FAFSA Delays-Navigating the Thorny Landscape of College Unaffordability
For many low-income college students, the prevailing Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) delays are causing added panic to our ever-growing educational crisis of soaring college costs. IWPR's Policy Team weighs in.
FAFSA Delays-Navigating the Thorny Landscape of College Unaffordability
For many low-income college students, the prevailing Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) delays are causing added panic to our ever-growing educational crisis of soaring college costs. IWPR's Policy Team weighs in.
For many low-income college students, the prevailing Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) delays are causing added panic to our ever-growing educational crisis of soaring college costs. For me, the annual FAFSA form was always an unnerving part of my college experience because it determined whether I would be able to return to school in the forthcoming academic year. The programs and grants solely administered through FAFSA, such as the Federal Work Study Program and the Pell Grant, [...]
The year 2023 was riddled with post-Dobbs abortion bans, attacks on gender-affirming care, near government shutdowns, and states striving to legislatively and judicially strip women of their bodily autonomy. And the spotlight on state policy action only intensified with a federal void on policies protecting reproductive health and securing paid leave. On many policy fronts, it was a regressive year for gender equity, but while some states went low, others went high. Some states actually enacted policies that will [...]
This week, amidst a growing list of urgent priorities and rapidly approaching government funding deadlines, the House of Representatives is instead opting to vote for legislation to further stigmatize and restrict students’ reproductive decisions. Under the guise of protecting students’ rights, the House leadership is turning its anti-abortion crusade on college and university students, pushing legislation to limit their ability to make reproductive health care decisions. Despite its lofty title, the Pregnant Students’ Rights Act does absolutely nothing to protect [...]
The state of poverty alleviation efforts in the United States creates an opportunity for cash transfer and guaranteed income pilots. There is an urgent need to identify and implement social policies and programs that support women’s economic empowerment and well-being. In recent years, cash transfers and guaranteed income programs, which provide money to participants in need of income assistance, have gained widespread support in the United States, with an increase in the number of pilots post-pandemic. One in ten [...]
Illinois is emerging as an oasis in a desert of reproductive freedom. Surrounded by states with near-total abortion bans post-Dobbs, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and fellow Democrats expanded protections for abortion and gender-affirming care providers and out-of-state patients this legislative session. The new law also mandates state-regulated insurance coverage for abortion medication, HIV prevention drugs like PEP and PrEP, and gender-affirming care at no extra cost to consumers. In addition, legislators allocated $8 million in the FY2024 budget for training [...]
As Congress looks to complete work on the must-pass Farm Bill, a critical nutrition assistance program remains in the crosshairs. With many provisions of this legislation set to expire in 2024, it is critical that Congress avoid any new restrictions to food assistance programs that provide crucial support to low-income Americans. The Farm Bill is an omnibus, multi-year law that governs numerous food and agricultural programs. The bill covers commodities, conservation, trade, nutrition, credit, rural development, research, forestry, energy, horticulture, [...]
