State of Emergency due to the 113,000 migrants who've arrived since spring of 2022. (pressmaster/Adobe Stock)

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Report questions NYC Mayor's proposed budget cuts, costs of migrant influx

A new report questions New York City Mayor Eric Adams' latest budget proposal for dealing with the city's influx of over 110,000 migrants. The cost …

After decades of cuts to investments in affordable housing at the federal level, rural areas across the U.S. face shrinking, and aging, housing stock. (Adobe Stock)

Monday, September 25, 2023

Race for new affordable housing money could leave Western Slope behind

By Ilana Newman for The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Colorado News Connection for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collabora…

The Biden administration recently announced that Medicare will soon begin to negotiate prices for up to 60 drugs covered under Medicare Parts 'D' and 'B,' through a new program under the Inflation Reduction Act. (Adobe Stock)

Monday, September 25, 2023

First public hearing for Mainers on healthcare, drug costs

Maine's new Office of Affordable Health Care holds its first public hearing this week, and people are being strongly encouraged to participate…

The Care4All campaign held a rally this week on the Capitol Steps in Sacramento, urging Governor Newsom to sign a package of bills. (Kit Bear/Health Access)

Consumer health advocates urge governor to sign bill package

Health care advocates are urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign four bills aiming to lower medical bills, improve transparency, and make health care more …

Universities across the country are facing declining enrollment and increasing financial challenges. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Lawmakers call for special session on WVU's budget crisis

A group of West Virginia Democratic delegates is calling for a special session to address West Virginia University's budget shortfall. Del. Evan …

According to KFF, Community Health Centers served a record number of patients in 2021, representing a 1% increase from just before the pandemic. (Adobe Stock)

Community Health Centers: Red lights flashing for staying funded

Congress is bracing for a possible government shutdown as progress stalls in approving new federal spending plans before a Sept. 30 deadline…

Almost half of Alabama residents in the coverage gap are people of color, which advocates said stems from institutional racism and oppression, and 60% live below the poverty line. (Adobe Stock)<br /><br />

Experts: Medicaid expansion vital for Alabama's health, economy

In recent years, Alabama has faced a critical need for Medicaid expansion due to ongoing struggles with the state's health care system. …

The U.S. Department of the Interior currently manages 11,000 bison in herds across 4.6 million acres of public lands in a dozen states. (Adobe Stock)

Native American Tribes get funding for bison restoration

The U.S. Department of the Interior has announced $5 million in funding to help reintroduce bison to Native American Tribal lands around the country…

At least six states and dozens of local jurisdictions have introduced legislation to ban the use of ballot tabulators, relying instead on hand counts to determine election results despite tabulators having a higher accuracy rate. (Adobe Stock)

Pressure mounts on CT governor to upgrade election infrastructure

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly spelled the name 'Erlinghauser' as two words instead of one. (11:24 a.m. MDT, Sept. 20…

Starting January 1, 2024, a pregnancy opens a special enrollment period for health insurance, after Colorado lawmakers passed House Bill 22-1289. Coverage is retroactive to the month a pregnancy was certified by a health provider. (Adobe Stock)

Health Exchange Open for Coloradans Dropped from Medicaid Rolls

Coloradans who were dropped from the state's Medicaid health insurance plan, Health First Colorado, can sign up for new coverage before open …

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says last year's spike in the nation's child poverty rate is the largest increase for children dating back to 1967. (Adobe Stock)

Amid Nationwide Surge in Child Poverty, MN Mitigation Plan Takes Flight

Policy experts are reacting to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau, showing the nation's child poverty rate has more than doubled, to 12%. In …

In the Natural State, 33% of children from birth to age 6 are eligible for a Child Care & Development Block Grant subsidy under federal rules, on average, each month. (Bernardbodo/Adobe Stock)<br />

AR Adds 260 Child Care Providers, But Funding Crisis Looms

Across the country and in Arkansas, some day care providers face the threat of closure when federal government aid initiated during the pandemic …

The Environmental Working Group published a peer-reviewed study in 2020 estimating more than 200 million Americans could have PFAS contamination in their drinking water. (Adobe Stock)

Advocates: Proposed EPA Cuts Would Slow PFAS Cleanup

Environmental advocates said proposed budget cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency will slow cleanup of toxic "forever chemicals," per- and poly…

Approved uses of funds from the $24 billion in Child Care Stabilization Grants for providers included personnel costs, recruitment and retention; mortgage, rent and utilities, and facility upgrades. (Firn/Adobe Stock)

COVID Relief for Providers Ends as NE Childcare Funding Gap Grows

For many in Nebraska's child-care industry, which was struggling even before the pandemic, the "Child Care Stabilization" funds in the American …

Older and disabled adults have received more than $7.6 billion in property tax and rent relief since the start of the Property Tax and Rent Rebate Program in 1971. (Lordn/AdobeStock)

PA Expands Property Tax, Rent Rebate Program to Aid Older Adults

Pennsylvanians will soon see some financial relief with their property taxes and rent. Gov. Josh Shapiro recently signed House Bill 1100 into law…

The United States has fewer than 49,000 Black farmers, accounting for 1.4% of the country's 3.4 million producers, according to the latest Census of Agriculture. (Adobe Stock)

Advocates Seek Better Land Access for Marginalized Farmers

With the new Farm Bill debate scheduled for later this month, advocates are calling on lawmakers to write new policy into the measure to ensure more …

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says nationwide, up to 600,000 eligible people would be turned away from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children under a spending proposal from House Republicans. (Adobe Stock)

WI Families Could See 'Double Whammy' From Budget Policies

Congress is again steeped in a looming budget crisis as lawmakers face a deadline to approve a new government spending plan. In Wisconsin, policy …

Nine thousand homes in 13 counties were destroyed or significantly damaged in the July 2022 eastern Kentucky floods, in which 40 people died. (Wikimedia Commons)<br />

KY’s Rural Housing Trust Fund Plays Critical Role in Disaster Recovery

The Kentucky Housing Corporation has received applications for housing funding from the state's Rural Housing Trust Fund requesting more than $18 mill…

Data show people in rural communities are more likely to live in poverty, have higher mortality rates, and have higher rates of incarceration. (Adobe Stock)

Rural America Organizes to Create More Opportunities

Overall, Colorado has been on the rebound since COVID-19 affected supply chains and shook economies across the globe. But many of the state's rural …

Policy analysts said the Farm Bill is generally a bipartisan issue, but reauthorization can get held up by spending disputes over certain programs, especially the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program. (Adobe Stock)

ND Farming Community Joins Push for Jumpstart on Farm Bill Talks

North Dakota farmers and fellow producers from around the country are in Washington, D.C., this week, calling on Congress to prioritize the soon-to-…

Access to health care in rural America was a popular topic at the Rural Policy Action Summit in April, according to a report, with concerns raised about the number of rural hospitals closing their doors. (Adobe Stock)

A Call for Better Broadband, Jobs, Local Investment for Rural IA

A group of rural policymakers and advocates has released its top priorities to help small towns thrive in Iowa and across the country. The 2023 …

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2020 median salary for a police officer was $67,290, more than one-third higher than the national median for all occupations. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Ballooning Costs for Police Overtime Pay in Charleston, WV

The City of Charleston continues to funnel massive amounts of funding toward law enforcement. According to a new report, since 2020, Charleston's …

Regulation 28 is a result of a Colorado law aiming to reduce climate pollution from buildings by seven percent by 2026, and to reduce energy use by 20% by 2030. (Adobe Stock)

CO Targets Apartment, Commercial, Industrial Building Climate Pollution

Colorado wants to reduce climate pollution from apartments and commercial buildings 50,000 square feet and larger, but there is growing concern …

In 2020, almost half of Wyoming students owed an average of $23,510 in student loan debt. (Adobe Stock)

Over 5,000 Wyoming Residents in New Student Loan Repayment Plan

More than 4 million student loan borrowers, including 5,100 in Wyoming, are now enrolled in the Biden-Harris Administration's new Saving on A …

While several states adopted new school voucher bills this year, the Brookings Institution says another nine expanded existing programs. (Adobe Stock)

ND Public Schools State Their Case Amid Voucher Debate

New research is sharpening the focus on the debate over public funding for private school vouchers. And with North Dakota kids back in class…

AARP researchers say nearly 450,000 Wisconsin residents, or 46% of those 65 and older, live in families that rely on Social Security for at least half of their income. (Adobe Stock)

Hearing From People, Not Politicians, About Social Security

Keeping Social Security afloat without enacting cuts remains a thorny topic in Congress. As those debates continue to unfold, Wisconsin residents …

The 2023 Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows 31% of Latino children and 18% of African-American children in Massachusetts live in poverty, compared to 7% of white children.<br />(Adobe Stock)

MA Part of Growing State Movement for Expanded Tax Credits

Massachusetts is on track to become the eighteenth state this year to enact targeted tax credits to help alleviate childhood poverty. New polling …

Water Equals Life is a coalition of water justice advocates, environmental groups and social justice groups who have come together in a statewide campaign to ensure everyone's basic human need for access to clean, safe, and affordable water is met, regardless of income. (Bovart/Adobe Stock)

Michigan Residents Pay Among Highest Water Bills in U.S.

Michigan water rates have surged more than 40% since 2010, and it is a trend that's expected to continue as cities and utilities work to upgrade …

Some 8 million Texans cast a ballot in the November 2022 midterm election, just 45.7% of the state's 17.7 million registered voters. (Burlingham/AdobeStock)

Texas Becomes Largest Republican-led State to Exit Voter Data Group

There was no evidence of significance voter fraud in the 2020 election, but it has not stopped Texas from withdrawing from a system used by 30 states …

More than 150 people showed up at a Fort Pierce, Fla., community gathering in June to raise awareness and demand the end of attacks on immigrant communities. (FLIC)

Political Climate Drains Vital Donations for FL Immigrant Rights Advocacy

Groups aiding immigrants in building economic independence and pursuing citizenship are grappling with funding challenges exacerbated by anti-immigran…

According to a new report, pay differences based on workers' gender, race and ethnicity all contribute to persistent wage inequality in the state. (Adobe Stock)

Report: CT Economic, Job Growth Lags Behind U.S.

A new report found Connecticut's economic growth is lagging, post-pandemic. The data showed, using the pandemic-induced recession as a baseline…

New Mexico's Healthy Foods Market, operated by Roadrunner Food Bank, distributes fresh produce and perishable food items monthly in nine urban, rural and tribal communities. (Photo courtesy RRFB)

New Mexico's Food Activists Shine Light on Hunger

The lines at hunger relief organizations are longer now as pandemic-related benefits have ended, but you can help your neighbors with grocery …

One of every five households in Arkansas is considered food insecure, according to the nonprofit Feeding America. (Adobe Stock)

Nutrition Program Would Expand Access to Healthy Foods in Rural Arkansas

September is Hunger Action Month, and an advocacy group is working to get legislation expanded to provide more healthy foods to people in rural …

More than 22 states have imposed bans or restrictions on abortion, with Idaho enacting a law prohibiting the transport of minors across state lines for abortion care. (Adobe Stock)

Lawsuit Challenges AL Threats to Criminalize Out-of-State Abortion Aid

A lawsuit has been filed against the Alabama Attorney General over what plaintiffs call "threats to criminalize" those who aid individuals who go out-…

Some 70% of Michigan residents are either currently providing care or have provided care in the past for an adult relative or friend. (Studio Romantic/Adobe Stock)

Michigan Adults Strive to Stay Mentally Sharp as They Age

AARP Michigan's Vital Voices survey results are in, and more than 700 Michigan adults 45 and older say they are most concerned with staying mentally …

A new report reveals the number of jobs in Pennsylvania surpassed the pre-pandemic (February 2020) level in January 2023. As of July, it had exceeded that level by 61,100. (Rade Lukovic/Adobe Stock)<br />

Report: PA Workers Benefit from Tight Labor Market, Wage Gains

A tight labor market with steady growth and historically low unemployment - those are the findings in the new "State of Working Pennsylvania" report…

According to the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University, more than half a million children have been disenrolled from Medicaid in just 21 states that post child enrollment data on a more-timely basis. (Adobe Stock)

WI Kids Losing Health Coverage in Medicaid Unwinding

As Wisconsin kids head back to school, families who rely on Medicaid are reminded to ensure their children still have health insurance. States are …

A new report found many agencies made programming changes - With 45% reducing capacity for their programming and one in four (24%) closing one or more programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Pressmaster/AdobeStock)

Salary Survey Highlights Compensation Trends, Pandemic Impact on Child-Welfare Workforce

A new report analyzes salary data and the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has on the workforce of child-welfare, juvenile-justice and children's mental …

Elementary and high schools nationally cut capital spending by $23 billion or 31% between fiscal years 2008 and 2015, the latest year available, after adjusting for inflation, according to the Center for Budget Policy and Priorities. (Adobe Stock)

Report: KY School Funding Gap Wider Than Levels Declared Unconstitutional

The funding gap between the state's poorest and wealthiest school districts is widening, with potentially dire consequences for students and …

Maine had one of the highest voter turnout rates in the country for the 2022 midterm elections with 73% of registered voters taking part. (Adobe Stock)

State Officials Warn of Threats Ahead of 2024 Election

Election officials nationwide are urging Congress to provide the funding needed to ensure a safe and secure 20-24 election. They've asked for at …

More than 100,000 clean-energy job openings have sprung up across the U.S. since President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, according to Climate Power, a coalition of environmental groups. (Lisa F. Young/Adobe Stock)

Study: Demand for Green Jobs in TX Twice the National Rate

By Ramona Schindelheim for WorkingNation.Broadcast version by Roz Brown for Texas News Service reporting for the WorkingNation-Public News Service Col…

Rent in Ohio is higher than in any year on record other than 2021 when adjusted for inflation, according to the Ohio Housing Finance Agency. (Adobe Stock)

Lack of Affordable Housing Could Impede Ohio’s Economic Growth

Congress has a looming end-of-September deadline to complete funding legislation, and federal housing vouchers remain up in the air. Recent data …

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