Featured Issue Briefs

The Battle on the Home Front: Jonathan Gadsden's Story

The Battle on the Home Front: Jonathan Gadsden's Story

Marine Lance Corporal's story reflects the growing need for new antibiotics that can treat dangerous diseases, against which most drugs are useless. Read More

Facilitating Medical Device Innovation: De Novo Reform

Facilitating Medical Device Innovation: De Novo Reform

The de novo process -- which requests lower-risk reclassification of medical devices and entry into the marketplace -- as it exists now is not achieving its purpose and has instead added unnecessary and time-consuming requirements. Read More

Food Products Recalled by FDA

Food Products Recalled by FDA

Since President Obama signed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act into law, at least 149 FDA-regulated food products have been recalled due to potential pathogenic contamination. Read More

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Jan 28, 2004

Statement of The Honorable Bill Frenzel, Chairman, Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care

For the last nine months, I have been privileged to chair the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care, a task I share with my colleague, former Representative Bill Gray.  This independent, nonpartisan commission, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, includes some of the wisest and most experienced individuals in the field of child welfare.  You heard from one of them this morning, New York City Commissioner William Bell.  The other members of our Commission are no less impressive. 

 

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Health Topics

Oct 3, 2006

Subprime Lending

Homeownership is the cornerstone of the American middle class and the foundation of the American dream. Low-interest rates, Wall Street demand for mortgage debt securities and new mortgage products have enabled millions of Americans to buy homes for the first time in their lives.

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Consumer Financial Security

Jul 2, 2007

Overview of Child Welfare Services in Washington State

Compared to other states, child welfare is high on the list of legislative priorities in Washington.  This high level of legislative activity can be attributed in part to a number of recent events that are briefly described below.  In addition, the legislature, particularly the House, has a number of experienced champions of children's issues, including Rep. Ruth Kagi, chair of the House Early Learning and Children's Services Committee, and Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, chair of the House Human Services Committee, among others. 

 

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Health Topics

Sep 3, 2007

Overview of Child Welfare Services in Tennessee State

Tennessee's child welfare system has undergone dramatic changes over the past few years.  Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, child welfare in Tennessee was under-funded and fragmented among six state agencies that failed to communicate with one another or coordinate their efforts.  In 1996, a single state agency, the Department of Children's Services (DCS) was created by executive order to house child welfare and juvenile justice services.  In 2000, Children's Rights, a national non-profit that advocates for children in foster care, filed a class action lawsuit, claiming over-utilization of emergency shelters and large group facilities, untrained caseworkers, high levels of placement instability, inadequate efforts to achieve permanency, inadequate educational services and disparate treatment of African-American children in foster care.

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Oct 1, 2007

Overview of Child Welfare Services in Michigan State

Michigan is experiencing severe economic and fiscal problems due primarily to a downturn in the automobile industry, resulting in a budget deficit of approximately $856.4 million at the end of the state's 2007 fiscal year (September 30).  Because of these issues, many of the state's budget bills are still being debated as of the date of this memo.  The human services budget bill, SB 232, was passed by the Senate on August 22, 2007.  The House passed an amended version of the bill on September 6, 2007.  The bill is currently in conference committee.  This memo will summarize those provisions in the bills that are relevant to reform of federal child welfare financing.  When a budget is finally approved and signed by the Governor, this memo will be updated. 

 

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Dec 6, 2007

Overview of Child Welfare Services in Montana

Child welfare services in Montana are administered by Child and Family Services Division (CFSD) within the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.  Recent events and initiatives of note are the federal CFSR in 2002 and resulting PIP, completed successfully in 2006, and a study of the child welfare system in the summer of 2006 by the legislative Children, Families, Health and Human Services Interim Committee.  Both of these events have focused attention on child welfare in Montana. 

 

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Jan 1, 2008

Overview of Child Welfare Services in Ohio State

Ohio's child welfare system is state-supervised and county-administered.  A number of recent developments and converging trends may have a significant impact on child welfare financing in Ohio.

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Jan 23, 2008

Home At Last: Safe, Permanent Families for Foster Children

The Pew Charitable Trusts launched the Home at Last initiative in 2003 to advance public policies that would keep children from languishing in foster care.

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Health Topics

Feb 5, 2008

AAMC: The Scientific Basis of Influence and Bias

The Association of American Medical Colleges recently published "The Scientific Basis of Influence and Bias" based on a symposium held in June 2007 in Washington D.C.

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Conflicts of Interest

Feb 27, 2008

Statement of Hope Cooper, Senior Program Officer, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Before the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support of the House Committee on Ways and Means

In 2003 Pew launched a national initiative aimed at finding ways to reduce the number of children languishing in foster care without permanent families.   To date, we have invested more than $23 million towards achieving this goal.   The initiative began with the work of the Pew Commission on Children in Foster care.  In 2004, after more than a year of intensive study,   the commission issued a report with policy recommendations for state court and federal financing reforms. 

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