To Have and To Hold: Congressional Vows on Marriage and Sex

This article discusses what the government has already done to promote abstinence-unless-married programs and marriage, and what it proposes to do with the reauthorization of the welfare law. The article then discusses the relationship between marriage and pregnancy prevention, including research findings on the influence of childbearing on marriage. It then concludes with some recommendations on what Congress could do in the reauthorization of PRWORA to ensure that funding for abstinence-unless-married programs and marriage promotion truly meet the needs of the populations for which it is intended

Teen Parents and Abstinence Education: Research Findings 2003

Research Findings: 2003 is designed as a reference tool for practitioners, policymakers, and others interested in teen parents (and particularly their relationship to welfare programs) and abstinence education. Research Findings: 2003 pulls together research that focuses specifically on these topics, as well as selected broader studies that include findings on teen parents or abstinence education. Not included in this listing is the wealth of research on the broad topic of teen pregnancy prevention, except as it relates to welfare. The following summaries are drawn directly from or paraphrase the research papers themselves. This compilation does not evaluate the validity of the studies or their methodology. Each summary includes a link to a web posting of the full research report, article, or presentation or the e-mail address of one of the researchers. Readers are encouraged to contact CLASP ([email protected] and [email protected]) with suggestions for research released in 2003 that should be included in this summary. We also encourage researchers and others to send us research that might be included in Research Findings: 2004

Presenteeism and Paid Sick Days

Employers who do not provide paid sick days may feel it is too expensive to pay for workers who do not come to work. However, new research suggests that when workers are sick on the job, their presence comes at a cost to employers -- the "hidden" cost of reduced productivity. This four-page paper defines "presenteeism" and discusses what can and is being done about it

Taking the Next Step: What Can the U.S. Learn about Sick Leave from New Zealand?

This policy brief, based on the report "High Wire Act" and the second in the Work-Life Balance Series, looks at what New Zealand has done to provide paid sick days for its workers. Drawing from the New Zealand experience, the brief then provides recommendations on what United States policymakers can do to ensure that workers have paid sick days. 8 pages

Increasing low-income access to opportunity

The author describes how state and city governments are taking the lead in giving visibility to poverty and opportunity through task-force initiatives, summits, and state poverty targets.Poverty - New England

Paid Sick Days Legislation: A Legislator's Guide

Unlike most of the nations of the world, the U.S. has no national paid sick days policy. But lawmakers are starting to address the issue at the local and state levels. This guide, a joint publication of CLASP and the Women Legislators' Lobby, is intended to help legislators think through the provisions that make up paid sick days legislation. It identifies ten primary issues to consider when moving from a hypothetical idea to concrete legislation, and it offers several possible options for addressing each. 15 pages

Leave No Youth Behind: Opportunities for Congress to Reach Disconnected Youth

This report discusses six programs being considered by the 108th Congress for reauthorization, focusing on policies designed to assist disconnected and at-risk youth. The review seeks to identify how the programs do or do not consider at-risk or disconnected youth ad how such programs might be improved. After an introduction by Alan Houseman, six papers include: "The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act and Disconnected Youth" (Cynthia G. Brown and Andy Hartman); "The Higher Education Act and Disconnected Youth" (Thomas R. Wolanin); "The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Disconnected Youth" (Cynthia G Brown and Jennifer Mezey); "The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act and Disconnected Youth" (Bob Reeg); "The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program and Disconnected Youth" (Jodie Levin-Epstein); and "The Workforce Investment Act and Disconnected Youth" (Nisha Patel and Steve Savner)

Seizing the Moment: State Governments and the New Commitment to Reduce Poverty in America

Outlines calls for national, state, and local efforts to reduce poverty; summarizes the need for quantitative goals and timelines; and profiles twelve states' poverty statistics and initiatives. Includes charts of state recommendations by policy area

FAQ: Tapping TANF for Reproductive Health or Teen Parent Programs

The following FAQ is designed to address common questions about how TANF might be tapped to prevent unintended pregnancy throughout a state as well as to meet the special needs of teen parents. The FAQ is based on CLASP's understanding of the TANF statute and final regulations. Even though final regulations are published, questions may arise. Therefore, proponents of using TANF for a pregnancy prevention effort and/or for a teen parent intervention should engage key community players in identifying unmet needs in the state and in determining whether TANF appears to be the best funding stream available. Then, legal advice within the state should weigh available HHS guidance and decide whether investment through TANF is reasonable. This FAQ will be updated on CLASP's web page [www.CLASP.org] as further guidance is issue

One Out of Every Five: Teen Mothers and Subsequent Childbearing

The birth of a child to a teenager puts the young family at risk for negative social and health consequences; the birth of additional children can further impede the family's financial, academic, and social success. Though there is a national interest in reducing the teen birth rate, strategies designed to achieve this goal often insufficiently target a readily identifiable group -teens who are already mothers. Of those programs that do target teen mothers, few have been able to demonstrate success. Teen mothers should be targeted for pregnancy prevention not only because they contribute to the teen birth rate with its attendant consequences, but also because second and higher-order births to teenaged mothers often limits life options further than having only one child.Compared to a teen mother with one child, a teenager with two or more children typically faces: lower educational attainment;greater likelihood of poverty; andimpaired health for the infant