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April Was a Cruel Month for States

Personal-income tax revenues plunged in April, a June 18 Institute report shows. Overall, states' personal income-tax collections declined 26 percent, or $28.8 billion, when compared to the year-ago period. The sharp declines in revenue will punch deeper holes in states’ budgets, making further spending reductions and tax increases more likely this year and in 2010.
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Continuity, Change in Obama's Faith Office

The Obama administration has kept intact the Bush White House's most substantive innovations in its efforts to encourage religious charities to provide more social services, according to an Institute report released June 11. But change may be coming, too, on contentious questions involving religious hiring rights and the religious content of tax-funded programs.
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Lesson from Katrina: Disaster Leader Needed

An Institute report issued June 2 recommends the federal government response to disasters should be changed to allow the president to appoint quickly a special Officer-in-Charge — with pre-approved discretionary funding — to oversee and coordinate government efforts following a major catastrophic event.
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Institute to Co-Sponsor National Welfare Research Conference

The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance and the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government are co-hosting the 49th National Association for Welfare Research and Statistics (NAWRS) conference, July 12-15, at the Crowne Plaza in Albany. The conference will bring together representatives from federal, state, and local government, from universities, and from the private and nonprofit sectors, representing the full spectrum of human services programs, to discuss the latest on efforts to reduce poverty and increase self-sufficiency. It is the first time the conference has been held in New York.
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From Our Experts...

Just Published

Three Institute researchers have articles in Publius: The Journal of Federalism. Thomas L. Gais has written on the likely effects of the economic downturn on social welfare spending. Robert B. Ward and Lucy Dadayan have written about the increasing focus on states' fiscal sustainability.
Article by Gais Article by Ward and Dadayan