skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, July 26, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Arson attacks paralyze French high-speed rail network hours before start of Olympics, the Obamas endorse Harris for President; A NY county creates facial recognition, privacy protections; Art breathes new life into pollution-ravaged MI community; 34 Years of the ADA.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Harris meets with Israeli PM Netanyahu and calls for a ceasefire. MI Rep. Rashida Tlaib faces backlash for a protest during Netanyahu's speech. And VA Sen. Mark Warner advocates for student debt relief.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

There's a gap between how rural and urban folks feel about the economy, Colorado's 'Rural is Rad' aims to connect outdoor businesses, more than a dozen of Maine's infrastructure sites face repeated flooding, and chocolate chip cookies rock August.

Reports Offer Holistic View of Child Well-Being in Michigan

play audio
Play

Monday, August 8, 2022   

A pair of research reports are providing a holistic perspective on how Michigan children are faring in the key measures of well-being.

The 50-state 2022 Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation was released today, and emphasized kids across the nation are in the midst of a mental-health crisis, including roughly 242,000 in Michigan who are struggling with anxiety and depression.

Alex Rossman, director of external affairs for the Michigan League for Public Policy, explained overall, the report ranked Michigan 32nd among states.

"Our highest ranking was in the category of health, which continues to be a bright spot for the state," Rossman pointed out. "Our lowest, which is a persistent area of need, is the education ranking where we're actually 40th, so bottom 10 in the country."

The League recently released its 2022 Kids Count in Michigan Data Profiles, which examine state- and county-level data. It found improvement in 10 of 14 key areas over the last decade, including declines in child poverty, which fell statewide by 28%.

Kelsey Perdue, Kids Count project manager for the Michigan League for Public Policy, noted child poverty has continued to decrease over the past year. She credits it to a number of COVID-era policies.

"Particularly increases and extension to the federal child tax credit that lifted 114,000 Michigan children out of poverty and benefited another nearly two million," Perdue cited. "And the federal and Michigan Earned income tax credits were expanded to working adults without children."

Perdue explained the state and local data is valuable in evaluating past policy and investment decisions and identifying ongoing areas of need. She noted a recent win was the historic $1.4 billion investment in the 2022 state budget in child care. And now, she said, there is an opportunity for state policymakers to help children and families by increasing the state Earned Income Tax Credit.

"We really hope to see some of these COVID-era changes, particularly to the Michigan Earned Income Tax Credit, made permanent," Perdue urged. "Because we really see that they are benefiting low-income workers and children."

It is estimated raising the state tax credit from its current 6% of the federal credit to 30% would mean a difference of $150 to $749 for working people. Perdue added it would also benefit small businesses and local economies.

Disclosure: The Michigan League for Public Policy/KIDS COUNT contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy and Priorities, Children's Issues, Livable Wages/Working Families, and Poverty Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
According to the Tax Policy Center, for higher-income earners, sales taxes consume a lower share of their income than for other households. (Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

As Nebraska state lawmakers convene for a special session on property tax reform called by Gov. Jim Pillen, groups are weighing in on the details …


play sound

Traveling around rural Minnesota can be difficult but in more than half the state, nonprofit transit systems are helping people get where they need …

Social Issues

play sound

Student loan forgiveness took center stage on Thursday at the American Federation of Teachers conference. The Biden administration has canceled more …


Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has introduced legislation to codify the Chevron Deference into law. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Recent Supreme Court rulings on air pollution are affecting Virginia and the nation. Climate advocates said the court overstepped its bounds in …

Health and Wellness

play sound

World Hepatitis Day is this Sunday, and for the Oregon Health Authority, it's an opportunity to promote its plan to eliminate hepatitis across the …

The Gender Shades project revealed facial recognition performed poorest for darker-skinned women, and performed best for lighter-skinned men. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Columbia County, New York, is implementing new facial recognition and privacy policies, following new upgrades to the county's surveillance cameras…

Health and Wellness

play sound

New York disability-rights advocates are celebrating the 34th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The 1990 …

Social Issues

play sound

As summer winds down and North Carolina students prepare to return to school, the focus shifts to the urgent need for better public education funding…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021