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University of Wisconsin–Madison
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty

Day: May 9, 2013

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

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Cuts are coming for food stamps if farm bill is passed, though unclear how deep, By Mary Clare Jalonick (AP), May 8, 2013, Washington Post: “The government’s food stamp program, which helps feed 1 in every 7 America, was one of the few programs exempted from this year’s automatic spending cuts. But now it is likely to get trimmed. Unresolved is by how much. The Democratic chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee is only willing to take roughly one-half of 1 percent, or about $400 million annually, off the top as the panel prepares to move a massive farm bill through committee next week. Her Republican counterpart in the House, also preparing to consider a farm bill next week, would give the program a makeover and cut it by five times that amount…”

Education and the Working Poor – California

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  • Lack of learning among low-income families could hamper California’s economic recovery, report says, By Josh Dulaney, May 8, 2013, Long Beach Press-Telegram: “A new report released Wednesday cautions that the lack of higher education among California’s low-income families could further hurt the state’s economy over the next decade. According to the Los Angeles-based Campaign for College Opportunity, which worked on the report with the Women’s Foundation of California, the state faces a shortage of 2.3 million college graduates and those with vocational certificates by 2025, even as the demand for highly educated workers continues to grow…”
  • State working poor lack education opportunities, report says, By Carla Rivera, May 8, 2013, Los Angeles Times: “California has the highest number of working poor families in the nation, but the state does an ineffective job of providing educational opportunities to boost them out of poverty, according to a new report released Wednesday. The report, Working Hard, Left Behind, found that the state has the largest number of adults without a high school diploma or equivalent and ranks last among states in the percentage of low-income working families in which neither parent has a college education…”