With tax season recently passed, state legislators are prioritizing new legislation aimed at improving the economic well being of their constituents during the critical tax refund process. Representative Helene M. Keeley of Delaware is fast at work doing just that. Her sponsorship of House Bill (H.B.) 303 focuses on curtailing the potentially predatory lending practices associated with anticipated tax refunds. Anticipation lending involves a loan in which a taxpayer borrows money based on the estimated value of his or her annual tax return. Representative Keeley attributes the lack of legislative consumer protection safeguards as a principle reason why these loans have threatened the economic stability and well being of Delaware’s residents. In fact, some of the percentage rates for refund anticipation loans range from 40 percent to 700 percent.

Contributed By Senator Karen Morgan – 8th Utah Senate District

In the wake of the financial recession, state legislators began taking constructive policy actions towards relieving the future pangs of financial instability. Utah enacted a required high school financial literacy course, which began with the graduating class of 2008. 

Contributed by Senator Lesil McGuire of Alaska

In Alaska, oil and natural gas provide the backbone of our economy. We are blessed with proven resources and continued potential for fossil fuel development. But Alaska is also uniquely situated to be a world leader in the development of cleaner, greener renewable and alternative energies.

The Arthritis Foundation invites you to participate in the Southeast Region's Inaugural Advocates in Action Webinar.  The webinar will be held June 30, 2010 from 1:00-2:00PM EST.
 

In recognition of National Mental Health Month, Women In Government, a national, bi-partisan, non-profit organization representing women state legislators has released a Mental Health Legislative Toolkit. This Toolkit is designed to provide state legislators with the essential tools necessary to promote legislation and educate their constituents on the various issues surrounding mental health, including education and treatment.

A report released by Women In Government (WIG) shows that states are making progress in the fight against cervical cancer. However, despite tremendous progress, there still is substantial variation with cervical cancer prevention efforts, particularly for underserved populations, across the states. Among the steps still needed to make effective cervical cancer prevention a reality for women at all socioeconomic levels is to increase funding for screening and vaccination programs to ensure access for women who are uninsured or underinsured. These findings from A Roadmap for Success: The State of Cervical Cancer Prevention in America 2010, the sixth and final state-by-state comparison report released by WIG, are designed to highlight the tremendous strides that have been made to battle cervical cancer since WIG took up the initiative six years ago.