- States straining to repair budgets, By Peter Slevin, July 7, 2009, Washington Post: “Illinois has stopped paying $1,655 a funeral to bury the indigent dead. California is issuing IOUs in place of tax refunds. Ohio’s rainy-day fund has dwindled from nearly $1 billion to exactly 89 cents. Nearly a week into the new budget year, all three states are stymied, unable to balance their books and unable to decide whether to fill the huge gaps with tax increases, spending cuts or both. Either way, it will hurt…”
- Budget nightmare: 10 most broke states, By Scott Mayerowitz and Nathalie Tadena, July 7, 2009, ABC News: “The economic problems of American families are now pounding many state governments which are in turn slashing services to balance their budgets in one of the most difficult years in decades. High on the chopping block are benefits to the poor, money for education, highway repairs, hours that state offices are open and even closures of state parks and recreation areas…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty