Poverty Law News

Attorneys/Legal Services

Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary
The Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court has released the 2007 year-end report on the federal judiciary. The appendix to Justice Roberts' report offers numerous statistics on the workload of the courts,

Consumer

Regulation Z
The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System has published a proposed rule to amend Regulation Z, which implements the Truth in Lending Act and Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act. The proposal is intended to protect consumers from unfair or deceptive home mortgage lending and advertising practices. The proposed rule would restrict certain practices and would also require certain mortgage disclosures to be provided earlier in the transaction.

Housing

Housing Issues Faced by Low-Income People of Color
The Race Equity Project has published an electronic newsletter exploring land use and housing issues faced by low-income people of color. Article topics include using California law to advance race equity in land use, public housing, and empowering communities of color through land use advocacy.

Mental Health

California Advocates Challenge Elimination Program for Homeless Adults with Mental Illness
Statewide advocacy groups have filed suit challenging California Governor Schwarzenegger's decision to eliminate funding for the AB 2034 program, which provided integrated services to homeless, mentally ill adults. Plaintiffs allege that the governor has violated Proposition 63, now known as the Mental Health Services Act, in eliminating funding for the program.

Welfare

Settlement Reached in Martin v. Weiner
The parties have settled Martin v. Weiner, 06-CV00094S (W.D.N.Y. filed 2006), a class action lawsuit challenging the Erie County Department of Social Services' failure to process applications for food stamps, Medicaid, and public assistance in a timely manner. The notice of settlement and the settlement agreement are available online.

Using Work-Oriented Sanctions to Increase TANF Program Participation
This report documents how some jurisdictions are responding, in their sanction policies and procedures, to the new participation rate requirements imposed by federal law. Based on a study conducted by Mathematica Policy Research of sanction polices and practices in seven states, the report concludes that the highest work participation rates are in full-family sanction sites and reflect primarily fewer nonparticipating clients on the caseload rather than more clients engaging in program activities.

The State of the World's Children
Despite the international community's commitment to gender equality, the lives of millions of women and girls throughout the world are plagued by discrimination, disempowerment, and poverty, according to this United Nations report. The report outlines the status of women in the household, employment, and politics and government. The authors argue that, when women are empowered to live full and productive lives, children prosper.