Canadian Social Research Links

American Government
Social Research Links

Sites de recherche sociale au Canada

Sites gouvernementaux de
recherche sociale aux États-Unis

Updated May 2, 2008
Page révisée le 2 mai 2008

[ Go to Canadian Social Research Links Home Page ]

 

Related Canadian Social Research Links pages:

American Non-Government Social Research Links (A-J)
American Non-Government Social Research Links (M-Z)
U.S. Social Security Reform
Children and Families - International
Social Research Statistics
Poverty measures:
- Canadian resources
- U.S. and other international resources

For links to information about poverty measures and poverty measurement in the U.S., go to the Poverty Measures - International Resources page of this site: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/poverty2.htm


What are good sources of information on basic trends in poverty, welfare, and related issues in America?
Source:
Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP)

[University of Wisconsin-Madison ]

 

U.S. 2008 election links:

University of Michigan Documents Center: Elections 2008
Extensive, annotated listing of websites related to the 2008 U.S. national election. Covers presidential and congressional candidates, debates, campaign finance, media coverage, advertising, policy issues (such as energy, gay marriage, and terrorism), elections and voting, and much more. Also includes relevant Library of Congress subject headings and keyword searching suggestions for databases and online search engines. Maintained by political science librarian Grace York and interns at the University of Michigan Library.
Found in:
Librarians' Internet Index

Side-by-Side Comparison of the Presidential Candidates

 

Poverty Dispatch - U.S.
- links to news items from the American press about poverty, welfare reform, child welfare, education, health, hunger, Medicare and Medicaid, etc.

Latest content:

May 1, 2008
* Unemployment and Government Health Programs
* State Children's Health Insurance Program - Texas
* State Health Insurance Programs - Wisconsin, Missouri
* Income and Health Insurance Costs
* General Assistance and Time Limits - Oakland, CA
* Public Housing and Work Requirements - Chicago, IL
* Homelessness and City Housing Programs
* Report: Crime Against the Homeless
* Reports: Child Well-being - Minnesota, Connecticut
* Farm Bill and Food Stamp Program
* Low-income Energy Assistance and Solar Power - Minnesota
* Payday Lending Legislation - Ohio
* Wages and Tipped Workers
* States and Voter Identification Laws
* Opinion: Low-Wage Workers and Transportation
* No Child Left Behind 'Reading First' Program
* Cash Incentives and Student Achievement
* Sex Education Legislation - Minnesota

April 28, 2008
* State TANF Spending - Hawaii
* State Medicaid Spending - New Jersey, North Carolina, California
* States and Federal Medicaid Rules
* Child Welfare System - Oklahoma
* States and Budget Deficits
* Healthy Indiana Plan
* Editorials: State Childrens' Health Insurance Program Rules
* Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program
* Food Prices and Food Assistance Programs
* Utility Cutoffs and Assistance Programs
* The Working Poor and Predatory Lending
* Opinions: Low-wage Workers and Transportation
* Opinion: Privatization of Social Services - Texas
* No Child Left Behind and Testing - California
* State Minimum Wages - Missouri, Illinois
* Indiana Voter Identification Law

Search Poverty Dispatches

Past Poverty Dispatches
- links to two dispatches a week back to June 2006

Source:
Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP)
[ University of Wisconsin-Madison ]

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Welfare reform - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Movements in many countries around the world push for welfare reform. Sizeable and powerful reform movements exist in the United States of America, Canada, Great Britain, and France among many others.
- incl. the following : * United States * The Welfare System and reform in Great Britain * The Welfare System and reform in France * References * External links

NEW

U.S. Census Bureau: History
http://www.census.gov/history/
While the U.S. Census Bureau has only been in existence since 1903, the first population census was taken in 1790, per the requirements stated in the United States Constitution. This rather engaging website traces the history of the census through statistics, historic photographs, and other documents. On the homepage, visitors can browse through the "This Month in Census History" feature and learn some quick facts in the "Did You Know?" section. Moving along, the "Census-Then & Now" area should not be missed. Here visitors can learn about past directors of the census (such as Thomas Jefferson), read up on relevant legislation, and even look over biographies of notable census alumni. Next up is the "Geography & Mapping" section which contains an overview of how the Census maps data, coupled with a few famous maps from censuses past. One item that shouldn't be missed is the "Centers of Population" map, which shows the mean center of the population of the United States following each census. The site is rounded out by a "Through The Decades" feature, which brings visitors up to speed with the various changes made for each census.
Review by:
The Scout Report
http://scout.wisc.edu/
Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2008.

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The Committee on Ways and Means of the U.S. House of Representatives publishes transcripts of the hearings it holds on issues in its areas of responsibility.
For a complete list of these hearings, see
<http://waysandmeans.house.gov/hearings.asp>.

Some of the hearings in 2007 and 2008 have focused on topics relating to (U.S.) poverty and social welfare policy, as you can see in the list below.
To see the complete list of hearings and to view any transcript, click the link above.
Selected hearings:
(4-15-2008) Hearing on the Instability of Health Coverage in America Health
(4-10-2008) Hearing on Extending Unemployment Insurance Income Security and Family Support
(2-28-2008) Hearing on Medicare Advantage Health
(1-16-2008) Hearing on Social Security Benefits for Economically Vulnerable Beneficiaries Social Security
(11-14-2007) Hearing on Impact of Gaps in Health Coverage on Income Security Income Security and Family Support
(9-19-2007) Hearing on Modernizing Unemployment Insurance to Reduce Barriers for Jobless Workers
(9-6-2007) Hearing on Fair and Equitable Tax Policy for America’s Working Families.
(8-1-2007) Hearing on Measuring Poverty in America
(4-26-2007) Hearing on Proposals for Reducing Poverty
More...
[link to the list of hearings]

Source:
Committee on Ways and Means
[ U.S. House of Representatives ]

-------------------------------------------

Fiscal Year 2009 Budget (FY09)
- Transmitted to Congress on February 4, 2008
- Covers the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2008

Browse the FY09 budget - links to: Budget Documents | Appendix | Supporting Documents | Related Documents | Spreadsheets
Description of FY09 budget documents

Sample content from the 2009 budget:

Overview of the President's 2009 Budget (PDF file, 399K)
The Nation's Fiscal Outlook (PDF file, 450K)
Department of Health and Human Services (PDF file, 490K)
Department of Housing and Urban Development (PDF file - 442K)
Social Security Administration (PDF file, 411K)

Previous Budgets - back to 1996

Source:
Government Printing Office (GPO)

State Budget Links
(direct link to the website of the National Association of State Budget Officers)

---------------

Related Web/News/Blog links:

Google Search Results Links - always current results!
Using the following search terms (without the quote marks):
"2009 US federal budget"
Web search results page
News search results page
Blog Search Results page
Source:
Google.ca

Related Links from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:

2009 Federal Budget Analysis
- incl. links to extensive budget analysis and special features, e.g., Introduction to the Federal Budget, Slideshow: Federal Budget Overview
Sample content:
--- The Dubious Priorities of the President’s Budget
"The President's budget would provide more tax cuts heavily skewed to the most well-off while cutting vital services for low- and moderate-income Americans, generating large deficits, and increasing the strain on states already confronting budget problems as a result of the economic downturn. The budget reflects misguided priorities that would leave the American people more vulnerable in a number of ways...."
--- President's Budget Would Push States Deeper into Fiscal Crisis
"Federal grants to states and localities cut deeply in Fiscal Year 2009 Federal Budget"

State Budget Debates
- analysis of state budget issues including multi-state trends, the adequacy and equity of tax policies, structural budget issues, and budget transparency

From the Center for Law and Social Policy:

President’s Budget Disregards Sound Investments for Young Children (small PDF file - 5 pages)
February 4, 2008
by Hannah Matthews and Danielle Ewen. Every Administration uses the budget to send a signal about its priorities for the coming year. In this period of economic downturn, when our most vulnerable children and families need access to comprehensive supports, the message of this budget is simple and stark: children in low-income working families don’t matter.

NEW


U.S. Government Sites


USA.gov - "Government Made Easy"
- incl. links to : * Agency Index * Federal Government * State Government * Local Government * Tribal Governments
Government Information by Topic :

* Benefits and Grants * Consumer Guides * Defense and International * Environment, Energy, and Agriculture * Family, Home, and Community * Health and Nutrition * History, Arts, and Culture * Jobs and Education
* Money and Taxes * Public Safety and Law * Reference and General Government * Science and Technology * Travel and Recreation * Voting and Elections

Senior Citizens' Resources - USA.gov
- incl. links to : * Consumer Protection for Seniors * Education, Jobs, and Volunteerism for Seniors * End-of-Life Issues * Federal and State Agencies for Seniors * Health for Seniors * Housing for Seniors * Laws and Regulations Concerning Seniors * Money and Taxes for Seniors * Retirement * Travel and Recreation for Seniors

Government Benefits, Grants and Financial Aid
Official information and services from the U.S. government

GovBenefits.gov - Your Benefits Connection
"...a partnership of Federal agencies with a shared vision - to provide improved, personalized access to government assistance programs."
[A Partner is a Federal, State or Local government organization that makes benefit program information available to the public on the GovBenefits.gov website. - from About GovBenefits.gov

www.grants.gov
"Grants.gov, which is part of President Bush's E-gov initiative, serves as a one-stop comprehensive web clearinghouse for information about federal grant opportunities and grant application materials."

DisabilityInfo.gov
"DisabilityInfo.gov is a comprehensive online resource specifically designed to provide people with disabilities with the information they need to know quickly. With just a few clicks, the portal provides access to disability-related information and programs available across the government on numerous subjects, including civil rights, education, employment, housing, health, income support, technology, transportation, and community life."
- Click on the tabs near the top of the home page to access a wealth of information on the following themes: Home - Employment - Education - Housing - Transportation - Health - Income Support - Technology - Community Life - Civil Rights.
Sample content:
Income Support --- incl. links to information about : Food Stamps - General - Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) - Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Social Security Work Incentives - Temporary Assistance for Needy Families - Veterans Benefits - Welfare-To-Work


The White House


State of the Union Address

- incl. text of the Address and links to all related material
Source:
The White House

Related Link:

Google.ca Web Search Results: "State of the Union Address"
Google.ca News Search Results: "State of the Union Address"
Google.ca Blog Serach Results: "State of the Union Address"
Source:
Google.ca

State of the Union Archive
- earlier years, right back to Truman (1945)
Source:
C-Span


Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
"The online Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance gives you access to a database of all Federal programs available to State and local governments (including the District of Columbia); federally -recognized Indian tribal governments; Territories (and possessions) of the United States; domestic public, quasi-public, and private profit and nonprofit organizations and institutions; specialized groups; and individuals. After you find the program you want, contact the office that administers the program and find out how to apply."


THOMAS Legislative Information on the Internet
THE site for US legislative information, congressional records and House and Senate Committee information. 
Includes links to the following : Bill Summary & Status - Bill Text - Major Legislation: - Public Laws - Roll Call Votes: House, Senate - Congressional Record Text - Congressional Record Index - Résumés of Congressional Activity - Days In Session Calendars - Committee Reports - Committee Home Pages: House or Senate - House Committees: Schedules and  Oversight Plans - Hearing Transcripts - Committee Jurisdictions - Senate Committees: Hearings Schedule


U.S. Government Manual
"As the official handbook of the Federal Government, the United States Government Manual provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. It also includes information on quasi-official agencies, international organizations in which the United States participates, and boards, commissions, and committees."
- includes links to previous editions back to 1995-96


CIA: The World Factbook 2007
("Country information has been updated as of 15 May 2007")
The World Factbook remains the CIA's most widely disseminated and most popular product; millions of visitors frequent the online Factbook each month. In addition, tens of thousands of government, commercial, academic, and other Web sites link to, or replicate, the online version of the Factbook. This reference site is updated biweekly throughout the year to provide wide-ranging and hard-to-locate information about the background, geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for countries from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. Included among the 271 geographic entries is one for the "World," which incorporates data and other information summarized where possible from the other 270 country listings.
- the home page of the Factbook includes links to the following:
* Appendixes * Reference Maps * Notes and Definitions * Guide to Country Profiles * Guide to Rank Order Pages * History of The World Factbook * Contributors and Copyright Information * Purchasing Information *
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) * Flags of the World * Gallery of Covers * Text/Low Bandwidth Version * Download This Publication * Submit a Factual Update * Search The World Factbook

Download the Factbook
NOTE: read the Download page carefully, because they give you a number of options to download the Factbook. If you have a fast Internet connection, I'd recommend downloading the entire report in one zip file - it's almost 39MB, but it's a simpler download...

Source:
Central Intelligence Agency

Related link:

The World Factbook - from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


2004 Green Book
"The Green Book provides updated data on major programs within the Committee’s jurisdiction, as well as related programs and issues. Compiled by the Ways and Means staff with the assistance of the Congressional Research Service and various Federal agencies, since its first publication in 1981 the Green Book has become an important reference guide for legislators, program administrators, scholars, and interested citizens. The 2004 edition contains over 500 detailed tables and charts and spans more than 1,500 pages, providing detailed data on Medicare, Social Security, tax expenditures, trade, welfare, poverty, the elderly, and children and families, among other issues and programs." [bolding added]
Source:
Release of the 2004 Green Book
Advisory - April 30, 2004

This is the definitive authority on US social security programs, in the opinion of many...

Here's the list of the programs you'll find described in the Green Book:
NOTE: Only selected sections of the Green Book are hyperlinked below, and all files are in PDF format.
Click on the Green Book link above for the entire table of contents with links to all sections and appendices.

Social Security: The Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Programs - Medicare - Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Unemployment Compensation - Earned Entitlements for Railroad Employees - Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) - Child Support Enforcement Program - Child Care - Title XX (Social Services Block Grant Program) - Child Protection, Foster Care, and Adoption Assistance - Social Welfare Programs in the Territories - Tax Provisions Related to Retirement, Health, Poverty, Employment, Disability, and Other Social Issues - The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation - Food Stamp Program - Medicaid - State Children's Health Insurance Program - Federal Housing Assistance - School Lunch and Breakfast Programs - Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) - Child and Adult Food Care Program - Workforce Investment Act - Head Start - Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program - Veterans Benefits and Services - Workers' Compensation
Appendices : Data on the Elderly - Health Status and Expenditures of the Elderly, and Background Data on Long-Term Care - National and International Health Care Expenditures and Health Insurance Coverage - Medicare Payment Policies - Medicare + Choice - Data on Employment, Earnings, and Unemployment - Data on Families - Data on Poverty - Budget Tables - Welfare Benefits for Noncitizens - Spending for Income-Tested Benefits, Fiscal Years 1968-2002 - Assessing the Effects of Welfare Reform Initiatives - Data on Nonmarital Births to Adults and Teenagers and Federal Strategies to Reduce Nonmarital Pregnancies

Sample content from the section on TANF, the American welfare program for needy families with children:

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) (PDF file - 375K, 98 pages)
- includes Brief Summary and History - Outline of Program - State TANF Programs - Funding of TANF - TANF for Indians - AFDC/TANF Data - Characteristics of AFDC/TANF Families

Source:
Committee on Ways & Means
[ U.S. House of Representatives ]


Welfare in America - Reports to Congress
Source:
Administration for Children and Families
[ Department of Health and Human Services ]

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program (TANF) :
Seventh Annual Report to Congress

December 2006
[incl. links to all chapters and appendices in the report in Word and PDF format]
This report describes the characteristics and financial circumstances of TANF recipients and presents information regarding TANF caseloads and expenditures, work participation and earnings, State High Performance Bonus awards, child support collections, two-parent family formation and maintenance activities, out-of-wedlock births, child poverty, characteristics and financial circumstances of TANF recipients, Tribal TANF and specific Provisions of State Programs.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program (TANF) :
Seventh Annual Report to Congress
December 2006
Executive Summary (PDF file - 32K, 9 pages)
Complete report without Appendix (PDF file - 6.7MB, 220 pages)
Appendix (PDF file - 2MB, 216 pages)

Current and Earlier
Annual Reports to Congress
(back to 1999)

- includes detailed information and tables on the following aspects of welfare for able-bodied families with children* in America :
Caseload - Expenditures and Balances - Work Participation Rates - Work and Earnings - High Performance Bonus - Child Support Collections - Formation and Maintenance of Married Two-Parent Families - Out-of-Wedlock Births - Child Poverty and TANF - Characteristics and Financial Circumstances of TANF Recipients - Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Native Employment Works - Specific Provisions of State Programs - TANF Research and Evaluation - State Profiles - Appendix Cross Reference (between 6th and 5th report)

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* NOTE: the expression "welfare for able-bodied families with children" in the above description is a caveat for social researchers who might be tempted to compare U.S. state welfare programs under TANF and the Canadian welfare system as if they were equal.
They are not.
In the U.S., people with disabilities must apply for assistance from the federal Social Security Disability program. In Canada, we have the contribution-based Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefit, but provincial-territorial welfare programs also provide needs-tested assistance to people with disabilities - who currently make up about 35-40% of the national welfare caseload. The "with children" part of the expression refers to the fact that in the U.S., there is not one able-bodied single childless adult in receipt of state assistance under TANF. In Canada, childless single people account for around 50% of the total welfare caseload across the country --- but many of those singles are people with disabilities. There are other aspects of the two countries' programs of last resort that differ from one another. If you want more information on the two systems, this TANF report and the links below to related info will give you more detailed info on the American welfare system; for Canadian welfare info, try the Canadian Social Research Links Welfare and Welfare Reforms in Canada page as a starting point - or Social Assistance in Canada, 1994 (an oldie moldie look at welfare in Canada in 1994 that offers some insights into how welfare works today in Canada).

In 2003, child-only cases represented 38.6 percent of the total TANF caseload. Of these child-only cases, over half were children living with a caretaker relative with sufficient income not to receive assistance, one-fifth were families with a disabled parent receiving Supplemental Security Income, and a similar number were families in which the parent was ineligible for TANF because of his or her citizenship status. In the Canadian welfare system, "child-only" cases make up a very small proportion of the total welfare caseload --- a child-only case exists where a child at risk is taken into custody by the government and placed with an informal caregiver, usually a relative and usually on a temporary basis.

Just a few more reasons not to compare U.S. and Canadian welfare systems without situating each within its social policy context...
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Related links:

Complementary report from Human Services Policy (also part of the Dept. of Health and Human Services):

Indicators of Welfare Dependence: Annual Report to Congress, 2007
Published: July, 2007
The Welfare Indicators Act of 1994 requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to prepare an annual report to Congress on indicators welfare dependence. The Indicators of Welfare Dependence report is prepared within the Office of Human Services Policy and delivered to Congress each spring. As mandated under the Congressional act, the report addresses the rate of welfare dependency, the degree and duration of welfare recipiency and dependence, and predictors of welfare dependence. Further, analyses of means-tested assistance in the report include benefits under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program; the Food Stamp Program, and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. The report also includes risk factors related to economic security, employment, and nonmarital births, as well an appendix with data related to the above programs.

- Indicators of Dependence include : Degree of Dependence - Receipt of Means-Tested Assistance and Labor Force Attachment - Rates of Receipt of Means-Tested Assistance - Rates of Participation in Means-Tested Assistance Programs - Multiple Program Receipt - Dependence Transitions - Dependence Spell Duration - Welfare Spell Duration with No Labor Force Attachment - Long-Term Receipt - Events Associated with the Beginning and Ending of Program Spells
- includes longitudinal and current caseload and expenditure data for Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Food Stamp Program and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). In addition, you'll find dozens of tables and charts showing predictors and risk factors associated with welfare receipt, such as : Poverty Rates - Deep Poverty Rates - Experimental Poverty Measures - Poverty Spells - Child Support - Food Insecurity - Lack of Health Insurance - Labor Force Attachment - Earnings of Low-Skilled Workers - Educational Attainment - High School Dropout Rates - Adult Alcohol and Substance Abuse - Adult and Child Disability Births to Unmarried Women/Teens - more...

Earlier annual reports - back to 1997


General Accounting Office
"The General Accounting Office is the audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of Congress. GAO exists to support the Congress in meeting its Constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and ensure the accountability of the federal government for the American people."

Supports for Low Income Families
States Serve a Broad Range of Families through a Complex and Changing System
Report to the Chairman and Ranking Minority Member, Committee on Finance, U.S. Senate
January 2004
Highlights (PDF file - 69K, 1 page)
Complete report (PDF file - 577K, 80 pages)
"(...) States have used TANF funds to experiment with new support programs and have recognized that supports like subsidized child care are an increasingly important support for low-income working families. Most recently, states have faced fiscal crises and tough choices about reducing their supports for low-income families. The emphasis on moving people into work, though, remains a priority. As states continue to adjust supports for low-income families in efforts to move forward with the reforms of the last decade and improve efficiency, access, and coordination, they will also continue to face the pressures of competing priorities and fiscal constraints."
[p. 39, [Concluding Observations]
Source:
General Accounting Office


Department of Health and Human Services
- incl. links to content organized under the following headings:
Diseases & Conditions - Safety & Wellness - Drug & Food Information - Disasters & Emergencies - Grants & Funding - Reference Collections - Families & Children - Aging - Specific Populations - Resource Locators -
Policies & Regulations - About HHS

Office of Family Assistance (OFA)
"The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) is located in the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families and oversees the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program which was created by the Welfare Reform Law of 1996. TANF became effective July 1, 1997, and replaced what was then commonly known as welfare: Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) programs. TANF provides assistance and work opportunities to needy families by granting states the federal funds and wide flexibility to develop and implement their own welfare programs."

Administration for Children and Families
"ACF is a federal agency funding state, local, and tribal organizations to provide family assistance (welfare), child support, child care, Head Start, child welfare, and other programs relating to children and families. Actual services are provided by state, county, city and tribal governments, and public and private local agencies. ACF assists these organizations through funding, policy direction, and information services."

Indicators of Welfare Dependence: Annual Report to Congress, 2007
Published: July, 2007
The Welfare Indicators Act of 1994 requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to prepare an annual report to Congress on indicators welfare dependence. The Indicators of Welfare Dependence report is prepared within the Office of Human Services Policy and delivered to Congress each spring. As mandated under the Congressional act, the report addresses the rate of welfare dependency, the degree and duration of welfare recipiency and dependence, and predictors of welfare dependence. Further, analyses of means-tested assistance in the report include benefits under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program; the Food Stamp Program, and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. The report also includes risk factors related to economic security, employment, and nonmarital births, as well an appendix with data related to the above programs.

- Indicators of Dependence include : Degree of Dependence - Receipt of Means-Tested Assistance and Labor Force Attachment - Rates of Receipt of Means-Tested Assistance - Rates of Participation in Means-Tested Assistance Programs - Multiple Program Receipt - Dependence Transitions - Dependence Spell Duration - Welfare Spell Duration with No Labor Force Attachment - Long-Term Receipt - Events Associated with the Beginning and Ending of Program Spells
- includes longitudinal and current caseload and expenditure data for Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Food Stamp Program and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). In addition, you'll find dozens of tables and charts showing predictors and risk factors associated with welfare receipt, such as : Poverty Rates - Deep Poverty Rates - Experimental Poverty Measures - Poverty Spells - Child Support - Food Insecurity - Lack of Health Insurance - Labor Force Attachment - Earnings of Low-Skilled Workers - Educational Attainment - High School Dropout Rates - Adult Alcohol and Substance Abuse - Adult and Child Disability Births to Unmarried Women/Teens - more...

Earlier annual reports - back to 1997

Source:
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Source:
Human Services Policy (HSP)
Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation ASPE)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)



Welfare Caseloads

Welfare Rolls Fall Under Two Million
1st Quarter Data for 2004 Shows Another Decline In Caseloads

News Release
October 7, 2004
"HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced welfare caseloads dropped in the first quarter of 2004 to fewer than two million families for the first time since February 1970. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) caseloads dropped 1.3 percent for individuals and 0.8 percent for families between December 2003 and March 2004. As of March 2004, there were 4,798,986 individuals and 1,992,143 families receiving TANF cash benefits."

Total Number of TANF Families and Recipients
Fiscal Year 2004 as of 7/31/04

Source:
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services

Related Link:

HHS again touts decline in welfare caseload despite rent increases in poverty
October 7, 2004
“The decline in the number of families being helped by TANF, despite the increase in the number of families living in poverty in recent years, suggests that steps need to be taken to reduce barriers that keep needy families from benefiting from the benefits and services the TANF program can provide.”
Source:
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP)

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Secretary Thompson Announces TANF Caseloads Declined in 2003
Eight Years After Reform, More Americans Achieving Self-Sufficiency

News Release
August 23, 2004
"Eight years after the signing of the historic welfare reform law, HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced today that caseloads in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program dropped 3 percent for individuals and 1.8 percent for families during 2003. Nearly 149,000 fewer people were relying on TANF benefits at the end of 2003 than at the end of 2002. As of December 2003, 4,864,905 individuals and 2,008,233 families were receiving TANF cash benefits. In December 2002, 5,013,728 individuals and 2,044,734 families were receiving TANF cash benefits."

Change in Numbers of TANF Families and Recipients
from December 2002 to December 2003
- by state

Source:
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services

Related Link:

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) Response to Health and Human Services Announcement that Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Caseloads Fell in 2003
Trend Touted by HHS but Should Be Cause for Concern
"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced today that caseloads in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program fell in 2003. In the press release announcing the decline, Secretary Tommy Thompson said that "American families are improving their lives by leaving public assistance and entering the workforce." Last year, shortly after the Census Bureau released data showing a marked rise in child poverty in the United States in 2002, HHS issued a similar press released that trumpeted TANF caseload declines in 2002 and called them 'encouraging.' Just as last year’s release failed to note that child poverty increased in 2002, this year’s release fails to note that the proportion of single mothers who are employed fell in 2003 and the unemployment rate rose markedly among single mothers."

For additional information on employment for single mothers in 2003 and the decline in TANF participation by families who are poor enough to qualify, see the Center’s paper:
Employment Rates For Single Mothers Fell Substantially During Recent Period Of Labor Market Weakness (June 2004)

View Related CBPP Reports on Welfare Reform and TANF

Source:
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP)


Welfare-to-Work Study Underscores Benefits of State Flexibility
News Release
July 9, 2004
"A new report entitled What Works Best for Whom: Effects of Welfare and Work Policies by Subgroup examines an array of welfare policies to help states determine which programs and policies best help single parents transition from welfare to work. The report examines the effects of over 25 welfare-to-work policies..."

Complete report:
What Works Best for Whom:
Effects of Welfare and Work Policies by Subgroup

Charles Michalopoulos
March 2004
- incl. links to : Introduction - Impacts on Earnings, Welfare Benefits, and Income - Impacts on Stable Employment - Impacts on Stable Welfare Exits - Appendices (Additional Impacts on Earnings, Welfare Benefits, and Income / on Stable Employment / on Stable Welfare Exits

Findings in Brief

Source:
Administration for Children and Families
[ U.S. Department of Health & Human Services ]


Report Shows Effects of Education on Employment of Welfare Recipients
Press Release
November 5, 2003
"The Administration for Children and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services today announced the results of an interim report on the first two years of a demonstration to improve the job prospects of welfare recipients who are already working 20 hours per week by offering them specially-designed education courses in a community college setting. (...) The demonstration project, called New Visions, is a joint effort between Riverside Community College (RCC) in Riverside, California and the California Department of Public Social Services. (...) 'The interim findings of this study show that it is possible to get working TANF recipients involved in community college, with the eventual goal of full-time work,'said Wade F. Horn, Ph.D., assistant secretary for children and families. (...)
Abt Associates is conducting the evaluation. The final report, to be published in 2004, will focus on the long term effects of this program on increasing the earnings of recipients already in the work force.
Complete report:
College as a Job Advancement Strategy: An Interim Report on the New Visions Self-Sufficiency and Lifelong Learning Project
The New Visions Evaluation
(PDF file - 599K, 21 pages)
May 2003

Source:
Administration for Children and Families
[Department of Health and Human Services]


Sixth Annual Welfare Reform Evaluation Conference
May 28 - 30, 2003
Washington, DC.
"For the past five years, this conference has been a forum for States to learn about the latest findings in evaluations of welfare reform, strategize about ways to incorporate evaluation results into the design and implementation of programs and policies, and develop effective strategies to ensure sound evaluations of welfare reform. (...) new research on a range of topics such as the relationship between marriage and family structure on low-income populations, services for the hard to employ, barriers to employment, assessments of the impacts of welfare reform, as well as methods to measure social policy impact."
- incl. links to : Speakers | State Participants sponsored by ACF | | General Participants | HHS Federal Employees | Agenda | Privacy Information.
For more information, contact:
Brendan Kelly - (202) 401-5600 or bkelly@acf.hhs.gov

Source:
Administration for Children and Families
[Department of Health and Human Services]

Also from HSS:

Fiscal Year 2001 Report: Characteristics and Financial Circumstances of TANF Recipients
Characteristics Report for FY2001
April 3, 2003
- incl. Summary - TANF Families/Adults/Children - Financial Circumstances - Trends in AFDC/TANF Characteristics - Child-only Families - Ethnic/Racial Composition of Families - Age of Adult Recipients - Employment Rate - Age of the Youngest Child - much more...


Welfare Reform (HHS)
Links to over 40 resources organized under the following headings: Guidance and Status Documents - Essential Documents - Links and Research - Statistics

Welfare Reform State Links

Special : 10 years after welfare reform in the U.S.

. A decade of welfare reform : Facts and figures, (PDF file - 47K, 6 pages) from The Urban Institute, Washington, June (2006).

. Getting on, staying on and getting off welfare : The complexity of state-by-state policy choices (PDF file - 203K, 8 pages) G. Rowe and L. Giannarelli, The Urban Institute, Washington, July (2006).

. Looking forward, looking back :Reflections on the 10th Anniversary of welfare reform (PDF file - 72K, 4 pages), N. K. Cauthen, National Center for Children in Poverty, New York, August (2006).

. The outcomes of 1996 welfare reform (PDF file - 117K, 12pages), R Haskings, The Brookings Institution, Washington, Testimony, House Ways and Means Committee, July (2006).

. TANF at 10 : Program results are more mixed than often understood (PDF file - 244K, 16pages), S. Parrott and A. Sherman, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Washington, August (2006).

. Ten years after welfare reform. It's time to make work work for families (PDF file - K, 2 pages), E. Ganzglass, Center for Law and Social Policy, Washington, August (2006).

. Getting punched : The job and family clock : It's time for flexible work for workers of all wages, (PDF file - 159K, 32 pages) J. Levin-Epstein, Center for Law and Social Policy, Washington, July (2006).

Source:
Council for Employment, Income and Social Cohesion - Paris
Conseil de l'emploi, des revenus et de la cohésion sociale - CERC[version française]

---------------------------------------

Bush Administration Releases Interim
Final Regulation Implementing The Next Phase Of Welfare Reform

June 28, 2006
News Release
Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced interim final regulations for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to implement statutory changes to the TANF program in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. The regulations ensure consistent measurement of work participation rates in state welfare programs. "These regulations complete what President Bush has called 'the unfinished business of welfare reform,'" Secretary Leavitt said. "We are rebooting the system to help more individuals transition from welfare dependency to work and self-sufficiency."
Source:
Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
[ Department of Health and Human Services ]

Related ACF links:

* TANF Interim Final Regulations (.pdf)
[NOTE: this link was broken when I found it - go to the ACF home page and try the link from there.]
* TANF Interim Final Regulations
(.ppt)
* Fact Sheet: TANF Interim Final Regulations
* Fact Sheet: TANF Work Activities
* Fact Sheet: Deficit Reduction Act of 2005

ACF Welfare Reform Resources

Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
"The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) is the principal advisor to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on policy development, and is responsible for major activities in the areas of policy coordination, legislation development, strategic planning, policy research and evaluation, and economic analysis."


Annual Update of the Health and Human Services Poverty Guidelines - 2008

On January 23, 2008, the Department of Health and Human Services, published
its annual update of the Poverty Guidelines, taking into account increases in prices as measured by the Consumer Price Index.

"There are two slightly different versions of the federal poverty measure: the poverty thresholds and the poverty guidelines.

The poverty thresholds are the original version of the federal poverty measure. They are updated each year by the Census Bureau (although they were originally developed by Mollie Orshansky of the Social Security Administration). The thresholds are used mainly for statistical purposes — for instance, preparing estimates of the number of Americans in poverty each year. (In other words, all official poverty population figures are calculated using the poverty thresholds, not the guidelines.) Poverty thresholds since 1980 and weighted average poverty thresholds since 1959 are available on the Census Bureau’s Web site. For an example of how the Census Bureau applies the thresholds to a family’s income to determine its poverty status, see “How the Census Bureau Measures Poverty” on the Census Bureau’s web site.

The poverty guidelines are the other version of the federal poverty measure. They are issued each year in the Federal Register by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The guidelines are a simplification of the poverty thresholds for use for administrative purposes — for instance, determining financial eligibility for certain federal programs. (The full text of the Federal Register notice with the 2008 poverty guidelines is available.)

The poverty guidelines are sometimes loosely referred to as the “federal poverty level” (FPL), but that phrase is ambiguous and should be avoided, especially in situations (e.g., legislative or administrative) where precision is important.

Key differences between poverty thresholds and poverty guidelines are outlined in a table under Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
See also the discussion of this topic on the Institute for Research on Poverty’s web site.."

Source:
Office of Human Services Policy
[Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning & Evaluation ]
[
Department of Health and Human Services ]

-------------------------------------------
COMMENT:
This is a distinction between the Canadian and American government poverty measurement --- in the U.S., a person's or household's eligibility for certain programs is actually tied to an official federal government poverty measure. (However, eligibility for state welfare programs that fall under the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families umbrella is means-tested and not related to any poverty measure.) In Canada, eligibility for all provincial and territorial welfare programs for individuals and families is "needs-tested". Needs-testing and means-testing mean the same thing in this context --- they both involve a test that takes into account a household's financial resources and its needs. The needs test and income test are discussed in more detail on the Welfare Reforms in Canada page of this site - http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/welref.htm (near the top of the page).

-------------------------------------------
Related Reading:
- highly recommended!
-------------------------------------------

Further Resources on Poverty Measurement, Poverty Lines,
and Their History
Table of Contents:
- Introduction
- Background Paper on the Poverty Guidelines
- Programs That Do — and Don’t — Use the Poverty Guidelines
- The Official Federal Statistical Definition of Poverty
- Mollie Orshansky’s Development of the Poverty Thresholds
- Research on Alternative Approaches to Poverty Measurement
- Papers by ASPE Staff Relating to the History of Poverty Lines
- For Further Questions

The Development and History of the Poverty Thresholds
By Gordon M. Fisher
Social Security Bulletin
Volume 55, Number 4
1992

Previous HHS Poverty Guidelines
and Federal Register References
- back to 1996

Related link:

Poverty Thresholds (1973-2007 and selected earlier years back to 1959)
(from the U.S. Census Bureau


NOTE: For links to more info about poverty measures and poverty measurement in the U.S.,
go to the Poverty Measures - International Resources page of this site: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/poverty2.htm

U.S. Census Bureau

Census Bureau Poverty Page
- includes links to : * Poverty Home * Overview *What's new * Publications * Definitions * Poverty Thresholds * Poverty Data Sources * Current Poverty Data * Microdata Access * Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates * History of the Poverty Measure * Poverty Measurement Studies and Alternative Measures * Related Sites * FAQ

Poverty Measurement Studies and Alternative Measures
- includes links to the 1976 Measure of Poverty report, the 1985 Williamsburg Conference and Technical Papers 51-58, the 1995 National Academy of Sciences report and related reports and papers, and the 2005 American Enterprise Institute seminar series

* Exploring the Use of the Views of the Public to Set
Income Poverty Thresholds and Adjust Them Over Time
(PDF - 387K, 77 pages)
By Denton R. Vaughan
February 2004 (updated from June 1993)
Beginning in 1946 (more than two decades before Dutch economists began developing “subjective” poverty measures), the Gallup Poll in the U.S. repeatedly asked the following question: “What is the smallest amount of money a family of four (husband, wife, and two children) needs each week to get along in this community?” (Similar questions have been asked in Gallup Polls in Canada and Australia.) This paper by Vaughan is the most up-to-date and thorough analysis of the results of this “get-along” question. The paper uses the U.S. Gallup “get-along” responses for the period 1947-1989 plus the response to a 1989 Gallup “poverty line” question to construct a “Gallup-based” poverty line series for a four-person family for the 1947-1989 period.

* Personal Assessments of Minimum Income and Expenses:
What Do They Tell Us about ‘Minimum Living’ Thresholds and Equivalence Scales?
(PDF - 1.1MB, 69 pages)
By Thesia I. Garner and Kathleen S. Short
July 2002
This and similar papers by Garner and Short are probably the most up-to-date work on “subjective” poverty measures now being done in the United States.

Poverty Thresholds (1973-2007 and selected earlier years back to 1959)

Links to Related Sites
Find other agencies or organizations which provide Poverty Measurement Research

- Poverty Measurement Working Papers
- incl. links to papers and reports organized under the following themes:
* Measuring Poverty - Background and Overview * Who are the Poor? Using Different Measures * Poverty Thresholds * Medical Care * Housing Costs * Work-related Expenses and Child Care * Taxes and Unit of Analysis * Other Approaches to Measuring Economic Well-being

History of the Poverty Measure
- links to the following papers:
* The Development of the Orshansky Thresholds and Their Subsequent History as the Official U.S. Poverty Measure, by Gordon M. Fisher (1992)
* "Changes in the Definition of Poverty", from Characteristics of the Population Below the Poverty Level: 1980
* Office of Management and Budget Statistical Policy Directive 14 (1978) - establishing the official poverty measure for federal agencies to use in their statistical work.
* The Measure of Poverty (1976) A series of technical papers about poverty measurement performed for the Poverty Studies Task Force of the Federal Interagency Committee on Education.
* Family Food Plans and Food Costs (1962)

Related Link:

Census Bureau Income Page - incl. links to : * What's New * Income Main * Overview * Reports * Definitions * Guidance about the Sources * How Income Data is Collected * Micro Data Access * Related Topics * FAQ * Current and historical income data

-----------------------------------------------

Household Income Rises, Poverty Rate Declines,
Number of Uninsured Up

Press Release
August 28, 2007
- includes a detailed backgrounder
Real median household income in the United States climbed between 2005 and 2006, reaching $48,200, according to a report released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. This is the second consecutive year that income has risen. Meanwhile, the nation’s official poverty rate declined for the first time this decade, from 12.6 percent in 2005 to 12.3 percent in 2006. There were 36.5 million people in poverty in 2006, not statistically different from 2005.
The number of people without health insurance coverage rose from 44.8 million (15.3 percent) in 2005 to 47 million (15.8 percent) in 2006.
These findings are contained in the Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2006 report [PDF file - 3MB, 78 pages]. The data were compiled from information collected in the 2007 Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC).

Also released today were income, poverty and earnings data from the 2006 American Community Survey (ACS) for states and metropolitan areas, counties, cities and American Indian/Alaska Native areas of 65,000 population or more and all congressional districts. (This year marks the first time that the population in group quarters --- such as prisons, college dorms, military barracks and nursing homes --- is included, so the 2006 estimates are not fully comparable to the 2005 estimates.)

Income, Earnings and Poverty in the United States: 2006 [PDF file - 1.5MB, 40 pages)]
August 2007

Data tables
Income data
Poverty data
Health Insurance data

Source:
American Community Survey (ACS)

The American Community Survey is a nationwide survey designed to provide communities a fresh look at how they are changing.

Poverty Statistics
- includes links to : * Poverty Home * Overview * Publications * Definitions * Thresholds * Microdata
Access * Related Sites * FAQ
[ U.S. Census Bureau ]

Related Link:

Census Bureau Income Statistics Page - incl. Current Population Survey (CPS) | American Community Survey (ACS) | Decennial Census | Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) | Survey of Program Dynamics (SPD) | Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates | Income Inequality | Access Tools | Definitions | Related Topics

NOTE: For links to more info about poverty measures and poverty measurement in the U.S.,
go to the Poverty Measures - International Resources page of this site: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/poverty2.htm

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dynamics of economic well-being : Poverty 1996-1999 (PDF file - 75K, 12 pages)
July 2003
Washington
Current population reports, n° P70-91
"This report describes patterns of poverty using measures with different time horizons and provides a dynamic view of the duration of poverty spells and the frequency of transitions into and out of poverty. It further examines how poverty dynamics vary across demographic groups. Data for this analysis were collected in the 1996 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP),the latest completed panel of the SIPP, and reflect the dynamics of poverty from January 1996 to December 1999."
Source : U.S. Census Bureau

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Population Profile of the United States: 2000
"The Population Profile of the United States: 2000 is the first Internet-only version of this US Census Bureau product. It includes data from surveys conducted in the year 2000 and earlier, as well as some limited Census 2000 data. This report attempts to provide the public with updated information in the years in which a printed version has not been issued. Chapters include population dynamics, households and housing, social characteristics, household economics, and the facets of diversity. Primary sources for this report come from the Census Bureau's Decennial Census of Population and Housing, the Current Population Survey (CPS), the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), and the American Housing Survey (AHS)."

Site Review by:
The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2002 (February 22, 2002 Issue)

Latest US Economic Indicators - 14 indicators, including Household Income 2000 and Poverty 2000

Census 2000 Supplementary Survey (C2SS)
American FactFinder

The US Census has released the Census 2000 Supplementary Survey (C2SS) data, the "most comprehensive and detailed data on American families in 64 cities across the country today." The C2SS is the largest survey the Census Bureau has ever conducted aside from the decenniel census. The data are drawn from a monthly sample of 2,000 households, chosen on a rotating basis from 58,000 households in 1,203 counties, as well as households in 36 ACS test counties. The data are available at the American FactFinder site (first discussed in the April 2, 1999 _Scout Report_), and operational information, narrative and tabular profiles for all summary levels and rankings at the state, county, and place levels also may be found at the C2SS site.
Reviewed by The Scout Report, (Nov. 30, 2001)
Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2001

Census 2000 Data Access and Use
This private company website presents US Census data and related material. Updated weekly, the Website focuses on news about Census data releases; descriptions of Census 2000 data products; linkage of Census 2000 data with data from other decennial programs, most notably the 1990 census and other federal statistical data; Census 2000 data access issues in other federal agencies; and methodological resources and information concerning Census data and use.
- Reviewed by the Scout Report for Social Sciences

The Changing Shape of the Nation's Income Distribution, 1947-98
Are the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer?
Issued June 2000
- click above for links to text, figures and tables
See, for example...
Figure 1. Change in Income Inequality for Families: 1947-1998
Complete report (PDF file - 227K, 11 pages)

Poverty in the United States: 1999
Issued September 2000
Press Release (September 26, 2000)
Press Briefing
Click on the title of the report (above) for links to the text, graphs and related information, or...
Complete report (PDF file - 6.5MB, 88 pages)

 

Methodology for Determining Whether an Increase in a State or Territory's Child Poverty Rate Is the Result of the TANF Program; Final Rule
June 23, 2000
"This final rule establishes the methodology the Administration for Children and Families will use to determine the child poverty rate in each State and Territory. If any jurisdiction experiences an increase in its child poverty rate of five percent or more as a result of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, the State or Territory must submit and implement a corrective action plan [bolding added]. This requirement is a part of the TANF program, the welfare reform block grant enacted in 1996. This rule is effective August 22, 2000."
Source : Administration for Children and Families [U.S Dept. of Health and Human Services]
NOTE: this is old information, but I wasn't aware of this feature of the American block grant for welfare; I thought others might find this interesting...
TIP: Go to the ACF Programs Page for over 100 links to federal government programs for families and children and contacts throught the country


Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- incl. links to:
- HUD news - Newsroom - Priorities - About HUD
- Homes (Buying - Owning - Selling - Renting - Homeless - Home improvements - HUD homes - Fair housing - FHA refunds - Foreclosure - Consumer info)
- Communities ( About communities - Volunteering - Organizing - Economic development
- Working with HUD (Grants - Programs - Contracts - Work online - HUD jobs - Complaints)
- Resources (Library - Handbooks/ forms - Common questions)
- Tools (Let's talk - Webcasts - Mailing lists)

Homelessness
Great collection of resources for homeless people and for those who want to help the homeless...

- incl. Housing - Food - Jobs/job training - Health care - Social Security benefits - Homeless veterans

- federal programs to help the homeless - incl. Housing - Food - Education - Health Care - Social Security - Jobs - Homeless Children

Homelessness Resources - from the HUD Library

Housing Choice Voucher Program Fact Sheet (Section 8)
"The housing choice voucher program is the federal government's major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Since housing assistance is provided on behalf of the family or individual, participants are able to find their own housing, including single-family homes, townhouses and apartments. The participant is free to choose any housing that meets the requirements of the program and is not limited to units located in subsidized housing projects."
Source:
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Cuomo Releases Historic Report that Paints Most Comprehensive Picture ever of Homelessness in America
Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (Click the link above to read the press release)

December 8, 1999

Homelessness: Programs and the People They Serve

Findings of the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients

December 1999

- SUMMARY REPORT

- TECHNICAL REPORT

- HIGHLIGHTS REPORT

Source: Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Homeless Resources


The US Social Statistics Briefing Room (Crime Statistics - Demographic Statistics [incl. population, income, poverty] - Education Statistics - Health Statistics)


Medicare Legislation Becomes Law
"On December 8, 2003, President George W. Bush signed into law the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003. This landmark legislation provides seniors and people living with disabilities with a prescription drug benefit, more choices and better benefits under Medicare, the most significant improvement to senior health care in nearly 40 years."
Source:
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (U.S. Government)
Medicare is the national health insurance program for people age 65 or older and some people under age 65 with disabilities or permanent kidney failure. Approximately 40 million Americans are covered by Medicare.
Medicaid is a program that pays for medical assistance for certain individuals and families with low incomes and resources.

Related Links:

Medicare.Gov - " The Official U.S. Government Site for People with Medicare"

Medicare rewrite is not a cure-all
December 26, 2003
"Sometimes, the choice is between medicine and food."
Source:
San Antonio Media Home Page

U.S. medicare legislation ===> 709,000 Google.ca Web Search Results
U.S. medicare legislation
===> 1,340 Google.ca News Search Results


New Report Details Wal-Mart's*
Labor Abuses and Hidden Costs
Press Release
February 16, 2004
"MARTINEZ, CA – Wal-Mart’s rock bottom wages and benefits cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars a year in basic housing, medical, childcare, and energy needs that the retailer fails to properly cover for its employees, according to a report released today by Congressman George Miller (D-Martinez)."(...) The report estimates the costs borne by taxpayers for things like medical insurance and housing assistance for Wal-Mart employees that can’t afford them because of their low wages and benefits. The report shows that taxpayers would have to pick up $420,750 per year for a hypothetical Wal-Mart store employing 200 people. (...)
The report also provides a comprehensive review of Wal-Mart’s numerous anti-worker practices, including union-busting activities, discrimination against women and disabled workers, violation of child and undocumented labor laws, unpaid overtime, and unsafe workplace policies, like locking workers into stores overnight. Wal-Mart has been the subject of thousands of lawsuits and critical media scrutiny on all of these issues. The Washington Post just reported on labor abuses in China at the hands of Wal-Mart."
NOTE: this press release also includes highlights from the report and links to four recent related articles in the American media

Complete report:

Everyday Low Wages : The Hidden Price We All Pay for Wal-Mart (PDF file - 195K, 25 pages)
Report by the Democratic staff of the Committee on Education and the Workforce
U.S. House of Representatives
Representative George Miller (D-CA)

Source:
Congressman George Miller's website

*NOTE: For more links to the impacts of Wal-Mart in the US and elsewhere,
go to the Banks and Business Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/bookmrk3.htm


U.S. Department of Labour

Minimum Wages in the U.S.
- Federal - $5.15 since Sept. 1, 1997
- Minimum Wage Laws in the States (clickable map for all U.S. territories, showing which states use lower, higher or the same minimum wage levels as the federal amount)
Source : U.S. Department of Labor

U.S. Federal Minimum Wage

Congress passes increase in the minimum wage
By Stephen Labaton, New York Times. May 25, 2007

Congress OKs raise for minimum-wage workers
By Jesse J. Holland (Associated Press), Chicago Tribune. May 25, 2007

A long-overdue raise for millions (Editorial)
Editorial, St. Petersburg Times. May 29, 2007

Minimum wage increase was long overdue (Opinion)
By Bill Boyne, Rochester Post-Bulletin. May 30, 2007

Source:
Poverty Dispatch

Related links:

Federal Minimum Wage Rates, 1955–2006
Expressed in 1996 Constant Dollars, the federal hourly minimum wage in the U.S. was $4.39 in 1955 and $4.04 in 2006.
Source:
InfoPlease

Related Web/News/Blog links:

Google Search Results Links - always current results!
Using the following search terms (without the quote marks):
"U.S. Federal Minimum Wage "
Web search results page
News search results page
Blog Search Results page
Source:
Google.ca

A Profile of the Working Poor, 2003 (PDF file - 75K, 14 pages)
March 2005
Released April 4, 2005
"In 2003, 35.9 million people, 12.5 percent of the population, lived at or below the official poverty threshold—1.3 million more than in 2002. Although the Nation’s poor were primarily children and adults who were not in the labor force, 1 in every 5, or 7.4 million individuals, were classified as “working poor.” This level was about the same as in 2002. The working poor are those who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force (working or looking for work), but whose incomes fell below the official poverty threshold. The working-poor rate—the ratio of the working poor to all individuals in the labor force for at least 27 weeks—was 5.3 percent, unchanged from the rate reported in 2002."
Source:
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
[ U.S. Department of Labor ]

Also from the Bureau of Statistics:

Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2004
April 5, 2005
- incl. 10 tables with characteristics of minimum wage workers in 2004 ("Employed wage and salary workers paid hourly rates with earnings at or below the prevailing Federal minimum wage, 2004 annual averages: 1. by selected characteristics 2. by census region and division 3. by State 4. by major occupation group 5. by major industry group 6. by educational attainment 7. by age and sex 8. by marital status, age, and sex 9. by usual hours worked per week 10. by sex (1979-2004 annual averages)


Bureau of Labor Statistics
(U.S. Department of Labor)
[The Bureau of Labor Statistics is the American equivalent to Statistics Canada]
Inflation & Consumer Spending - Consumer Price Index • Inflation Calculator • Contract Escalation • Producer Price Indexes • Import/Export Price Indexes • Consumer Expenditures • Price Index Research
Wages, Earnings, & Benefits - Wages by Area and Occupation • Earnings by Industry • Employee Benefits • Employment Costs • State and County Wages • National Compensation Data • Collective Bargaining
Productivity - Productivity and Costs • Multifactor Productivity • International Comparisons
Safety & Health - Injuries and Illnesses • Fatalities
International - Import/Export Price Indexes • Foreign Labor Statistics • International Technical Cooperation
Occupations - Occupational Outlook Handbook • Occupational Outlook Quarterly • Employment • Wages by Area and Occupation • Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities • Employment Projections • Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)
Demographics - Demographic Characteristics of the Labor Force • Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment • Consumer Expenditures • Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities • Longitudinal Studies
Other Statistical Sites - FEDSTATS • Census Bureau • Bureau of Economic Analysis
BLS Information Offices

Employment & Unemployment - National Employment • National Unemployment Rate • State and Local Employment • State and Local Unemployment Rates • Mass Layoffs • Employment Projections • Job Openings and Labor Turnover • Employment by Occupation • Longitudinal Studies • State and County Employment • Time Use • Business Employment Dynamics • Employment Research
At a Glance Tables - U.S. Economy at a Glance • Regions, States, and Areas at a Glance • Industries at a Glance
Publications & Research Papers - Occupational Outlook Handbook • Monthly Labor Review Online • Compensation and Working Conditions Online • Occupational Outlook Quarterly • The Editor's Desk • Career Guide to Industries • Economic News Releases • Research Papers
Industries - Industries at a Glance • Employment, Hours, and Earnings • Occupations • Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities • Producer Price Indexes • Employment Costs • Productivity • NAICS
Business Costs - Producer Price Indexes • Employment Costs • Employee Benefits • Foreign Labor Costs • Import/Export Prices • Unit Labor Costs
Geography - State and Local Employment • State and Local Unemployment Rates • State and County Employment and Wages • Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment • Mass Layoffs • Consumer Price Index • Consumer Expenditures • Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities • Wages by Area and Occupation • Create Customized Maps (Unemployment Rates)
Kids' Page - Career Information for Kids

Also includes Latest Numbers : CPI - Unemployment Rate - Payroll Employment - Average Hourly Earnings - PPI - ECI - Productivity - U.S. Import Price Index

 

Related Links: go to the Social Statistics Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/stats.htm

House Adopts Higher Minimum Wage, $310 Billion in Tax Cuts
July 29, 2006
"The House voted to boost the minimum wage for the first time since 1997 in Republican-backed legislation that also cuts $310 billion in taxes, largely by reducing a levy on multimillion-dollar estates. The minimum wage increase, and the inclusion of $38 billion in tax cuts that many Democrats support, were described by some Republicans as a bid to attract votes for the estate tax legislation when it reaches the Senate, where it has been rejected twice in the last month."
Source:
Bloomberg
(" Bloomberg is the leading global provider of data, news and analytics.")

NOTE: if passed by the U.S. Senate, the House measure would boost the federal minimum wage, now at $5.15 an hour, to $7.25 by June 1, 2009. Over 80% of the US population supports a minimum wage increase, according to a CBS News/New York Times poll.

“Workers Win” with Labor Department’s New Overtime Rules
FairPay Initiative Guarantees Overtime Rights for Millions of Workers
April 20, 2004
"WASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced the final regulations governing overtime eligibility for “white-collar” workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The regulations had not been substantially updated for over 50 years, creating confusion for workers and employers, generating wasteful class action litigation, and failing to effectively protect workers’ pay rights.'Today, workers win. The department’s new rules guarantee and strengthen overtime rights for more American workers than ever before,'said Secretary Chao."
Source:
FairPay Overtime Initiative
- incl. links to : Wage and Hour Division Home - FairPay Resources (Preamble, Regulations, Economic Report, Side-by-Side, Online Training, Seminar Download, FAQs, Amicus Program, Model Policy) -
FairPay Fact Sheets (By Exemption, By Occupation) - Enforcement (File A Complaint, Statistics) - Contact Us
[ part of the Wage and Hour Division ]
[ part of the Employment Standards Administration ]
[ part of the U.S. Department of Labour ]

Google.ca Web Search Results: "FairPay Overtime Initiative"
Google.ca News Search Results: "FairPay Overtime Initiative"
Source:
Google.ca


Related Links:

From the the Economic Policy Institute (EPI):

Longer Hours, Less Pay
Labor Department’s new rules could strip
overtime protection from millions of workers
EPI Briefing Paper #152
by Ross Eisenbrey
July 14, 2004
"On April 23, 2004 the Department of Labor (DOL) published regulatory changes that, if they are allowed to take effect, could strip away the right to overtime pay for over six million workers. The original version of these rules, proposed by the Bush Administration in March 2003, would have stripped overtime protection from eight million workers. In the face of widespread public opposition, the administration promised that its final version of the rules would correct this problem, a promise it has failed to keep. Under the current Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations, most workers are guaranteed the right to overtime pay, commonly known as “time-and-a-half,” for every hour worked beyond the normal 40-hour workweek. Three basic tests determine whether workers are exempt (i.e., ineligible for overtime pay) or non-exempt (i.e., eligible for overtime pay). The regulatory changes issued by the Bush Administration in April 2004 would make drastic changes to these tests, vastly increasing the number of exempt employees and making it likely that millions of them will work longer hours at reduced pay."

Overtime Rights and Recent EPI work on Overtime Issues
"EPI’s analysis determined that if this proposal became law, more than 8 million workers would lose overtime protection. A subsequent analysis by EPI also concluded that the Department of Labor’s claim that 1.3 million low income workers would stand to gain overtime pay from their proposal is untrue."

Related Links:

Overtime law clarification is hard to figure
August 22, 2004
"Depending on who is doing the analysis, either an additional 1.3 million American workers will be eligible for overtime beginning tomorrow, or 6 million will be stripped of that right. The discrepancy surfaces in the interpretation of new wage and hour laws created by the federal Department of Labor that seek to clarify overtime rules written more than 50 years ago. So far, the bottom line is one of confusion."
Source:
San Diego Union-Tribune

A profile of the working poor, 2001 (PDF file - 330K, 20 pages)
Washington
June 2003
"In 2001, 32.9 million people, or 11.7 percent of the population, lived at or below the official poverty level. This was an increase of 1.3 million from 2000. Most of the poor were children, or adults who had not participated in the labor force during the year. However, about 6.8 million were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more during the year. These persons were classified as the working poor, and represented 4.9 percent of all persons who were in the labor force for 27 weeks or more. The ranks of the working poor increased by 319,000 (0.2
percentage point) from the previous year."
Source:
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
[ U.S. Department of Labor
]
NOTE: the BLS is the American equivalent to Statistics Canada. This site contains myriad U.S. statistics covering a wide range of topics, including : Inflation & Consumer Spending - Wages, Earnings, & Benefits - Productivity - Safety & Health - International - Occupations - Demographics - and more...
(but nothing specific about poverty or welfare)

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U.S. Department of Agriculture

The Food Assistance Landscape, March 2005
Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Report
"Expenditures for USDA's 15 food assistance programs totaled $46 billion from October 1, 2003, to September 30, 2004, marking the second consecutive year in which spending exceeded the previous record high. The fiscal 2004 spending level represented a 10-percent increase from the previous fiscal year, the fourth consecutive year in which total food assistance expenditures increased. Five programs—the Food Stamp Program, the National School Lunch Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the School Breakfast Program, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program—accounted for 94 percent of USDA's total expenditures for food assistance."

Complete report:

The Food Assistance Landscape, March 2005 (PDF file - 247K, 6 pages)

Related Links:

Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs
Food Security in the United States (ERS Briefing Room)

Source:
Economic Research Service (ERS) [ U.S. Department of Agriculture ]

Modernization of Food Stamp Program Almost Complete
June 2004
Food Stamp Program Goes Electronic
Food-Bank Comment Causes Furor
NPR: Commentary: Food Stamps and Medicare
USDA: Food Stamp Program
The WIC Program: Background, Trends, and Issues
A Guide to Food Stamp Program Outreach

"Started in 1939, the food stamp program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture is one of the entitlement programs designated to provide a safety net for Americans. The program enjoys some of the greatest bipartisan support and continues to be immensely successful. Earlier this week, the Department of Agriculture announced that the paper stamps which have been issued under the program for over six decades will be completely phased out later this month and replaced by a plastic card that operates in the same fashion as a bank debit card. As part of this transformation of the program, the Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman has commented that the Agriculture Department will be asking for suggestions for a new name for the food stamp program, a move that may also reduce some of the stigma that has been associated with this extremely valuable initiative in the past. Currently only six counties in California and the U.S. territory of Guam still use the paper food stamps. The usually staid Department of Agriculture has also been in the news as of late due to a comment made by a senior official in that government office who noted in an interview that people who eat at food banks are "taking the easy way out." Several elected officials from the state of Ohio took great exception to his comment, remarking in a letter sent to his office that "You have displayed a disparaging attitude toward the victims of hunger and an astonishing lack of awareness of what is happening beyond the Beltway." [KMG]

The first link leads to a news piece from the Washington Post that discusses the modernization of the delivery system for food stamps in detail. The second link will take visitors to a news brief from MSNBC that provides a summary of the debate surrounding the recent comment made by a senior official at the Department of Agriculture regarding the use of food banks. The third link leads to a 3-minute audio feature from NPR on the continuing popularity of food stamp programs across the United States, reported by the venerable Daniel Schorr. The fourth link leads to the official United States Department of Agriculture website about the food stamp program, complete with eligibility details and research reports on the effectiveness of the program. The fifth link leads to an October 2002 report on the continued success of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (known colloquially as WIC), which "safeguards the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to age 5 who are at nutrition risk." The last and final link leads to a site that provides some fine information on the various food stamp benefit program outreach activities that are intended to provide information on eligibility and benefits, with the primary goal of increasing the participation rate amongst those eligible parties."
Review by The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2003

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Household Food Security in the United States, 2002
October 2003
Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Report
"Eighty-nine percent of American households were food secure throughout the entire year 2002, meaning that they had access, at all times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. The remaining households were food insecure at least some time during that year. The prevalence of food insecurity rose from 10.7 percent in 2001 to 11.1 percent in 2002, and the prevalence of food insecurity with hunger rose from 3.3 percent to 3.5 percent. This report is based on data from the December 2002 food security survey."
Summary of Study Findings (PDF file - 73K, 2 pages)
Table of contents + links to all chapters and appendices
Complete report (PDF file - 421K, 58 pages)

Source:
Economic Research Service

Related Links - see to the Canadian Social Research Links Food Banks and Hunger page


America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth
That's what America's Promise is all about - pulling together the might of America's companies, public service groups and children's service providers; their talents and their resources, to strengthen kids. Not just their minds and bodies, but their character as well. And it's working. It will work even better if you and your group join in. It's time to get involved. Join us. " General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret) 
Report to the Nation
The Report to the Nation includes the most up-to-date information from our partners. It summarizes the youth programs they are managing, implementing and supporting in local communities across the country. 

Mystifying Data: Can America's Promise Get Away with It?
July 1999 
From Energize, Inc. - "especially for leaders of volunteers"



Electronic Journals of the U.S. Department of State

"IIP publishes five electronic journals* (Economic Perspectives - U.S. Foreign Policy Agenda - U.S. Society & Values - Global Issues - Issues of Democracy), with a new journal in one of the series appearing each month."
- Links to the most recent four issues of each journal - titles include : Food Security and Safety (May 2002 - see link below) - Human Rights Education (March 2002) - Achieving Sustainable Development (April 2002) - The American Family - Addressing World Poverty (Revised March 2002) - Media & Ethics (April 2001) - etc.
Sample link :
Economic Perspectives - May 2002
Food Security and Safety

*[Earlier Issues of the Electronic Journals] - links to over 65 issues of the five journals mentioned above going back to 1996 - including the following titles : Accountability in Government (August 2000) - Toward Inclusion: Meeting the Needs of Persons with Disabilities in the U.S.(January 1999) - The United States: A Nation of Volunteers (September 1998) - Crafting a Global Trade Strategy: the U.S. and the WTO (February 2000) - Democratic Local Government (April 1999) - Free and Equal: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 50 (October 1998) - Advocacy in America (June 1998) - The Nonprofit Sector: Partner in Civil Society (January 1998) - Social Responsibility in the United States (January 1997) - Free Trade and the Summit of the Americas (March 1998) - A Free Press (February 1997) - Foreign Investment and the MAI (April 1997) - Confronting Human Rights Violations (May 1996) - etc.

Source : Office of International Information Programs (IIP)
(formerly the Information Bureau of the United States Information Agency)


What's New - Government Resources on the Web - links to almost 600 resources added to the University of Michigan's Documents Center since January 2002
Source : University of Michigan Documents Center

Washington File
The Washington File provides United States Government official texts, policy statements and interpretive material, features, and byline articles prepared daily by the U.S Department of State, International Information Programs.
Source : U.S. Department of State


Social Security Administration Home Page - "The Official Web Site of the Social Security Administration" 

US Totalization Agreement with Canada*
Social Security Administration 

(Last revised January 2000) 

Canada-US reciprocal social security agreement 

*Includes brief descriptions of  the various types of Social Security benefits payable under the US and Canadian Social Security systems and briefly describes the eligibility requirements for each. Also includes links to more information from the US and Canada

Social Security Handbook- Your Basic Guide to the Social Security Programs
What programs are included under the Social Security Act and related laws?
The following programs are included: 
A.Retirement insurance;
B.Survivors insurance;
C.Disability insurance;
D.Hospital and medical insurance for the aged, the disabled, and those with end-stage renal disease;
E.Black lung benefits;
F.Supplemental security income;
G.Unemployment insurance; and
H.Public assistance and welfare services, including: 
- Aid to needy families with children;
- Medical assistance;
- Maternal and child health services;
- Child support enforcement;
- Family and child welfare services;
- Food stamps; and
- Energy assistance



Social Security Online

"The Social Security Administration's Web site provides information about Retirement, Survivors and Disability Insurance Benefits, and Supplemental Security Income. The site also provides wage reporting information for employers.

Social Security Online’s new name and look reinforce the Agency’s commitment to providing everyone with choices in ways of conducting business with SSA. Social Security Online continues to offer a variety of online services that allow people to access information and conduct business with SSA from the convenience of their computers at any time.
Some examples are:
Benefits Planner – The online Benefits Planner contains a Retirement Planner, Disability Planner and Survivors Planner with valuable information about retirement, disability and survivors benefits and factors that can affect them.
Social Security eNews – eNews is an electronic newsletter available free to subscribers through SSA’s Internet site.
Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool (B.E.S.T.) – B.E.S.T. is a tool that anyone can use to find out if they may be eligible for benefits from any of the programs that SSA administers.
Business Services Online (BSO) – BSO consists of a suite of services to help companies to conduct business with SSA.
Social Security Online For Women – For Women provides basic Social Security program information on retirement, survivors, disability and SSI benefits pertinent to women.
Multilanguage Gateway – A site providing information online in 15 different languages, including useful information about Social Security programs and SSA’s interpreter service.
The Work Site – The site contains important i