Economic Opportunity Report articles from March 2005

Economic Opportunity Report archives from March 2005

Minimum wage.(Slants & Trends)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... MINIMUM WAGE--The first effort of the 109th Congress to raise the federal minimum wage has gone down in defeat, as an amendment to increase the hourly wage to $7.25 failed to pass the Senate last week. The vote came on an amendment sponsored by...

Senate Committee approves extension for welfare, with increased work rules.
March 14, 2005... In the latest attempt to get welfare reauthorization on track, the Senate Finance Committee last week approved a bill that would raise work requirements, add funding for child care and provide federal money to promote "responsible fatherhood...

House passes WIA renewal plan with faith-based provision intact.(Workforce Investment Act)
March 14, 2005... Religious groups participating in federal job-training programs can hire people based on their religious beliefs under a jobs bill that narrowly passed the House this month. The largely partisan vote of 224-200 to extend and rewrite the...

Perkins reauthorization bills take leap forward in House, Senate.(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... While President Bush has called for wiping out the Perkins vocational education program next year, Congress does not seem to have heard. In separate action this month, the Senate unanimously passed a Perkins reauthorization bill, and the...

Increased food bank donations is goal of Lugar tax relief legislation.(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... A bill from Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) would ease the way for farmers and small businesses to donate food to food banks, pantries and homeless shelters by allowing them a full market value deduction for the products donated. Lugar's Good...

Administration releases $50 million more in LIHEAP emergency funds.(Low-Income Home Energy Assistance )(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... Another $50 million has been released to help low-income households get through the rest of the winter. The money was made available under the contingency fund of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) program and is in addition to...

Republican leaders unveil 12-point agenda for fighting poverty.
March 14, 2005... Senate Republican leaders this month rolled out an ambitious 12-point plan to alleviate poverty, highlighted by another attempt to pass a welfare reauthorization law. The Republican agenda was announced by Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.),...

Bush: faith-based groups received $2 billion in federal grants last year.(George W. Bush)
March 14, 2005... President Bush said his administration awarded $2 billion in grants last year to social programs operated by faith-based organizations. A White House official said that was probably the most money the federal government has given in one...

Bipartisan Senate bill would extend work tax credits to stimulate jobs.(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... Bipartisan legislation to extend and combine the Work Opportunity Tax Credit and the Welfare-to-Work tax credit was introduced last week in the Senate. The Encouraging Work Act of 2005, introduced by Sens. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) and Max...

Governors, Bush administration continue Medicaid negotiations.(George W. Bush)
March 14, 2005... Governors and the Bush administration have agreed to intensify negotiations on ways to clamp down on Medicaid costs after four days of talks sputtered to an inconclusive end in Washington recently. Health and Human Services Secretary...

Mississippi works to solve Medicaid cost crisis plaguing the State.
March 14, 2005... Even thought it pays for only 23 percent of its Medicaid bill, Mississippi faces a budget crunch brought on in good measure by the program. Over the past two years, the state has cut more than $200 million in transportation funds, delaying...

HUD issues revisions to FMRs for handful of jurisdictions.(Fair Market Rents: Department of Housing and Urban Development)
March 14, 2005... Closing the book on a controversial housing issue of 2004, the federal government has revised final Fair Market Rents (FMRs) for the Section 8 program for some jurisdictions. While no change was made in the methodology governing the rates,...

Senate appropriations committees realigned; HUD panel disbanded.(Housing and Urban Development)
March 14, 2005... Responsibility for housing appropriations has moved to a new Senate subcommittee, as the Senate has fallen in line with the House plan to realign the Appropriations panels. While the Senate at first resisted the move, Appropriations...

Calendar.(Calendar)
March 14, 2005... * April 7-8: The Knoxville-Knox, Tenn., County Community Action Committee holds its annual Community Leadership Development Institute. Each year 32 low-income residents and others are selected for leadership training to help them help their...

New role for Thompson.(appointment of Tommy Thompson G. in Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer and Feld L.L.P.)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... New Role for Thompson: Recently departed Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson has a new job in Washington: he is now a partner with the Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld law firm and will become the independent chair of the Deloitte...

Food stamp numbers rise.(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... Food Stamp Numbers Rise: The number of people getting food stamps has risen again. As of December 2004, participation in the Food Stamp Program rose by 2,207,685 people, for a total of 25,487,768 participants, according to new data. Overall,...

Senior farmers' markets.(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... Senior Farmers' Markets: Some 800,000 low-income senior citizens are expected to get help buying fresh produce this year at farmers' markets under USDA grants recently awarded to 47 state agencies and tribal groups. The grants, made under the...

After-school care.(government aid to education)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... After-School Care: The House and Senate both are forming Afterschool Caucuses to focus on increasing demand for services and provide more visibility. In bipartisan fashion, the Senate's caucus is led by Sens. Christopher Dodd D-Conn.) and John...

Nutrition programs.(national school lunch program)(Brief Article)
March 14, 2005... Nutrition Programs: Federal child nutrition programs are making a record difference for children and families, according to a new report from the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). Programs such as food stamps and school lunch are reaching...

Head Start study.
March 14, 2005... Head Start Study: The Department of Health and Human Services is seeking comments on information collection for the Head Start National Training and Technical Assistance Quality Assurance Study. The study will assess each Head Start region's...

Welfare advances.(Slants & Trends)(Brief Article)
March 28, 2005... WELFARE ADVANCES--Congress is making early strides this year toward finally getting the welfare law reauthorized. A House Ways and Means subcommittee this month reported out a reauthorization bill, just days after the Senate Finance Committee...

Budget blueprints could bring big cuts for programs serving the low-income.
March 28, 2005... Programs for the poor could be dealt crippling blows under budget blueprints adopted in both the House and Senate this month. While the budget cuts sought are far from set in stone, they send troubling messages to advocates fighting to keep...

Kennedy calls for action on poverty.(Edward M. Kennedy)
March 28, 2005... "Poverty is a moral issue, and we have a moral obligation to address it. We are the wealthiest country on earth. We are blessed with great abundance. And in the most powerful words of Luke's Gospel, 'To whom much is given, much is required,'"...

Welfare reauthorization bill emerges from House ways and means panel.
March 28, 2005... Legislation to raise work requirements for welfare recipients, add child care funding and encourage healthy marriages cleared a key House panel this month, as Congress continues efforts to get a permanent welfare reauthorization bill enacted....

Virginia Fatherhood program provides support to incarcerated, troubled men.
March 28, 2005... RICHMOND, VA -- The 15-year-old boy stumbled over his words. They sounded so strange. "This is your dad," he said. The Cambodian boy with a tattoo of a teardrop on his face and other markings on his arm was trying to write a letter to the...

GAO calls for stepped-up oversight of Head Start; House to investigate.(General Accountability Office)
March 28, 2005... The federal government needs to vastly improve oversight of Head Start grantees to prevent continuing problems in management of government funds, the General Accountability Office said in a new report this month. The federal audit of the...

Report finds Social Security keeps millions of seniors out of poverty.(Brief Article)
March 28, 2005... At a time when the future of the Social Security system is in jeopardy, a new report finds that nearly 13 million seniors age 65 and older are lifted out of poverty because of the federal pension system. "In the average state, Social...

Bill offered in house to improve services for at-risk youngsters.(Brief Article)
March 28, 2005... Services for at-risk youth would be improved under legislation introduced recently in the House to enhance communication among federal agencies that serve these youngsters. The legislation, which was introduced by Rep. Tom Osborne (R-Neb.)...

Free dental program pairs poor kids with dental students, volunteers.
March 28, 2005... WASHINGTON, D.C. -- They came in yellow school buses with their classmates and teachers, but it was not the usual field trip for about 270 students from Washington, D.C.,'s economically depressed schools. Greeting the students on a recent...

Bipartisan bill would increase Pell Grants to needy students.(Brief Article)
March 28, 2005... Low-income students could get more and larger Pell Grants under bipartisan legislation introduced recently in the House and Senate. The bill would add at least $17.25 billion to extra Pell Grants and graduate fellowships in the next decade,...

Bipartisan group of senators seeks renewal of child care block grant.(Brief Article)
March 28, 2005... A bipartisan group of senators has joined forces to get the Child Care and Development Block Grant reauthorized. In offering the Caring for Children Act of 2005, these senators are trying to get renewal of the block grant, which has gone...

HUD SuperNOFA.(Funding Opportunities)(Department of Housing and Urban Development)(Notices of Funding Availability)(Brief Article)
March 28, 2005... HUD SuperNOFA: HUD this month announced grants available under 53 programs totaling $2.26 billion for this year. The notice, which covers 409 pages, is HUD's annual SuperNOFA (Notice of Funding Availability). In funding these programs, HUD...

Verizon Foundation.(Funding Opportunities)(Public Notice)
March 28, 2005... Verizon Foundation: The Verizon Foundation will accept proposals through May 13 for grants to tackle problems of domestic violence and inadequate health care in low-income and minority communities in California. The telecommunications giant...

Taxpayer clinics.(Funding Opportunities)
March 28, 2005... Taxpayer Clinics: Applications are being accepted through April 15 for grants to provide Low Income Taxpayer Clinics (LITC) in parts or all of 17 states that are considered underrepresented by clinics. Grants, which are funded under the fiscal...

Alaska Native education.(Funding Opportunities)
March 28, 2005... Alaska Native Education: Applications are due April 18 for up to 22 grants for early childhood and other educational services for Alaska Native children. The Education Department plans to award 12 to 22 grants ranging from $315,000 to $630,000...

Child Care services.(Brief Article)
March 28, 2005... Child Care Services: Three-fourths of children receiving services under the Child Care Development Fund received services in licensed and regulated settings in 2003, based on new information from the federal Child Care Bureau. Only 26 percent...

'Making a difference'.(National Neighborhood Coalition)(Brief Article)
March 28, 2005... 'Making a Difference': The National Neighborhood Coalition has named the 2005 honorees under its annual National and Neighborhood Leadership Awards. The Making a Difference Award is going to Amy Domini, founder, CEO and president of Domini...

Housing loans.(Housing Assistance Council)(Brief Article)
March 28, 2005... Housing Loans: The Housing Assistance Council has announced $12.4 million in loans aimed at helping more than 800 families in 26 states become homeowners in the next three years. Most of the funds come from HUD's Self-Help Homeownership...

Milk donations.(Brief Article)
March 28, 2005... Milk Donations: USDA will continue donation of nonfat dry milk and related products to faith-based groups to distribute to needy individuals, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced this month. The National Nonprofit Humanitarian...

Healthy marriage.(Brief Article)
March 28, 2005... Healthy Marriage: The federal government has announced funding for healthy marriage demonstration projects in three more states. This brings to nine the number of child support enforcement projects aimed at finding new ways to support healthy...