4 Million People aren't allowed to Apply for U.S. Jobs

Last night’s 60 Minutes was about folks who are deemed “long-term unemployed” and now considered unemployable. I thought it was interesting because although they talked about the want-ads with “must be currently employed to apply” they didn’t say anything about states working to prohibit that level of discrimination. I did a “Google search”and it turns out over 100,000 folks signed a petition asking Monster.com to stop posting job ads that support the discrimination practice (http://www.change.org/petitions/monstercom-ban-job-listings-that-discriminate-against-the-unemployed). It also turns out that with the passage of our HB12-1134 Colorado will be setting a precedent in model legislation along this effort. YAY—we’re in first place for something that benefits working families.

Apparently, Congress and California have been grappling with this a bit, but it’s still at conversation stage. More on that from National Employment Law Project.

My thought is that if you are working with folks who fall in this category, Representative Pabon could use their testimony. Unfortunately the first hearing is February 21st but if you send him an email (Dan@DanPabon.com) that he can read to the committee that would be welcome. I don’t know who has the lead on this bill, but it’s something worth fighting for if we expect to make a difference for some of the people we serve.

Bill HB12-1134 - PABON Prohibit Job Discrimination Against Unemployed
Tuesday, February 21 2012
Economic & Business Development
1:30 p.m. Room 0112
(2) in house calendar.

Welfare Reform's 15th Anniversary

Is welfare reform (now referred to as Temporary Aid to Needy Families) working? The answer depends on how you measure success. Following are a couple of opinions on what the data tells us. Note the alternative perspective that actually takes into account what it meant for families.

From House Ways and Means Committee

and from Jared Bernstein

The Womancession

What happens when there is a recovery and women don't see a change? What happens when child care assistance fades away and job hours are cut? Is the reduction of poverty related to women going back to work? From the Ms. Foundation, see the video on the WOMANCESSION

Budget Deficits and their Impact on Families

Conversations about saving money by cutting services rarely include impact statements regarding individuals, families and communities. The following article is the first of many we will include from all over the country. What does it look like from your community's perspective?
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The Women of Color Policy Network has issued a policy brief, Analysis of FY 2012 Budget and Deficit Reduction Proposals, analyzing each budget for their impact on women of color, their families and communities. At a time when unemployment rates remain close to double digits, the Network stresses that the focus must be on building a stronger future for all with investments in infrastructure, people and communities.

Unfair Pay Gap Harms Families and Children

If you want to reduce poverty, you've got to support pay equity and that is still an apparently long road. A must read are the 21 plus comments attached to Linda Meric's Denver Post op-ed on pay equity. While the article, also a must read, reminds us of another barrier to poverty reduction it's absolutely amazing that the male-dominated comments resort to the "evil" that lurks within a woman's call for fairness. When you're done wiping the tears from your eyes, join us, APRIL 12th at FUNKY BUDDHA'S (776 Lincoln Street)in support of the real issue at hand--Pay equity=Economic Opportunity=Family Security=Poverty Reduction!

WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT, ALPHIE?

Over the last four months the Economic Opportunity Poverty Reduction Task Force has been discussing the effects of poverty, the barriers to economic self-sufficiency and the potential solutions for increasing economic opportunity. The one thing that we all agree on is that we don't understand the full complexity of poverty, nor do we comprehend its pervasiveness. See what you know by taking this illuminating quiz from the "Half in Ten Campaign". Oh, and the spoiler alert--IT'S ARTIFICIAL FOLKS!

http://halfinten.org/issues/articles/how-much-do-you-really-know-about-poverty

EOPR Task Force Employment Workgroup Meeting

Venue: Colorado Center on Law and Policy, 789 Sherman Street, Suite 303, Denver

Date & Time: October 12, 2010 1-3 pm

Agenda

Announcements:
Larimer County meeting with businesses, date and time?
WOW training (results, polling data?...)
Reports
Rob: Individual savings accounts
Carol: blanket bans against hiring felons
Tracey: Senate Bill 10-86 (postponed implementation) and loss of work supports at unrealistic levels
Paula: vocational ESL credits and TANF

Other business
Strategic planning and drafting guiding principles & values
Decide areas of focus for committee to pursue for recommendations

Next meeting is Oct. 26th

Women and Children First

To live in poverty that is. Recent Colorado numbers from the census bureau are not suprising, but continue to illustrate the need for systemic changes in employment, education and family planning. Read more here.

Employment Workgroup Meeting September 28th

Economic Opportunity & Poverty Reduction Task Force
Employment Work Group

SEPTEMBER 28, 2010 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Venue: Denver Inner City Parish, 1212 Mariposa Street, Denver


Agenda

Announcements:

Building Bridges toward Economic Security

sponsored by Wider Opportunities for Women,

Oct 1st, 9-5:30, breakfast and lunch included. Free.

Need to register at www.wowonline.org/buildingbridges .
Co-hosted by The Colorado Center on Law and Policy and 9to5 National Organization of Working Women

Larimer County meeting with businesses has been postponed.

Guest: representative of the African Community Center

Reports
Tracey: refugee communities/poverty reduction, census data
Jim: mental model mapping, enterprise zones
Robb: Individualized savings accounts
Carol: blanket bans against hiring felons

Other business
Strategic planning/drafting

Remaining meetings are Oct. 12th, Oct. 26th
Next steps

Education Workgroup Meeting September 10

The Education Workgroup of the Task Force will hold this month's meeting at the offices of the Colorado Center on Law and Policy.

Date: September 10, 2010
Time: 9:30 am to 11:00 am
Location Address: 789 Sherman Street #300

Metered parking is available in front of the building, and two hour free visitor parking is available in the lot just east of the building. The entrance to the lot is off 8th.

The topic this week is Higher Education and it's impact on poverty reduction. The workgroup will meet with the Department's new legislative representative and review recommendations from the 2009 session as well as new initiatives the department has for moving Coloradans forward through opportunity.

Please join us on Friday.

Employment Recommendations from 2009

On Friday, September 11, 2009 Carol Peeples (Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition), Mary Carraher (Project Self-Sufficiency), Kathy Otten (Colorado Workforce Board) and Caher Robert (Denver Women’s Commission) met to discussion issues and potential 2010 Legislation.

Potential 2010 Legislation:

• “Safe Hiring Act”- To remove legal barriers to employment by those exiting the criminal justice system. Elements could include:
  Ban on blanket employment policies like “no felons need apply”.
  Legal protection for employers limiting any liability for decision to hire felons to be only equal to liability for other employees.
  Prohibit felon check box on applications. Prohibit inquiring about felon status until the interview stage.
• State Earned Income Tax Credit – Restore the State Earned Income Tax Credit for low wage workers to the #1 TABOR Refund mechanism. This would have not immediate impact due to low state revenues, but could result in low wage workers receiving their State EITC years earlier than the current situation. It should have no fiscal note in any case since it just reorders the refunding of TABOR excess revenues.
  (The Colorado State Earned Income Tax Credit exists in the law as equivalent to 10% of the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit. It was created as a companion bill to the permanent reductions in the Colorado State Income tax rates in 1999 and 2000. Those income tax rate reductions were permanent, but the EITC was set up as a TABOR refund mechanism. It was paid to low-wage Colorado families in 1999, 2000 and 2001but not since then. A bill to make the State EITC permanent would have a fiscal note of about $50 million and would actually put up to about $450./year in people’s pockets. The legislature could choose to fund the EITC in a revenue neutral way by abolishing a different permanent tax credit or tax exemption to replace the revenue—though obviously those interests affected would fight that. In 2005 HB 1317 created a new TABOR Refund mechanism—an additional cut in the State income tax rate from 4.63 to 4.5%. This bill had the effect of bumping the EITC from first place in TABOR refund mechanism to second place. A bill to restore the EITC as first TABOR refund mechanism should not have a fiscal note as TABOR refunds are not anticipated for the next few years.)
  
  Issues for Further Investigation:
• Child Care – Child care is a critical work support for parents of young children. Due to its nature child care is expensive relative to the income of low wage workers ( including the child care providers themselves.) Colorado Child Care Assistance Program serves many low wage families, yet serves only about one out of every six eligible families due in part to inadequate funding relative to the needs. Many counties have waiting lists.
  Our subcommittee felt further investigation was needed of four points:
  *Does the State have money in Child Care Reserves?
  *Is there any money reverting back to the TANF Long Term Reserve that could be used for additional Child Care funding? Does the 30% cap on child care transfers apply to TANF monies in the long term reserve? It takes legislative action to allocate money from TANF Long Term Reserve.
  *Twelve month continuous eligibility for CCCAP would eliminate some of the panic in the lives of low income families and give time to troubleshoot paperwork and computer problems that frequent result in losing childcare overnight. It would reduce the burden on State Human Service staff, low income parents and their employers. Is this feasible?
• As a matter of fairness the State should make the Child Care Tax Credit truly refundable, rather than a percentage of the non-refundable Federal Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit. There is no logical reason why the poorest of workers who are paying for child care should not qualify for this credit because their incomes are too low. Most low wage workers DO NOT get subsidize child care.
• Job Training – While the Task Force does have a Committee on Education, we are also concerned about very short term, job specific training. Training programs of 2-3 weeks can help prepare some to compete for a different job. Many parents cannot take advantage of education and training opportunities due to lack of child care. This could be address by training as part of the work experience or by funding child care for employment and training, as is sometimes done with TANF recipients.

Employment Workgroup Meeting August 31st

This is to remind you that the next meeting for the subcommittee focusing on employment for the Economic Opportunity and Poverty Reduction Task Force will meet on Tuesday, August 31st. We will meet from 1-3.

We will meet in the Community Room (on your right as you walk in the front door) at the Denver Inner City Parish building.

Address is 1212 Mariposa Street, across the street from Lincoln Park.

Parking is free in our parking lot and along the sidewalk next to the park.

Proposed agenda topics: Colorado prosperity mapping, the value of case management continuum programs, research into city contracts, child care assistance policies, paid sick days and a review of the policy recommendations State of Working Colorado 2009.

Workgroup meeting-Employment and Economic Development

The employment work group will meet this coming Tuesday, August 3rd, from 1-3 pm at the Denver Inner City Parish. (1212 Mariposa Street)
Feel free to park in the DICP parking lot if a space is available. Additional parking is available along the street next to the park. Coffee and snacks will be provided.

Employment and Economic Development

Chair-Carol Peeples, Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition

New members have to catch up and found it frustrating to respond to last year’s recommendations, so they have opted to start with new 2010 recommendations. Meetings will occur every 2 weeks. Next meeting August 3rd 1:00 pm-3:00 pm. Location details to follow.

The 2009 Community Report

During the 2009 Interim Committee Session, the Economic Opportunity Poverty Reduction Task Force created it's first year's report on the scope of poverty and initial policy solutions. You can download the 2009 Community Report by clicking here.