The South Carolina Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voters Act (S. 404) was signed into law today by Gov. Nikki Haley. The new law, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, makes it easier for South Carolinians abroad to participate in federal, state and local elections. more

States spent an estimated $131 billion on transportation in fiscal year 2010, but many cannot answer critical questions about what returns this investment is generating, according to a new report by the Pew Center on the States and the Rockefeller Foundation. more

One hundred eleven pages. That is the median length of the checking account disclosures consumers are supposed to read and understand before opening an account at any of the 10 largest banks, according to documents analyzed in a new report from the Pew Health Group’s Safe Checking in the Electronic Age Project. Failure to provide clear and comprehensive disclosure can expose accountholders to hidden and potentially dangerous risks. more

Despite massive increases in state spending on prisons, America’s national recidivism rate is stubbornly high, with more than four in 10 offenders returned to state prison within three years of their release, according to a new report by the Pew Center on the States. more

Libby Doggett, deputy director at the Pew Center on the States, issued the following statement today on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ release of criteria for the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program:

“These guidelines send exactly the right message: State and federal lawmakers should invest in proven programs that earn a strong return on taxpayer dollars and boost long-term fiscal health."

Industry leaders, policy makers and top researchers will gather in Washington February 16 and 17, for The National Summit on Quality in Home Visiting Programs, the first conference of its kind devoted exclusively to home visiting programs serving at-risk mothers and their children. more

The Pew Center on the States and the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics are hosting a conference Friday to discuss Pew's partnership with the state to modernize voter registration in Utah. more

Incarceration reduces former inmates’ earnings by 40 percent and limits their future economic mobility, according to a new Pew report, Collateral Costs: Incarceration’s Effect on Economic Mobility. more

Family structure has an impact on a child’s economic mobility prospects, according to the Pew Economic Policy Group’s report, Family Structure and the Economic Mobility of Children. more

John Schlitt, director of the Pew Home Visiting Campaign, issued the following statement today, commenting on maternal and infant home visiting provisions included in health care reform legislation.

Children born to low-income parents with savings above the median level are more likely to move up the income ladder as adults than those whose parents are low-income and low-saving, according to a new report released by Pew’s Economic Mobility Project. more

One in 31: The Long Reach of American Corrections examines the scale and cost of prison, jail, probation and parole in each of the 50 states (please see the 50 state factsheets), and provides a blueprint for states to cut both crime and spending by reallocating prison expenses to fund stronger supervision of the large number of offenders in the community. more