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 | ...Washington, DC, USA. You might expect that WIC, a federal program to help needy mothers buy food for their children, would see increased participation, but the opposite is true.
There isn’t one answer to explain the recent decline in the number of women and young children in the WICS program, which the government officially calls the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children.
... |
04-30-12
Word count: 1103
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|
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 | ...Washington, DC, USA. People move from one state to another and often continue to collect the same benefits in both. Technology can solve that problem if only states would use it.
States could cut costs by millions of dollars a year if they took full advantage of a computerized matching system that can determine whether people are getting welfare, food stamps and other public assistance in more than one state at a time.
... |
04-12-12
Word count: 1175
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|
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 | ...Washington, DC, USA. The odds of winning one of Michigan's high-stakes lottery games are 1 in 10,000, but the probability of two people hitting million-dollar jackpots and still be collecting food stamps has to be even more remote.
That is exactly what happened in Michigan, stoking a nationwide debate over whether the program is becoming an out-of-control entitlement.
... |
03-24-12
Word count: 1530
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|
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 | ...Washington, DC, USA. Arthur Laffer, who helped Ronald Reagan write federal tax policy in the 1980s, is a force to be reckoned with these days at the state level.
Supply-side economics argues for lowered barriers to the production of goods and services to stimulate a greater supply at lower prices. Popular versions emphasize lowered taxes and regulation, but most supply-side economists are concerned with all impediments to supply.
... |
03-06-12
Word count: 1528
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 | ...Oklahoma City, OK, USA. Republicans have complete control of state government for the first time ever in Oklahoma and are using their power to make sweeping changes.
Oklahoma is used to being overshadowed politically by its bigger, bolder southern neighbor, Texas. But in the past year, it’s Oklahoma that has developed a reputation for unusual political boldness, with the GOP flexing its muscle in dramatic fashion.
... |
02-22-12
Word count: 1818
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 | ...Washington, DC, USA. With U.S forces out of Iraq and combat troops slated to leave Afghanistan in 2013, states are readying for an influx of returning troops who will be looking for work.
The unemployment rate for veterans who have served since 2001 is 11.5 percent, higher than the 8.3 percent national average. It is worse for veterans between 18 and 24 who averaged a 30 percent unemployment rate in 2011.
... |
02-07-12
Word count: 1172
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 | ...St. Paul, MN, USA. Job creation once again is dominating talk in statehouses as governors propose sweeping plans to jumpstart state economies. The proposals often illustrate the philosophical differences between the two parties.
With unemployment stuck at stubbornly high rates in many states, it’s no surprise that governors in 2012 are talking a lot about the need to create jobs.
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01-30-12
Word count: 1906
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 | ...Washington, DC, USA. As state lawmakers gather for their 2012 legislative sessions, taxes are emerging as a key issue, with at least half a dozen Republican governors pressing for sweeping tax cuts and just as many Democrats pushing for tax increases.
One of the biggest tax battles will be in New Jersey, where Governor Chris Christie is calling for an across-the-board 10 percent cut in the state income tax.
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01-21-12
Word count: 1462
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 | ...Washington, DC, USA.
Every state knows it is about to get less financial help from the federal government. What none of them knows is just how much less.
A long siege of deadlock and dysfunction in Washington has left states frustratingly unclear what to expect from the federal government in the coming year. About the only thing they know for sure is that it is not going to be a year of generosity.
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01-11-12
Word count: 1752
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 | ...Washington, DC, USA. Football fans in New England and Miami could go from the stadium straight to a slot machine next door if plans to launch large, destination-resort casinos pan out in Massachusetts and Florida.
The Massachusetts and Florida schemes are part of a nationwide gambling expansion that has affected more than a dozen states in the last three years. But states aren’t just looking to add more casinos and slots. Many of them are eyeing the billions of dollars that Americans bet onli... |
12-10-11
Word count: 1383
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 | ...Clearwater, FL, USA. More states will be given the opportunity to try and transform their child welfare systems with the help of federal dollars, but not without federal strings.
Devon, a 16-year old boy who lives in Clearwater, Florida, went into foster care when he was eight months old. He lived in a group home in his early teen-age years and was on track to stay there until he turned 18.
... |
12-01-11
Word count: 1207
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 | ...Chicago, IL, USA. States in much of the country aren’t paying off the debt they incurred from the federal government to keep unemployment checks going to the jobless during the recession.
The bill is due and private companies will have to help pay for it. Employers in 20 states will have to shell out more in taxes next year as a penalty for the states not paying back federal loans that kept unemployment programs afloat.
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11-18-11
Word count: 1486
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 | ...Washington, DC, USA. Right now, it’s illegal to bet on a sports event in most of the country. Making it legal could bring states significant tax revenue — but there are serious obstacles in the way. New Jersey voters will consider the matter next week.
A 34-year-old New Jersey man beat odds of more than 32,000-to-1 last month when he correctly picked the winners of 15 National Football League games against the point spread on a $5 wager. He collected $100,000.
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11-03-11
Word count: 1753
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 | ...Washington, DC, USA. States that have the highest poverty rates don’t always have high rates of households collecting cash welfare, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Some say the new census data show that key parts of the social safety net are out of sync with the need for it. Others say the numbers are suspect.
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10-28-11
Word count: 888
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 | ...Washington, DC, USA. A number of states used to make food stamp recipients pass a fingerprint test. Now all but one has stopped, to save on staff time and ease the burden on the clients.
Food stamp applicants in California and Texas no longer have to be fingerprinted, a change both states hope will save money and improve the process of distribution.
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10-22-11
Word count: 1581
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|
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 | ...Washington, DC, USA. According to the federal government, states made errors in paying out 11 cents of every dollar they spent on jobless benefits last year. State officials say high error rates are largely due to clerical mistakes rather than government waste.
When the Obama administration revealed that more than $17 billion in jobless benefits had been paid out improperly, a stream of headlines suggested that cheats were bilking the unemployment insurance system.
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10-11-11
Word count: 1491
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 | ...Austin, TX, USA. The Lone Star state may know more than any other about collecting overdue child support. And in a tough budget year, the state managed to increase funds for a novel program that gives noncustodial parents who are behind on child support a choice: a job or jail.
Judge Joseph Perkins has enforced Texas child support orders for 20 years, but it’s a case from a year ago that he thinks about most often. It involved a young woman who wanted to open a tattoo shop in her garage to ... |
09-22-11
Word count: 1482
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|
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 | ...Washington, DC, USA. The biggest overhaul to school lunches in the past 15 years is giving states heartburn. The federal government has mandated a healthier menu, and state and school officials are trying to figure out how to cope with the added costs.
Better nutrition for low-income kids is a cause that’s hard to oppose. Funding it and signing up more needy families are the big challenges.
... |
09-14-11
Word count: 1189
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 | ...Jackson, MS, DC, USA. The abortion battles that flared up in statehouses nationwide in 2011 will extend to the ballot box in Mississippi this November.
There, Mississippi voters will pick up where state lawmakers left off this year as they consider a ballot measure that would essentially outlaw abortion. Mississippi is among just a handful of states to hold elections this year, and among the items on its ballot will be one that defines “person” to include every human being from the moment o... |
09-01-11
Word count: 1322
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 | ...Washington, DC, USA. Millions of unemployed workers and businesses are feeling the pain as states try to pay down on the billions they borrowed from the federal government to keep aid going to the jobless.
The Great Recession and the weak recovery that followed it have tested the country’s unemployment insurance system as never before.
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08-16-11
Word count: 1672
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The TS-Si News Service
and the TS-Si Research Service are collaborations of TS-Si officials, staff, contributors, and corresponding institutions. The contents do not necessarily convey official positions of TS-Si or its owners, participants, partners, or affiliates.