Content by Keyword: State Data

1 Information in this section is from Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government field reports written by John Hall et. al. (1997 and 2002) , public documents, and interviews with state officials.

West Virginia spends more on its Medicaid program than any other single area of the state budget except for elementary and secondary education. Several state officials characterized the Medicaid program as an integral part of the West Virginia's health care system. It funds approximately 55 percent of the state's births. West Virginia's Medicaid p

West Virginia's response to federal welfare reform encompassed three phases. In the first phase, West Virginia officials designed the state's early TANF program to reduce caseloads to minimize financial risks associated with the new block grant structure of TANF and federal penalties for not meeting federal work participation rates. The state expe

West Virginia's executive budgeting model provides the governor and executive agencies with much authority in budget development and implementation. Significant gubernatorial authority includes sole responsibility for establishing revenue estimates, line item veto, and the ability to extend the legislature's regular session if they do not enact a

Population (July 2003): 1.8 Million Total State Expenditures - SFY 2002: $8,150 Million (US Total: $1,073,816 Million) TANF Expenditures - SFY 2002 (% of total): 2.5 % (US: 1.3%) Medicaid Expenditures - SFY 2002 (% of total): 19.8 % (US: 20.8%) (Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau and NASBO 2002 State Expenditure Report)

The state's Medicaid program plays a central role in South Carolina. It provides benefits to 20 percent of the population-including 40 percent of all children-and pays for 50 percent of all births. One-third of the state's senior citizens receive support from the program, and 75 percent of all nursing home beds are paid for by Medicaid.

South Carolina's welfare reform program - known as the Family Independence Program (FIP) - was implemented in October 1996 as an AFDC waiver. The waiver remained in effect until September 2003. The cash assistance program is limited in duration to 24 months out of 10 years and no more than 60 months in a lifetime. To qualify, a family of two must

South Carolina's budget process is dominated by the legislature. The governorship is one of the weakest in the nation. Until 1977, governors served only one term, so legislators were around much longer and exerted greater influence. In 1993, the Restructuring Act created eight appointed cabinet positions (the positions were elective before then).

Population (July 2003): 4.1 Million Total State Expenditures - SFY 2002: $14,894 Million (US Total: $1,073,816 Million) TANF Expenditures - SFY 2002 (% of total): 0.2 % (US: 1.3%) Medicaid Expenditures - SFY 2002 (% of total): 22.6% (US: 20.8%) (Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau and NASBO 2002 State Expenditure Report)

When research staff interviewed state officials for this project in September 2003, many cited New Mexico's growing Medicaid program as the most pressing issue for the state's social welfare programs. In 2002, Medicaid was one of the largest programs in the state budget, second only to k-12 education spending. In that same year, the program provid

Welfare reform in New Mexico was a legal and philosophical struggle between the executive and legislative branches of government. The Johnson administration started work on its welfare reform proposal before the federal government enacted the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996.

New Mexico's budget cycle begins with the executive budget agency sending funding targets to state agencies for their budget requests. The executive budget proposal typically includes agency budget recommendations by functional category. The Legislative Finance Committee, the fiscal arm of the state legislature, releases its budget proposal at the

Population (July 2003): 1.9 Million Total State Expenditures - SFY 2002: $8,981 Million (US Total: $1,073,816 Million) TANF Expenditures - SFY 2002 (% of total): 1.8% (US: 1.3%) Medicaid Expenditures - SFY 2002 (% of total): 19.4% (US: 20.8%) (Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau and NASBO 2002 State Expenditure Report)

Prior to FY 2005 the DHS's Division of Economic Assistance administered the Medicaid Program. However, the Division of Medicaid operating within the office of the Governor determines the Medicaid eligibility for the poverty level aged and disabled and for nursing home residents. Mississippi's spending per Medicaid enrollee is below the national av

Mississippi began to reform its welfare programs with passage of a bill in late 1992, though its AFDC waiver request was not approved by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services until mid-1995. The waivers involved two programs, Work First and Work Encouragement. Work First, the larger program, made benefits contingent on fulfilling work requi

The governorship has traditionally been weak in Mississippi. The office has no line item veto power. Thus, even though the state legislature only meets 90 days per session in the early spring, the legislature has long played the dominant role in developing and enacting the budget. However, the governor has significant control over its implementati

Population (July 2003): 2.9 Million Total State Expenditures - SFY 2002: $10,521 Million (US Total: $1,073,816 Million) TANF Expenditures - SFY 2002 (% of total): 0.7 % (US: 1.3%) Medicaid Expenditures - SFY 2002 (% of total): 26% (US: 20.8%) (Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau and NASBO 2002 State Expenditure Report)

Louisiana's Medicaid and LaCHIP (Louisiana's SCHIP program) programs are administered by the Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH). The number of Medicaid enrollees including LaCHIP, increased 17 percent from 1997 to 2002. This enrollment increase was primarily for children, due to the successful outreach efforts to enroll them in LaCHIP. In SF

Louisiana's TANF and childcare programs are administered by the Office of Family Support within the Department of Social Services (DSS) and the state's child welfare, adoption, and foster care programs are administered by the Office of Community Services, also within the DSS. In 2001, the TANF Executive Office of Oversight and Evaluation was estab

In 1987, Louisiana moved from line item budgeting to program budgeting, and since 1997, it has implemented a performance-based budgeting system. The governor's office sets priorities and budget strategies. The legislature is not an independent body by practice, and is influenced by the governor, who carries line-item veto power. Political parties