In Case You Missed It...

This week on Off the Charts, we focused on housing, health care, state budgets and taxes, and a constitutional convention.

• On housing, Barbara Sard explained how the Housing Choice Voucher program helps poor minority families raise children in low-poverty neighborhoods and avoid living in extreme-poverty neighborhoods.  She listed four ways that federal, state, and local agencies can help more families with vouchers live in better locations and described two programs that could advance this goal if sufficiently funded.  She also laid out two policy changes that could improve the lives of families living in public housing.  In addition, we highlighted her commentary on how policymakers can improve children’s chances of a better life.
• On health care, Paul Van de Water rebutted a recent analysis by Senate Budget Committee Republican staff claiming that health reform would increase deficits.  He also explained why Medicare, Medicaid, and other health programs should be excluded from the investor-state dispute settlement provisions of pending trade agreements.
• On state budgets and taxes, Michael Mazerov debunked the myth that people who leave a state take their incomes with them, harming that state’s economy.
• On a constitutional convention, we excerpted Robert Greenstein’s Washington Post commentary explaining why a convention could widen political divisions and jeopardize cherished rights and freedoms.

We also released a paper on why claims about the impact of interstate migration patterns on states with relatively high income taxes are deeply flawed.

CBPP’s Chart of the Week:

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A variety of news outlets featured CBPP’s work and experts recently. Here are some highlights:

Nation’s Wealthy Places Pour Private Money Into Public Schools, Study Finds
New York Times
October 21, 2014

A constitutional convention could be the single most dangerous way to ‘fix’ American government
Washington Post
October 21, 2014

Paying for schools
Hays Daily News
October 19, 2014

Give Wages Room to Grow
U.S. News & World Report
October 17, 2014

Don’t miss any of our posts, papers, or charts — follow us on Twitter and Instagram.  We’re still accepting internship applications for Spring 2015.  Apply today!