New Report Tracks Trends in State Financial Aid Programs Enacted by Legislatures

The Education Commission of the States (ECS), a nonpartisan organization created by the states that tracks education policy, recently released a report examining the types of financial aid programs enacted by state legislatures during the 2013 and 2014 sessions.  ECS found that major trends included (1) changes to need and merit-based programs, (2) linkage of financial aid programs and workforce demands, and (3) creation of two- to four-year transfer student pathways.


The report also focused on states that passed laws creating commissions to examine college affordability, as well as those enacting programs related to loan repayment assistance or forgiveness.  It concludes with predictions for legislative financial aid policy issues in upcoming sessions.
For more information, read the report at:


http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/01/15/62/11562.pdf

Geoengineering to Counter Climate Change

The New York Times reports on a possible solution to global warming: olivine, a green-tinted mineral that naturally removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere when exposed to the elements. Dr. Olaf Schuiling, a retired geochemist, suggests that people could speed up the removal process by spreading olivine, which is found throughout the world, on fields, beaches, and other places. By spreading large quantities of olivine around, Dr. Schuiling believes we could remove enough carbon dioxide to slow the rise in temperatures that climate change causes, although it may take decades to see an impact. This is an example of geoengineering, intentionally manipulating nature, which scientists are currently considering. According to the article, the National Academy of Sciences is expected to publish a report on geoengineering later this year.


Click here to read the full New York Times article.

Tips to Avoid Home Fires During Winter Months

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) have teamed up to “Put a Freeze on Winter Fires.”  The NFPA and USFA are working together to inform the public about ways to keep the public fire-safe this winter.  They are targeting home heating and cooking, which are the leading causes of home fires, particularly during winter months.


According to a recent NFPA report, in 2010, heating equipment was involved in 57,100 reported U.S. structure fires, with associated losses of 490 civilian deaths, 1,530 civilian injuries, and $1.1 billion in property damage.


NFPA and USFA recommend these safety tips:

1. stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling, or broiling food;
2. if leaving the kitchen, even for a short time, turn off the stove;
3. keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from space heaters;
4. check electrical cords and replace damaged ones;
5. do not use an oven or stovetop to heat the home;
6. do not put a Christmas tree up too early and take it down before it dries out;
7. use “flameless” candles; and
8. only use fire-safe cigarettes and smoke outside.

For more information, go to:

• USFA’s website: www.usfa.fema.gov/winter
• NFPA’s website:  www.nfpa.org/winter
• Connecticut’s Commission on Fire Prevent and Control’s website:  http://www.ct.gov/cfpc/cwp/view.asp?Q=515086

 

Slight Decrease in Household Food Insecurity

According to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Economic Research Service, the percentage of American households that experienced food insecurity declined slightly from 2011 (14.9%) to 2013 (14.3%). During the same period, the number of households that experienced very low food security remained essentially the same (5.7% in 2011 and 5.6% in 2013). The report defines households with (1) “food insecurity” as those in which “access to adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other resources” and (2) “very low food security” as those in which “the food intake of one or more household members was reduced and their eating patterns were disrupted at times during the year because the household lacked money and other resources for food.”  The chart below shows how these statistics have changed since 2000.

According to the report, the prevalence of (1) food insecurity ranged from 8.7% (North Dakota) to 21.2% (Arkansas) and (2) very low food security ranged from 3.1% (North Dakota) to 8.4% (Arkansas). For 2013, 13.4% of Connecticut’s population experienced food insecurity and 5.0% were, at times, very food insecure.

In a related USDA blog post, one of the researchers noted that households with children generally have higher rates of food insecurity than those without children. “Most parents try to protect their children from food insecurity to the extent they can. So in about half of these food-insecure households [with children], only adults were food insecure.” In 2013, approximately 0.9% of households with children (360,000 households) faced such severe food insecurity that the children had to skip a meal, go hungry, or not eat for a whole day because they had insufficient food.
Click here to read the full report.

IRS Increases 2015 Pension Plan Contribution Limits

The IRS recently announced increases in annual contribution limits for certain retirement savings accounts for tax year 2015.  According to the IRS announcement, the 2015 adjustments are triggered by the cost-of-living index.


Per the IRS announcement, the contribution limits increased for employees who participate in plans such as:

• 401(k) plans,
• 403(b) plans,
• most 457 plans, and
• the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan.

The elective contribution limit in these plans increased from $17,500 to $18,000 per year.  The catch-up contribution limit for employees aged 50 and over increased from $5,500 to $6,000 per year.


According to the IRS announcement, not all pension plans will see a cost-of-living adjustment in the annual contribution limits.  For example, for tax year 2015, the annual contribution limit for an Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA) remains unchanged at $5,500. The additional catch-up contribution limit for an IRA for individuals aged 50 and over will also remain unchanged at $1,000 per year.


See the IRS’s full list of 2015 pension plan adjustments at:
http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Announces-2015-Pension-Plan-Limitations;-Taxpayers-May-Contribute-up-to-%2418,000-to-their-401(k)-plans-in-2015

New Report: Small Business Express Program

OLR Report 2014-R-0258 provides an overview of and data on the Small Business Express (SBE) program.

The legislature created SBE within the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) in 2011 (Public Act 11-1, October Special Session). According to DECD, SBE assists small businesses by providing access to capital, supporting job creation, increasing skill development, and encouraging private investment.


To be eligible for SBE financial assistance, a business must: (1) employ no more than 100 employees on at least half the working days in the previous 12 months, (2) operate in Connecticut, (3) have been registered to conduct business in Connecticut for at least 12 months, and (4) be in good standing with the payment of all state and local taxes (CGS § 32-7g).


For more information, read the full report.

Lake-Effect Snow vs. Sound-Effect Snow?

Buffalo, New York is digging out from its most recent snowstorm, which dumped up to seven feet of snow in parts of the city. Buffalo is prone to high volume snowstorms, often the victim of lake-effect weather.


The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration describes how lake-effect snow occurs:

1. cold air masses move over warmer lake waters;
2. the warm lake water heats the bottom air layer, causing lake  moisture to evaporate into the cold air;
3. the evaporated moisture rises, cools, condenses, and forms clouds;
4. snow falls!

Lake-effect snow is most common and heaviest in the Great Lakes region, but it can occur downwind from other large water bodies if the water is free of ice. This includes Long Island Sound, albeit not often.


According to the National Weather Service, reported in a CTNews blog, although the air around the Sound can be cold enough, the area of open water is not long enough for the air to blow over and pick up the moisture needed to produce significant ‘Sound-Effect’ snow. (The longest area over Long Island Sound is 75 miles, whereas over Lake Erie it is 220 miles and over Lake Ontario it is 170 miles.)

Tips for Protecting Your Data When Internet Shopping

According to a USA Today article citing retail data from Adobe Systems, 2013 Cyber Monday sales reached a record $2.29 billion, a 16% increase from the year before. (Cyber Monday is the first full workday after Thanksgiving.)


The article cites several reasons for the increase in online shopping, including (1) convenience, (2) an increase in online promotions, and (3) the rise in mobile device users.


To help consumers with online shopping, the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office provides several tips, including:

1. making sure the online company lists its name, address, country where it is based, and contact information;
2. looking for easily accessible, clear, and accurate information about the products;
3. understanding the sale’s terms, conditions, and costs;
4. ensuring the electronic transaction is secure;
5. shopping with vendors that protect shoppers’ personal data; and
6. understanding customer satisfaction and return procedures.

Can Brain Training Video Games Delay Mental Decline?

The answer is unclear, according to a recent article from The New York Times Magazine. The article notes that Americans spend an estimated $1.3 billion on these games annually, while “nearly all neuroscientists agree there’s very little evidence yet that these games counter the mental deficits that come with getting older.”  However, some games may hold promise.


Among other things, the article discusses the work of Dr. Adam Gazzaley, a neurology professor who has studied the effects of games on mental abilities.  His research lends support to the idea that games requiring the use of several abilities simultaneously may increase brain function generally (and not just train users to be better at the game). 

But the article notes that Gazzaley is “reflexively cautious” about his findings.  According to the article, the published research in this area “is a grab bag of contradictory findings.”


This issue is not without controversy.  A group of scientists recently issued “a withering statement denouncing the hype by both companies and media” as to claims promoting these games.  The article notes that “Gazzaley himself signed the letter, though he pushed the group to use less pessimistic rhetoric.”


For more, read the full article here.

Minimum Wage Goes 5 For 5 in Ballot Measures

Voters in five states approved minimum wage ballot measures earlier this month. This means that the minimum wage will increase in four of the five states, according to NCSL and various news sources. In the fifth, Illinois, the ballot question was only advisory and still requires the Illinois General Assembly to act in order to change the law.

Here are brief descriptions of the proposed increases:

State	Brief Description
Alaska	Proposed a two-step increase to the minimum wage: to $8.75 effective Jan. 1, 2015 and to $9.75 effective Jan. 1, 2016.
Arkansas	Proposed a three-step increase to the minimum wage: to $7.50 effective Jan. 1, 2015, to $8 effective Jan. 1, 2016, and to $8.50 effective Jan. 1, 2017.
Illinois	An advisory question that asked voters whether they supported increasing the minimum wage to $10 by Jan. 1, 2015.
Nebraska	Proposed a two-step increase in the minimum wage: to $8 effective Jan. 1, 2015 and to $9 effective Jan. 1, 2016.
South Dakota	Proposed an increase in the minimum wage to $8.50 effective Jan. 1, 2015.

For more details and links to the ballot measures, see NCSL’s website. 

Public Hearing on Possible Additional Qualifying Medical Conditions for Medical Marijuana Use

On November 26, the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) will hold a public hearing on petitions to add four conditions to those that qualify for medical marijuana use.  The hearing will consider the following conditions:

• sickle cell disease,
• Tourette’s disorder,
• post laminectomy syndrome with chronic radiculopathy (sometimes referred to as failed back surgery syndrome), and 
• severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

Connecticut’s medical marijuana law allows doctors to certify an adult patient’s use of marijuana for certain debilitating medical conditions, under specified procedures.  The law lists 11 qualifying conditions and allows DCP to add other conditions through regulations.
 
The law also required DCP to establish a Board of Physicians who are knowledgeable about medical marijuana use. Among other duties, the board must conduct public hearings and evaluate petitions seeking to add medical conditions to the list of those that qualify for marijuana use.  The board can also recommend adding conditions on its own initiative (it has not done so thus far).  The November 26 hearing will be the first such hearing to assess public petitions.

By regulation, after the hearing, the board must make a written recommendation to the DCP commissioner as to whether to add the condition to the list of qualifying conditions. A majority of board members present at the hearing must concur in the recommendation. The decision on whether to add the condition to the list rests with the commissioner, subject to legislative approval.
 
Currently, the qualifying conditions include cancer, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity, epilepsy, cachexia, wasting syndrome, Crohn’s disease, and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Detailed information about Connecticut’s medical marijuana program is available on DCP’s website.

Survey of Street Youth Suggests They Need Help Meeting Basic Needs

In a recent study commissioned by the federal Department of Health and Human Services’ Family & Youth Services Bureau, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln surveyed street youth in 11 American cities to gather information on their service utilization and needs.  The survey found, with regard to the surveyed population, that:

• 51.2% initially became homeless because they were asked by a parent or caregiver to leave home;
• 29.5% had the option of returning home;
• 60.8% had been sexually assaulted or raped, beaten up, assaulted or threatened with a weapon, or robbed;
• 20% identified as bisexual, 9.9% as gay or lesbian, and 6.8% as transgender;
• 61.8% struggled with depression;
• 79.5% experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress for more than one month;
• 51.6% agreed to be sexual with someone in exchange for money or a place to spend the night; and
• 51.8% slept or rested outside on a street, in a park, or on a bench.

With regard to service needs, the surveyed youth most needed help meeting basic needs, including safe shelter, education, transportation, clothing, and laundry facilities.  The study suggests that street youth would benefit from:

• a larger investment in emergency shelters and family reunification programs;
• intensive case management services, including careful screening and assessment, treatment planning, and crisis counseling; and
• intensive interventions and supports, especially for the many youth who have experienced trauma.

New Report: Paint Recycling Program

OLR Report 2014-R-0264 describes the state’s paint recycling program created by Public Act (PA) 11-24.  The report also answers the following questions:  how much money has the program collected, how is the money used, and why did the legislature decide to create the program?

Connecticut’s paint recycling program provides consumers and businesses with a way to manage unused architectural paint. Administered by a non-profit organization called PaintCare, the program collects, transports, and processes the unused paint. The program is funded by an assessment (i.e., fee) added to the purchase price of paint sold in the state. Paint retailers serve as the primary collection locations.

For more information, read the full report.

Do Increases in Tax Revenue Signal a Reviving Economy?

photo: Maui Now

Maybe, according to a recent state-by-state analysis of the state and local taxes businesses paid in FY 13.  The analysis, prepared by Ernst and Young for the Council on State Taxation (COST), found that overall, state and local business taxes increased 4.3% from the prior year, suggesting “relatively broad, yet still gradual, economic recovery.”  State and local business tax revenue increased 1.1% in Connecticut.

In absolute terms, nationally businesses paid close to $671 billion in state and local taxes in FY 13, constituting 4.7% of private sector gross state product (GSP).  They paid $7.6 billion in Connecticut state and local taxes, about 3.4% of private sector GSP.
Hmmm . . . Although businesses are helping to fill tax coffers, they “continue to pay more in state and local taxes than they receive in benefits on average,” Ernst and Young stated. “On average, businesses paid $3.26 for every dollar of government spending benefiting business, assuming that education spending does not benefit local businesses,” the report stated. If one assumes that half the education spending benefits such businesses, businesses still wind up “paying 20% more in taxes than the cost of state and local government spending benefiting business.” (In this study, the authors assigned health and human services benefits entirely to households and split police, fire, and highway infrastructure costs between households and businesses.)

According to COST president and executive director Douglas Lindholm, the study “allows policymakers to evaluate state and local business tax burdens beyond corporate income taxes, and provides a truer picture of business tax burdens than commonly perceived,” he stated.  

Here are some of the study’s key findings:

• Property tax revenues picked up 3.7% in FY 2013, after three straight years of growth rates below 1%. The property tax is still the largest state and local tax businesses pay, accounting for $242 billion or 36% of the total business tax contribution.  Connecticut businesses paid $2.3 billion in property taxes, 30% of total business taxes.
• State sales taxes on the goods and services businesses buy and the capital investments they make increased 3.8% while comparable local taxes remained flat. State and local sales taxes combined totaled almost $140 billion, almost 21% of total state and local business taxes. Connecticut businesses paid $1.4 billion in sales taxes, about 18% of total business taxes.
• State and local corporate income tax collections totaled $53 billion or 7.9% of the total business tax contribution. Connecticut businesses paid about $600 million in corporation business taxes, about 8% of total business taxes.
• Personal income taxes on pass-through business income totaled $36 billion, marking a 13% increase over FY 12. In Connecticut, pass-through businesses generated about $900 million in personal income taxes, almost 12% of total business taxes.

Incorporating Play into Urban Landscapes

photo: KaBOOM!

KaBOOM! — a nonprofit dedicated to bringing play to children —released a report urging cities to consider building play into their landscapes. The idea is that by putting play opportunities where people have idle time, such as waiting for the bus, it will be much easier for children to get the amount of play they need without having a parent bring them to a playground.

KaBOOM!, with behavioral economics research organization ideas42, identified the decision-making process that occurs when an adult thinks about bringing a child to a playground. There were three potential psychological barriers to play: parents and other caregivers may not even think about play, there is unclear feedback on different types of play activities, and the process of getting ready to leave the home to play may be difficult.

The report argues that these barriers can be sidestepped when play opportunities are easily available and built into the landscape, such as swings at a bus stop or a mini-playground on the corner.

Falls an Increasing Problem Among Seniors

According to a recent New York Times article, an aging population coupled with an increase in people living with chronic health conditions has resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of seniors who fall and suffer serious, sometimes fatal, injuries.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 24,000 seniors died after a fall in 2012, almost twice the number of such deaths in 2002. In 2012, more than 2.4 million seniors were treated in emergency departments for fall-related injuries, representing a 50% increase in the last decade.

Likewise, the article notes a parallel increase in the rates of diseases linked to falls, such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, arthritis, and Parkinson’s disease.
This presents a challenge for long-term care facilities, who must balance residents’ safety with their desire to live autonomously. Some facilities have taken measures such as:

• installing floor lighting that automatically turns on when a resident gets out of bed;
• requiring facility architects and designers to wear tinted glasses to see rooms as a senior might;
• consistently measuring bed and toilet heights to determine a resident’s need for grab bars;
• installing energy-absorbing flooring in bathrooms to lessen the impact of a fall;
• adding accent stripes on stairs so residents can clearly see the line in between each step; and
• conducting fall education programs and safety fairs.

The article notes that Medicare will not pay to treat an injury resulting from a hospital fall. Some health policy experts suggest that the agency extend this policy to nursing homes. In many states, if a nursing home is found responsible for a resident’s fall, it must pay the state a fine. 

The Link Between Sofas and SIDS

According to a study recently published in Pediatrics, “sleeping on sofas increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome [SIDS] and other sleep-related deaths.” Researchers sought to shed light on the environmental and situational factors that make sofa sleeping so risky for infants.

The researchers analyzed data on infant sleep-related deaths from 24 states for 2004 to 2012 and found that the following factors made sofa sleeping particularly hazardous for infants:

• An infant sleeping on a sofa is often sharing the surface with a parent or caregiver. “Sharing a sofa with an infant is becoming increasingly common in some countries and may be done to calm or feed the infant, and the parent may inadvertently or intentionally fall asleep with the infant.” According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), surface sharing is a risk factor for infant sleep-related death.
• Researchers cited a previous study’s findings that “sleeping with an infant on a sofa was 79% more likely if the mother was a smoker.”  Prenatal and infant exposure to cigarette smoke are also risk factors for sleep-related death.
• In cases of sofa-related SIDS deaths, infants are more often found on their sides or prone (i.e., lying on their stomachs), as opposed to the supine position (i.e., lying on their backs).  The AAP recommends that infants be placed to sleep on their backs.

Researchers noted the importance of educating parents and caregivers about safe sleep recommendations and the dangers of using a sofa as a sleep surface for an infant.

 

The AAP has guidelines for a safe infant sleeping environment. 

New Report: Dangerous Weapons

OLR Report 2014-R-0266 answers the question: What laws govern possession and carrying of dangerous weapons in Connecticut?

State law prohibits the possession of dangerous weapons by most people. The only people authorized to carry all of the prohibited weapons are peace officers, and they may carry them only in pursuit of their official duties.

Other exemptions apply to security officers, who may carry batons or night sticks when pursuing their official duties; martial arts students or instructors, who may carry martial arts weapons while in classes or at authorized events or while transporting the weapons to and from such places; and participants attending or returning from authorized Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts events or competitions, who may possess BB guns. The law also contains limited exceptions for long knives.

For more information, read the full report.

Decoration or Distraction? Study Finds Less Is More on Kindergarten Walls

The Hechinger Report recently highlighted a Carnegie Mellon University study published May 2014 in Psychological Science.  This first-of-its-kind study attempted to measure whether classroom decorations affect kindergarteners’ learning. 

Photo credit: Flickr user striatic

Researchers observed 24 kindergarten students who were taught in two different classrooms.  One room had commercial decorations and children’s artwork on the walls, while the other had nothing.  Students were observed during lessons where teachers read to them in five- to seven-minute periods about the Solar System, bugs, and plate tectonics. 
Researchers observed 24 kindergarten students who were taught in two different classrooms.  One room had commercial decorations and children’s artwork on the walls, while the other had nothing.  Students were observed during lessons where teachers read to them in five- to seven-minute periods about the Solar System, bugs, and plate tectonics. 
During the lessons, researchers noted how often the students focused on the teacher versus being distracted by themselves, others, or the visual environment.  The kindergarteners took multiple-choice picture tests after the lesson in both classrooms. 

Findings revealed that kindergarteners taught in a “highly decorated” classroom scored lower on tests and were more distracted during lessons than those taught in a room with bare walls.  Admittedly, even in the sparse classroom students were distracted by other students or themselves.  However, in the decorated classroom, the study found that children were more likely to be distracted by the visual environment and spent much more time “off task.”

The Carnegie Mellon team is now observing children in kindergarten through fourth grade to test the hypothesis that students in the upper grades are less distracted by decorations, since concentration improves with age.  The study’s lead author, a psychology professor, admits that further research on the kindergarten results is needed due to the study’s small size and controlled setting.

Investment in Electricity Distribution System Increases

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. investor-owned utilities increased their annual investments in their electric distribution systems from about $13 billion in 1994 to a peak of $20 billion in 2012.  In general, the electric distribution system consists of the street level power lines, substations, and transformers (as opposed to the electric transmission system, which brings power from power plants to substations on high voltage lines).

EIA reports that much of the increased spending was related to making the distribution system more resistant to weather-related outages by (1) burying power lines, (2) updating equipment, (3) installing smart grid technologies like automated circuit breakers and feeder switches, and (4) increasing standby equipment.  From 1998 through 2008, spending on underground lines equaled spending on overhead lines because underground facilities were installed in almost all new residential and commercial developments and many critical overhead lines were moved underground.

Which Hurts Your Credit Score More-A Missed Mortgage Payment or Foreclosure?

A working paper from the Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank reaches a surprising conclusion.  Using individual data from a credit bureau and mortgage loan data, the author “debunks the common perception that ‘foreclosure will ruin your credit.’”

The author concludes that:

1. the first missed mortgage payment causes the biggest reduction in a person’s credit score,
2. later payment problems cause smaller credit score reductions, and
3. foreclosure has a minimal effect (by this time, a person’s credit score has already fallen substantially).

The author also found that “credit scores improve substantially a year after borrowers experience 90-day delinquency or foreclosure.”  The author believes this may be due to borrowers’ financial ability to rebuild their credit when they no longer have mortgage payments to make.

Read the full working paper here.

Proposed Accounting Rule Could Shed More Light on the Costs of State and Local Tax Abatement Programs

State and local governments often use tax incentive programs to promote business, stimulate job growth, and develop blighted areas, but according to the nonprofit General Accounting Standards Board, there is currently no way to discern a program’s effect on the financial health of state and local governments from their financial statements. Consequently, GASB recently issued for public comment proposed rules that require state and local governments to disclose information about property and other tax abatement agreements.

GASB believes that adhering to the proposed rules would help interested parties understand how tax incentive programs affect the government’s future ability to raise resources and meet financial obligations. The public comment period ends January 30, 2015. Under the proposed rules, state and local governments would include the following information in the notes to their financial statements:

• descriptive information, including
• each tax abatement program’s purpose,
• the abated taxes,
• recipient or project eligibility criteria
• the mechanisms for abating the tax,
• the recipients’ commitments,
• and the conditions under which recipients must repay abated taxes (“clawbacks”);
• the number of abatement agreements the government has entered into; and
• the amount tax revenues that was forgone or were reduced under the abatement agreements.

GASB’s chair discusses the proposed rule in this short video.

GASB is an independent, nonprofit organization that develops standards of accounting and financial reporting for state and local governments. But its standards do not have the force of law, and GASB has no enforcement authority. Some states though have enacting laws incorporating GASB standards and enforce them through the audit process, when auditors render opinions on the fairness of financial statements.

The Trends and Implications of Aging Prisoners

The percentage of inmates over age 50 in California state prisons has more than doubled, to approximately 21%, in just over 10 years, according to a November 2014 Governing Magazine article.  The article attributes this trend to (1) an aging prison population and (2) a 2011 prison system realignment that sent lower level and typically younger offenders to county jails.  Over the past few decades, federal and state prison populations have also increased dramatically, with a demographic shift to older prisoners, the article stated.

A recent Urban Institute analysis, which the article cites, looked at the trends and implications of aging prisoners in the largest correction system in the United States—the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The aging trend is most prominent among older female prisoners, violent and property crime convicts, and non-Hispanic white prisoners.

The analysis points out that older prisoners require special attention that tends to drive up operational costs. Many suffer from diabetes, heart failure or other chronic diseases, and are often vulnerable to victimization.   To address this predicament, the Urban Institute recommends policy and research that includes:

• identifying the age at which older prisoners pose minimal risk of recidivism and can be more cost-effectively managed through noncustodial means;
• expanding data-driven knowledge on older prisoners, including estimates for the operating costs of incarceration; 
• monitoring of older prisoners’ population growth; and
• developing cost-management plans for aging prisoners.

The proportion of prisoners age 50 and older is projected to increase at a fast rate and could make up nearly 28% of the prison population by 2019, according to the analysis. OLR Report 2013-R-0166 provides examples of initiatives to cope with the aging prison population in California, Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington.  Connecticut law allows the release of inmates with serious medical conditions, including age-related illnesses, under certain circumstances (see OLR Report 2014-R-0213).

Gender Reassignment Surgery May be Covered Service

Aetna Inc. announced that the health plans it offers to federal workers for 2015 will provide coverage for gender reassignment surgery, as reported by The Hartford Courant. According to the article, sex change operations are being covered more often in recent years as a medically necessary service for people with “gender dysphoria,” a condition in which a person is intensely uncomfortable with his or her biological gender and strongly identifies with, and wants to be, the opposite gender.

Connecticut’s Insurance Department issued a bulletin on December 19, 2013 advising insurers that discrimination against a person based on his or her gender identity or expression is prohibited, and the prohibition extends to health insurance coverage. In the bulletin, the department describes Connecticut’s statutes on (1) mental health parity in insurance coverage and (2) antidiscrimination for gender identity or expression. It directed all health insurers to review their policy documents and claim practices to ensure that people with gender dysphoria are not denied access to medically necessary care based on their gender identity or expression.

Connecticut About to Issue First Green Bonds

Starting this month, the Connecticut State Treasurer will begin issuing Green Bonds tailored to meet the needs of investors who must invest in environmentally friendly projects.   

The bonds will provide $60 million to finance wastewater infrastructure projects through the state’s Clean Water Program, which provides grants and loans to municipalities undertaking such projects. The state’s Green Bonds will be part of a larger $300 million general obligation bond issuance.

Green Bonds began in 2008 as a way for the World Bank to mitigate climate change or help people adapt to it. Some of the projects the bank finances include (1) solar and wind installations, (2) reducing greenhouse gas emissions, (3) reforestation, and (4) flood protection.

Conflicting Studies on Medicaid Expansion and ER Visits

When states expand Medicaid coverage to previously uninsured populations, as Connecticut did in 2010, the fiscal implications may be difficult to predict. One big question: would Medicaid expansion increase costly emergency room visits over the long term or would those visits decrease over time as Medicaid recipients gained access to primary care providers?

Two studies, described in this Kaiser Health News story, provide two different answers. One study, recently released by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, used data from California Medicaid recipients, and found that, among those with the highest pent-up demand, ER visits did increase in the first year, but then dropped in the second year. In contrast, the other study, the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment, which was done in 2008, found that Medicaid coverage resulted in a 40% increase in ER visits in the 18 months after expansion, with no evidence of ER use declining over that period.

For information on ER use and its impact on Connecticut’s Medicaid budget, see the Office of Program Review and Investigations 2013 study on this topic.

New Report: Connecticut DUI Law

OLR Report 2014-R-0251 describes Connecticut laws on driving under the influence (DUI) and related offenses? This report updates OLR Report 2012-R-0279.

Connecticut's DUI law consists primarily of two statutes, CGS §§ 14-227a and -227b. The first prohibits a person from driving (1) while “under the influence” of alcohol or drugs or (2) with an “elevated” blood alcohol content (BAC). A person is under the influence if his ability to drive is affected to an appreciable degree. The maximum allowable BAC depends on the driver's age and the type of vehicle he or she is operating.

Drivers over age 21 have an elevated BAC if it is found to be .08% or more. Drivers operating a commercial motor vehicle (e.g., a large truck) have an elevated BAC if it is .04% or more. Under CGS § 14-227g, people younger than 21 have an elevated BAC if it is found to be .02% or more. The law specifies evidence admissibility criteria for alcohol and drug tests.

Connecticut law provides for a Pretrial Alcohol Education Program under which certain eligible offenders charged with DUI may successfully complete an alcohol intervention or substance abuse treatment program, as appropriate, and have the DUI charges dismissed (CGS § 54-56g).

All drivers convicted of DUI face fines and prison terms. In addition, penalties for first- and second-time offenders include a 45-day license suspension and ignition interlock restrictions. Third-time and subsequent offenders face license revocation and ignition interlock restrictions if a license is eventually reinstated (see Table 1 in the report). An ignition interlock device (IID) prevents a driver from operating a vehicle if his or her BAC is above a certain threshold.

Under the second statute, CGS § 14-227b, motorists implicitly consent to be tested for drugs or alcohol when they drive. The law establishes administrative license suspension procedures for drivers who refuse to submit to a test or whose test results indicate an elevated BAC. (These provisions are called “implied consent” and “administrative per se,” respectively.) Starting July 1, 2015, the law reduces the license suspension period to 45 days for all per se violations and requires people to drive only ignition interlock equipped vehicles for specified periods after this suspension ends (see Table 4 in the report).

The law also requires use of an IID for two years following the mandatory one-year license suspension following conviction for 2nd degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle (CGS § 53a-56b) or 2nd degree assault with a motor vehicle (CGS § 53a-60d). These crimes apply to drivers who cause the death or serious injury of another person, respectively, while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The court may also order an individual arrested for DUI, 2nd degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle, or 2nd degree assault with a motor vehicle to operate only motor vehicles equipped with IIDs as a condition of (1) release on bail, (2) probation, or (3) granting his or her application to take part in the Pretrial Alcohol Education Program (CGS § 14-227j(b)).

Someone who holds a commercial driver's license (CDL) faces disqualification from driving a commercial motor vehicle for one year if he or she is found to have: (1) a BAC of .04% or more while driving a commercial vehicle, (2) a BAC of .08% or more while driving any other type of vehicle, (3) refused a BAC test when driving any motor vehicle, or (4) been convicted of DUI. CDL holders who commit two or more of certain offenses, including DUI, face a lifetime ban on driving commercial motor vehicles, but may get their license back if they meet certain conditions.

Police must impound for 48 hours the motor vehicle of someone arrested for DUI who was driving while his or her license was suspended or revoked. The owner may reclaim the vehicle after paying towing and storage costs (CGS § 14-227h).

In addition, people found to be “persistent operating under the influence felony offenders” are subject to an increased criminal penalty.
For more information, read the full report.

Oregon Set to Be First State to Test Pay-As-You-Drive Program

Officials of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) have embarked on a state “listening tour” to hear comments and questions from residents, motorists, local officials, and other key stakeholders before rolling out the new program in which volunteer drivers would pay a 1.5 cent per mile driving tax.

ODOT is seeking 5,000 drivers to volunteer for the program, slated to start July 1, 2015. The program, the first of its kind in the nation, is a dry run for a “Vehicle Miles Travelled” (VMT) fee that might someday serve as the primary means of financing highway and bridge projects. VMT fees, which would charge people for each mile they drive, are seen as one possible way to raise the money needed to keep the nation’s infrastructure from falling into disrepair.

There has been growing concern that traditional federal and state gas taxes will soon be unable to keep up with the rising costs of maintaining, repairing and building highways and bridges. The idea of raising state gas taxes has so far been a non-starter in most states. It’s been more than two decades since Congress increased the federal 18.4 cent per gallon gas tax.

In 2013, Oregon’s legislature approved legislation allowing ODOT to establish a pilot volunteer VMT program. Volunteer drivers will be able use a variety of methods to track their mileage, including a GPS tracker, a device on their odometers, or a daily diary. Volunteers will be billed monthly, and receive rebate checks to recoup the money they spent on Oregon’s 30 cent per gallon gas tax.

University Endowments Post Double-Digit Returns

After experiencing negative returns during the recent recession, college and university endowments posted an average return of 15.8% in FY 14, the fourth time in the previous five fiscal years that the returns exceeded 10%. That’s according to preliminary findings of an annual survey conducted by the Commonfund Institute and the National Association of College and University Business Officers as reported by Inside Higher Ed. The final results are expected in early 2015.

However, these recent increases in endowment values are nearly offset by the losses they suffered during the recession, including an average decrease of nearly 20% in FY 09. Overall, endowment values have increased by an average of only about 7% in the past 10 fiscal years.

Should Alcoholic Beverages have Calorie Labels?

According to an MSN health & fitness article, neither the United States nor the European Union (EU) requires alcoholic beverage labels to contain nutritional facts (including calories), a finding that led the Royal Society for Public Health, a British nonprofit organization, to release a report calling for alcohol products in the EU to be labeled with calorie information.

Such labels, the Society argued, could help fight obesity, which affects about 25% of adults in England and 34.9% of adults in the U.S.   A survey of adults in the U.K. found that 60% to 80% did not know or underestimated the amount of calories in alcohol.

Labels seem to make sense, so why aren’t they required? The article cited several reasons, including the cost to the industry of analyzing alcoholic products for nutritional content and, in the U.S., the division of regulatory duties among different agencies. The Food and Drug Administration generally regulates nutritional food labels, but the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau regulates alcohol labels. According to one food and beverage lawyer, the bureau does not have the resources to review nutritional facts panels.

FDA Approves New Meningitis Vaccine

The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the first vaccine licensed in the U.S. to prevent invasive bacterial meningitis in people ages 10 through 25 caused by the N. meningitides serogroup B bacteria. Previously, approved vaccines used in the U.S.  covered only four of the five main serogroups of N. meningitides bacteria: A, C, Y, and W.

Meningitis is a life-threating illness caused by bacteria that infect the (1) blood and (2) lining of the brain and spinal cord. It is transmitted between people via respiratory or throat secretions, such as kissing, coughing, or sharing utensils. Treatment with antibiotics may reduce the risk of death or serious, long-term effects of the illness, but only when administered immediately.

The new vaccine, Trumenba, is manufactured by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc., a subsidiary of Pfizer Inc. The FDA used an accelerated process to approve the vaccine. Its safety was assessed by studies conducted in the U.S., Europe, and Australia, that included 4,500 participants who received the vaccine. The most common reported side effects included: pain and swelling at the injection site, headache, diarrhea, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, and chills.

Massachusetts Referendum to Repeal Casino Law Fails

On Election Day, Massachusetts voters upheld the state’s three-year-old casino law that allows three casinos and one slot parlor to be built in various parts of the state.  The vote was 60% to 40% in favor of upholding the law and allowing casinos.

The law’s proponents ran a campaign that included thousands of television ads touting the jobs the casino industry would create in Massachusetts.  Its opponents countered that the gambling industry would take customers away from small businesses and increase gambling addition, traffic, and crime.

According to the Boston Globe, money and other resources decided the issue. Opponents “lacked a rich corporate patron that could substantially fund the campaign, and did not raise enough money from small donors to finance a competitive media effort,” the Globe stated. Additionally, the statewide referendum appeared to have diluted the “not-in-my-backyard” passion that often fuels local referenda. 

How Do We Measure Crime in America?

Primarily in two ways:  Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). 

Under the UCR program, the FBI collects arrest data on certain crimes from law enforcement agencies around the country.  UCR also collects other data such as crimes cleared, demographics for people arrested, and characteristics of homicides (such as victim demographics, victim-offender relationships, and weapons used).  The FBI annually publishes a report, Crime in the United States, compiling the data nationally and by state, region, county, municipality, tribe, and higher education institution.  Connecticut’s Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) also publishes an annual report using UCR data:  Crime in Connecticut.  UCR is aimed at providing statistics for law enforcement administration, operation, and management.

The NCVS is an annual survey conducted by the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics of about 169,000 people age 12 and older living in U.S. households, with households remaining in the survey for 3.5 years and new households rotating in over time.  The survey captures more data than the UCR, such as information on crimes not reported to law enforcement; more details about each incident regarding victims, offenders, and the crime; and information on victims’ experiences with the criminal justice system.  The survey attempts to collect information about crime that is not available through the UCR or otherwise.

Because the UCR and NCVS overlap in many ways but differ in others, learning the details about each is important to understanding the data.  Read more about the two ways that the federal government measures crime and how they compare and complement each other in BJS’s new publication, The Nation’s Two Crime Measures.

New Report: Animal Abuser Registry Laws

OLR Report 2014-R-0255 answers the question: Has any U.S. state enacted an animal abuser registry law? If so, what are the law’s provisions and who administers the registry? Is there a model registry law?

No state has enacted an animal abuser registry law, but some New York counties and New York City have enacted such laws. In October 2010, Suffolk County enacted what is believed to be the first animal abuser registry law in the United States. Rockland and Albany counties enacted similar laws in 2011 and Nassau County enacted one in May 2014. New York City’s city council enacted an animal abuser registry law in February 2014; it took effect on October 2, 2014.

Animal abuser registry laws require people convicted of animal abuse to annually register with authorities for a period of years. Anyone who must register but fails to do so is subject to penalties. Albany, Nassau, and Rockland counties and New York City also prohibit certain entities (e.g., pet shops or pet shelters) from transferring animals to registered offenders.

In Albany and Rockland counties, the sheriff’s department is responsible for administering the registry. The Albany County Sheriff may agree to have the Mohawk and Hudson River Humane Society establish and maintain the registry. In Suffolk County, the police department’s commissioner must administer the registry, but may contract with the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to do so. In Nassau County, the police department’s commissioner must contract with the Nassau County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to establish and maintain the registry. New York City’s law requires the mayor or his designee to designate an agency to administer the registry (it does not appear that he has done so yet).

The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) published a model animal abuser registry law in February 2010 and makes it available on its website.
For more information, read the full report.

College Enrollment Drops for the Second Year in a Row

Recently, the U.S. Census Bureau released School Enrollment in the United States: 2013.  The bureau collects numbers for this report using the October School Enrollment Supplement to the 2013 Current Population Survey.  This survey tracks student characteristics nationwide from preschool through higher education.

In its press release for the report, the bureau highlighted a trend in higher education enrollment: for the second year in a row, college enrollment decreased by nearly half a million students (463,000 fewer students between 2012 and 2013).  Combined with the previous school year, the cumulative drop totals 930,000. 

The bureau reports that this two-year drop “was larger than any college enrollment drop before the recent recession.”  It attributed the decline primarily to two-year college enrollment (i.e., at community or junior colleges).  In the 2012-13 school year, two-year school enrollment dropped by 10 percent, while four-year school enrollment grew by one percent.

Report Alleges Mississippi’s Juvenile Justice System Fails Special Education Students

A new article in the Hechinger Report, a nonprofit news organization that focuses on education inequality, details accusations that the Mississippi juvenile justice system failed numerous special education students in its care and recent steps taken to improve the situation.

Under federal law, special education students are entitled to an Individual Education Program (IEP) to provide the extra educational services for each student’s needs. When these students serve time in juvenile facilities getting the proper education can be difficult.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) filed several civil suits, including this one, in Mississippi regarding facilities housing juveniles with special education needs, according to the article.

Several estimates indicate that about a third of the young people in Mississippi correctional facilities qualify for special education. According to the article, “[t]hese students tend already to be academically behind, and encounters with the justice system early on only increase the likelihood that they’ll drop out of school or end up incarcerated as adults.”

“Kids with special needs are not being served well,” the article quotes David Domenici, director of the Center for Educational Excellence in Alternative Settings.

Lawsuits by the SPLC and the federal government have led to the closure of some youth detention centers and resulted in new management at another facility. The remaining youth correction facility in the state recently completed a seven-year reform period as the result of a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit. The facility was newly accredited in 2012 and the lawsuit has been dismissed.

New Report: Comparison of Charter, Magnet, Agriculture Science Centers, and Technical High Schools

OLR Report 2014-R-0257 compares the state laws and funding for four types of schools: charter schools, interdistrict magnet schools, regional agricultural science and technology education centers (“agri-science centers”), and technical high schools.

 

A table in the report compares the statutory provisions (and select regulations and state policy) governing approval, programs, students, special education, and transportation requirements for each type of school. It also shows how each school is funded. The definition for each type follows.

1. A charter school is a public, nonsectarian, nonprofit school established under a charter that operates independently of any local or regional board of education, provided no member or employee of a governing council of a charter school shall have a personal or financial interest in the assets, real or personal, of the school (charters are granted by the State Board of Education (SBE) or by a local board and SBE) (CGS § 10-66aa).
2. An interdistrict magnet school is a public school designed to promote racial, ethnic, and economic diversity that draws students from more than one school district, offers a special or high-quality curriculum, and requires students to attend at least half time (magnets are operated by school districts, regional education service centers (RESCs), or other entities) (CGS § 10-264l(a)).
3. An regional agri-science center is usually embedded in an existing public high school and offers a curriculum of agricultural science and technology that may include vocational aquaculture and marine-related employment courses in addition to the standard high school curriculum. It serves a region of multiple local school districts (CGS §§ 10-64 to -66).
4. A technical high school is a state-operated, regional public high school that provides vocational education and hands-on experience in specific career areas in addition to the standard high school curriculum. It serves a region of multiple local school districts (CGS §§ 10-95 to -99g).

 For more information, including a table showing the comparisons, read the full report.

Quality Counts More Than Quantity When Talking to Young Children

The quality of communication between children under age 3 and their parents is more important than the number of words the children hear, recent studies have found.

According to a New York Times article, a study presented in October at the White House found that, among children age 2 from low-income families, the use of “shared symbols, rituals, and conversational fluency…were a far better predictor of language skills at age 3 than any other factor, including the quantity of words a child heard.”

“It’s not just about shoving words in,” said the study’s lead author. “It’s about having these fluid conversations around shared rituals and objects, like pretending to have morning coffee together or using the banana as a phone. That is the stuff from which language is made.”

The recent studies mark the first time researchers “have compared the impact of word quantity with quality of communication.” Advocates say the findings mean educators should rethink slogans such as “close the word gap” that “may oversimplify the challenges facing poor children.”

State Climate Change Adaptation Plans Compared

Public Act 08-98 required Connecticut to prepare recommendations and plans to enable state and local governments to adapt to climate change impacts. In 2013, Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection finalized the Climate Preparedness Plan, which listed many adaptation strategies across several sectors, including land use, transportation, and public health. How many of these strategies have been implemented, and to what extent are other states planning for climate change effects?

According to the Georgetown Climate Center, of 76 goals listed in the plan, Connecticut has completed two and made progress on 47. The center, based at Georgetown Law, tracks the implementation and progress of state climate adaptation planning.

Source: Georgetown Climate Center

According to the center, Connecticut is one of 14 states with a finalized adaptation plan, and several more states have begun other state planning efforts.