This Week on the Hill
The House and Senate are not in session until after the elections, returning on November 13.
Administration Releases Fiscal Year 2019 LIHEAP Funds
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Community Services recently announced the release of approximately $3.65 billion of federal fiscal year 2019 regular block grant funding to grantees under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The funding is provided under the Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act (P.L. 115-245), signed into law by the President on September 28 and effective until September 30, 2019. Unlike previous years’ initial appropriations, this bill appropriated LIHEAP funds for the entire fiscal year. The release reflects an increase of 9 percent of the monies being made available to grantees at the beginning of the program year compared to last year. Allocations to state and territory grantees can be found here and allocations to tribal grantees can be found here.
DOJ Announces Sexual Assault Kit Grants
On Tuesday the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs announced $145 million in awards to help law enforcement agencies and crime labs process sexual assault evidence, increase the number of sexual assault kits submitted to crime labs, and connect perpetrators to sexual assault crimes. The funds were allocated through several different programs: $43 million via 32 grants to support the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative; $68 million to 127 state and local jurisdictions through the DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Program; $9 million to 19 states and local jurisdictions through the Forensic DNA Laboratory Efficiency Improvement and Capacity Enhancement Program; $24 million to 50 grantees through the Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes program; and $1.4 million to three jurisdictions through the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence-Inventory, Tracking and Reporting Program.
EPA Selects Projects to Submit Applications for WIFIA Loans
On Thursday the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it was inviting 39 projects in 16 states and the District of Columbia to apply for Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans. Established by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, the WIFIA program is a federal loan and guarantee program at EPA that aims to accelerate investment in the nation’s water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental credit assistance for regionally and nationally significant projects. To date, EPA has issued four loans totaling over $1 billion in WIFIA credit assistance. Together, the newly selected borrowers will receive WIFIA loans totaling approximately $5 billion to help finance over $10 billion in water infrastructure investments. The selected projects address issues such as water main replacements, wastewater treatment plan upgrades and expansions, stormwater channel improvements, reservoir rehabilitations and replacement, desalination projects, imperiled water supply rehabilitations and potable water improvements. More information on the WIFIA program can be found here.
CMS Releases August Medicaid Enrollment Report
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the August 2018 monthly report on state Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) eligibility and enrollment data. These data were reported by state Medicaid and CHIP agencies as part of the Medicaid and CHIP Performance Indicator process. The preliminary data show that total enrollment equaled 73.2 million. Since October 2013, enrollment in both programs increased by more than 27.5 percent, compared with the July-September 2013 baseline. States that expanded Medicaid experienced enrollment gains of more than 35.9 percent, while states that did not expand Medicaid saw increases of 10.1 percent.
Recently Released Reports
Medicaid's Role in Housing
Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
State Tax Revenues Soar in the First Quarter of 2018
Urban Institute
Lessons Learned: A Case Study of Performance Funding in Higher Education
Third Way
Natural Hazard Mitigation Saves: Utilities and Transportation Infrastructure
National Institute of Building Sciences
Data Collection Efforts at Postsecondary Institutions
The Educational Policy Institute
Economic News
Economy Adds 250,000 Jobs in October
New data released last week by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 250,000 in October and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7 percent. The economy has added jobs for 97 straight months, beginning in October 2010, the longest streak of monthly jobs growth on record. The data also shows that in October there were 6.1 million unemployed persons, little changed from September. The number of long-term unemployed (jobless for 27 weeks or more) was essentially unchanged at 1.4 million, accounting for 22.5 percent of the total unemployed. The labor force participation rate increased by 0.2 percentage point to 62.9 percent in October but has shown little change over the year. In October, job gains occurred in health care (36,000), manufacturing (32,000), construction (30,000), transportation and warehousing (25,000), leisure and hospitality (42,000), professional and business services (35,000) and mining (5,000). Employment saw little change for wholesale trade, retail trade, information, financial activities, and government. The average hourly earnings for all employees increased by 5 cents to $27.30 in October, following an increase of 8 cents in September. Over the year, average hourly earnings have risen by 83 cents, or 3.1 percent.
Compensation Costs Increased in the Third Quarter
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released data last Wednesday showing that compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.8 percent, seasonally adjusted, during the three-month period ending in September 2018. Wages and salaries (which make up about 70 percent of compensation costs) increased 0.9 percent and benefit costs (which make up the remaining 30 percent) increased 0.4 percent from June 2018. Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 2.8 percent for the 12-month ending in September 2018 compared with a compensation costs increase of 2.5 percent in September 2017. Private industry workers saw compensation costs increase 2.9 percent over the year, while compensation costs for state and local government workers increased 2.5 percent for the 12-month period ending in September 2018.