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  • May 15, 2013

    Loan policy forcing some off black campuses

    A student’s financial aid package can include student loans, scholarships such as the federal Pell grant for low-income students, and federally funded campus jobs. But the aid doesn’t usually cover all costs of attending college.
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  • May 15, 2013

    Committee rejects food stamp junk food ban

    Committee rejects food stamp junk food ban Proposals by Maine Governor Paul LePage that would bar food stamp recipients from using benefits to buy junk food and make convicted drug felons ineligible for public assistance were rejected by lawmakers at the committee level along party lines Thursday.
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  • May 15, 2013

    West Virginia to expand Medicaid

    West Virginia to expand Medicaid Tens of thousands of West Virginians will soon be eligible for Medicaid coverage after West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin announced that the state would expand its program under the federal health care overhaul. About 91,500 people are expected to seek coverage after the change takes effect.
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  • May 15, 2013

    Medicaid cuts set to kick in January 1

    The Obama administration said federal cuts in hospital payments for treating indigent people will begin Jan. 1, prompting top Mississippi Democratic lawmakers and others to urge Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant to call a special session to discuss expanding Medicaid in the state. On Monday the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released proposed regulations for the implementation of reductions in Medicaid disproportionate share payments to hospitals.
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  • May 15, 2013

    D.C. nears decision on health insurance exchange

    The D.C. Council could decide as soon as next week whether to require small-business owners to purchase their employee health insurance through a city-run exchange, highlighting a special implication of the federal health-care overhaul that has been strongly opposed by some business interests. The District has been aggressive in developing and testing its own exchange, even though the city is relatively small and boasts a relatively high rate of insurance coverage.
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  • May 15, 2013

    Washington lawmakers return to Capitol for special session

    Washington lawmakers return to Capitol for special session Washington lawmakers returned to the Capitol for a special legislative session to address a projected budget deficit of more than $1.2 billion for the next two-year budget, plus a court-required increase in funding for the state's education system.
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2012 Conference Featured Speakers

NATIONAL LIVE BROADCAST

Warren Ballentine
WARREN BALLENTINE
Host, The Warren Ballentine Show

YOUTH CONGRESS DAY LUNCHEON

Free
FREE
WPGC 95.5 FM Radio Host
Former BET Personality, 106 & Park
Lamont Carey
LAMONT CAREY
Filmmaker, Author, and Motivational Speaker

MEET AND GREET HOSPITALITY

Judy Smith
JUDY SMITH
Crisis Communications Expert
Co-Executive Producer, ABC’s “Scandal”

OPENING PLENARY BREAKFAST AND HUMANITARIAN AWARD

Rev. Jesse Jackson
REVEREND JESSE L. JACKSON, SR.
Civil Rights Activist
Founder of the RainbowPush Coalition

BENJAMIN S. RUFFIN CORPORATE ROUND TABLE LUNCHEON

Bart Peterson
BART PETERSON
Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Communications
Eli Lilly & Company

NOBEL/WOMEN'S BREAKFAST

Michelle Ebanks
MICHELLE EBANKS
President, ESSENCE Communications Inc.
President, People en Español

PRAYER BREAKFAST & MEMORIAL SERVICE

Bishop Walter Thomas
BISHOP WALTER S. THOMAS, SR.
Pastor, New Psalmist Baptist Church Baltimore, Maryland Presiding Prelate, Kingdom Association of Covenant Pastors

CLOSING PLENARY

Michael Dyson
MODEERATOR: DR. MICHAEL ERIC DYSON
Author, Professor, and Political Commentator
Sharon Davis
PANELIST: SHARON DAVIES, J.D.
Executive Director, Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, Ohio State University
Michael Harris
PANELIST: MICHAEL HARRIS, J.D.
Senior Attorney, National Center for Youth Law
Tracie Keesee
PANELIST: DR. TRACIE KEESEE
Captain, Denver Police Department
Executive Director of Operations, Consortium for Police Leadership in Equity
Jewell Williams
PANELIST: JEWELL WILLIAMS
Sheriff, City and County of Philadelphia

AFRICAN AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE STAFF COORDINATING COMMITTEE LUNCHEON

Kevin Dedner
KEVIN DEDNER, MPH
Managing Director of Forward Solutions