January 31, 2014

The Value of a Liberal Arts Degree, Reexamined

Those with a liberal arts degree need not hang their heads in shame.  They can feel vindicated in their choice of major according to the results of the report How Liberal Arts and Science Majors Fare in Employment: A Report on Earnings and Long-Term Career Paths.  A joint effort by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS), the report debunks the myth that a liberal arts degree will only lead to unemployment and low wages.

Inside Higher Ed highlights the report’s findings, which show that while liberal arts majors have lower salaries and higher unemployment rates in the immediate post-graduation years compared to other majors, the gap closes over time.  For instance, in their peak earning ages (56-60), liberal arts majors:
  • make more money, on average, than those who studied in professional and pre-professional fields and
  • make $40,000 more than they did as recent graduates (ages 21-25).
However, there are some instances where the salary gap does not close over time.  Earnings for those with only a bachelor’s degree in the humanities or social sciences peak at about $58,000 per year, the lowest among those with professional, engineering, or physical and natural sciences and mathematics degrees.

Report authors point out that the salary difference could occur in part because liberal arts graduates are more likely to take lower paying jobs, such as social services jobs.  Graduates may take these jobs for a number of reasons:  because they are drawn to the jobs, they are more suited to a wide array of employment, or these are the only jobs available to them.

The full report is only available for a fee, but more information on the report and topic is available at the AAC&U's site.

The U.S. Department of Transportation Consistently Overestimates How Much We Will Drive

The Washington Post recently reported that, for the past decade, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has consistently overestimated future growth in vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) in its biennial Conditions and Performance Report to Congress. The Post cites a study conducted by the State Smart Transportation Initiative that compared the DOT’s 20-year projections of VMT to actual VMT. In every report since 1999, the DOT has predicted a sharp increase in VMT, though in reality VMT growth slowed and seemed to peak in 2007. The 2007 peak could be a “blip” and VMT may increase as the economy improves. But if it is not a blip, these overestimations could have a real effect on planning decisions, indicating a need for road capacity or infrastructure that does not exist.

Though the DOT generates the report, they do not come up with the figures on their own. Instead, they aggregate forecasts given to them by state and local agencies that seem, according to the Post, to “assume it’s still 1980 and driving is going to increase sharply for the foreseeable future.” The article notes that, although it’s not surprising that no one predicted this trend initially, it is surprising that forecasts have not caught up. The DOT’s 2012 report is due soon and may show that transportation estimates are adapting to reality. If not, examining these estimations could be important for future decision making.

Hot Report: Tax Incentives Encouraging the Diversion of Cargo from Highways to Barges

OLR Report 2014-R-0029 answers the question: Do any states offer tax incentives to encourage trucking companies to ship freight by barge or ferry rather than on state highways?

An online search found no statute meant to encourage trucking companies to ship freight by water rather than by road. However, Virginia offers a tax credit to cargo owners who transport by barge or rail rather than by road.

At least four states, including Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, provide indirect incentives for increased port use by offering tax credits to taxpayers who increase the volume of goods they ship through their ports. The laws are described briefly in the report.

OLR Report 2010-R-0305 also includes information about other port-specific tax incentives.

For more information, read the full report.

January 30, 2014

Connecticut Fares Well In Future Student Success and School Finance Rankings

The 2014 Education Week report card, Quality Counts, grades state progress in three key policy areas: K-12 Achievement, Chance for Success, and School Finance.  Connecticut achieved high marks compared to other states in two of these categories.

K-12 Achievement Index measures state performance using 18 criteria, including results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exam, high school graduation rates, and scores on Advanced Placement (AP) exams.  The index analyzes current state performance, improvements over time, and equity as measured by poverty-based achievement gaps.
  • The nation as a whole earned: C-minus
  • Connecticut earned: C-minus (ranked 14th)
The Chance for Success Index measures the link between education and beneficial outcomes at each stage of a person’s life.  It uses indicators that capture three life stages: early childhood, participation and performance in formal education, and educational attainment and workforce outcomes during adulthood.
  • The nation as a whole earned: C-plus
  • Connecticut earned: B-plus (ranked 4th)
School Finance trends are analyzed using eight indicators:  four examine school spending patterns and four use varying approaches to measure funding distribution across districts to examine equity.
  • The nation as a whole earned: C
  • Connecticut earned: B-plus (ranked 4th)

Recommendations for Developing Connecticut Agriculture

The Governor’s Council on Agricultural Development recently issued its 2013 report with 12 recommendations to help Connecticut’s farmers. The council is composed of farmers from various types of farms and locations in the state and is led by state Department of Agriculture Commissioner Steven Reviczky. The council’s recommendations include:
  1. examining contracting and procurement procedures to increase use of Connecticut grown products in public and private schools, higher education institutions, health care facilities, and state institutions;
  2. integrating agriculture into Connecticut’s school curriculum;
  3. examining and suggesting improvements to the agriculture research infrastructure in the state’s higher education facilities and creating partnerships between the state, private industry, and higher education;
  4. examining the potential use of state-owned land for agriculture, leasing at least 4,000 acres for farming by 2015, and setting a long-term goal of using about 16,000 additional acres for farming; and
  5. supporting biomass energy projects on farms without using prime farmland.

January 29, 2014

Can Micro-Living Meet Our Psychological Needs?

Although micro-apartments provide affordable urban housing, experts warn that living in a tiny apartment might seriously impact one’s mental health by creating stress and limiting opportunities for self-expression. 

Often, micro-apartments are only about 300 square feet, requiring occupants to reconfigure the space throughout the day to provide cooking, sleeping, bathing, working, and living facilities (e.g, folding up a Murphy bed, folding down a dining counter).  But experts note that many people find constantly rearranging and tidying their apartment annoying, so they eventually stop, resulting in highly claustrophobic living spaces.  Physical crowding is linked to higher stress levels, as well as higher domestic violence and substance abuse rates.  And, research shows that children living in crowded housing may become withdrawn and develop problems studying and concentrating. 

Additionally, psychologist Samuel Gosling notes that while micro-apartments offer great functionality, they might not meet occupant’s self-expression needs.  With prefabricated elements and limited square footage, these apartments make it difficult for individuals to derive the boost of happiness associated with bringing friends and family into a personalized space. 

But proponents note that for many people, especially single young professionals who are transitioning out of institutional shared living arrangements, micro-living might be less stressful than the alternatives: multiple roommates, a long commute, or unaffordable rent. 

Hot Report: Abortion Clinics in Connecticut - Update

OLR Report 2014-R-0026 answers several questions pertaining to the licensing, inspection, facilities, and procedures of family planning clinics in Connecticut. It updates OLR Report 2013-R-0238 and provides additional information. The questions include:
  1. Does the state license abortion clinics? How many clinics currently exist?
  2. What level of service do the clinics provide?
  3. Are there state sanitation requirements for abortion clinics?
  4. Does the state inspect abortion clinics? Are clinics notified of the inspection in advance?
  5. If DPH finds a violation during an inspection of an abortion clinic, what steps must the clinic take to correct the violation?
  6. Are abortion clinics subject to federal health regulations or inspections?
  7. Have there been any cases of deaths or serious complications attributable to abortion clinics in Connecticut since the state began regulating these clinics?
  8. Have any abortion clinics in Connecticut been closed, either temporarily or permanently, due to a violation of state regulations? Have any been cited for infractions or compliance in the past 10 years?
  9. What records are abortion clinics required to maintain?
  10. What term of pregnancy qualifies for an abortion in Connecticut?
  11. Are late-term abortions treated differently?
  12. What are the licensure requirements to perform or assist in an abortion procedure?
  13. What are the licensure requirements for staff employees?
  14. What anesthesia policies are required for the mother and fetus being aborted?
  15. Are there patient follow-up procedures and if so, are they practiced?
  16. Are patients advised before the abortion about the risks and alternatives?
  17. Are there emergency procedures in place in case there are complications during surgery?
  18. What Connecticut regulations address an abortion procedure where the baby is “born alive”? What is the abortion clinic’s responsibility in this situation?
  19. Are there any “born-alive” statutes in Connecticut similar to the 2002 federal born-alive infants protection act?  
For more information, including answers to these questions, read the full report.

Who Should Pay Their Dues?

Should people who take a unionized job be forced to pay fees to the union even if they don’t want to? That’s the question being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court reports the Washington Post. Last Tuesday, the Court heard debate on this question in a case, Harris v. Quinn, that could have a far reaching impact on public employee unions.

“The case from Illinois concerns home-care workers and whether those who do not join the public-employees union must pay compulsory fees to cover the cost of collective bargaining,” reports the Post. “The Supreme Court since 1977 has said states have the power to require such payments — about half of them use it — so long as the fees are not used for political purposes.”

Connecticut is one of the states that has such a law, so the Court’s decision could affect public employee unions here.

January 28, 2014

The Shrinking Property Tax Base

“Property Tax Base” is a good, concrete metaphor, one that readily evokes images of homes, apartments, shopping malls, office towers, industrial parks, and other properties that generate the revenue cities need to educate children, maintain roads and parks, operate libraries, care for the elderly, conduct health inspections, patrol streets, and provide myriad other services to individuals and the general public.

That same metaphor, though, can also evoke images of boarded up homes, stores, and factories—in short, properties that generate little or none of the revenue cities need to fund the services listed above. The image, in this context, is of an eroding tax base. 

And yet it’s hard to picture an eroding tax base in the hospitals, museums, state facilities, university research laboratories, and institutional buildings that tend to cluster in the cities. These are usually well-maintained properties where people earn a living caring for the sick, preserving our history, delivering state services, discovering new knowledge, or providing charitable services. These activities are conducted on property exempted from property taxes and thus excluded from the property tax base.

And there’s the rub, reported Governing’s Brian Peteritas in November 2012. “A pattern of property disappearing from tax rolls has developed across many of the nation’s urban cores as cities grapple with dwindling tax bases.” Where’s the proof? “In 16 of the 20 most populous cities with available data, tax-exempt properties today account for a higher share of the total assessed value then (sic) they did five years ago.” The extent to which this trend affects a city’s fiscal capacity depends on other factors, such as the amount of funds the city receives from state and federal agencies and its ability to levy other taxes besides property taxes. 

Some cities that depend heavily on the property tax try to recover some of the foregone tax revenue by negotiating “payments in lieu of taxes” (PILOT) with the properties’ nonprofit owners. A Lincoln Land Institute survey found that at least 218 localities in 28 states initiated PILOTs since 2000, Governing reported. But “PILOT revenue hardly registers on most city budgets, generating only 0.13 percent of a typical locality’s general revenue, according to the [Lincoln Land Institute] study.”
 
Besides negotiating PILOTs, city officials are taking a close look at the legal criteria used to determine an organization’s tax-exempt status. Some are also examining how people who work in the city but reside elsewhere benefit from city services. “In Ohio and Kentucky, workers pay some income tax to their place of employment. But in other areas, the tax structure often doesn’t link the user of a service to its cost,” Peteritas stated.

Despite these and other efforts, though, “a comprehensive solution to replenish municipal coffers and shift the tax burden away from residents has yet to emerge,” he added. And yet, Peteritas suggested cities are at a crossroads, quoting University of Illinois at Chicago’s College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs dean, Michael Pagano, who stated, “What we’re facing is one of those once in-a-many generation opportunities to fundamentally revisit the social compact between a city and a region.”

Online Voting in Iceland

Iceland is taking the first steps to having people vote online nationwide. Initially, the system will be used for resident referendums in selected municipalities in 2014 before being used in national elections.

Margrét Hauksdóttir, Director General of Registers Iceland, the country’s office responsible for the operation of elections, claims this will be the first time an entire country will have online-only voting. "Moving to a secure, accessible, and transparent technology platform will make Iceland a reference for modern electoral processes that encompass and embrace day to day use of online channels by our citizens.”

Iceland will be using a system from Spanish voting technology firm Scytl that has been used by municipalities in Norway for a few years. Scytl voting technology is being used in 10 states and the Department of Defense.

January 27, 2014

Hot Report: Service Dogs and the Law

OLR Report 2014-R-0025 answers several questions about service dogs. Does Connecticut law or the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) require proof that a dog is being used to help a person with disabilities to be afforded the protections allowed service dogs and their owners? Is there any Connecticut law on falsely claiming that an animal is a service dog? Do other states have such laws? Has there been any Connecticut legislation on registering service dogs?

Connecticut law requires public accommodations to permit people who are blind, deaf, or mobility impaired to use service dogs to help them. The ADA has similar provisions but covers a wider range of disabilities, including mental and psychiatric disabilities.

Connecticut law does not require a person using a service dog to prove that the dog is being used to help with disabilities in order to be afforded the protections allowed to people using service dogs. Like other dogs, the service dog must be licensed and have a tag. If the dog has not been previously licensed, the owner must present documentation that the dog has been appropriately trained as a service dog to get a license. The ADA does not require such proof and its implementing regulations limit the types of questions that people working in the private and public facilities it covers can ask about the dog or its owner.

There is no Connecticut law on falsely claiming that a dog is a service dog. California, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Washington have such laws. In most cases, the offense is a misdemeanor. In some cases, these laws appear to conflict with the ADA, for example by limiting the use of service dogs to people with physical disabilities. To the extent there is a conflict, it would appear that the ADA would supersede the state law.

No Connecticut legislation on establishing a service dog registry was found.

For more information, read the full report.

Small Business Lending’s Value to Small Banks

A new study finds that small commercial and industrial loans add value for smaller banking organizations and the “value-enhancing effect” comes primarily from loans with original values of no more than $100,000.

The study looks at the direct effects on banks of long-term bank-firm relationships and finds that this “relationship lending” enhances the value of banking institutions.  The study authors state that relationship lending gives a bank an “opportunity to exploit the private information it acquires during the course of relationships,” allows it to sell other products and services to its relationship borrowers, and gives it future opportunities to serve these firms as they grow and expand.  The information a bank gains allows it to understand the credit risk it is taking and the bank likely charges a rate lower than an uninformed bank would, thus giving a firm an incentive to stay with a bank and avoid the costs and time it takes to establish a new relationship with another bank.  At the same time, banks must also invest in information collection and processing activities as part of this relationship, as small firms are usually harder to monitor and evaluate than larger firms.

Using data from a small business loan survey, the authors find that for commercial and industrial loans, small business lending adds value to banking organizations primarily for small and mid-sized banks and primarily due to original loans of no more than $100,000.  But small commercial real estate loans do not add value because they are more transactional than relationship.

January 24, 2014

Categorizing How Seniors Adapt to Disability

The New York Times’ blog The New Old Age reported on a study in the American Journal of Public Health that categorized seniors into one of five groups based on how they have adapted to disability.
The study examined seniors on Medicare. After doing about 8,000 in-person surveys with seniors, the researchers divided them into the following five categories:
  • lives independently without assistance (31%),
  • uses assistive technology to deal with disability (25%),
  • cuts back on activities due to disability but does not acknowledge limitations (6%),
  • copes on their own while admitting that it’s hard to do so (18%), and
  • needs assistance from other people (20%).
One point of note to researchers was just how large the second group was and how well those people seem to be doing. “It’s extremely important for us as a society to understand that getting older and losing some degree of functioning does not have to be equated with the loss of independence,” said Dr. Linda Fried, dean of Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, to the New York Times.

Hot Report: Questions and Answers on Expanding Video Slots in Connecticut

OLR Report 2014-R-0015, a report written jointly with the Office of Fiscal Analysis, answers a number of questions about expanding video slots in Connecticut. 
  1. What is the status of the existing tribal-state slot machine agreements?
  2. How much revenue does the state currently receive under the agreements?
  3. How much revenue, in total, has the state received under the agreements?
  4. How much state revenue is generated currently by existing off-track betting (OTB) licensed facilities?
  5. In what ways would the tribal-state slot machine agreements be affected if video slots were expanded to OTB facilities?
  6. What would have to change in the agreements in order for OTB facilities to conduct video slot gaming?
  7. How much revenue could realistically be generated if video slot machine gaming is expanded to pari-mutuel facilities within the state?
  8. What is the status of the licensing of the pari-mutuel facilities within the state as they exist currently?
  9. How would introducing video slot machines affect the current OTB licenses?
  10. Who would regulate video slot machines if they were allowed in OTB venues?
  11. How much state gambling revenue goes to combat problem gambling?
  12. How many gaming casinos exist in Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island?  How many more are planned?
For the answers to these question, read the report.

Average $10,000 Cost Per Hospital Stay

In 2011, the total cost for all hospital stays in the U.S. was $387.3 billion, according to a recent statistical brief by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.  The average cost per stay was $10,000.  As used in the report, costs include “the actual expenses incurred in the production of hospital services, such as wages, supplies, and utility costs.” 

Among other things, the report also noted the following (all figures are for 2011):
  • Adults aged 45-84 years accounted for almost 2/3 of total hospital costs and had the highest average costs per hospital stay ($12,500 for the 45-64 age group and $12,600 for the 65-84 group).
  • The average cost per stay for younger adults (age 18-44) was $7,400.
  • 47% of total hospital costs were billed to Medicare, 29% were billed to private insurers, and 16% were billed to Medicaid.
  • The three diagnostic categories accounting for the most costs were circulatory conditions (18%), musculoskeletal conditions (14%), and respiratory conditions (11%). 

January 23, 2014

Harnessing the Economic Power of Anchor Institutions

A recent article in Governing emphasizes the unique, important role of universities, hospitals, and other “anchor institutions” in economic development and suggests strategies for maximizing that role. Unlike for-profit businesses that may relocate or downsize, these institutions are rooted in their locations and have a stake in helping their community thrive. The most common anchor institutions—universities and hospitals— are also big contributors to the economy, employing 8% of the national workforce, creating more than 6% of GDP, and controlling over $500 billion in endowment investments.

Anchor institutions are usually tax-exempt nonprofits, and some communities, including New Haven, have adopted PILOT (payments in lieu of taxes) programs to gain additional revenue that could lighten the property tax load. But Ted Howard, community development expert and Governing contributor, suggests a different strategy: institutional “buy-local” initiatives, one that is already being used across the nation as anchor institutions begin to purchase more goods and services from local suppliers and contractors, including minority- and women-owned businesses.

Ted Howard noted that anchor-led development projects come with challenges, such gentrification, and that proper evaluation of any project is essential to its success. The Anchor Dashboard, a product of the Democracy Collaborative, provides tools and indicators to assist communities and institutions in measuring the impact of their efforts, especially their impact on low-income neighborhoods. With the Anchor Dashboard, local governments and anchor institutions can find and evaluate new opportunities to collaborate to improve their communities.

New Haven Debuts a New Municipal Gift Card

Jonathon Nettler at Planetizen recently blogged about New Haven’s “first-of-its-kind” gift card that can be redeemed at shops, restaurants, and parking spots throughout the city.  As the New Haven Independent first reported, city officials hope the “Shop•Dine•Park” pass will help promote the city as a shopping and dining destination. 

The Shop•Dine•Park cards will work just like traditional gift cards, except that users can redeem them at shops, restaurants, and parking spots throughout the city.  The city also plans to link the cards with a text message system that allows users to receive alerts about shopping and dining discounts.
The cards, which will be available online this spring, will cost $3.95, plus the amount loaded onto the card.

January 22, 2014

Report Says Wind Turbines Have Little Impact on Property Values

According to a recent study by the University of Connecticut and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, having a wind turbine near a home has little effect on the home’s value.  The study examined 122,000 home sales between 1998 and 2012 that occurred near the current or future locations of 41 turbines in densely populated Massachusetts communities. 

After controlling for market inflation/ deflation, it found that home prices within a half mile from a wind facility were a statistically insignificant 0.5% higher than they were two years before plans for the facility were announced.  The largest effect on home prices seems to occur after plans for the facility are announced, but before construction has finished.  During this period, home prices decreased 2.3%, although the study also considers this a “non-significant difference” and finds the evidence that a wind facility announcement reduced home prices “weak.”

The study was funded by Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind & Water Power Program.  

Hot Report: Transport, Storage, and Disposal of Fracking Waste

OLR Report 2014-R-0016 answers several questions about fracking waste: How is the transportation, storage, and disposal of fracking waste regulated?  Are there best practices for transporting, storing, and disposing fracking waste? What studies have examined the potential dangers fracking waste poses to the public or ecology?

The transportation, storage, and disposal of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) waste are regulated under a variety of federal and state laws.  Contaminated water, which is fracking’s largest waste product, is typically (1) treated to remove contaminants and discharged into surface waters, (2) recycled for use on other fracking projects, or (3) injected into specialized wells.  Treating and discharging fracking waste water is generally regulated under the federal Clean Water Act, which establishes permitting standards for treatment facilities and water quality standards for the treated water being discharged back into surface waters.  Underground injections of fracking wastewater are regulated under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, which sets permitting requirements for injection wells.  Both laws allow federally approved state agencies to administer them.  States can also enact their own, more stringent, requirements.  Regulating the recycling of fracking waste water is generally left up to the states.

Regulating the handling, storing, and transporting of fracking waste water is also generally left to the states.  In some states, such as Pennsylvania, the waste is regulated under waste management laws that provide detailed standards for storing and transporting waste and procedures for spills or accidental discharges.  Recently enacted regulations in Ohio also require fracking waste water haulers to install and use electronic transponders to monitor their shipments.  Vermont is the only state that has banned the treatment, disposal, or storage of fracking waste, although Connecticut and New Jersey have considered similar bills.

The American Petroleum Institute has published two guidance documents aimed at identifying the industry’s best practices used to minimize environmental impacts associated with the acquisition, use, treatment, and disposal of fracking waste water.  These documents contain numerous general recommendations for planning, training, and collaborating with government authorities when dealing with fracking wastes.  In addition, State Review of Oil and Natural Gas Environmental Regulations, Inc., (STRONGER) issues guidelines for measuring state regulations and performs voluntary state reviews to evaluate a state’s regulations against its guidelines and make recommendations for improvements.  STRONGER is a non-profit, multi-stakeholder organization funded by grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Energy, and American Petroleum Institute.

Several studies on the potential dangers related to fracking waste and its disposal (e.g., seismic activity associated with injection wells, elevated radiation levels, and contamination from chemicals added to fracking fluids) have been published in recent years.  A listing of some those published by government agencies or peer-reviewed journals is included below.  In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to issue its study of the potential impacts of fracking on drinking water resources sometime this year.

For more information, read the full report.

Study Finds Relationship between Gun Ownership and Firearm Homicide Rates in the United States

A study published in November 2013, found a “robust relationship between gun ownership and firearm homicide rates.” The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, encompassed all 50 states and covered some 30 years through 2010. The authors found that for every 1% increase in gun ownership, firearm homicide rates increased by .9%. They said that although they could not establish a causal relationship between gun ownership and firearm homicide rates, they found that states with higher levels of gun ownership had disproportionately large numbers of deaths from firearm-related homicides. The research showed New Hampshire has the lowest firearm-homicide rate (.9%) and Louisiana has the highest (approximately 11%).

January 21, 2014

Study Finds Increased Medicaid Enrollment in Connecticut Since Expansion

Harvard researchers have analyzed administrative data from states that began their Medicaid expansion early, under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which gave states the option of expanding Medicaid coverage to low-income adults. Though many states are just beginning to expand Medicaid in this way, some states, including Connecticut, embarked on this expansion as early as 2010. Data from states like Connecticut and Minnesota may be a harbinger for other states as they expand their coverage.


Source: HealthAffairs.org

Interestingly, researchers have found evidence that some of the new enrollees are switching to Medicaid from private insurance, a phenomenon known as “crowding out.” Researchers say this could account for between 30% and 40% of the increase in Connecticut’s Medicaid enrollment.

It May Not Be Time to Hand in Your Car Keys Just Yet

Aging drivers often fear they will eventually need to give up driving and the independence it allows. Their children worry that there is no other choice: that their parent’s slowing reflexes or failing eyesight is putting them and other at risk on the road.

In some cases, at least, there may be a solution that puts those fears to rest: driving rehabilitation specialists riding with older drivers to observe how well they drive and recommend ways they can stay safe behind the wheel, perhaps with the help of certain exercises, or by limiting driving to daylight hours or to local roads. These specialists, along with advances in automotive technology and online screening assessments, are helping older drivers stay on the road, according to the New York Times. (The specialists also work with drivers with disabilities.)

Additional information on driving rehabilitation specialists can be found at the Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists and the American Occupational Therapy Association.

January 20, 2014

Veterans’ Affairs’ (VA) Mental Health Efforts Fall Short of Need

The VA will spend more than $7 billion on mental health care this fiscal year. But it will still not be enough to meet the needs of veterans who need mental health care, according to a new policy brief from the Center for American Security, which cites the numbers of suicides within this group as the most severe manifestation of the mental health need of veterans.

“Historically veterans’ mental health care needs have risen sharply over time, with peak expenditures occurring 10 to 20 years after the end of war,” the report states. “This was true for the Vietnam War cohort and will likely be true for the post-9/11 combat cohort as well. Now is the time for the VA to act decisively to meet these generations’ needs—while it has ample resources to do so, before the demand among post-9/11 spikes.”

The study recommends several approaches that the VA could use to expand access to mental health care, including better health record sharing, pairing with outside resources and contractors to deliver health services, and investing in emerging technology (e.g., telemedicine) and virtual reality technology. Telemedicine, according to the study author, holds particular promise for expanding VA care in underserved communities (such as rural areas), and for serving the “digital natives of the millennial generation, for whom communication via Skype is as natural as participa¬tion in a Vet Center rap group was for the Vietnam War generation.”

Also, according to the report, the latest advances in avatar technology and artificial intelligence provide computer-generated simulations that can replicate the clinical environment. “These simulations can be used to generate mental health care capacity, through training of new clinicians and developing cultural competency among existing providers. In the future, such technologies could also mature to the point where they can be used for clinical treatment as well. With additional investment and development, virtual reality counseling sessions could be used to moni¬tor veterans and provide other rote forms of clinical support. It is even possible to imagine counseling provided through virtual reality simulations that would go beyond this, such as counseling groups that would bring together veterans in a virtual environment to interact via avatars.”

Enrollment under the Affordable Care Act

A recent article in the New York Times reports on recent enrollment data under the federal Affordable Care Act. According to the Obama administration, 2.2 million people had signed up by December 28 for health insurance through HealthCare.gov and the state-based websites. In December, for the first time since the marketplaces opened, the number of people selecting plans in the federal exchange exceeded the number signing up through state exchanges.
According to administration officials:
  • 55% of people signing up during the first three months are age 45 to 64;
  • 24% are age 18 to 34, the age group that is usually considered healthier and in need of fewer services;
  • 33% are age 55 to 64 (the age range just before people qualify for Medicare);
  • 54% are female and 46% are male; and
  • nearly 80% qualified for federal subsidies to reduce their premiums.
Federal officials said they did not know how many people selecting plans were previously uninsured or how many have paid premiums. The article discusses the implications of these data for the viability of the marketplaces.

January 17, 2014

How Green is your Inn?

Connecticut’s Departments of Economic and Community Development (DECD) and Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) jointly offer a way for hotels in Connecticut to be certified as “green.”

The agencies offer a workbook that guides hotel operators through detailed assessments of their establishments.  It covers 15 different areas ranging from kitchens and food to water conservation and waste management. DEEP scores the workbooks and qualifying hotels are awarded a two-year Connecticut Green Lodging Certification. Non-qualifying hotels can receive free technical assistance from DEEP to increase their scores.

Once qualified, hotels can be listed on DEEP’s Green Lodging page and can advertise as being a certified Connecticut Green Lodging facility.

Hot Report: Transport, Storage, and Disposal of Fracking Waste

OLR Report 2014-R-0016 answers three questions: How is the transportation, storage, and disposal of fracking waste regulated?  Are there best practices for transporting, storing, and disposing fracking waste? What studies have examined the potential dangers fracking waste poses to the public or ecology?

The transportation, storage, and disposal of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) waste are regulated under a variety of federal and state laws.  Contaminated water, which is fracking’s largest waste product, is typically (1) treated to remove contaminants and discharged into surface waters, (2) recycled for use on other fracking projects, or (3) injected into specialized wells.  Treating and discharging fracking waste water is generally regulated under the federal Clean Water Act, which establishes permitting standards for treatment facilities and water quality standards for the treated water being discharged back into surface waters.  Underground injections of fracking wastewater are regulated under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, which sets permitting requirements for injection wells.  Both laws allow federally approved state agencies to administer them.  States can also enact their own, more stringent, requirements.  Regulating the recycling of fracking waste water is generally left up to the states.

Regulating the handling, storing, and transporting of fracking waste water is also generally left to the states.  In some states, such as Pennsylvania, the waste is regulated under waste management laws that provide detailed standards for storing and transporting waste and procedures for spills or accidental discharges.  Recently enacted regulations in Ohio also require fracking waste water haulers to install and use electronic transponders to monitor their shipments.  Vermont is the only state that has banned the treatment, disposal, or storage of fracking waste, although Connecticut and New Jersey have considered similar bills.

The American Petroleum Institute has published two guidance documents aimed at identifying the industry’s best practices used to minimize environmental impacts associated with the acquisition, use, treatment, and disposal of fracking waste water.  These documents contain numerous general recommendations for planning, training, and collaborating with government authorities when dealing with fracking wastes.  In addition, State Review of Oil and Natural Gas Environmental Regulations, Inc., (STRONGER) issues guidelines for measuring state regulations and performs voluntary state reviews to evaluate a state’s regulations against its guidelines and make recommendations for improvements.  STRONGER is a non-profit, multi-stakeholder organization funded by grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Energy, and American Petroleum Institute.

Several studies on the potential dangers related to fracking waste and its disposal (e.g., seismic activity associated with injection wells, elevated radiation levels, and contamination from chemicals added to fracking fluids) have been published in recent years.  A listing of some those published by government agencies or peer-reviewed journals is included below.  In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to issue its study of the potential impacts of fracking on drinking water resources sometime this year.

For more information, read the full report.

Free Credit Monitoring for Target Customers

The state attorney general and consumer protection commissioner are urging all Connecticut residents who shop at Target stores to take advantage of the store’s free one year credit monitoring offer, due to the data breach last month.

Consumers can register for free credit monitoring at: creditmonitoring.target.com.  Target also provides answers to frequently asked questions on the credit monitoring

The free credit monitoring is offered through Experian’s ProtectMyID, which provides a copy of a credit report, daily credit monitoring, identity theft insurance, and access to a fraud resolution agent.
Consumers may request an activation code until April 23, 2014.  If they have questions, they are encouraged to visit target.com/databreach or call Target at 866-852-8680.

January 16, 2014

Unpaid Interns at Colleges and Universities

ProPublica recently examined unpaid internships offered by colleges and universities in light of federal guidelines related to the Fair Labor Standards Act.  It found that many institutions advertise internships that blur the lines between offering students learning experiences and the institutions gaining labor benefits, particularly for positions in their athletic departments.

As non-profits, colleges and universities receive more leeway under the regulations.  However, labor attorneys and internship directors agree that schools should follow the spirit of the regulations, which includes:
  • offering internships with clearly defined academic components,
  • helping students grow personally and professionally,
  • ensuring unpaid internships are consistent with the institution’s mission, and
  • avoiding displacing an employee with an intern who performs the same work for free.
A pending legal case against Hamilton College alleges that the school’s athletic department improperly classified employees as interns to avoid paying the minimum wage.  The plaintiff, who was not a student during his internship, claims he was paid about $1,000 per month but sometimes worked up to 90 hours per week and was given additional responsibilities without a pay increase.

The Promulgated Volcker Rule

On December 10, 2013, the Volcker Rule, prohibiting proprietary trading by banks, was released having received final approval from five federal regulatory agencies – the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Securities Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

The promulgated rule is named after the former Federal Reserve chairman, Paul A. Volcker.  A recent New York Times article describes the Volcker Rule as a centerpiece of the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul law, which viewed proprietary trading and hedge fund investments as risky activities that banks relying on taxpayer guarantees should not engage in.

According to the article, among other things, the rule specifies that:
  1. most proprietary trading is prohibited,
  2. banks are allowed to facilitate trades (i.e., bringing together buyers and sellers of securities),
  3. hedging must be against identifiable risks associated with specific investment positions,
  4. banks must specify in advance the way in which a particular trade serves as a hedge, and
  5. chief executives must attest that the required processes are in place.
The Volcker Rule will be fully in place in 2015.  According to the article, the federal regulators have stated that they will collect and analyze data relating to trading activities and revise the rules as appropriate.
 

January 15, 2014

Supervising Cybercrime Offenders

According to a recent article in a federal courts newsletter, a working group of federal probation and pretrial service officers is looking for better ways to monitor offenders who commit crimes using electronic devices.

With the widespread use of these devices in society, their criminal use is no longer limited to typical “cybercrimes,” like identity or data theft, and their use in other crimes is expanding, including fraudulent online sales, extortion, credit card fraud, and child pornography.  And it no longer takes a sophisticated, tech savvy person to use such a device to commit a crime.

The working group is looking to develop a policy and strategy for supervising and investigating these defendants and offenders where none currently exists.  Among the issues they are considering is determining the appropriate level of supervision based on an offender’s technological sophistication.  For example, the article states that banning computer use is not always appropriate but in some cases may be a necessary condition of supervision, especially when offenders’ knowledge of technology surpasses the ability of officials to monitor them.

The group is considering contracting nationally for computer monitoring services and developing a protocol for the types of monitoring needed for offenders.  They are also considering creating “cybercrime specialists” who would collaborate with other officials on cases involving technology, expanding training programs, and partnering with the FBI to improve computer forensic resources available to the officers.

Hot Report: Driving Without Automobile Insurance

OLR Report 2013-R-0479 answers two questions: During fiscal years (FYs) 2010 to 2012, how many people violated state law requiring motorists to maintain automobile insurance (CGS §§ 14-213b and 38a-371) and what were the dispositions for those offenses?

In Connecticut, it is illegal to operate a motor vehicle without having the required minimum automobile insurance (CGS § 14-213b).  It is also illegal to fail to insure a private motor vehicle (CGS § 38a-371). 

According to Connecticut Judicial Department data, there were 75,882 instances in FYs 2010 to 2012 in which police cited a person for not having automobile insurance.  Of these, 62,869 (83%) were for operating a vehicle without insurance under CGS § 14-213b and 13,013 (17%) were for failing to insure a private motor vehicle under CGS § 38a-371.  Of the 75,882 offenses, 85 (less than 1%) resulted in convictions; 4,531 (6%) entered guilty pleas; and 63,499 (84%) were nolles (i.e., not prosecuted).  In 7,591 (10%) cases, the person cited failed to appear in court.

For more information, read the full report.

Issues Relating to Aggregate Contribution Limits

In October the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case (McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission) that challenges aggregate contribution limits in federal election cycles. With the case still pending, the Congressional Research Service recently published a report that examines the arguments for and against the aggregate limits, as well as the policy implications of striking down the limits.

A decision in the case is expected later this year.

January 14, 2014

Questioning Programs for Gifted Students

So let’s say your academic performance in middle school is just barely good enough to get you accepted into the gifted and talented program. It should be great news. You will be in class with the best and brightest of your school! This atmosphere will stimulate and challenge you to do your very best!

But that is not what a new study found. The Atlantic recently reported on the study, which was published in American Economic Journal: Economic Policy. The Atlantic article and the study report evidence that students who just made it over the threshold to be accepted into gifted and talented programs did not do better than students who were just shy of being accepted.

Three academics analyzed the test scores of 14,000 fifth graders in a U.S. urban school district, according to the magazine. “The goal was to compare how students of roughly the same abilities do when they are in gifted classes with how they do in regular classes. If the gifted and talented programs are effective, then the marginal students should end up with higher test scores then the marginal students in regular classes,” notes The Atlantic. “If they are not effective, then both sets of students will have around the same scores.”

For this particular sample, the students had about the same scores after a year and a half. One researcher is quoted as saying there was essentially no difference between the two groups. The researchers indicate they will continue to follow these students to attempt to analyze the longer term impact of gifted programs.

Surge in Renter Household Growth, Erosion in Renter Incomes

Home renting rates for households ages 30 to 64 are at their highest in the last 30 years, according to a recent report from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. Reasons for the surge may include the wave of foreclosures in 2008 that highlighted the risks of homeownership, such as “the potential loss of wealth from falling home values, the high costs of relocating, and the financial and personal havoc caused by foreclosure.”

The report also notes declining renter incomes, finding that the share of renters paying more than 30% of their income for housing grew to 50% in 2010, up from 38% in 2000. The authors claim that as Americans turn to the rental market and rents rise faster than income, more people pay more than they can afford for rent, and as a result, must spend less on other vital needs.

January 13, 2014

More Gun Violence in PG-13 Films

A study published in December found that the level of gun violence in the most popular PG-13 rated movies has been increasing, and now exceeds the level of gun violence in the most popular R-rated movies, the New York Times reports.

The study, published in the December 2013 issue of Pediatrics, found that instances of gun violence had risen steadily in PG-13 films since the introduction of the PG-13 rating about 30 years ago. In the most popular PG-13 and R-rated films, episodes of gun violence occurred more than twice an hour on average.

A PG-13 rating cautions parents that the movie contains some material that may be inappropriate for children. Children under 17 cannot see an R-rated movie unless accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.

Hot Report: Use of Magnesium Chloride During Snow Storms

OLR Report 2014-R-0001 answers the questions: Does magnesium chloride, which the state uses in combination with salt to remove snow from the roads, cause more corrosion than other deicers? Is it possible to add a rust inhibitor to this chemical to reduce the amount of corrosion? How much would that cost?

The state Department of Transportation (DOT) uses liquid magnesium chloride to pre-wet salt it applies to roads during snowstorms. Magnesium chloride, like other such chemicals, is corrosive. DOT is aware of the chemical’s effect on vehicles, but says chloride salts are currently the most effective and economical material for maintaining safe winter roads, and that the benefits of a chloride-based snow and ice program for motorists’ safety and the efficient flow of traffic far outweigh the increased risk of corrosion.

DOT began using liquid chemicals to pre-wet salt in 2006. It first used calcium chloride for this purpose, but switched to magnesium chloride because magnesium chloride was more readily available, less costly, and generally more effective.

It is possible to add a rust inhibitor to the liquid chemicals DOT uses for snow removal, and DOT has done so in the past. DOT estimates it would cost between 10 cents and 20 cents per gallon to add a rust inhibitor, or between $100,000 and $200,000 per million gallons (the amount DOT uses in a winter). However, cost is not the primary reason DOT does not currently use an inhibitor. DOT initially used an inhibitor to the calcium chloride solution, but discontinued its use in 2007 for a number of reasons, including the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s (DEEP) concern that the rust inhibitor was depleting oxygen levels in state streams, posing a threat to aquatic life.

DOT says it is constantly evaluating new products, and would probably add an inhibitor if DEEP approved it and its benefits outweigh its cost.

For more information, read the full report.

Ten Principles for Building Healthy Places

The Urban Land Institute recently released its report titled Ten Principles for Building Healthy Places.  Recognizing that physical design impacts mental and physical well-being, the Institute worked with health care, architecture, planning, development, and finance experts to identify 10 principles for developing communities that support healthy lifestyles.  They are:
  1. Put People First, because people are more likely to be active in a community designed with a human, not automobile, in mind;
  2. Recognize the Economic Value of Healthy Places, because studies show consumers of all ages want to live in walkable communities;
  3. Empower Champions for Health, by cultivating community leaders who promote the concept of healthy places;
  4. Energize Shared Spaces, to encourage “serendipitous social interaction”;
  5. Make Healthy Choices Easy, by removing physical barriers to an active lifestyle;
  6. Ensure Equitable Access, as certain groups (such as children, seniors on fixed incomes, and people with disabilities) often have limited access to services, amenities, and opportunities associated with healthy lifestyles;
  7. Mix It Up, because mixed-use developments promote walking;
  8. Embrace Unique Character, because unique communities are cohesive communities, and cohesive communities have better health;
  9. Promote Access to Healthy Food, because building healthy communities starts with physical access to nutritious food; and
  10. Make It Active, by considering how physical design can make regular exercise attractive and easy.

January 10, 2014

Connecticut Ranks High in Usage of Assisted Reproductive Technology

A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ranks Connecticut among the states with the highest usage rate of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). As used in the report, ART includes “fertility treatments in which both eggs and sperm are handled in the laboratory,” such as in vitro fertilization.

According to the report, Connecticut was among four states with a rate of ART procedures that was at least double the national average in 2010, looking at the number of procedures per 1 million women of reproductive age.  The other three states were Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York.  These four states were also the highest in the number of ART births as a percentage of total births.  In Connecticut, 3.7% of infants born in 2010 were born with the use of ART.  The national figure was 1.5%.

Nationally, over 147,000 ART procedures at fertility clinics were reported to CDC for 2010, resulting in 47,090 live-birth deliveries and 61,564 infants. 

Planning for Sea Level Rise

The Nature Conservancy has developed a mapping tool to help Connecticut and New York officials visualize how rising sea levels and storm surges could affect communities.

The tool allows the user to see the projected sea level along the Connecticut shore in 2020, 2050, and 2080 and identify public infrastructure and land use patterns, including schools and other critical facilities, open spaces, and zoning districts. The tool also allows users to examine the spread of marshland, which act as a natural buffer to flood waters.

The Nature Conservancy has also developed similar tools for the Florida Keys, the Gulf of Mexico, New Jersey, and Puget Sound in Washington state.

January 9, 2014

A Minimum Wage Q and A

With Connecticut and several other states raising their minimum wages at the start of 2014, a recent article in The Atlantic takes a “Q and A” approach to some of the burning issues that seem perpetually to surround minimum wage increases.  Among the questions asked and answered:
  • How many people earn the minimum wage? About 1.57 million Americans, or 2.1% of the hourly workforce, earned the minimum wage in 2012.  But a minimum wage increase could also lead to wage increases for around 11% of workers.
  • Are most minimum wage earners teenagers? About one-third of minimum wage workers are teenagers and 62% of minimum wage workers under age 25 are enrolled in some kind of schooling.  The average household income for minimum wage earners over 25 is $42,000 a year. 
  • Does a minimum wage increase kill jobs? After almost a century of debate, economists still have not come to any consensus on the issue.  In general, one side believes that an increase forces business to get thinner, while the other believes that an increase forces business to become more efficient.  Each side questions the other’s methodology.  

How Would B.F. Skinner Stimulate The Economy?

In his 1971 classic, Beyond Freedom and Dignity, behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner argued that a “technology of human behavior” could solve almost all major human problems, from over-population to warfare. Could a science of human technology figure out how to stimulate the economy by getting people and businesses to spend money? Maybe, but first economists might have to examine some of their closely held beliefs about human behavior.

Source: PSY 1001 blog

That’s a fair inference, given European Central Bank board member Peter Praet’s remarks last October at an economic conference in Frankfurt, Germany. “Individual households are heterogeneous in many respects,” Praet said. Hence, “it is important to measure and analyze this heterogeneity because it can have important implications for aggregate figures.” Bloomberg Businessweek’s Brendan Greeley boiled down Praet’s remarks to this: “People are different . . . and we need to understand how to understand the economy.”

This makes sense, but many economists based their predictions on a “single imaginary person who stands in for everyone,” one who, like any rational person, will spend an extra dollar (or euro). If that’s the case, then why do we need any data to tell us that, Greeley opined. “And conveniently, relying on a single person made the math behind the modeling easier,” he added.

The International Monetary Fund economists are rethinking some of their modeling assumptions. In a 2013 working paper, IMF economists Olivier Blanchard and Daniel Leigh found mistakes in the fund’s growth forecasts, concluding, “Consumption may have depended more on current than on future income.”

Another reason for the models’ faulty predictions lies in new economic trends that emerged in 2010. The drop in home values, tighter credit, and frozen interest rates were some of the trends the traditional models did not foresee, according to Christopher Carroll, a professor from Johns Hopkins. Carroll also presented at the Frankfurt conference, bolstering claims by earlier researchers challenging the “single imaginary person” model.
 
Carroll argued for a multi-agent model after observing differences in the spending habits of poor and rich people. Summarizing Carroll’s analysis, Greeley wrote, “Rich people behave like the hyperrational agent. They plan for the future. They save during a stimulus, thinking about the taxes to come. And they can borrow during a fiscal contraction.” On the other hand, “poor people are what economists call ‘borrowing constrained.’ They tend to have more needs than are being met, so when money arrives, they spend it.”
 
So, how would Dr. Skinner stimulate the economy?  No one can say for sure (he died in 1990), but, as a behavioral scientist, he might begin by studying spending behavior and the stimuli that trigger it, noting how different stimuli affect different groups of people. But perhaps Skinner wouldn’t assume that having extra money necessarily stimulates economic growth. Instead, he might begin by identifying the behaviors associated with such growth and the stimuli that shape and maintain them.

January 8, 2014

Declining Electricity Sales and Utilities

The Washington Post reports that while the economy continues to grow and people are buying larger homes, utility companies have been selling less and less electricity since 2011.  After rebounding in 2010 following the end of the Great Recession, electricity sales declined in 2011 and 2012, and the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects that they declined again in 2013, and will continue to decline in the next two years.

The article attributes this downward trend to:
  1. A 5% decline in residential electricity use in 2011 and 2012, despite the fact that more houses were being built and homes were actually getting larger. EIA attributes this decline to more efficient household appliances, better-insulated newer homes, and warmer winters.
  2. Office buildings becoming more efficient as efficiency standards for lighting and space heating go into effect.
  3. Industrial sector electricity use remaining below 2007 levels, reflecting a combination of economic and efficiency factors.
  4. Solar power and other forms of on-site generation possibly reducing utility sales.
While solar power currently accounts for a very small part of electric generation, solar prices are falling rapidly and could pose a serious threat to utilities. In response, some utilities have proposed charging people who generate their own power a surcharge to reflect the utilities’ on-going costs. Other utilities have proposed that states decouple their rates from their sales.

Esurance Gives Parents a Tool to Help Teens Become Safe Drivers

The Detroit News and The Atlantic recently reported that Esurance’s (an insurance company) Drive Safe™ technology is now available free-of-charge to parents in 38 states, including Connecticut, to help parents remotely monitor their teens’ driving behavior and keep them safe behind the wheel. The technology consists of a device that plugs into a car’s onboard diagnostics port and an app installed in a teen’s smart phone.  Together these components allow parents to (1) block access to certain websites and cell phone apps, including texting, while driving and (2) receive reports about their teens’ driving behavior, including speeding, hard braking, and driving after curfews. The only thing parents cannot block or restrict is access to 911. The technology also alerts parents about attempts to tamper with the device or delete the app from the phone.

The Atlantic article notes that a device from Cellcontrol.com performs many of the same functions and is available to people who are not Esurance customers.

January 7, 2014

Cramming Doesn’t Just Happen in Schools

The December 19, 2013 edition of Stateline describes recent state efforts to combat cramming (consumers being charged for telecommunications services they did not order). As many as 20 million people are crammed each year, but the Federal Communications Commission estimates that only about 5% of affected consumers realize it. Cellphone and landline cramming could cost consumers up to $2 billion annually. The report notes that in Vermont, 12,500 households and businesses are receiving refunds (totaling more than $900,000) for illegitimate charges on their landline phone bills. 

According to the article, in the case of cellphones:

cramming often begins when a consumer receives a text message with an offer to enter a contest. By replying, the consumer unknowingly signs up for a . . . service that provides the latest weather, traffic, news, sports or celebrity gossip. The charge for this “service” ends up on the consumer’s cellphone bill, often labeled as a “premium text message.”

In November 2013, the Texas Attorney General filed a lawsuit against four content providers behind a cramming scam, as well as a company that handled billing for cellphone carriers. Two weeks after Texas filed its lawsuit, “three major wireless carriers — AT&T Mobility, Sprint and T-Mobile — said they would no longer charge their customers for commercial ‘premium text messages,’ which account for the overwhelming majority of cramming complaints.”

Prescription Drug Abuse Up; Ecstasy Down

Prescription drug abuse continues to be the nation’s fastest growing drug problem, according to the U.S. Justice Department’s 2013 annual National Drug Threat Assessment report, released in November. The rate of prescription drug abuse is second only to abuse of marijuana.  Also, trafficking in heroin continues to increase, as well as the availability of methamphetamine and marijuana. The abuse of synthetic designer drugs has also emerged as a serious threat.

But the news is not all bad. Cocaine availability and abuse continued a five-year decline. And, survey, seizure, and treatment data suggest that the availability and abuse of Ecstasy “may have peaked.”

The report is based on (1) quantitative data from various sources, including seizures, arrests, and law enforcement agencies and (2) qualitative information, including information on smuggling and transportation trends.

January 6, 2014

Stop-and Frisk Makes Young Adults Distrustful of the Criminal Justice System

A September 2013 study by the Vera Institute of Justice, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit center for justice policy and practice, confirms what many have long argued—that stop-and-frisk policing leads to mistrust of police. The study found a very high correlation between young people who had been stopped and frisked and unwillingness to cooperate with police.  The study, which was conducted in the fall of 2011 in “highly patrolled, high-crime areas” in New York City neighborhoods, surveyed approximately 500 people between ages 18 and 25 and conducted in-depth interviews with a smaller sample of 13-21 year-olds.

Among the key findings:
  1. “For many young people, stops are a familiar and frequent experience,” with 44% of those surveyed reporting they had been stopped repeatedly—nine times or more. Less than one-third (29%) reported being given a reason for the stop.
  2. “Frisks, searches, threats, and use of force are common.” 71% of those surveyed reported being frisked at least once, and 64% said they had been searched.
  3. “Trust in law enforcement and willingness to cooperate with police is alarmingly low.”
  4. “Young people who have been stopped more often in the past are less willing to report crimes, even when they themselves are victims.”

From Boots to Suits

The Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) is a consortium of business schools and universities hosting a program for veterans interested in starting and owning businesses. The University of Connecticut School of Business is one of eight participating institutions. The veterans who participate in the program receive business suits, laptops, and training on the fundamentals of business ownership.

Veterans interested in participating apply to the program at one of the eight institutions. To qualify, applicants should:
  • have separated from active duty service after 2001 or be in the administrative process of separating,
  • have a ‘service-connected disability’ as a result of military service (including activated National Guard and Reserves), and
  • demonstrate a strong interest in entrepreneurship and small business ownership or management.
UConn has participated in the program since 2010 and welcomed 23 veterans in 2013. The program is largely privately funded and offered at no cost to post-9/11 veterans with service-connected disabilities. Participating veterans also receive ongoing technical assistance after the bootcamp.

January 3, 2014

Dream Your Way to Economic Growth

Emerging economies beat mature ones when it comes to the rate of economic growth, according to the World Bank. The bank projects an average 4.7% growth rate for the former between 2011 and 2025 compared with 2.3% for the latter during the same period. What gives? Why the disparity?

Dreams, according to Rolf Jensen and Mika Aaltonen, authors of The Renaissance Society: How the Shift from Dream Society to the Age of Individual Control Will Change the Way You Do Business (2013).  “Economic growth is dream-driven,” they wrote, and emerging economies, such as those of China and India, are driven by people who dream for material wealth and higher incomes. Mature economies, such as those of North America, Western Europe, and Japan have mostly fulfilled their people’s material dreams and now they’re working on the next ones. 
Source: Strategos
And what could those dreams be? Nonmaterial ones. Here, Jensen’s and Aaltonen’s argument is reminiscent of Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (from Psy. 101). After satisfying the basic physical needs (i.e., food, shelter, and physical safety), Maslow argued that individuals work to satisfy other, less physical needs, such as friendship, recognition, and personal fulfillment. 

Well, people living in mature economies “want to own their lives and to choose a path in life themselves.” If that’s the case, then mature economies face five big challenges, according to Jensen and Aaltonen:
  1. developing products and services that appeal to people’s hearts as well as their wallets;
  2. treating customers as individuals, giving them a say in designing products and services (i.e., co-creation);
  3. decentralizing decision-making and shrinking work units, thus giving employees more say in designing, making, and delivering products and services;
  4. factoring in people’s emotions and feelings when promoting innovative thinking; and
  5. developing a workplace where people work together as teammates.
The emerging economies have their challenges too, including getting ready for the next dream, developing basic infrastructure, educating more people for knowledge jobs, getting ready to manufacture complex goods, and coping with the effects of automation (after it is introduced to reduce rising labor costs).

Federal Health Care Reform Not Headed for Death Spiral

According to experts at the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), the federal Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare, is likely not headed for an actuarial death spiral, as some have predicted.  The Washington Post reports that KFF’s new brief analyzes what would happen if young adults (those under 35) do not enroll in health insurance as required by federal law.  The worry is that if not enough young, healthy people sign up for coverage, premiums will increase as the insurance plans face claims of older, sicker enrollees.  As a result, the market will become unstable as fewer and fewer people can afford coverage.  But KFF experts say that even if young adults sign up at half the rate the administration anticipates, premiums would go up by only a few percentage points, which would not be enough to trigger a death spiral.

January 2, 2014

An Economic Development Success Formula: Connect Smart, Independent, and Weird People and Let Them Do Their Thing

If you want to spawn new businesses, concentrate many smart, independent, and weird people in a relatively small place. Do you want proof that this works? Look at Boulder, Colorado.

“Boulder is a phenomenal example of what you would define as a creative class city. While it’s small (only [about] 100,000 people, it has an extremely high concentration of smart people,” thanks largely to the University of Colorado, national research labs, a “hippie/creative accepting culture dating back to the 1960s, and many decades of independent entrepreneurial thinkers,” author Brad Feld told The Atlantic Cities’ Richard Florida in a 2012 interview. Field wrote, Startup Communities: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City.
Source: Innovation Management
Getting smart, independent, and weird people in one place creates “a beautiful recipe for an incredibly entrepreneurial community,” Field added.  Although many of these people come out of the universities, they create entrepreneurial sparks when they bump into each other, revealing an intricate pattern of social webs and networks. “Startup communities are networks with all of the participants as nodes in the network, connecting them together,” Feld explained.

Networks carry the day. “A university is a great input into a startup community, but it can’t be the leader, or controller of it.” Unlike networks, universities are hierarchical. “In a startup community, if you have hierarchies trying to lead, or control, you’ll have failure because of the long term goals and motivations are so fundamentally different.”

Universities can help build networks, but shouldn’t run them. They can act as “conveners for entrepreneurial activity, attracting smart new people to the community, spinning off research into companies, and building bridges between students and the startup community. But if the entrepreneurs rely on the university to lead the startup community, there will be disappointment.”

Pilot Program Allows Limited Representation in Family Support Matters

As reported on the Judicial Branch’s website, a new pilot program launching January 6th will allow attorneys to file notices of limited appearance for family matters and family support magistrate matters.  This allows a client to hire an attorney to appear on the client’s behalf for a limited event or court proceeding. The client must also file an appearance if he or she has not already done so. The pilot program is authorized by a revision to the Connecticut Practice Book (Rule 3.8). 

Among other things, the Judicial Branch website has answers to frequently asked questions about the pilot program and other circumstances when limited scope representation is permitted.  For example, if the client and attorney later agree that the attorney will provide legal help beyond what is specified in the limited appearance form, the attorney must file either a second limited appearance or a general appearance form, depending on the scope of the agreement.

January 1, 2014

Can Zoning Regulations Authorize the Zoning Commission to Waive Certain Regulatory Requirements?

According to a recent state Appellate Court decision, the answer is no.  Although zoning regulations commonly include provisions allowing a commission to vary procedural or substantive requirements on a case-by-case basis (e.g., frontage, landscape buffers, and setbacks), the court ruled that a commission lacks statutory authority to adopt regulations empowering itself to vary regulatory requirements when acting on a special exception request (Mackenzie v. Planning & Zoning Commission of Monroe, 146 Conn. App. 406).  The court held that (1) the power to vary zoning regulations lies exclusively with the zoning board of appeals and (2) the uniformity requirement in CGS § 8-2 (which requires zoning regulations to be applied equally and fairly within a given district) precludes case-by-case variance of regulations.

So what does this mean for the many towns that have these types of provisions written into their zoning regulations?  Without a legislative change, zoning commissions may choose not to waive any regulatory requirements even if their zoning regulations allow it.

Losses from Identity Theft Exceeded $24 Billion in 2012

The Bureau of Justice Statistics recently released a report on identity theft victimization in 2012.  According to the report, about 7% of U.S. residents age 16 or older were victimized by identity theft at least once in 2012.  That year, victims reported $24.7 billion in direct and indirect losses from identity theft. By comparison, victims of burglary, motor vehicle theft, and other thefts reported $14 billion in losses combined.

Among other findings in the report:
  • 85% of identity theft incidents involved the unauthorized use of an existing account.
  • 91% of victims did not know anything about the offender’s identity.
  • Among victims who had resolved any problems related to the identity theft when interviewed for the study, the majority spent less than a day resolving the problem; about 10% needed more than a month to resolve it.
For tips on what to do if you’ve been victimized by identity theft, see the Federal Trade Commission website.