LATEST WORK
An Open Letter to the Texas Congressional Delegation on State Fiscal Relief
February 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.
Hard Times for Food Hardship in U.S., Texas
February 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.
A side-by-side analysis of key differences for Texas between Senate and House national health care reform bills
January 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.
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