Keep Me Informed

99% Policy Agenda


 

 

PolicyLink stands in solidarity with President Obama's vision for the future, as outlined in his 2012 State of the Union Address.  On the eve of this address, we presented a letter, signed by hundreds of organizations, urging the President and Congress to plan for an equitable future -- one in which everyone can participate and prosper.

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The Occupy movement has lain bare what we have known for a very long time: America is a nation of tremendous, painful inequality. Low-income communities and communities of color who were already the furthest behind were hit first and worst by the recession and are still struggling to recover.

The nation's demographic transformation is bringing new urgency to this challenge. Today, nearly half of all young people are people of color. By 2042, people of color will be the majority in America. Yet, racial disparities in employment, education, health, wealth, and opportunity are wide and persistent, dragging down the economy and holding back our country's untapped potential.

We cannot allow these dramatic disparities to continue. We need a more equitable economy—one in which everyone has the opportunity to participate and prosper. America's success—today and tomorrow—will rely on investments in the people, places, and projects that best leverage our collective talents.

Simply, equity is the superior growth model for our future.

An equity-driven economy must:


2011 will go down in history as the year that inequality was exposed. 2012 must be the year that inequality is addressed. Let's build an economy that works for all of us. There are well-developed proposals  ready for action.

Sincerely,

PolicyLink

Organizations signed on as of January 24, 2012

(You may still sign your organization on in support of this letter. We will continue to update the list below.)

National Organizations

Amalgamated Transit Union
Campaign for America's Future
CFED
Coalition on Human Needs
Community Action Partnership
Green for All
Insight Center for Community Economic Development
National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (NALACC)
National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (CAPACD)
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Partnership for Working Families
Prevention Institute
Rebuild the Dream
The People's Institute for Survival and Beyond
United for a Fair Economy
United Methodist Women, Washington Office of Public Policy
Urban Strategies, Inc.
William C. Velasquez Institute (WCVI)
YouthBuild USA

State and Local Organizations

1950 Bryant Avenue Tenants' Association, NY
A World Fit For Kids!, CA
Abinader Group, CA
Activists With A Purpose, MS
Advocating Change Together, Inc., MN
All, Us, We,
Alliance Community Outreach Program, Inc., OH
Alliance for Metro Stability, MN
Alliance Institute, LA
AntiRacist Alliance of New York, NY
Archey and Associates, IN
ArtsWork! Art Works for People, CA
Asset Building Strategies, CA
Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative (BARHII), CA
Berkeley-East Bay Gray Panthers, CA
Black Family Development, MI
CAN-Act, CA
Career Academy Support Network, CA
CASA of Oregon, OR
Charleston Community and Family Development Corporation, SC
Christie and Associates, TX
City of Chico, CA Department of Neighborhood Services, CA
Clare Gardens, Inc., CO
Cook County Place Matters, IL
County of Siskiyou Public Health Department, CA
Dads Make a Difference, MN
Dayton's Bluff Community Center, MN
Doing Development Differently in Metro Detroit (D4), MI
EastSide Neighborhood Development Company, MN
Economic Development Center, CA
Family & Community Development Services, MI
Fathers, Families and Healthy Communities (FFHC), IL
Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund, GA
Forum for Youth Investment, DC
Four Bands Community Fund, SD
Generation Genesis.org, PA
Global Community Rights Framework Initiative, FL
Global-Local Links Project, FL
Gray Panthers Association of California Networks, CA
Green City Growers Cooperative, OH
Growing Power, WI
Health Resources in Action, MA
HealthPAConline.org - NYC Health & Hospitals Corporation, NY
HHG Higher Education Consulting, CA
Holy Innocents Episcopal Church, MI
Homes for the Upwardly Mobile, Inc., CA

Hope Whispers Community Organization Inc., OH
Humanitarianism First.org, PA
ICAL, Inc., LA
Illinois Asset Building Group (IABG), IL
Innovations in Public Health, CA
Ivy Tech Community College Richmond, IN
Jauco & Associates, CA
Jefferson County Place Matters, AL
Jewish Community Action, MN
Kingsley Elementary School, CA
L.A.C.E.R. (Literacy, Arts, Culture, Education, Recreation) Afterschool Programs, CA
La Clinica de La Raza , CA
Latino Family Services, MI
Learning for Innovation, CO
Lyceum Partners + Design, MN
Madison Area Bus Advocates, WI
Metro St. Louis Coalition for Inclusion & Equity, MO
Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing (MICAH), MN
Metropolitan Transportation Authority of Harris County, TX
Minneapolis American Indian Center, MN
MKS Consulting, CA
Montgomery Transportation Coalition, AL
N'COBRA Indianapolis Chapter, IN
New Mexico Health Equity Working Group, NM
Nexus Community Partners, MN
NJ Grassroots 4 Change, NJ
North Lawndale Employment Network, IL
Northside Information Exchange, MN
NYCHA Citywide Council of Presidents, NY
OKLAHOMA HEALTH EQUITY CAMPAIGN, OK
Operation SpringPlant, NC
Oregon League of Minority Voters, OR
Pacoima Beautiful, CA
Partnership for Southern Equity, GA
Pittsburg Interfaith Impact Network, PA
PJ's Pen LLC, NC
Public Health Law & Policy, CA
Quitman County Development Organization, Inc., MS
Raymond John Wean Foundation, OH
Reinvestment Partners, NC
Revitaliz, LLC, DC
Rock Paper Scissors Collective, CA
Roosevelt Institute | Campus Network, NY
Rose Community Development, OR
Sacramento Housing Alliance, CA
Sage Financial Solutions, CA
Simon Publications, MD
Southwest Coalition of Atlanta Neighborhoods L3C, GA
Strive, OH
Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice, MI
The Colorado Center on Law and Policy, CO
The Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, CO
The Greater Cleveland Chapter of CSF) Carson Scholars Fund, Inc., OH
The Maryland Center for Health Equity, MD
The Michigan League for Human Services, MI
The People's Institute for Survival and Beyond, LA
Thinking Man Consulting, NJ
Tomorrow Matters!, FL
Transit for Livable Communities, MN
Transportation Alternatives, NY
Ubuntu Green, CA
University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, WI
Vanica Cummings, CA
WADE Institute for Self Development, LLC, MI
Washington Low Income Housing Alliance, WA
Watershed Research & Training Center, CA
Watts Century Latino Organization, CA
Western Mass Center for Healthy Communities, MA
Westside Housing Organization, MO
Youth Policy Institute, CA

 

We urge Congress and the President to support the following steps to help build an equitable economy.

Ensure meaningful employment for all

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  • Emergency Jobs to Restore the American Dream Act (H.R. 2914). Provide $227 billion over fiscal years 2012 and 2013 to repair public school buildings, establish a national corps of childcare workers, put teachers back in the classroom (together supporting educational attainment for low-income and students of color), and create a national service corps to put hundreds of thousands of young people to work improving public lands, building trails, engaging in community service work, and participating in apprenticeships and workforce development training on the job.
  • Saving America's Youth: Youth Employment Act of 2011 (H.R. 1901). Create and encourage the creation of jobs for youth by providing employers of disadvantaged youth up to $4000/employee, as well as support YouthBuild, Jobs Corp, students training in community colleges for energy efficiency fields, and pre-apprenticeships.

Invest in infrastructure projects that rebuild communities

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  • Building and Upgrading Infrastructure for Long-Term Development (S. 652). Establish and capitalize a National Infrastructure Bank, providing for loans and grants to support investment in infrastructure critical to U.S. economic competitiveness. Increasing federal surface transportation investments by $50 billion would increase employment by 47,000 jobs in FY 2012 and 112,000 jobs in FY 2013.
  • The Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act. Invest in the nation's roads, sidewalks, trails, and transit in order to keep buses and trains running. Incorporate Sen. Gillibrand's Construction Careers Demonstration Program amendment to encourage the hiring of veterans, low-income people, and underrepresented workers (women, people of color, summer youth employees, people with disabilities), and build more opportunities for funded, quality apprenticeship training.
  • Livable Communities Act (S. 1621/H.R. 3325) and Sustainable Communities Investment. Codify interagency partnership between Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, and Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen coordinated investments in transit, affordable housing, and the connection of low-income communities to jobs; and restore funding for competitive Sustainable Communities grants program.

Enact fair fiscal, financial, and foreclosure reforms

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  • Fairness in Taxation Act (H.R. 1124). Raise the ceiling on payroll taxes and end tax cuts on highest-earning millionaires and billionaires. Use restored revenues to advance priorities for education, jobs, infrastructure, and healthy communities.
  • Preserving Homes and Communities Act (H.R.1477). Expand and improve loan modification programs by requiring lenders and servicers to evaluate homeowners for sustainable modifications prior to initiating foreclosure, and to offer approved modifications to qualified homeowners.

Enable all children and young people to reach their full potential

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  • Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Reauthorization. Target investments for pre-K through college success to low-income students, schools, and districts to ensure that disadvantaged students get their fair share of resources. Incorporate Promise Neighborhoods Act of 2011 (S. 1004 and H.R. 2098) into ESEA to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and help children in low-income neighborhoods succeed academically.
  • Increase funding for Head Start, Early Head Start, and the Child Care and Development Block Grant. Expanded investments would dramatically reduce educational and income disparities and improve the overall competitiveness of the U.S. economy.

Promote healthy people and healthy communities

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  • Promote a Farm Bill That Can Be the Nation's Food Bill. The upcoming reauthorization of the Farm Bill should ensure affordable and accessible healthy food for all. Policies should foster the cultivation, distribution, and the sale of healthy food within the nation's regions and communities. The Healthy Food Financing lnitiative (H.R. 3525/S. 1926) would provide loans and grants to open new supermarkets and other fresh food retailers to improve access to healthy food in underserved rural, suburban, and urban areas.
  • Expand Prevention to Promote Health and Decrease Health-Care Costs. A serious approach to prevention can reduce the incidence of costly chronic diseases and other illnesses. The implementation of the Affordable Care Act should include full funding for the Prevention Fund and Community Transformation Grants. Supporting community-level efforts, especially among those experiencing the greatest burden of disease, will help improve health, reduce health disparities, and control health-care spending.

Ensure fair participation and representation in the democratic process

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  • Ensure That All States Encourage and Do Not Restrict the Right to Vote. Direct Department of Justice to review all new state efforts to create barriers or new requirements to exercise the right to vote. Encourage efforts that expand participation and make voting accessible for all.
  • Act to Overturn the Citizens United Supreme Court Decision. Launch a drive to create a Constitutional Amendment that restricts the money surging through political action committees, clarifying that the First Amendment does not apply to for-profit corporations.
  • The DISCLOSE Act (Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections) (H.R. 5175/S. 3295). Passing this act would require groups accepting corporate funding for political uses to disclose their funders.