Hhs Awards $100 Million In Bonuses To States For Reductions In Out-Of-Wedlock Births
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced the award of $100 million in bonuses to four states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands for achieving the nation’s largest decreases in out-of-wedlock births between 1998 and 2001.
Maryland, Colorado, Wyoming, Texas and the District of Columbia will each receive a bonus of about $19.8 million, while the Virgin Islands will receive $888,500.
The out-of-wedlock birth rate fell 5.5 percent in the District of Columbia; 2.4 percent in the Virgin Islands; 2.0 percent in Colorado, 1.9 percent in Texas, .27 percent in Maryland, and .25 percent in Wyoming.
This is the fifth award of bonuses for reductions in out-of-wedlock births, as provided in the welfare reform law of 1996. Under the law, the annual bonuses are awarded to as many as five states and three territories that have the largest reduction in the ratio of out-of-wedlock births to total births.
HHS’ National Center for Health Statistics compiles the birth data based on records submitted by the states and compares the proportion for the most recent two-year period to that for the preceding two-year period.
In order to receive the bonuses, the top states also are required to show a decrease in their abortion rate between the most recent year and 1995. The abortion rate is measured as the number of abortions divided by the number of births.
