Economic Opportunity Report articles from May 2004

Economic Opportunity Report archives from May 2004

Overtime overthrown.(Slants & Trends)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... OVERTIME OVERTHROWN--Low-income workers would still have expanded eligibility for overtime pay, but the rest of the Bush administration's extensive overhaul of overtime regulations would be thrown out, under an amendment approved in the Senate...

Democrats continue push for raising minimum wage to $7 in two years.
May 10, 2004... Efforts to raise the minimum wage continue unabated in the Senate and House, but the outcome is by no means certain. Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) is leading the charge in the Senate, last week introducing legislation to raise the minimum wage...

Kennedy/Coleman Bill would preserve Title I funding in a dozen states.(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... Legislation to prevent cuts in Title I funding brought about by changes in federal poverty estimates has been introduced by Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Norm Coleman (R-Minn.). The legislation would stave off cuts to a dozen states under...

HHS seeks nominations for panel to probe head start reporting system.(Department of Health & Human Services)
May 10, 2004... Advocates interested in having a say about new accountability measures for Head Start can put their names forth for the new advisory committee that will examine the program's National Reporting System (NRS). The U.S. Department of Health...

HUD changes funding formula for Section 8 housing vouchers.(Department of Housing & Urban Development (US government))
May 10, 2004... Low-income families could be forced out of their homes under a change in the Section 8 housing voucher program. Because of escalating costs of Section 8 vouchers, HUD said April 26 it would cease reimbursing local housing authorities based...

Hud nominations.(Department of Housing & Urban Development (US government))(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... HUD NOMINATIONS: The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee April 29 cleared three nominees for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Romolo Bernardi as deputy secretary; Dennis Shea as assistant secretary for...

Healthy marriage proposals get attention in Congress.
May 10, 2004... For the next couple of weeks, top Bush officials will testify on Capitol Hill that the only way to save some of the billions of dollars spent each year on dysfunctional families is to promote healthy marriages. The campaign started last...

Activities to strengthen marriage take hold at the state level.(Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (welfare program))
May 10, 2004... In the past decade, every state has approached the issue of healthy marriages with at least one policy change or activity, new research from the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) shows. While these moves have for the most part been...

Resource center.(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... RESOURCE CENTER: The Administration for Children and Families is seeking applications for $900,000 in first-year funding to run a Healthy Marriage Resource Center. The center will disseminate research findings and information on best practices...

House members call for CSBG support.(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... Fifty-four members of the House have beseeched the leadership of the House Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee to restore funding for the Community Services Block Grant to--"at a minimum"--its fiscal 2002 level of $650 million. The block...

proposals would have large impact on the poor.(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... If current block grant proposals became law, an unprecedented 63 percent of federal aid would be in block grants, and low-income families would be significantly affected, the Urban Institute says in a new report. Seven of the 10 block...

Higher Ed reauthorization bill aims to strengthen student aid.(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... Legislation to help more low-income students attend college by strengthening grant programs, reducing loan costs and removing barriers for nontraditional students was introduced last week by the chairman of the House Education & the Workforce...

Senate bill would allow Medicaid buy-in for some.(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... The Senate May 6 approved legislation that would allow states to create a Medicaid buy-in for children with disabilities. Tacked on as an amendment to the JOBS Act, S. 1637, the measure would increase the proportion of family income that...

National leadership.(Grant Opportunities)
May 10, 2004... * National Leadership: CAAs can apply for two awards totaling $280,000 for national leadership initiatives to build the capacity of state and local Community Services Block Grant executives to "think and act 'strategically'" in directing their...

State capacity building.(Grant Opportunities)
May 10, 2004... * State Capacity Building: Mini-grants for up to 10 grants to help CAAs build capacity to serve low-income individuals are now available. Funded activities may include: upgrading financial management and computer systems, creating new links...

CAA management.(Grant Opportunities)
May 10, 2004... * CAA Management: Competitive grants are available to help community agencies improve their management through train-the-trainer programs. Funds under the Office of Community Services program also may be used to upgrade internal financial...

CAA security strategies.(Grant Opportunities)
May 10, 2004... * CAA Security Strategies: One $200,000 grant has been announced to help CAAs plan and administer security and anti-terrorism strategies in urban and rural areas. These strategies may include using volunteers, developing manuals and creating...

Taxpayer clinics.(Grant Opportunities)
May 10, 2004... * Taxpayer Clinics: Nonprofits dispensing free or nominal-fee services providing tax advice and help to low-income individuals are eligible for up to $100,000 in grants for 2005. The Low Income Taxpayer Clinic matching grant program, sponsored...

Child dental health.(Grant Opportunities)
May 10, 2004... * Child Dental Health: Up to $3.8 billion is available to improve access to oral health for low-income children eligible for Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Projects may focus on strategic planning; public/private...

Child welfare.(Grant Opportunities)
May 10, 2004... * Child Welfare: The federal Children's Bureau is offering new grants for field-initiated projects for effective child welfare practices, especially for Hispanic children and families. The application deadline is June 29. See the April 30...

Legal services.(Grant Opportunities)(Public Notice)
May 10, 2004... * Legal Services: The Legal Services Corporation seeks grantees from certain states and territories to provide legal services to low-income residents. Due dates for notices of intent to apply and for submitting full applications vary by...

'Street outreach'.(Grant Opportunities)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... * 'Street Outreach': Youth-serving agencies can apply for up to 88 grants under a new Administration for Children and Families $8.8 million "Street Outreach" program to help runaways and homeless youth stay off the streets and avoid sexual...

HUD grants.(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... * HUD Grants: The state of Texas last month got almost $94.5 million in HUD funding to help homeless families, create affordable housing and stimulate local economics, HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson announced. The lion's share of the grants is...

Coverage for the uninsured.(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... * Coverage for the Uninsured: Fifteen new grants worth $7.5 million are aimed at helping uninsured children and adults gain health care coverage. The grants, which were announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will support...

Food drive.(Stamp Out Hunger)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... * Food Drive: Last weekend postal workers in more than 10,000 cities and towns collected food donations for local food banks and pantries while they delivered the regular mail. The National Association of Letter Carriers, which sponsored the...

Head start grantee.(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... * Head Start Grantee: The federal Head Start Bureau is looking for a new grantee to sponsor a child development program in Cleveland County, N.C. The former grantee, a local school district, served 244 children with $1.53 million in funding....

Calendar.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
May 10, 2004... * The 11th National Conference on Children and the Law will be held June 3-5 in Washington, D.C., by the American Bar Association and the American Psychological Association. Contact: Donna Beavers, APA, (202) 662-1720, www.abanet.org/child/...

Workforce Intermediaries for the Twenty-First Century.(Resources)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... * Workforce Intermediaries for the Twenty-First Century, from Editor Robert Giloth, looks at the entrepreneurial partnerships that include businesses, unions, community colleges and community organizations and their role in workforce...

Furor over housing.(Slants & Trends)
May 24, 2004... FUROR OVER HOUSING--News seems to be heating up on all fronts concerning low-income housing. HUD last month announced changes to Section 8 funding procedures, only to change course and announce yet more modifications last week after controversy...

DOL bars 'bundling' of laid-off workers under National Emergency Grant Program.(Department of Labor)
May 24, 2004... The Department of Labor has put an end to the practice of "bundling" under the National Emergency Grant (NEG) program, leading to fears that some dislocated workers will lose the chance for job-retraining opportunities. The change, which...

Senate fails, by one vote, to extend federal unemployment benefits.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2004... The Senate, by one vote, this month failed to approve an extension of federal unemployment benefits that has been avidly sought by Democrats and labor advocates alike. The measure would have given 13 weeks of extra benefits to about 1.5...

HUD announces another change to Sec. 8 formula; advocates wary.(Housing and Urban Development Department)
May 24, 2004... In response to the brouhaha over Section 8 housing vouchers, the Housing and Urban Development Department last week made changes to provide more aid to public housing authorities (PHAs) in an effort to avert evictions of low-income tenants. ...

Housing panelists: HOPE VI has brought mixed results.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2004... A dozen years after HOPE VI, a mixed picture has emerged, but on balance the housing reform is generally positive, a panel of housing experts said last week. Many former residents of HOPE VI projects now live in better housing in less poor...

D.C threatens court action against HUD over housing evictions for safety violations.(District of Columbia, Department of Housing and Urban Development)
May 24, 2004... The District of Columbia has threatened to take HUD to court if the agency yanks Section 8 vouchers and evicts tenants from three low-income housing complex that have failed safety inspections. The three low-income complexes are in a...

Disenfranchised youth.(Resources)(Brief Article)
May 24, 2004... * Disenfranchised Youth: A new report from Jobs for the Future profiles four school programs aimed at getting disenfranchised youth ages 16 to 24 off the "prison track" and onto the college track. The programs include a community college...

Calendar.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
May 24, 2004... * The National WIC Association is holding its 2004 Nutrition and Breastfeeding Conference in Phoenix Sept. 28-30. See www.nwica.org, or call (202) 232-5492.

Senate panel clears bill to renew, expand child nutrition programs.
May 24, 2004... A pilot program to expand eligibility for free school meals to more low-income children is part of a comprehensive child nutrition reauthorization bill approved by a Senate committee last week. Under the bill, five states would participate...

Higher Ed bill features more aid, child care credit for parents.(education)(Brief Article)
May 24, 2004... Expanded tax credits for child care would be provided under new legislation designed to help nontraditional students, including full-time workers, pursue college degrees. The Non-Traditional Student Success Act, introduced by Sens. Bob...

Pew Commission recommends split on flexibility in Title IV-E funding.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2004... Tackling the question of flexibility for Title IV-E foster care funding, the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care this month recommended a half-and-half approach to splitting the funds. The commission suggested that half of the funding...

CSBG grants.(Grant Opportunities)(Community Services Block Grant)(Brief Article)
May 24, 2004... * CSBG Grants: The competition has opened for various grants under the Community Services Block Grant, the Administration for Children and Families has announced. Due July 12, applications will be accepted for $11 million under the CSBG...

SuperNOFA.(Grant Opportunities)(Notice of Funding Availability)(Brief Article)
May 24, 2004... * SuperNOFA: HUD May 14 announced $2.3 billion in grants under "SuperNOFA" (Notice of Funding Availability) to produce affordable housing, help the homeless and promote community development. The fiscal 2004 notice contains 49 separate funding...

Capacity building.(Grant Opportunities)(Brief Article)
May 24, 2004... * Capacity Building: HUD May 17 announced requirements, effective immediately, for using fiscal 2003 funds under the capacity building activities in section 4 of the HUD Demonstration Act. Some $34.3 million is available under the consolidated...

Economic development.(Grant Opportunities)(Brief Article)
May 24, 2004... * Economic Development: Applications are being accepted through June 25 for economic development projects to improve neighborhoods. Projects can include new businesses, including those geared to children and families and aimed at job creation...

Abandoned infants.(Grant Opportunities)(Brief Article)
May 24, 2004... * Abandoned Infants: HHS is offering grants to improve services for infants and young children at risk of abandonment. Current grantees are among those eligible for the Abandoned Infant Comprehensive Service Demonstration Project grants....

Head start.(Grant Opportunities)(Brief Article)
May 24, 2004... * Head Start: HHS is seeking one or more Head Start grantees to serve four Tennessee counties. Public or private nonprofits, as well as for-profits, are among those eligible for the grant, which has $2.7 million for operations and $32,999 for...

HHS unveils management initiative to improve head start operations.(Health and Human Services)(Brief Article)
May 24, 2004... A new federal Head Start Management Initiative is getting under way to enhance staff training and address under-enrollment issues in Head Start programs. Under the initiative, the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) plans to step up...

Health care disparities.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2004... * Health Care Disparities: The poor tend to have lower health literacy skills, a fact that contributes to disparities in health status, access to health care and the quality of health care received, a new report has concluded. Health literacy...

College vouchers.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2004... * College Vouchers: Colorado this fall will become the first state in the nation to offer vouchers for college students, under landmark legislation signed into law May 10 by Gov. Bill Owens (R). The voucher plan is designed to show high school...

Home visits.(Brief Article)
May 24, 2004... * Home Visits: Legislation introduced in the Senate would authorize $400 million annually to help states provide home visiting programs and other outreach to parents with young children. The bill, which is sponsored by Sens. Christopher Bond...