The U.S. Census Bureau today released a set of estimates showing that 50.4 percent of our nation's population younger than age 1 were minorities as of July 1, 2011. This is up from 49.5 percent from the 2010 Census taken April 1, 2010. A minority is anyone who is not single-race white and not Hispanic.
July 1, 2011 (this day)
These are the first set of population estimates by race, Hispanic origin, age and sex since the 2010 Census. They examine population change for these groups nationally, as well as within all states and counties, between Census Day (April 1, 2010) and July 1, 2011. Also released were population estimates for Puerto Rico and its municipios by age and sex.
There were five majority-minority states or equivalents in 2011: Hawaii (77.1 percent minority), the District of Columbia (64.7 percent), California (60.3 percent), New Mexico (59.8 percent) and Texas (55.2 percent). No other state had a minority population greater than 46.4 percent of the total.
More than 11 percent (348) of the nation's 3,143 counties were majority-minority as of July 1, 2011, with nine of these counties achieving this status since April 1, 2010. Maverick, Texas, had the largest share (96.8 percent) of its population in minority groups, followed by Webb, Texas (96.4 percent) and Wade Hampton Census Area, Alaska (96.2 percent).
There was a small uptick in the nation's median age, from 37.2 years in 2010 to 37.3 in 2011. The 65-and-older population increased from 40.3 million to 41.4 million over the period and included 5.7 million people 85 and older. Likewise, working-age adults (age 18 to 64) saw their numbers rise by about 2 million to 196.3 million in 2011. In contrast, the number of children under 18, 74.0 million in 2011, declined by about 200,000 over the period, largely because of the decline in high school-age children 14 to 17.
A partial solar eclipse occurred on July 1, 2011. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A partial solar eclipse occurs in the polar regions of the Earth when the center of the Moon's shadow misses the Earth.This is the first solar eclipse of Saros series 156, only visible as a partial solar eclipse in a small area south of South Africa and north of Antarctica. At greatest eclipse, the magnitude was just 0.097.[1] It is the first new saros series to begin since saros 155 began with the partial solar eclipse of June 17, 1928. The eclipse belonged to Saros 156 and was number 1 of 69 eclipses in the series. Thus, the 2011 Jul 01 event was the first eclipse of the series.[2]
The following are the transition rules for Sales, Leases or Rentals of Tangible Personal Property: The new 6.35%, 7% and 9.35% rates of tax are applicable to sales, leases or rentals of tangible personal property occurring on or after July 1, 2011, except that the new rates will not apply to any sale of tangible personal property under a binding sales contract without an escalator clause that was entered into prior to July 1, 2011, where delivery is made within 90 days after July 1, 2011.
With regard to leases of tangible personal property, the new 6.35% or 7% rates apply to lease payments due and owing on or after July 1, 2011. The following example illustrates how the transition rule applies to leases of tangible personal property:
Example 1: On January 1, 2011, an individual enters a 36-month lease for a motor vehicle with an agreed upon value of less than $50,000. Under the terms of this lease, the first monthly payment was due January 15, 2011, and the last monthly payment is due December 15, 2013. Those lease payments due before June 30, 2011, are subject to sales and use taxes at the 6% rate. However, those lease payments that are due on or after July 1, 2011, are subject to tax at the 6.35% rate.
With regard to the rental of a passenger motor vehicle for a period of 30 consecutive calendar days or less where the rental period overlaps the effective date of the sales tax rate increase, the 6% rate applies to the portion of the rental term occurring on or before June 30, 2011 and the 9.35% rate applies to the portion of the rental term occurring on or after July 1, 2011. The following example illustrates how the transition rule applies to a short-term rental of a passenger motor vehicle:
Gas and electricity: As sales of gas and electricity are considered to be sales of tangible personal property for sales and use tax purposes, certain utility companies must calculate the taxes due for metered service periods that include days before and after the July 1, 2011 in accordance with the following example:
Example 3: If a meter is read on July 5, 2011, with 30 days in the service period since the previous reading, 25/30ths of the charges for the period will be subject to the tax at the 6% rate that was applicable before July 1, 2011. The remainder, or 5/30ths of the charges for the period, will be subject to the 6.35% rate applicable to sales for periods on and after July 1, 2011. These fractions will change for each meter reading date.
The following are the transition rules for Sales of Services: Payments made on or before May 4, 2011, for services provided before and after July 1, 2011, are not subject to additional tax.
Payments made at any time, including payments for past due charges, for services provided during periods before July 1, 2011, are subject to the applicable sales and use tax rate in effect during the period or periods.
The following is the transition rule for Room Occupancy: Where the period of occupancy overlaps the effective date of the sales tax rate increase, the 12% rate applies to the portion of the occupancy term occurring on or before June 30, 2011 and the 15% rate applies to the portion of the occupancy term occurring on or after July 1, 2011. The following example illustrates how the transition rule applies to room occupancy with a term spanning July 1, 2011:
Texas had eight of the 15 most rapidly growing large cities between Census Day (April 1, 2010) and July 1, 2011, according to population estimates for all of the nation's incorporated cities and towns and minor civil divisions released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.
New York continued to be the nation's most populous city by a large margin, with 8.2 million residents in 2011, followed by Los Angeles and Chicago. The 15 most populous cities remained unchanged since the 2010 Census. However, Austin, Texas, moved up from 14th to 13th in total population, supplanting San Francisco. (See Table 3 for complete list.)
These estimates are produced using housing unit estimates to distribute the county population to subcounty areas within the county. The 2011 housing unit estimates are projections of average monthly housing unit change based on the Intercensal Estimates time series.
On July 1, 2011, several lines of severe thunderstorms swept across parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Lake Superior, Upper Michigan, Iowa, and South Dakota. The first line of storms was especially severe, and it produced a corridor of wind damage from northwest of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, all the way into northwest Wisconsin and western Lake Superior. Many communities in east-central Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin were impacted by significant wind damage, caused by hurricane-force wind gusts.
For Fiscal Year 2011: (July 1, 2010 - June 30, 2011): The facility rate effective 7-1-2010 to 7-31-2010 was $64.11. The rate effective 8-1-2010 to 6-30-2011 was $63.11. This was due to a 2% rate cut effective 8-1-2010. Facilities are required by the ADHC Payment Methodology Rule published October 20, 2008, to spend no less than 90% of the direct care component in the rate. If a facility fails to expend the direct care expenditure floor, the department will cost settle their direct care.
For Fiscal Year 2012: (July 1, 2011 - June 30, 2012): Effective July 1, 2011 the Department of Health will implement a change in how Adult Day Health Care (ADHC) services are reimbursed by the Medicaid Program. ADHC providers will be reimbursed at a quarter hour (15-minute) rate of pay instead of a "per diem" or daily rate. The rate of pay will be $2.44 plus the provider specific transportation rate (per 15 minute unit). A new provider will receive the "Median Quarter Hour Transportation Cost" of $.20 per quarter hour, therefore their rate will be $2.44 + $.20 = $2.64 per quarter hour unit. Effective July 1, 2011, facilities are required by the ADHC Payment Methodology Emergency Rule published June 20, 2011, to spend no less than 70% of the direct care component in the rate. If a facility fails to expend the direct care expenditure floor, the department will cost settle their direct care.
Rates published are effective as of the first day of the rate semester (January 1st/July 1st). Effective July 1, 2011, rates are to be set once a year every July 1st. This Web site is not updated for increases or decreases in rates due to revisions to cost data (such as amended cost reports or audits).
On September 20, 2010, the Department of Labor issued Technical Release 2010-02 (T.R. 2010-02), which set forth an enforcement grace period for compliance with certain new provisions with respect to internal claims and appeals until July 1, 2011.1 Based on a review of the comments received on the 2010 interim final regulations and other feedback from interested stakeholders, this document, Technical Release 2011-01, modifies and extends the enforcement grace period set forth in T.R. 2010-02, as set forth below.
The Departments intend to issue an amendment to the 2010 interim final regulations in the near future that takes into account comments and other feedback received from stakeholders on the 2010 interim final regulations, and makes modifications to certain provisions of the 2010 interim final regulations. To avoid enforcing standards that the Departments intend to modify in the near future, the relief contained in this Technical Release 2011-01 is intended to act as a bridge until an amendment to the 2010 interim final regulations is issued.2 2ff7e9595c
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