Got student loan debt? Don’t be scammed.

Got student loan debt? Don't be scammed. by Ari Lazarus Consumer Education Specialist, FTC If you've got student loan debt, you've probably seen ads or been contacted by companies promising they can help. Some are scams – and the FTC is going after them. Today the FTC announced Operation Game of Loans, a joint FTC and state law enforcement sweep against student loan debt relief scammers. The operation includes seven actions filed by the FTC, with five new cases announced today. Read more This is a free service provided by the Federal Trade Commission.

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In the News: Mixed messages on potential Federal interference with MA laws

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"THE ISSUE: A proposal in Congress would prohibit states from taxing or regulating out-of-state businesses. 

THE IMPACT: Some analysts say the bill could affect parts of an approved 2016 Massachusetts ballot question, which bans the sale of pork, veal and eggs produced from animals that were confined in certain ways. 

While the 2016 Massachusetts law on farm animal confinement isn’t due to take effect for several more years, some industry analysts say a new federal bill could impact its rollout. 

“Generally speaking, our position is that regulation without representation should not be allowed,” said Jim Monroe, a spokesman for the Iowa-based National Pork Producers Council, which contributed funding to oppose the Massachusetts ballot initiative last year."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170807/federal-bill-could-put-pitchfork-in-massachusetts-farm-animal-welfare-law

"One big question marijuana entrepreneurs will face in states like Massachusetts is whether federal agents will crack down on the state-sanctioned business, which is still illegal under federal law. 

At a gathering of policymakers from around the country on Monday, a lawmaker from Washington state, a Vanderbilt University law professor and a Brookings Institute fellow all suggested pot proprietors can breathe easy. 

The three experts, who spoke on a panel held by the National Conference of State Legislatures in Boston, each said tight funding and other pressures should keep federal law enforcement at bay. 

“Trying to roll it back and trying to go back to the old War on Drugs - the terribly failed system - they will do it at their own peril,” Rep. Roger Goodman, a Democrat who lives outside Seattle, told the gathering at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170807/little-chance-seen-of-federal-crackdown-on-legal-pot

MassBudget: MA ranks #2 in child well-being, Federal cuts threaten gains

Corrected links to new fact sheets

Massachusetts Ranks #2 in the Nation for Child Well-Being; But Federal Cuts Could Erode Gains New fact sheets show how proposed federal budget cuts would harm MA kids Children in Massachusetts lead the nation in educational achievement and also rank highly in health measures, but more than one in seven live in poverty, according to the 2017 KIDS COUNT® Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The annual report measures state-by-state child well-being across four categories: health, education, economic well-being and family and community.  Four new fact sheets from MassBudget examine these Massachusetts rankings, describe investments the state and federal governments have made to achieve these results, and explain how repeal of the Affordable Care Act and proposed federal budget cuts would threaten child well-being in each of these areas: Health (pdf) Education (pdf) Economic Well-Being (pdf) Family and Community (pdf) The 2017 Data Book is available at http://databook.kidscount.org , The KIDS COUNT Data Center also contains the most recent national, state and local data on hundreds of indicators of child well-being, and allows users to create rankings, maps and graphs for use in publications and on websites, and to view real-time information on mobile devices. MassBudget is home to KIDS COUNT in Massachusetts, a national and state-by-state effort funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation to track and improve the well-being of children across the United States. The Massachusetts KIDS COUNT Advisory Council brings together leaders who work to make life better for all children in Massachusetts. #   #   # The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, 15 Court Square, Suite 700, Boston, MA 02108 Sent by nberger@massbudget.org in collaboration with Try it free today

MassBudget: How the President's budget would affect Massachusetts

Three resources

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. Resources on What the President's  Budget Would Mean for Massachusetts Following President Trump's budget outline this week, we invite you to listen to MassBudget President Noah Berger interviewed by Radio Boston's Deborah Becker on WBUR about what the particular effects could look like for Massachusetts. This Center on Budget and Policy Priorities paper provides a national perspective describing what the President's proposal would mean for schools, affordable housing, home energy assistance, and other state and local programs. And -- more relevant than ever -- those who missed it can read our analysis published last month, Partnership in Peril: Federal Funding at Risk for State Programs Relied on by Massachusetts Residents. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, 15 Court Square, Suite 700, Boston, MA 02108 Sent by pbaxandall@massbudget.org in collaboration with Try it free today

"both parties are worried about finding state funds to offset lost federal aid"

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Massachusetts is better insulated than many other states from a potential repeal of the Affordable Care Act, but a Republican replacement measure unveiled Monday could still strain the state's budget and threaten coverage for some, state officials and advocates said. 

"This could mean billions of dollars lost in federal funding," said state Sen. Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, chairwoman of the Mass. Senate Ways and Means Committee. "I think it will have a direct negative impact on each person, consumer, whose premiums may go up even higher and whose cost-sharing may go up higher." 

Even though Massachusetts has its own state law that in many ways mirrors the federal measure known as the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, the state relies heavily on federal money to ensure hundreds of thousands of its lower-income residents can afford health care."

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http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20170307/in-mass-federal-funds-at-risk-under-gop-health-care-proposal

H.R.610 - To distribute Federal funds for elementary and secondary education in the form of vouchers for eligible students and to repeal a certain rule relating to nutrition standards in schools.

Choices in Education Act of 2017

"This bill repeals the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and limits the authority of the Department of Education (ED) such that ED is authorized only to award block grants to qualified states.

The bill establishes an education voucher program, through which each state shall distribute block grant funds among local educational agencies (LEAs) based on the number of eligible children within each LEA's geographical area. From these amounts, each LEA shall: (1) distribute a portion of funds to parents who elect to enroll their child in a private school or to home-school their child, and (2) do so in a manner that ensures that such payments will be used for appropriate educational expenses.

To be eligible to receive a block grant, a state must: (1) comply with education voucher program requirements, and (2) make it lawful for parents of an eligible child to elect to enroll their child in any public or private elementary or secondary school in the state or to home-school their child."

No Hungry Kids Act

"The bill repeals a specified rule that established certain nutrition standards for the national school lunch and breakfast programs. (In general, the rule requires schools to increase the availability of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or fat free milk in school meals; reduce the levels of sodium, saturated fat, and trans fat in school meals; and meet children's nutritional needs within their caloric requirements.)"


https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/610

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/610

MassBudget: Federal funding at risk for state programs relied on by Massachusetts residents

1-in-4 state dollars from federal funding

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. Federal funding at risk for state programs relied on by Massachusetts residents The state and federal governments operate together to support the important work of expanding opportunity and ensuring the well-being of the residents of the Commonwealth. A number of proposals expected to be debated by Congress in the coming months threaten to destabilize this partnership. MassBudget's new report examines the major federal funding sources that the state uses to provide access to affordable health care, help children thrive, assist low-income families, and care for veterans. In addition to describing the sources of federal funding, the report examines the policy changes Congress is likely to consider that could threaten this funding and the services the funding supports. This fiscal year, one of every four dollars that supports the state's budget comes from the federal government - close to $11 billion in federal funds. The report describes how over 30 state agencies and numerous other state programs rely on federal funding, and details a number of significant threats from potential Congressional actions. Read the entire MassBudget report [here]. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

Sent by nberger@massbudget.org in collaboration with Try it free today