= Studies in the News: The Latest Issue
Subject: Studies in the News 03-6 (February 3, 2003)

CALIFORNIA RESEARCH BUREAU
CALIFORNIA STATE LIBRARY
Studies in the News

California -- One Hundred and Fifty Years Ago

1853 - "Sutter's Mill abandonment: Efforts by Marshall and Sutter to claim ownership of the Coloma area failed, as did Marshall's efforts to charge a commission for the gold mined there. He was run off the land when he persisted.... He ended up living in Kelsey, just a few miles from Coloma, where he operated a blacksmith shop and sold his autograph on bits of paper to supplement his income. "  comspark.com/chronicles/famous.shtml#Anchor-Jame-1  

1853 - "In 1853, the placers at Columbia, Tuolomne County, began to yield vast amounts of gold. At that time, Columbia was one of the largest cities in the state. Also In 1853, the first extensive underground mining of buried river channels commenced in the Forest Hill District, Placer County."  ceres.ca.gov/ceres/calweb/geology/goldrush.html  

Contents This Week

Introductory Material

CRIMINAL JUSTICE & LAW ENFORCEMENT
   Police action during vehicle and pedestrian stops
   Safeguards against cyber crime
   Mental health and the criminal justice system
   Treatment of older prisoners
   Crimes against victims with disabilities
CULTURE AND SOCIETY
   Conflicts over proposed casino
   Immigration consultants
DEMOGRAPHY
   Planning for metropolitian growth
ECONOMY
   Racial bias in law practice
   Problems with corporate audits
   Strategies for economic recovery
   Dept of Corporations sues Wells Fargo
   AG appeals decision on credit card law
   Senate Democrats' economic stimulus plan
   Prepaid phone card fraud
   State financial needs during recession
   U.S. economy stagnant
EDUCATION
   Private financing of higher education
   Growth and support of graduate education
   Financing cost of attending UC
   School segregation
   Long term plan for student fees
ENERGY
   Policy options for electricity crisis
   Electricity restructuring
ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES
   Court overturns grape industry advertising
   Marine reserves and fisheries
   History of environmental justice
   Court bars Mexican trucks from U.S.
   Case studies of California groundwater pollutants
   Runoff pollution rules upheld
GENERAL GOVERNMENT
   Ensuring that General Services' fees are reasonable and fair
   Homeland security in California
   Government employee pay scales
   Democratic response to State of the Union
   State of the Union
   Tax cuts increase revenues
   Analyses of Bush growth plan
HEALTH
   Children losing Healthy Start
   State profiles of long-term care
   States plan to cut Medicaid
   Federal share of state program costs
   Medicaid's effect on the California economy
HUMAN SERVICES
   Post-adoption services
   Benefits for families available online
   Individual development accounts
   Faith based initiative
   Key TANF policies affecting microenterprise
TRANSPORTATION
   Transportation plan 2025
   Child traffic safety laws
   Car size less important factor in safety
   Pedestrian injures in traffic crashes
STUDIES TO COME
   Mercury concentrations in California precipitation
   Women's socioeconomic status and abortions
   Firearm-related injuries
Introduction to Studies in the News

Studies in the News is a very current compilation of items significant to the Legislature and Governor's Office. It is created weekly by the State Library's Research Bureau to supplement the public policy debate in California’s Capitol. To help share the latest information with state policymakers, these reading lists are now being made accessible through the State Library’s website. This week's list of current articles in various public policy areas is presented below.

Service to State Employees:

  • When available, the URL for the full text of each item is provided.

  • Items in the State Library collection can be checked out to state officials and staff.

  • Access to all materials listed will be provided by the State Information Reference Center, either by e-mail to cslsirc@library.ca.gov or by calling 654-0261.

The following studies are currently on hand:

CRIMINAL JUSTICE & LAW ENFORCEMENT

AFRICAN AMERICANS

Posting Motor Vehicle and Pedestrian Stop Data. Los Angeles Police Department. (Los Angeles, California) 2002. 100 p.

Full Text at: lapdonline.org/pdf_files/boi/consent_decree_fdr_02_07_11.pdf

[“Black and Latino motorists are three times as likely to be asked to step out of their vehicles by Los Angeles police during traffic stops then other drivers, according to data…. The first-ever citywide survey of Los Angeles police stops … showed that black and Latino pedestrians were nearly twice as likely as whites to be patted down or searched.” Reuters (January 6, 2003) 1.]

[Request #S7216]

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

CyberCrime: Securing Technology. By Janna Goodwin, National Conference of State Legislatures. Legisbrief. Vol. 11, No. 1. (NCSL, Denver, Colorado) January 2003. 2 p.

["Dependence on technology requires safeguards to protect against cyber attacks. Cyber attacks are aimed at data or control systems. The federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act defines seven kinds of offenses.... States are strengthening laws to secure government agency computer networks."]

[Request #S7217]

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MENTAL ILLNESS

"Mental Health and the Criminal Justice System [Special Issue]." Edited by Risdon N. Slate. IN: Crime and Delinquency, vol. 49, no. 1 (January 2003)

["While the articles in this issue focus on the treatment of mental illness primarily from the perspective of the criminal justice system, the authors offer great support for the need to develop comprehensive, community-based systems for treating the mentally ill. So much more can be done to effectively address mental illness if professionals in all fields are trained to work together to solve problems utilizing a cross-disciplinary approach that coordinates and integrates the application of needed services."]

[Request #S7218]

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PRISONS & PRISONERS

"Revisiting the Literature on Prisoners Who Are Older: Are We Wiser?" By Catherine M. Lemieux and others, Louisiana State University. IN: The Prison Journal, vol. 82, no. 4 (December 2002) pp. 440-458.

["This article critically reviews the scholarly literature that describes older U.S. inmates and that examines correctional responses to this subpopulation of incarcerated offenders.... Health care management is the most prevalent theme in the current literature.... This review reveals major gaps in our scientific understanding of older inmates, and it concludes with recommendations for policy- and practice-relevant research."]

[Request #S7219]

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VICTIMS

Equal Justice For Individuals With Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. By the MR/DD Victims of Crime Task Force. (The Task Force, Columbus, Ohio) December 2002. 29 p.; Appendices.

Full Text at: odmrdd.state.oh.us/Includes/VictimsTaskForce/VictimCrime_Final.pdf

["The estimated total number of crimes committed against individuals with MR/DD exceeds the number for hate crime, elder abuse, spousal abuse and child abuse combined.... The task force has developed a number of recommendations designed to address the needs of individuals with MR/DD who are victims of crime."]

[Request #S7220]

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CULTURE AND SOCIETY

AMERICAN INDIANS

"Playing the Race Card: Two Factions Accuse Each Other of Not Being Real Indians." By Martin Lasden. IN: California Lawyer (January 2003) pp. 18-25.

["For more than eight years now, this six acre settlement has been the focus of an intense power struggle, pitting non-Indians against Indians and Indians against each other. Like 62 other federally recognized tribes in California, this one has an agreement with the state to build a Las Vegas-style casino.... Whoever wins will decide the fate of the casino."]

[Request #S7221]

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IMMIGRANTS

"The Fixers." By Lucia Hwang. IN: California Lawyer(December 2002) pp. 18-23.

["At best, immigration consultants help people navigate the INS's vast bureaucracy for a fee hundreds of dollars below what lawyers would charge. At worst, they extract tens of thousands of dollars from desperate clients, with unkept promises of easy green cards.... It's a largely unpoliced business, and even when authorities try to crack down, they rarely make much of an impact."]

[Request #S7222]

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DEMOGRAPHY

CALIFORNIA

Metropolitan Growth Planning in California, 1900-2000. By Elisa Barbour, Public Policy Institute of California (The Institute, San Francisco, California) 2002. 246 p.

Full Text at: www.ppic.org/publications/PPIC167/ppic167fulltext.pdf

["This report traces the history of regional planning for growth management in California throughout the past century. It tracks three key elements -- transportation, land use, and environmental planning.... The overarching purpose of the analysis is to better understand the origins and prospects of current growth management reforms at the regional level."

[Request #S7262]

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ECONOMY

ATTORNEYS

"Racial Bias in Law Practice." By Garner Weng. IN: California Lawyer (January 2003) pp. 37-39.

["The numbers on racial diversity in the legal profession show some change over the past ten years. In the California bar the percentage of non-Caucasians increased from 9 to 17 percent between 1991 and 2001.... There is a human tendency to relate best to people who are similar to oneself. So senior attorneys can be expected to hire, assign, and promote in ways that perpetuate the status quo unless the issue of bias is consciously addressed."]

[Request #S7224]

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AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING

"Why Good Accountants Do Bad Audits." By Max H. Bazerman and others. IN: Harvard Business Review, No. 80, no. 11 (November 2002) pp. 97-102.

["Serious accounting problems have long plagued corporate audits, routinely leading to substantial fines for accounting firms.... The deeper, more pernicious problem with corporate auditing, as it's currently practiced, is its vulnerability to unconscious bias.... Rooting out bias, or at least tempering its effects, will require more fundamental changes to the way accounting firms and their clients operate."]

[Request #S7225]

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CALIFORNIA

Strategy For Economic Recovery: Business Issues and Legislative Guide. By the California Chamber of Commerce (The Chamber, Sacramento, California) 2003. 144 p.

[Includes: "State Issues;" "Federal Issues;" "Agriculture and Resources;" "Air and Waste Management;" "Employee Relations;" "International Trade;" "Privacy;" "Small Business;" "Transportation;" and more.]

[Request #S7226]

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CONSUMER PROTECTION

California v. Wells Fargo Financial. Sacramento County Superior Court. Complaint for Permanent Injunction, Civil Penalties and Ancillary Relief. January 2, 2003. 8 p.

["A lending arm of Wells Fargo Bank 'willfully' over-collected interest from thousands of California borrowers last year and should face civil penalties of up to $38 million, the state Department of Corporations alleged.... The bank, the nation's fifth-largest, blamed the overcharges on computer processing errors. It said it has made refunds to borrowers and regrets the mistake. The case, involving 15,500 borrowers, centers on what are known as 'instant loan checks,' checks that arrive unsolicited in consumers' mailboxes with preprinted amounts and loan terms spelled out." Sacramento Bee (January 11, 2003) D1.]

Press release:
http://www.corp.ca.gov/pressrel/03/corp/nr0301.htm
Complaint:
http://www.corp.ca.gov/pressrel/03/corp/nr0301.pdf

[Request #S7227]

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CREDIT CARDS

American Bankers Association, et al. v. Bill Lockyer, et al. U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California. S-02-1138 FCD JFM. December 23, 2002. 44 p.

Full Text at: 207.41.18.73/caed/DOCUMENTS/Opinions/Damrell/Bankers_v_Lockyer2.pdf

["The state will appeal a federal ruling that banks need not heed a California law requiring them to tell consumers the consequences of paying the minimum on their credit cards.... Such disclosures would stun cardholders who measure debt only in terms of their monthly payments. But banks say they would create a double standard, one they must meet for California consumers and another for all other customers. Last month, U.S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. sided with banks in ruling that the California law was pre-empted by federal law." Sacramento Bee (January 22, 2003) D1.]

[Request #S7228]

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ECONOMIC POLICY

Daschle Economic Stimulus Plan. By Senator Tom Daschle. (Office of the Senate Democratic Leader, Washington, DC) January 24, 2003. 2 p.

Full Text at: daschle.senate.gov/pdf/democraticplan.pdf

[“Senate Democrats took on the administration’s tax-cut plan with the release of a sharply different economic stimulus proposal, calling for a $300-per-person rebate and $40 billion in aid to states and cities.” Sacramento Bee (January 25, 2003) A9.]

[Request #S7229]

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY

Prepaid Phone Card Fraud: Report to the Legislature. By the California Public Utilities Commission. (The Commission, San Francisco, California) January 8, 2003. 14 p.

["The Commission has implemented new procedures that provide a mechanism for consumers to seek resolution of their complaints against fraudulent business practices in the prepaid phone card industry.... The Commission intends to continue its regulatory oversight of this industry, monitoring industry trends and proactively pursuing entities that adversely impact competition in California."

[Request #S7230]

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U.S. ECONOMY

State of the State 2003 … California. By National Priorities Project. (The Project, Washington, DC) 2003. 2 p.

Full Text at: www.nationalpriorities.org/budget/sos2003/ca.pdf

[National Priorities Project’s sixth annual release on the health of our states provides a snapshot of each state's needs during the current recession and illustrates how the Bush Administration's spending and tax policies have failed to address these needs.]

[Request #S7231]

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Beige Book: Review and Analysis: As Weakness Persists, A Second Dip Looms. By Dean Baker, Financial Markets Center. (The Center, Philomont, Virginia) January 15, 2003. 2 p.

Full Text at: www.fmcenter.org/pdf/Beige011503.pdf

["Consistent with other recent reports the January Beige Book presents a picture of a generally stagnant economy, with all 12 Federal Reserve Banks sounding largely pessimistic themes while reporting predictions for an upturn two quarters in the future -- the same projections that have been repeated ever since the economy began slowing in the fall of 2000."]

[Request #S7232]

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EDUCATION

HIGHER EDUCATION

Human Capital Contracts: "Equity-Like" Instruments For Financing Higher Education. By Miguel Palacios, The Batten Institute, University of Virginia. Prepared for the CATO Institute. Policy Analysis No. 462 (The Institute, Washington, DC) December 16, 2002. 12 p.

Full Text at: www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa462.pdf

["Many experts have pointed to private financing of higher education -- that is , contractual agreements between students and lenders who would invest in them by receiving a portion of their future income for a fixed period of time - as an alternative form of student aid .... Miguel Palacios examines the benefits of what he describes as 'innovative financial instruments for the private financing of higher education.'"]

[Request #S7233]

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Progress Toward Implementing Recommendations of the Commission on the Growth and Support of Graduate Education: Item for Discussion To Members of the Committee on Educational Policy For Meeting of January 16, 2003. By the Office of the President. (The Office, Oakland, California) January 2003. 15 p.

["Over the past year, all UC campuses have expanded existing graduate student fundraising efforts -- and have strengthened programs and activities to improve graduate student success.... This report highlights some of the many actions taken over the past year, in line with the Commission's recommendations."]

[Request #S7234]

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Financing the Cost of Attending the University of California: Item for Discussion to Members of the Committee on Finance For the Meeting of January 15, 2003. By the Office of the President. (The Office, Oakland, California) January 6, 2003. 8 p.

["Attached [are] excerpts from the University's 2000-01 Annual Report on Student Financial Support at the University of California.... In addition to a narrative summary highlighting how undergraduates manage the cost of a UC education, there are also attached five tables that reflect various aspects of undergraduate student financial support at UC."]

[Request #S7235]

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SEGREGATION

A Multiracial Society With Segregated Schools: Are We Losing the Dream? By Erica Frankenberg and others, the Civil Rights Project. (Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts) January 16, 2003. 6 p.

Full Text at: www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu/research/reseg03/finalexec.pdf

["This report describes patterns of racial enrollment and segregation in American public schools at the national, regional, state and district levels for students of all racial groups. Our analysis of the status of school desegregation in 2000 uses the NCES Common Core of Data for 2000-01.... Additionally, this report examines trends in desegregation and now, resegregation over the last one-third century."]

[Request #S7236]

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STUDENT FEES

Recommendations for a Long-Term Resident Student Fee Policy Framework for Students Enrolled at California's Public Universities: Action Item. By the California Postsecondary Education Commission. November 20, 2002. 8 p.

Full Text at: www.cpec.ca.gov/completereports/2002reports/02-12.pdf

["The state's 'boom and bust' method of setting student fees at University of California and California state University systems should be replaced by a long-term plan.... The report recommends that UC and CSU governing boards make decisions on fees in November every year, independent of the state budget." San Francisco Chronicle (November 20, 2002) A18.]

[Request #S7237]

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ENERGY

The California Electricity Crisis: Causes and Policy Options. By Christopher Weare, Public Policy Institute of California (The Institute, San Francisco, California) January 2003. 121 p.

Full Text at: www.ppic.org/publications/PPIC168/ppic168fulltext.pdf

["California risks a repeat of the power blackouts that socked the state two years ago if lawmakers don't define a path for the electricity market this year, a policy analyst studying the 2000-2001 energy crisis said.... Weare said the state's lack of direction is leading to uncertainty in power markets and is stifling investment in new power plants....Weare argues that officials should enact programs that encourage consumers to reduce their electricity demand during times of high power prices. He also said the state should provide stronger oversight of California's energy infrastructure -- its transmission lines and gas pipelines." Oakland Tribune (January 15, 2003) 1.]

[Request #S7238]

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ELECTRICITY INDUSTRY

Lessons Learned from Electricity Restructuring: Transition to Competitive Markets Underway. By U.S. General Accounting Office. GAO-03-271. (The Office, Washington, DC) December 2002. 74 p.

Full Text at: www.gao.gov/new.items/d03271.pdf

["To help Congress ensure that the fullest benefits are achieved from electricity restructuring, and to better understand what progress has been made, GAO recommends that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission: determine how restructured markets are performing across the country, and report annually to Congress and the states on the status of these markets, including emerging issues and impediments to reaching its goal."]

[Request #S7239]

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ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES

AGRICULTURE

Delano Farms Company, et al. v. California Table Grape Commission. U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. 00-16778. January 27, 2003. 8 p.

Full Text at: www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/4A464A339C21AF0488256CBB005A747C/$file/0016778.pdf?openelement

[“The state's table grape advertising program, which requires growers to pay for ads promoting California grapes, violates the constitutional rights of growers who would rather tout their own grapes, a federal appeals court ruled. …The main legal issue was whether the grape ads were part of an overall program of regulation that was meant to substitute collective decision-making for independent competitive choices. If so, the program would be valid under a 1997 U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding California's federally regulated marketing orders for nectarines, plums and peaches. But the appeals court said the table grape program had none of the collective features of the fruit program -- controls on quality, price and output, and a federal antitrust exemption -- and was mainly devoted to generic ads, like the unconstitutional mushroom program.” San Francisco Chronicle (January 28, 2003) B1.]

[Request #S7240]

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ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT

Marine Reserves: A Tool for Ecosystem Management and Conservation. By Stephen R. Palumbi, Stanford University. Managing Marine Fisheries in the United States: Proceedings of the Pew Oceans Commission Workshop on Marine Fishery Management. By Burr Heneman, and others. A Dialog on America's Fisheries: Summaries of Pew Oceans Commission Focus Groups on Fishery Management. And Socioeconomic Perspectives on Marine Fisheries in the United States. By Pew Oceans Commission. (The Commission, Arlington, Virginia) January 14, 2003.

["The ocean needs more no-fishing areas even though who has authority to create them remains unclear, said one of four reports released by the Pew Oceans Commission .... One of the reports says competition and poor management are hurting fisheries. The result is a loss of tens of thousands of jobs and economic harm to coastal communities." Monterey County Herald (January 15, 2003) 1.]

Marine Reserves; 45 p.
http://www.pewoceans.org/reports/pew_marine_reserves.pdf
Managing Marine Fisheries; 72 p.
http://www.pewoceans.org/reports/pew_managing_fisheries.pdf
A Dialog on America's Fisheries; 31 p.
http://www.pewoceans.org/reports/pew_dialogue_fisheries.pdf
Socioeconomic Perspectives; 17 p.
http://www.pewoceans.org/reports/pew_socioeconomic_perspectives.pdf

[Request #S7241]

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ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

"The Politics and Reality of Environmental Justice: A History and Considerations for Public Administrators and Policy Makers." By William M. Bowen and Michael V. Wells, Cleveland State University. IN: Public Administration Review, vol. 62, no. 6 (November/December 2002) pp. 688-698.

["This article provides a short history of the environmental justice movement in the United States and discusses problems in environmental justice discourse.... More rational mechanisms for managing the issue would better serve the ideal of democracy, giving society a better chance of solving public health problems in minority and low-income communities."]

[Request #S7242]

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MEXICO

Public Citizen, et al. v. Department of Transportation. U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. 02-71249. January 16, 2003. 47 p.

Full Text at: www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/564D4A580B7317BE88256CB0000D6EA2/$file/0270986.pdf?openelement

[“A federal appeals court temporarily barred tens of thousands of Mexican trucks from U.S. roadways, ruling that the Bush administration violated federal environmental laws when it granted them permission to begin operating nationwide this year….The court said the finding of minimal environmental impact was based on a ‘woefully inadequate’ review of potential health hazards from the Mexican trucks, many of which do not meet U.S. air pollution standards.” Los Angeles Times (January 17, 2003) A1.]

[Request #S7243]

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WATER POLLUTION

Down the Drain: Six Case Studies of Groundwater Contamination that are Wasting California's Water. Sujatha Jahagirdar, Environment California Research and Policy Center. (The Center, Los Angeles, California) January 2003. 25 p.

Full Text at: www.environmentcalifornia.org/reports/downthedrain1_03.pdf

["More than 70 billion gallons of California groundwater is undrinkable because of contamination by just two highly publicized pollutants, a public interest group says in a report.... Its report catalogs estimates of contaminated water from two high-profile groundwater pollutants for which cleanup efforts are already largely underway: MTBE, a gasoline additive that trims air pollution, and perchlorate, a component of rocket fuel." Associated Press (January 28, 2003) 1.]

[Request #S7244]

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Environmental Defense Center, et al. v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, et al. U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth circuit. 00-70014, 00-70734, 00-70822. January 14, 2003. Various pagings

Full Text at: www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/4AE8C752D9F8836788256CAE00581170/$file/0070014.pdf?openelement

["A federal appeals court upheld rules requiring the nation's small cities and counties to protect waterways from storm water pollution, a major source of contamination.... The EPA rules apply to sewer systems operated by cities and counties with fewer than 100,000 people, and to runoff from construction sites of one to five acres.... Local governments must submit plans by March to reduce pollution caused by runoff from construction, development and local roads, and to educate the public on the ways that everyday activities like pesticide and fertilizer use affect storm water pollution." San Francisco Chronicle (January 15, 2003) A4.]

[Request #S7245]

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GENERAL GOVERNMENT

CALIFORNIA

Department Of General Services: Certain Units Can Do More To Ensure That Client Fees Are Reasonable And Fair. By the Bureau of State Audits, California State Auditor (The Bureau, Sacramento, California) December 2002. 63 p.

Full Text at: www.bsa.ca.gov/bsa/pdfs/2002108.pdf

["This report concludes that General Services can improve its estimates of fees for capital outlay and telecommunication projects by more consistently following time-tested and reputable best practices."]

[Request #S7247]

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EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

Coping with Homeland Security: Perceptions of City Officials in California and the United States. By Mark Baldassare and Christopher Hoene, Public Policy Institute of California. Occasional Paper. (The Institute, San Francisco, California) December 2002. 32 p.

Full Text at: www.ppic.org/publications/occasional/BaldassareHoeneCohenOP1002.pdf

["California Officials Less Fazed by Terror; Cities Here Plan Less Than in Other States: Half of municipal officials in cities nationwide said they were very or moderately concerned about the threat of a biological attack over the next year Just 38 percent in California expressed the same concern." San Francisco Chronicle (December 6, 2002) A16.]

[Request #S7248]

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GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES

Urgent Business For America: Revitalizing the Federal Government for the 21st Century. By the National Commission on Public Service. (The Commission, Washington, DC) January 2003. 64 p.

Full Text at: www.brook.edu/dybdocroot/gs/cps/volcker/reportfinal.pdf

["Commission Would Abolish 'Infamous' General Schedule: The federal workforce must be reshaped, and the systems that support it must be rooted in new personnel management principles that ensure much higher levels of government performance.... To accomplish this, the commission says the General Schedule system must be abolished, pay disparities must be addressed through paybanding, and managers must be given flexibility to manage." Federal Human Resources Week (January 20, 2003) 1.]

[Request #S7246]

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STATE OF THE UNION

Democratic Response to the State of the Union. By Governor Gary Locke. (Office of Governor, Olympia, Washington) January 28, 2003. 1.

Full Text at: www.governor.wa.gov/press/press-view.asp?pressRelease=1255&newsType=1

["Washington Governor Gary Locke underscored what many see as a troubling political weakness in Bush's economic plan -- the strong opposition primarily from the nation's Democratic governors, who fear Bush's plan will aggravate their states' own fiscal woes.... Locke summed up Democrats' critique of the Bush economic stimulus plan that is anchored on the elimination of taxes on dividends. He said the Bush plan would cost too much and would take too long to pump needed stimulus into the economy." Los Angeles Times (January 29, 2003) A8.]

[Request #S7269]

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State of te Union: Address of the President to The Joint Session of Congress. By George W. Bush. (Office of the Press Secretary, The White House, Washington, DC) February 28, 2003.

Full Text at: www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/01/20030128-19.html

["Bush reiterated his plans for $670 billion in tax cuts to spur growth and create jobs. He urged Medicare reform to rein in costs and make prescription drugs more affordable for seniors. And he outlined new initiatives on the environment and AIDS....The president also proposed forming a new center to merge and analyze all information about threats against the nation.... A new effort to recruit and train mentors for the children of prison inmates and disadvantaged junior high school students. Los Angeles Times (January 29, 2003) A1.]

[Request #S7270]

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TAXATION

Tax Cuts Increase Federal Revenues. By Andrew Olivastro, Policy Research and Analysis, Heritage Foundation. Web Memo #2. (The Foundation, Washington, DC) December 31, 2002. 2 p.

Full Text at: www.heritage.org/Research/Taxes/wm182.cfm

["In 1980, the last year before the tax cuts, tax revenues were $956 billion (in constant 1996 dollars). Revenues exceeded that 1980 level in eight of the next ten years. Annual revenues over the next decade averaged $102 billion above their 1980 level (in constant 1996 dollars). Any increase in budget deficits was therefore the result of spending increases rather than tax cut-induced revenue decreases."]

[Request #S7249]

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Compilation of Short Analyses on Impact of Bush "Growth Plan". By Robert Greenstein, and others, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (The Center, Washington, DC) January 2003. 22p.

Full Text at: www.cbpp.org/1-11-03econstimpack.pdf

["Includes: "Assessment of Bush Plan," "States Would Lose under Administration 'Growth Plan'," "Total Cost of Bush 'Growth Package' Exceeds $900 Billion," "Administration's Use Of 'Average' Tax Cut Figures Creates Misleading Impression About the Tax Cuts Most Households Would Receive," "A 'Reality Check' On Recent Arguments In Favor Of the Administration's New 'Economic Growth' Plan," and "Impact of Administration 'Growth" Package' on the Elderly."]

[Request #S7250]

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HEALTH

INSURANCE

Children Falling Through The Health Insurance Cracks: Early Observations and Promising Strategies For Keeping Low-Income Children Covered By Medi-Cal and Healthy Families. By Kristen Testa, The Children's Partnership, and others. (The 100% Campaign, Oakland, California) January 2003. 64 p.

Full Text at: www.100percentcampaign.org/assets/pdf/CNReport/CNReport-complete.pdf

["Eligible children are unnecessarily losing Healthy Families coverage, according to a report released today by the 100% Campaign. The report found that about 171,000, or 40%, of children enrolled in Healthy Families lost coverage after one year between June 2001 and May 2002, although 73% of those children still qualified for the program. The report attributed the decrease in enrollment to 'complicated' renewal processes, failure of families to pay the $10-per-child monthly premium and mismanagement of paperwork." California Healthline (January 29, 2003)]

[Request #S7253]

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LONG TERM CARE

Across the States 2002: Profiles of Long-Term Care. By Steven R. Gregory and Mary Jo Gibson, Public Policy Institute, American Association of Retired Persons. (The Institute, Washington, DC) December 2002. 282 p.

Full Text at: research.aarp.org/health/d17794_2002_ats.pdf

["[This publication] is a compilation of data on many dimensions of long-term care in each state and the District of Columbia.... It present a snapshot of each state's long-term care landscape by providing comparable state-level and national data for over 70 indicators."]

[Request #S7254]

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MEDICAID

Medicaid Spending Growth: A 50-State Update for Fiscal Year 2003. By Vernon Smith and others, Health Management Associates. and Victoria Wachino, Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, Washington, DC) January 2003. 22 p.

Full Text at: www.kff.org/content/2003/20030113/4082.pdf

["With healthcare costs increasing, revenues decreasing, and Medicaid costs averaging 20 percent of states’ budgets, a recent study reported that virtually every state is likely to cut Medicaid eligibility and/or services. This report shows that 49 states have planned or implemented Medicaid cuts in fiscal year 2003, and 32 of them have taken such action twice." Connect for Kids (January 21, 2003) 1.]

[Request #S7255]

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2005 FMAP Projections. By Federal Funds Information for States. FFIS Issue Brief, 03-01. (FFIS, Washington, DC) January 2, 2003. 4 p.

["The federal share of program costs -- the FMAP -- is based on the relationship between each state's per capita personal income and the national average per capita personal income over three calendar years .... If these projections prove true, 15 states would experience an increase and 22 would see a decrease. In addition, the reductions are generally more significant than the increases."]

[Request #S7256]

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Medicaid: Good Medicine for California's Economy. By Kathleen Stoll, Families U.S.A. (Families U.S.A., Washington, DC) January 2003. 24 p.

Full Text at: www.familiesusa.org/CAreport.pdf

["This report covers the same territory as the national report, but it also includes some additional information. The California report takes recent proposals by Gov. Davis to cut Medicaid spending and uses the economic multipliers to calculate the consequences of those cuts to California's economy. These calculations are done for the governor's December 2002 proposals and for his January 10, 2003 proposals." Moving Ideas (January 23, 2003)]

[Request #S7257]

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HUMAN SERVICES

ADOPTION

Post-Adoption Services: Issues for Legislators. By Steve Christian, National Conference of State Legislatures. State Legislative Report. Vol. 27, No. 17. (NCSL, Denver, Colorado) November 2002. 23 p.

["This report examines trends in adoption of children from foster care, challenges faced by adoptive families, types of post-adoption services, data on the effectiveness of such services and trends in the funding and delivery of services and supports after adoption."]

[Request #S7258]

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FAMILIES

The Safety "Net": Online Access to Benefits for Working Families. By Elise Richer, Center for Law and Social Policy. (The Center, Washington, DC) January 2003. 19 p.

Full Text at: www.clasp.org/Pubs/DMS/Documents/1042057979.92/website_work_supports.pdf

["This paper examines whether state-sponsored websites allow people to access a variety of publicly funded work supports via the Internet. The six work supports examined were cash assistance, child care, food stamps, health insurance, public or subsidized housing, and child support. There is growing agreement that advances in use of the Internet could be one way to improve access to and participation in these programs."]

[Request #S7259]

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POVERTY

Fighting Poverty with Individual Development Accounts. By Monica Kearns and Andrea Wilkins, National Conference of State Legislatures. Legisbrief. Vol. 11, No. 7. (NCSL, Denver, Colorado) February 2003. 2 p.

["Asset development emphasizes self-sufficiency through savings and investment. Community organizations or public agencies manage the programs. State governments can contribute matching IDA funds in a number of ways. At least 31 states had an IDA program by July 2001].

[Request #S7260]

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SOCIAL POLICY

Equal Protection of the Laws for Faith-based and Community Organizations: Executive Order. By President Bush. Guidance to Faith-Based and Community Organizations on Partnering with the Federal Government. (White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives) December 2002. And Developments In Faith Based and Community Initiatives: Comments On Proposed Rulemaking and Guidance Document. By Ira C. Lupu and Robert W. Tuttle. (The Roundtable On Religious and Social Policy, XX). Various pagings.

["White House Office ... has published Guidance to Faith-Based and Community Organizations ... which provides information on what the OFBCI considers to be sufficient separation of government services from inherently religious activity. However, the nonpartisan Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy published Roundtable Legal Analysis ... which questions the administration’s approach to separation of government funded services from inherently religious activity." OMB Watcher (January 13 2003) 1.]

Executive Order. 4 p.: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/12/20021212-6.html

Guidance to Faith-Based and Community Organizations. 16 p.: http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/fbci/guidance_document.pdf

Developments In Faith Based and Community Initiatives. 23 p. http://www.religionandsocialpolicy.org/docs/legal/reports/1-9-2003_exec_order_analysis.pdf

[Request #S7261]

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TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES

Key State TANF Policies Affecting Microenterprise: California. By Nisha Patel and Mark Greenberg, Center for Law and Social Policy. (The Center, Washington, DC) 7 p.

Full Text at: www.clasp.org/DMS/Documents/1040063874.62/welfare_policy.htm

["This series of case studies documents the TANF policy environment [in California].... The state has not expressly earmarked any TANF block grant or state MOE (maintenance of effort) funds to be used for microenterprise training or to support microenterprise initiatives.... State legislation authorized up to six microenterprise demonstration projects ... but the project was not funded."]

[Request #S7267]

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TRANSPORTATION

CALIFORNIA

Connecting Californians: California Transportation Plan 2025. 22 p. And California Transportation Plan 2025. 52 p. By the Office of State Planning, Department of Transportation. (The Office, Sacramento, California) [2002]

Full Text at: www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tpp/offices/osp/ctp/Draft_CTP_092502_Rev2.pdf

["The draft California Transportation Plan (CTP) is a statewide, long-range transportation plan that will guide transportation decisions and investments in the 21st Century. It proposes a vision for transportation in year 2025 and beyond, and sets goals, policies, and strategies to achieve this vision.... Once completed, regional action plans will be collaboratively developed to implement the strategies presented in the CTP."] California Transportation Plan 2025, 24 p.:
http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tpp/offices/osp/ctp/Draft_CTP_092502_Rev2.pdf
California Transportation Plan 2025, 52 p.:
http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tpp/offices/osp/ctp/Connecting_CA_brochure.pdf

[Request #S7263]

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HIGHWAY SAFETY

Protecting Children: A Guide to Child Traffic Safety Laws. By Melissa A. Savage and others, National Conference of State Legislatures. Prepared for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NCSL, Denver, Colorado) December 2002. 74 p.

["This book provides state legislators and others with general information and policy options concerning children and traffic safety. Policy issues discussed in the book include occupant protection, child safety seats, air bags, school bus safety, pedestrian and bicycle safety, child endangerment and drunk driving, and teen drivers.... Several 50 state charts on specific topics are found in the index."]

[Request #S7264]

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An Analysis of Traffic Deaths by Vehicle Type and Model. And Are SUVs Really Safer than Cars? An Analysis of Risk by Vehicle Type and Model. By Tom Wenzel, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Marc Ross, University of Michigan. (The Laboratory, Berkeley, California) 2002. Various pagings.

["Vehicle size has little to do with safety, according to research completed at LBNL, but the interpretation of the study's findings remains a matter of contention. 'If you assume vehicle weight is an important explanatory variable the correlation with risk is only fair,' said Ross. Vehicle design and quality are important factors contributing to safety, far more crucial than size and weight." University Wire (August 28, 2002) 1.]

An Analysis of Traffic Deaths by Vehicle Type and Model 18 p.
http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/teepa/pdf/LBNL-49675
Are SUVs Really Safer than Cars? An Analysis of Risk by Vehicle Type and Model 22 p.
http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/teepa/pdf/LBNLDC0702.pdf

[Request #S7265]

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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION

Mean Streets 2002. By Michelle Ernst and Barbara McCann. Surface Transportation Policy Project. (The Project, Washington, DC) 2002. 26 p.

Full Text at: www.transact.org/PDFs/ms2002/MeanStreets2002.pdf

["4,955 people died in the year 2001 while walking down the street in the United States, up from the toll of 4,843 in 2000. This is the first increase in deaths since 1995. An estimated 78,000 pedestrians were injured in traffic crashes during each of these two years. While only about 5 percent of all trips are made on foot, about 12 percent of all traffic deaths are pedestrians, making walking, one of the most dangerous modes of travel."]

[Request #S7268]

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STUDIES TO COME
[The following studies, reports, and documents have been ordered or requested, but have not yet arrived. Requests may be placed, and copies will be provided when the material arrives.]

ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL RESOURCES

PRECIPITATION

"Mercury Concentrations in Coastal California Precipitation: Evidence of Local and Trans-Pacific Fluxes of Mercury to North America." By Douglas J. Steding and Russell A. Flegal. IN: Joural of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, vol. 10, no. 1029 (December 19, 2002)

["Industrial emissions in Asia are a major source of mercury in rain that falls along the California coast, according to a study.... The mercury is not in itself a health threat, but mercury pollution is a significant problem in San Fransicsco Bay and other California waters because the toxic element builds up in the food chain." Sentinel Staff Report (December 20, 2002) 1.]

[Request #S7271]

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HEALTH

ABORTION

"Patterns in the Socioeconomic Characterists of Women Obtaining Abortions in 2000-2001." By Rachel K. Jones and others. IN: Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, vol. 34, no. 5 (September/October 2002) pp. 226-237.

["The overall abortion rate in the United States decreased by 11% between 1994 and 2000, from 24 to 21 abortions each year.... This decline was not shared equally among all groups, and rates increased among economically disadvantaged women, according ... to a survey." The Alan Guttmacher Institute New Release (October 8, 2002) 1.]

[Request #S7272]

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FIREARM INJURIES

“Hospitalization for Firearm-Related Injuries in the United States, 1997.” By Jeffrey H. Coben and others. IN: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, vol. 24, no. 1 (January 2003) pp. 1-8.

[“Injuries from gunshots result in $802 million a year in hospital charges nationwide, with nearly a third of victims uninsured a new study indicates…. Overall, 29% of patients did not have health insurance, the study found. Hospitals often have to absorb the cost of treating uninsured patients.” The Fresno Bee (January 3, 2003) A.]

[Request #S7273]

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