Katie Singh Posts

Last week marked the 50th anniversary of LBJ's War on Poverty, which introduced major initiatives designed to help lift Americans out of poverty. President Obama marked the occasion by recommitting himself to fighting poverty, declaring that "our work is far from over."

Austin has long-been a hotspot for growth in Texas, and has especially seen growth over the past 5 years. But with the continued growth has come some major consequences as well. New data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows that the number of Austin children living in extreme poverty rose by 11,000 from 2006 to 2012.

In 1999, the Texas Legislature deregulated electric companies in certain areas of Texas, promising that this would lower rates for consumers. However, it appears that this promise was not entirely accurate. According to the report, "Texans living in deregulated electricity areas paid about $22 billion more in the last decade than they would have under a regulated system."

The devil's bargain the Texas Republican stalwarts made with fringe tea party groups is coming back to haunt them. Not content with confronting Democrats, the tea parties have decided to take on the GOP establishment, getting kicked out of the Alvin courthouse in the process. They've now sued the Republicans in office. It's like a Marx brothers' routine.

Because of lax oversight, Texas Health Insurance Providers are getting away with murder. When sending out cancellation notices for ACA non-compliant plans, they've intentionally left out information about the (now-working) healthcare.gov marketplace, making it seem like customers must now pay exorbitantly higher rates.

As one might expect from a gathering of Republicans considering 2016 presidential runs, the three-day Republican Governors Association's annual meeting mainly consisted of Tea Party one-upmanship over who disagrees the most with President Obama. Once again, Rick Perry found a way to disagree the loudest.

This week, the Texas State Board of Education held hearings to discuss the adoption of new textbooks for Texas schools. Given the SBOE's past history with creationism, all eyes were specifically on the science textbook hearings, to see whether the SBOE would let real science into Texas textbooks.

A new report from the Department of Health and Human Services has found that "approximately 46 percent of single, uninsured young adults living in 34 of the states with a federal Obamacare marketplace will be able to purchase basic health coverage for less than $50 per month after factoring in federal tax subsidies."

Governor Rick Perry has always been one of the Affordable Care Act's most vocal opponents. He's called it a "monstrosity," a "stomach punch to the economy," and a "felony." But that hasn't stopped him from telling Texans to sign up for health coverage from the law. That's right — Rick Perry's administration is encouraging Texans to enroll in the ACA's health insurance exchanges.

Texas is home to some of the nation's most vocal opponents of the Affordable Care Act. Governor Rick Perry  has called it a "monstrosity" and a "stomach punch to the American economy," while Senator Ted Cruz has been leading the charge to defund Obamacar

The sequester hits home for Texas children enrolled in the Head Start education program. Over 4,000 students in the Lone Star State will be cut from the program as Head Start learning centers start shuttering their doors.

As the country prepares for the rollout of the Affordable Care Act on October 1, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius has hit the road, spreading the word nationwide about the new law. She's been meeting with local leaders across the country to discuss how the ACA's implementation will affect their communities.