VIEW BY DATE: 2010
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Recent data on personal income and per capita personal income released by the Bureau of Economic Statistics (BEA) demonstrates the devastating effects of the recession on Americans across the country, especially in Texas where per capita personal income fell from a rank of 26 to 29 in the United States. Despite a 2 percent population increase in Texas between 2008 and 2009, total personal income declined by 1.6 percent to $904.2 billion. Although Texas had a lower unemployment rate (8.2 percent) compared to the national average (9.5 percent), per capita personal income in the state declined faster than the national rate. Twenty-one out of the 25 Texas metro areas (MSA) experienced declines in per capita personal income. Statewide, the decline in per capita personal income has been most pronounced in the larger MSAs during the recession. The data also indicate the role of unemployment insurance (UI) as an income stabilizer. Without the state UI program and federal UI extensions, per capita income would have fallen as much as 4 percent in 2009.
Filed Under: Economic Opportunity
Plaintiffs Dismiss Federal Food Stamp Lawsuit Sustaining Progress Up to the Legislature (09/1/2010)
On July 31, 2009, Stacy Howard and Linda Thornberg on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated filed a class action in federal district court against the Executive Commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission for failure to comply with federal timeliness standards in processing applications for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly called Food Stamps.
Filed Under: Public Benefits : Food/Nutrition
Writing the Texas Budget for 2012 and 2013 (08/31/2010)
The Texas Legislature will convene on Tuesday, January 11, 2011, for the 82nd Regular Session. For essential state services to continue in 2012 and 2013, the Legislature must pass a state budget before adjourning. This Policy Page explains the process of writing the 2012-13 budget and how you can participate to ensure a budget aligned with your values—a budget that invests in the critical public services and structures necessary to create opportunity and prosperity.
Filed Under: Budget
A Balanced Approach to Meeting the Needs of Texas (08/25/2010)
CPPP Executive Director Scott McCown, Senior Fiscal Analyst Dick Lavine, and Senior Budget Analyst Eva DeLuna Castro show how a balanced approach to balancing the state's budget will meet of the needs of Texas today and tomorrow.
Filed Under: Budget
A Tale of Two Deficits: How to Close Texas’ Short- and Long-Term Revenue Shortfalls (08/23/2010)
CPPP Senior Fiscal Analyst Dick Lavine offered this invited testimony on long- and short-term revenue shortfalls to the House Select Committee on Fiscal Stability during their meeting on August 23, 2010.
Filed Under: Taxes
School Boards and Superintendents Need to Call Upon Governor to Act by September 9 to Gain $830 Million (08/16/2010)
In the Education Jobs Fund, Congress set
aside approximately $10 billion for states for public education for 2010-11. You can read the legislation and administrative
guidance on the U.S. Department of Education's website under Education
Jobs Fund. This money is extremely
important for
Filed Under: Budget : Education
Congress Provides $830 Million for Texas Schools, but Governor Must Act (08/11/2010)
On August 10, Congress set aside approximately $10 billion for states to spend to save public school teachers' jobs. Saving jobs helps today's economy and protecting education helps tomorrow's economy. Texas' share of the total is about $830 million. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that this will pay for about 14,500 Texas teachers and other personnel. As this paper explains, both technical and legal questions must be answered before Texas can draw down its share. But Texas should be able to access these funds to help our schools and economy.
Filed Under: Budget : Education
Federal Financial Reform: Implications for Texas and Consumers (08/10/2010)
How will financial reform affect Texas and consumers? CPPP Senior Policy Analyst Don Baylor recently spelled out the implications of reform at an FDIC Alliance for Economic Inclusion (AEI) meeting.
Filed Under: Economic Opportunity
Texas vs. the U.S.: How do our kids fare? (07/27/2010)
Texas ranks in the bottom third of states—34th nationally—in a state-by-state study of our children's well-being, according to the 2010 KIDS COUNT Data Book. The study reveals that Texas has the third highest teen birth rate in the nation, and a child poverty rate well above the rest of the U.S.
Filed Under: KIDS COUNT
CPPP Presentation on the State of Texas Children vs. the U.S.: Don't Miss It! (07/22/2010)
The Honorable Mark Strama, his wife Crystal Cotti, and Texas KIDS COUNT Director Dr. Frances Deviney take an honest look at the well-being of Texas children at a briefing on Tuesday, July 27 from 10-11 a.m. Dr. Deviney will highlight new national KIDS COUNT data comparing Texas kids to children across the nation. This data comes at a critical time when Texans are just beginning to discover the devastating effects of the recession on child well-being, and state lawmakers are grappling with one of the largest budget shortfalls in our state's history.
Filed Under: KIDS COUNT
Statement on Extending the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (07/21/2010)
Congress is finally on the verge of extending the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's extra weeks of jobless insurance benefits. Doing so is critical to helping hardworking Texans who cannot find jobs and to sustaining our economic recovery.
Congress should now take a second important step and extend the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's help to states to balance their budgets. Texas balanced its present budget with federal help that largely runs out by December 31. By providing additional help, Congress can help Texas prevent job-killing state spending cuts.
We urge Senator Hutchison and Senator Cornyn to act quickly to help Texas.
Filed Under: ARRA
Something Old, Something New: Texas' Two High-Risk Pools (07/19/2010)
Thanks to national health reform, Texas now has two separate high-risk pools that offer health insurance to Texans who cannot get coverage in the private market due to pre-existing health conditions: the state-administered Texas Health Insurance Pool, established in 1998, and the federally administered Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan created by the new federal health reform law.
Filed Under: Public Benefits : Health Care Access
Recovery Act Protections Important to Texas: Congress Should Extend ARRA Provisions (07/2/2010)
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has been critically important in protecting the Texas economy and helping families and communities recover from the recession. For example, in the first quarter of 2010, ARRA programs helped Texas gain an estimated 79,000 jobs; without ARRA, Texas would have lost 126,000 jobs.
Filed Under: ARRA
An important reform of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act launched July 1 when Texans who have been without health coverage for at least six months and who have been denied coverage because of pre-existing health gained access to more affordable, quality coverage. They will receive it through a new Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Filed Under: Public Benefits : Health Care Access
Texas Tuition Promise Fund: Using College Savings To Increase College Success (06/28/2010)
The old saying, "You have to learn to earn," underscores the importance of investing in higher education. Yet rising tuition, limited financial aid, and a lack of savings keeps college out of reach, and out of mind, for many Texas families, especially low-income families.
Although the Legislature created the Texas Tuition Promise Fund explicitly to reach low-income students, an analysis of the plan's first two years demonstrates that students who most need college savings accounts largely remain untouched.
To close the gaps, the state must align its college savings plans and master plan for higher education to seamlessly provide incentives for economically disadvantaged students to begin college savings.
Filed Under: Economic Opportunity
How Is Texas Using Recovery Act Funds to Create Jobs? (06/21/2010)
Even as the economy recovers from the devastating recession that has plagued it for the past few years, unemployment remains far too high. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) aimed to create jobs, partially by allocating $3.1 billion to Workforce Investment Act programs that provide training and support to job-seekers. Texas received more than $170 million to fund job creation programs in our state, and the U.S. Labor Department issued new guidelines that made it easier for states to make use of the money. To date, Texas has exceeded performance goals for the Summer Youth Employment program and expended most of its WIA Youth funds. In some areas, though, Texas has lagged behind in making sure that ARRA job creation funding is put to good use. This policy page evaluates what Texas can do better to create jobs and ensure that training and job support goes to those who need it most.
Filed Under: ARRA : Labor Market/Wages/UI
Presentation and Audio Slideshow from Harris County KIDS COUNT Briefing Now Online (06/15/2010)
The presentation delivered by CPPP KIDS COUNT Director Dr. Frances Deviney during our Harris County KIDS COUNT briefing to honor outgoing CPPP board members Deacon Joe Rubio and Sherea McKenzie is now available online, as well a slideshow featuring photos and audio recorded at the event.
Filed Under: KIDS COUNT
What Every Texan Should Know About Health Reform Implementation (06/10/2010)
There is much work to be done to educate fellow Texans about health care reform, protect it against attacks, and ensure strong implementation of new state roles.
Filed Under: Public Benefits : Health Care Access
The Benefits of a State Personal Income Tax (06/2/2010)
CPPP Senior Fiscal Analyst Dick Lavine offered this invited testimony on the problems facing Texas' regressive, inadequate tax system to the Texas Senate Select Committee on Public School Finance Weights, Allotments, and Adjustments during their meeting in San Antonio on May 19.
As you listen to the audio below, download and follow along in the powerpoint presentation that Dick distributed to the committee members.
Filed Under: Taxes
2012-13 Budget Instructions Are Wrong Way To Go: Texas Needs A Balanced Approach (05/28/2010)
On May 27, the Governor's Budget Office and the Legislative Budget Board issued budget instructions to state government agencies, state courts, and public higher education institutions, setting the baseline for the coming 2012-13 biennium at levels that reflect any General Revenue (GR) cuts already approved to 2010-11 spending. Agencies must also submit information on how they would cut GR spending by another 10 percent.
Filed Under: Budget