Poverty Law News

Consumer

Senate Hearing on Credit Card Fees
The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs held a hearing on January 26, 2007, on the billing, marketing, and disclosure practices of the credit card industry and their impact on consumers. Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren testified that "the credit card market is broken, and consumers pay a steep price in this non-functioning market."

State Farm Agrees to Reconsider Hurricane Katrina Claims
State Farm will participate in a court-supervised resolution process to reconsider and fully resolve claims from Hurricane Katrina in three Mississippi coastal counties. The process is part of an agreement reached through the settlement of a class action lawsuit against the insurer by families who believe their damage claims were not adequately resolved. This agreement may affect some 35,000 Mississippi families, if approved by the U.S. District Court in Mississippi overseeing hurricane litigation.

Health

No Bargain: Medicare Drug Plans Deliver High Prices
Medicare drug plan prices for the top drugs prescribed to seniors are 58 percent higher than the same drugs provided to veterans by the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to this report from Families USA. For the top 20 drugs prescribed to seniors, the report examined prices charged by the VA compared to the prices charged by the five companies with the largest enrollment in the Medicare (Part D) drug program.

Housing

The Safe Homes Act:
New Housing Protections for Victims of Domestic and Sexual Violence
The Shriver Center has prepared numerous flyers, brochures, and legal tools that outline provisions of the Safe Homes Act and the Violence Against Women Act of 2005 (VAWA). These laws protect the housing rights of victims of domestic and sexual violence.

Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher Capacity in Illinois
Across Illinois, waiting lists for public housing or housing choice vouchers are often closed, meaning many families eligible for housing assistance cannot even secure a place in line to receive assistance. The Mid-America Institute on Poverty of Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights has released Not Even a Place in Line - 2007 - Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher Capacity and Waiting Lists in Illinois.

Juveniles

In-Depth Summary of the Child and Family Services Improvement Act of 2006
The Child and Family Services Improvement Act of 2006 represents an important step toward providing crucial services to children and families involved or at risk of becoming involved with the child welfare system. Of particular benefit are the addition of $40 million annually and the attention given to improving the workforce and addressing substance abuse, specifically methamphetamine abuse. The Center for Law and Social Policy has released an in-depth summary of the law's provisions.

Welfare

President Remains Silent on the State of Poverty
The President's State of the Union address ignored the plight of the 37 million Americans living in the largest state in the union—The State of Poverty. The address, unfortunately, seems to be an accurate representation of the President's thinking, or lack of it, about poverty, writes John Bouman, President of the Shriver Center.

Poverty in America
The Government Accountability Office has published Poverty in America: Economic Research Shows Adverse Impacts on Health Status and Other Social Conditions as well as the Economic Growth Rate. The report documents research that suggests that individuals living in poverty face an increased risk of adverse outcomes, such as poor health and criminal activity, both of which may lead to reduced participation in the labor market. The GAO also released related testimony on the issue, Poverty in America: Consequences for Individuals and the Economy.

2007 Poverty Guidelines
The Department of Health and Human Services has published its annual update to the poverty guidelines to account for increases in the cost of living. The poverty threshold for a family of three living in the 48 contiguious states is $17,170.

Women and Family Law

The President Ignores Women in Poverty
There are more women living in the State of Poverty than in the states of Wisconsin, Indiana, and Iowa combined. Wendy Pollack, Director of the Women's Law and Policy Project at the Shriver Center, responds to the President's State of the Union address.

Poverty Law News
January 26, 2007