In Wisconsin and a number of other states, concerns have been raised about taking tainted ObamaCare dollars for the expansion of Medicaid. With that concern in mind, lawmakers here approved a health care plan that rejects those Medicaid dollars and will cost Wisconsin taxpayers almost $150 million more in the 2013-15 budget period than...
Governor's BadgerCare Changes Raise the Stakes for New Marketplace's Success or Failure The Wisconsin Council on Children and Families (WCCF) sent a letter to Governor Walker Monday urging him to fully or partially veto a provision added to the budget bill that could reduce the effectiveness of the health care reform law. The amendment...
But Post-Recession Economic Bounceback Remains ElusiveConditions are slowly improving in some regards for Wisconsin’s children, but they remain considerably worse-off economically than they were before the recession. The 2013 National KIDS COUNT Data Book, published each year by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, paints a mixed picture both...
Today marks 100 days until open enrollment begins for new health insurance options under the Affordable Care Act (ACA)! New “Marketplaces” will be available in every state for people to buy private insurance, with financial help based on their income. And 33 states will be joining Wisconsin in the federal Marketplace portal. This...
In a report issued on June 18, Wisconsin is highlighted as one of The Comeback States based on a higher than average rate of decline in the number of youth held in secure confinement facilities without increases in youth crime. Published jointly by the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Center for Effective Justice and the National...
Amendment Would Give States Half of the Savings if They Cut Off Families The farm bill is in limbo today after a draconian amendment added by Republicans caused the bill to lose the support of a number of Democrats. After the approval of that amendment – which would give states a strong fiscal incentive to remove many currently eligible...
Dems Decide Not to Submit Their Amendments The Wisconsin Assembly approved the Joint Finance Committee’s version of the state budget today with one “technical amendment.” That amendment includes 27 different items, most of which are anything but technical. At least two of the measures in the amendment (Assembly Amendment 3 to the JFC...
Legislature’s Response This Week to New Data on W-2 Growth May Answer that QuestionI’ve said on a few occasions that the fiscal plan being considered in the legislature this week is a “Robin Hood in Reverse” budget. Just how true that is will be decided this week, as legislators debate the budget bill and consider new figures that...
A New Hampshire Court ruling issued Monday struck down as unconstitutional the provisions of the state’s voucher tax credit law that fund religious schools. The decision by the Strafford County Superior Court declared that those portions of the program will have to be halted immediately. However, the tax credit/voucher program will...
Department of Children and Families budget Siphoning off federal funds for low-income families – The budget transfers almost $19 million per year more to the Dept. of Revenue from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant, to supplant state funding for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). This siphons off funding...
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