VIEW BY DATE: 2010
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CPPP Sends Letter to Congress Urging Passage of Health Care Reform (03/19/2010)
CPPP sent a letter today to the Texas Congressional Delegation urging passage of the health care reform bill. The letter included the real-life health care-related struggles of Sarah, Mario, Andrea, Bruce and Cher, showing how the bill Congress is currently considering will improve their lives and the lives of other Texans just like them.
Filed Under: Public Benefits : Health Care Access
What Do 5 Percent Budget Cuts Look Like? (03/12/2010)
Concerned that there won't be enough revenue to fund state services in 2012-13 and cover a $9-billion-plus school finance budget "hole" created in 2006, top state officials have instructed Texas agencies to propose ways to reduce General Revenue (GR) spending by 5 percent in their 2010-2011 budgets. If these cuts can actually be implemented, the need to use the state's $9.6 billion "Rainy Day Fund" would be reduced, as would the need to find other sources of ongoing revenue.
This Policy Page analyzes some of the proposed cuts in health and human services, workforce and economic development, and higher education. The Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP) recommends a balanced approach that uses the Rainy Day Fund and new sources of state revenue—not just budget cuts alone—to balance the state budget without needless human suffering.
Filed Under: Budget
Implementing the Permanent Care Assistance Program (03/11/2010)
The new permanency care assistance program, which pays relatives who take permanent custody of a child in state care, is well intended. But due to federal and practical constraints, implementation may not go as planned. That is why the 2017 sunset provision is important. It allows sufficient time for the program to get up and running but provides an important "out" if the program does not achieve its intended goals.
CPPP senior policy analyst Jane Burstain delivered this testimony on the permanency care assistance program to the Texas Senate Committee on Health and Human Services.
Filed Under: Child Protection : Work Supports/Child Care
Federal legislation to ban taxation of online hotel reservations could cost Texas $65 million a year (03/1/2010)
For the past two years, online booking companies such as Expedia and Priceline have sought federal legislation to sharply restrict the authority of state and local governments to apply their general sales and hotel occupancy taxes to hotel rooms booked by these companies. They are now attempting to add this provision as an amendment to upcoming federal job-creation bills.
Such legislation could effectively prohibit taxation of the entire retail charge for hotel rooms that online companies book. This could permanently reduce Texas state and local revenue by some $65 million per year, at a time when the national recession is forcing reductions in public services needed by families struggling to stay afloat.
Our federal lawmakers shouldn't let online booking companies shortchange state and local governments by dodging part of their tax burden!
Filed Under: Taxes
Census Jobs in Texas (02/26/2010)
The U.S. Census Bureau is hiring thousands of workers in Texas to help conduct the 2010 Census. More than 84,000 jobs will be created throughout the state during peak operations. This policy point tells you more. An accurate Census count has direct implications for every Texan. Many government funding decisions for services such as schools, housing, job training, roads, health care, and social services rely on Census data. Many communities are historically undercounted. Census workers can help ensure an accurate count for the 2010 Census.
Filed Under: Economic Opportunity : Labor Market/Wages/UI
How Health Reform Will Help Our Economy (02/25/2010)
Passing health reform isn't just the right thing to do because it will cover many of the uninsured; it will also create tremendous economic benefits for Texas families and small businesses. Health reform makes health insurance coverage more secure, 1) reducing bankruptcies caused by medical bills, 2) allowing entrepreneurs to start new ventures without fear that leaving a current job will mean losing health coverage, and 3) letting small firms operate without providing health benefits while ensuring that their employees still have access to high-quality affordable coverage. Health reform also slows the growth in health care costs, 1) reducing the federal deficit, 2) shoring up Medicare, and 3) allowing employers to increase wages, hire new employees or make other investments in their business with money that would otherwise be eaten up by skyrocketing health insurance premiums. This Policy Page examines the many economic benefits of health reform. For an overview of provisions in the Senate health reform bill, see at the recent CPPP publication What's in the Health Reform Bills?
Filed Under: Public Benefits : Health Care Access
The State of Texas and Bexar County Children: PowerPoint Presentation (02/24/2010)
Did you miss the release of The State of Texas Children 2009-10 data book in San Antonio on February 12, 2010? Want some great state and Bexar County graphics for a presentation or report? Download our PowerPoint presentation to learn more about child poverty, hunger, health care, and state and federal funding that supports the children who are in greatest need.
Filed Under: KIDS COUNT
Count Every Child So That Every Child Counts (02/24/2010)
Once every ten years, every man, woman, and child in America is counted. Families with young children are the most at risk of being undercounted in the Census because these families either don't understand the importance of the Census or fear what can happen if they do complete it. This can result in the state getting less funding and resources for vital service programs in the communities such as yours. To learn more, click here to view and listen to our webinar.
Filed Under: KIDS COUNT
Texas & National Health Reform Who Will Gain Coverage; Issues for Texans and State Government (02/22/2010)
CPPP Associate Director Anne Dunkelberg made this presentation, "Texas & National Health Reform: Who Will Gain Coverage? Issues for Texans and State Government," at the Texas Hospital Association's 2010 Leadership Conference on February 17, 2010. The panel, "The Trickle-down Effect: How Health Care Reform will Impact the Texas Budget," included State Sen. Steve Ogden (R-Bryan), and Tom Suehs, executive commissioner, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Austin.
Filed Under: Public Benefits
A One-Year Anniversary Report on ARRA and Jobs (02/16/2010)
On the one year anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, this policy page provides an overview of the impact of ARRA on employment in Texas and makes recommendations as Congress considers proposals to protect existing jobs and create more jobs.
Filed Under: Economic Opportunity
Texas Revenues, Medicaid & National Health Reform (02/16/2010)
CPPP Associate Director Anne Dunkelberg made this presentation to a meeting of the Texas Medical Association's Select Committee on Medicaid, CHIP and the uninsured. The committee includes primary care and subspecialty physicians from across the state and is charged with developing TMA's regulatory and legislative policy relating to indigent health care, Medicaid, and CHIP.
Filed Under: Public Benefits : Health Care Access
The State of Texas Children 2009-10 (02/15/2010)
On February 12, the Center for Public Policy Priorities released The State of Texas Children: Texas KIDS COUNT Annual Data Book 2009-2010, a resource that offers an updated look at the well-being of children in Texas, as well as complete online data snapshots for every county in Texas. This year's data book chronicles how decades of state fiscal belt-tightening have squeezed off investment in child well-being in Texas, noting that even though federal stimulus dollars filled the gaps in the 2010-2011 state budget, resulting in a slight increase in state spending on services to children, Texas still ranks among the 10 states with the highest rate of child poverty in the nation, as it has for every year since 2000. Furthermore, the most current data available does not yet reflect the effects of the economic recession which hit Texas children and families much later than the rest of the country.
Filed Under: KIDS COUNT
What's in the Health Reform Bills? (02/15/2010)
The Kaiser Family Foundation released mid-January poll results that found Americans squarely divided on national health reform proposals—at least at first glance. The poll went on to show that large proportions of Americans are unaware of the major provisions of heath reform bills, and their support increases dramatically when told about provisions like tax credits to help small businesses cover their employees, health insurance exchanges where coverage options can be compared; closing the Medicare drug benefit "doughnut hole," and eliminating denials and rate hikes because of pre-existing conditions.
The sometimes raucous debate over hot-button issues (and outright untruths) of the last 6 months has worked against Americans getting a clear picture of the framework of health reform. This Policy Page provides a high-level outline of the key insurance coverage elements of the Senate bill, noting areas in which compromises with the House are likely.
Filed Under: Public Benefits
Proposed Budget Reductions for 2010-2011 Biennium (02/11/2010)
CPPP appreciates the evident efforts of agency officials to mitigate harm to clients in proposing these options. We will advocate with our elected officials for Medicaid and CHIP reimbursement cuts to be avoided. CPPP will support use of the Rainy Day Fund and pursuit of new revenue sources to avoid such cuts, and to support ongoing updates to provider rates.
Filed Under: Budget
An Open Letter to the Texas Congressional Delegation on State Fiscal Relief (02/4/2010)
The Center for Public Policy Priorities is a member of the State Fiscal Analysis Initiative, and we monitor the state budget closely. While the recession may not be as long or deep in Texas, things are bad. Because of falling tax revenues our state government needs additional fiscal help from Congress to avoid reductions in public services such as education or increases in taxes such as the school property tax. We urge Congress to provide additional state fiscal relief to ensure our state can meet vital needs and our economy fully recovers.
Filed Under: Budget
Hard Times for Food Hardship in U.S., Texas (02/1/2010)
Nearly one in five Texans struggle to afford food, according to a report released last week by the Food Research and Action Center. The Lone Star State is among 20 states with food hardship rates of 20 percent or higher in 2008-2009. Food hardship among families with children was even more pronounced, with 27.2 percent of Texas families reporting difficulty affording food. The study calls for job creation measures and increased investment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as Food Stamps) and other federal nutrition programs that help families afford food during tough economic times. To rise to this challenge, Texas needs to fix the problems in its SNAP eligibility system, where staffing shortages are preventing hundreds of thousands of needy Texans from accessing food assistance. Congress can help America's struggling families by extending the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's (ARRA) additional unemployment benefits.
Filed Under: Family Economic Security : Food/Nutrition
A side-by-side analysis of key differences for Texas between Senate and House national health care reform bills (01/22/2010)
Texas particularly needs national health care reform: 6.1 million Texans have no health insurance, including 1 in 3 working-age adults and 1 in 5 children. Narrowing the scope of pending legislation to address only health insurance reform won't help Texas because so many Texans cannot afford health insurance. If Congress abandons two of the key provisions of reform—help with premiums and out-of-pocket costs for low-to-moderate income Texans and Medicaid expansion for working poor adults—Texas will see very little reduction in uninsured citizens.
Filed Under: Public Benefits : Health Care Access
Fighting Hunger, Improving Nutrition: Progress and Opportunities in the Texas Legislature (01/22/2010)
CPPP senior food and nutrition policy analyst Celia Hagert delivered this presentation on "fighting hunger, improving nutrition" to the Texas Food Policy Roundtable, a new initiative founded by the Christian Life Commission of the General Baptist Convention of Texas.
Filed Under: Economic Opportunity : Food/Nutrition
CPPP Urges Administration and Congress to Move Forward on National Health Care Reform (01/22/2010)
CPPP today issued a statement on national health care reform, urging Congress and the Administration to move forward with the reform effort.
Filed Under: Public Benefits : Health Care Access
Texas & National Health Reform: Who Will Gain Coverage; Issues for Texans and State Government (01/15/2010)
As the Senate and House leadership worked to negotiate a compromise national health reform bill, the CPPP's Anne Dunkelberg made this presentation comparing key coverage features of the bills and illustrating the scope of increased Medicaid enrollment and costs under the 2 bills to the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Annual Policy Orientation. Medicaid expansion and increased take-up by already-eligible kids will require significant new state Medicaid dollars, but those will be offset with Texas receiving from 10 to 13 new federal matching dollars for each state dollar Texas must contribute.
Filed Under: Public Benefits : Health Care Access