ASK SENATORS TO VOTE FOR THE AMERICAN JOBS AND CLOSING TAX LOOPHOLES ACT IN ORDER TO:

• EXTEND UI/COBRA BENEFITS UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR.
• EXTEND STATE FISCAL RELIEF (FMAP) FOR ANOTHER SIX MONTHS.
• FUND THE TANF EMERGENCY FUND THROUGH FY 2011.

The U.S. Senate will consider a bill that will extend Federal UI programs, extend increased federal Medicaid payments to states (FMAP) and give a much needed infusion of resources to the TANF Emergency Fund which has provided crucial support for low-income families and has led to the creation of over 180,000 jobs over the last year and half. However, due to a last-minute House compromise, the bill excludes extensions of COBRA health subsidies for the unemployed and much-needed aid to state governments through the Medicaid program (FMAP). We must ensure these necessary provisions are included in the final bill.

Background on FMAP

The new fiscal year for states begins on July 1, but the current Federal FMAP funding ends in December, the middle of their fiscal year. FMAP was squeezed out of the House bill and we must make a push to maintain the restored funding in a Senate substitute amendment

• 30 states are counting on receiving the additional Medicaid funds in their budgets. Without the additional $24 billion already approved by both the House and Senate, the states will have to close budget gaps with brutal cuts that could cost the economy 900,000 jobs in the near term and more than three million by 2012.
• Mark Zandi, Chief Economist of Moody’s Economy.com has warned that the deep state budget cuts in FY 2011 “will be a serious drag on the economy at just the wrong time.”  He also asserts that every dollar of federal Medicaid relief results in $1.41 in increased economic activity, which translates into stronger economic growth.

Background on UI and COBRA

• Presently, eligibility for the federal UI programs expires on June 2nd, and eligibility for the COBRA subsidy expires on May 31. In the last 6 months, we have had to fight for 4 stop-gap extensions which has caused needless anxiety and stress for the long-term unemployed and unnecessary hardship for the already over-taxed state agencies that run the UI programs.
• These benefits are important life-lines for over 6 million workers and their families, and they provide much needed economic stimulus to communities throughout the country. Zandi tells us that every dollar spent on UI puts at least $1.63 back into the economy and that these benefits should be extended through at least the end of 2010, and not offset by tax increases or other spending cuts, which he says would be “counter-productive.”

Background on TANF Emergency Fund

• The TANF Emergency Fund is scheduled to expire on September 30, 2010. Without an extension, the 28 states and DC currently operating subsidized jobs programs will start winding down their programs in the next month. These programs have put over 180,000 people back to work at a very low cost per job and have helped businesses hire earlier than they otherwise would have.
• Many state budgets have assumed the extension of the Emergency Fund; if it is not extended, state budget shortfalls will likely force severe cuts in programs serving the most vulnerable families with children.

Timing is of the essence — This bill needs to clear the Senate and go to conference as soon as possible. There is no time to waste on being indecisive, on playing partisan games, or on misdirected worries about the deficit.

Call Congress NOW!

Contact: Germonique R. Ulmer, 202.339.9331; gulmer@communitychange.org

Jobs for America Now Brings Unemployed Workers to Capitol Hill to Demand Restoration of Critical Unemployment Benefits, Pass Tax Extenders Bill

Who: Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Sen. Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA), Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Alan Charney, campaign manager, Jobs for America Now Campaign, and unemployed workers.

What: Press conference on the future of our nation’s job security and vital unemployment benefits

When:  TODAY!! Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 2:30 p.m. EST

Where: U.S. Capitol Room S-115

Washington – One week after the House failed to include and extend critical unemployment benefits in the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010, the Senate has an opportunity to fix the bill and finish the job by passing it. For the millions of unemployed Americans unable to find the jobs they so desperately need, unemployment benefits are critical to their survival and that of their families’.

Key senators in the debate will be joined by unemployed workers who will share their personal stories of how they will be impacted if the Senate does not take a final vote on this important legislation.  Of particular concern is the restoration of the COBRA subsidy that was stripped out in the House version and that would allow unemployed Americans to maintain private insurance.  Without this important benefit, millions of unemployed workers, through no fault of their own, would have no insurance and have no choice but to depend on public care.

This bill includes other key benefits to our economic recovery including FMAP that would provide higher Medicaid reimbursements to states, providing much needed fiscal relief and preserving jobs, TANF ECF and summer jobs. Congress must listen to the voices of the American people, pass this bill and keep unemployment benefits in place for the long haul. The tax extenders bill is just a beginning, Congress must also move forward with robust jobs legislation to directly create jobs in communities and get us on a road to economic recovery.

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The Jobs for America Now coalition is a nationwide campaign of more than 60 groups organizing to put America back to work. For a complete list of participating organizations visit www.jobs4americanow.org.

ASK HOUSE MEMBERS TO VOTE FOR HR 4213 IN ORDER TO:

• EXTEND UI/COBRA BENEFITS UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR.
• EXTEND STATE FISCAL RELIEF (FMAP) FOR ANOTHER SIX MONTHS.
• FUND THE TANF EMERGENCY FUND THROUGH FY 2011.

This week, the U.S. House of Representatives will consider a comprehensive bill that will extend Federal UI programs and COBRA subsidies until the end of the year, provide much needed aid to state governments through the Medicaid program (FMAP) through the end of the next state fiscal year, and give a much needed infusion of resources to the TANF Emergency Fund which has provided crucial support for low-income families and has led to the creation of over 180,000 jobs over the last year and half.

Background on FMAP

The new fiscal year for states begins on July 1, but the current Federal FMAP funding ends in December, the middle of their fiscal year.

• Over 20 states are counting on receiving the additional Medicaid funds in their budgets. Without the additional $26 billion already approved by both the House and Senate, the states will have to close budget gaps with brutal cuts that could cost the economy 900,000 jobs in the near term and more than three million by 2012.
• Mark Zandi, Chief Economist of Moody’s Economy.com has warned that the deep state budget cuts in FY 2011 “will be a serious drag on the economy at just the wrong time.” He also asserts that every dollar of federal Medicaid relief results in $1.41 in increased economic activity, which translates into stronger economic growth.

Background on UI and COBRA

• Presently, eligibility for the federal UI programs expires on June 2nd, and eligibility for the COBRA subsidy expires on May 31. In the last 6 months, we have had to fight for 4 stop-gap extensions which has caused needless anxiety and stress for the long-term unemployed, and unnecessary hardship for the already over-taxed state agencies that run the UI programs.
• These benefits are important life-lines for over 6 million workers and their families, and they provide much needed economic stimulus to communities throughout the country. Zandi tells us that every dollar spent on UI puts at least $1.63 back into the economy and that these benefits should be extended through at least the end of 2010, and not offset by tax increases or other spending cuts, which he says would be “counter-productive.”

Background on TANF Emergency Fund

• The TANF Emergency Fund is scheduled to expire on September 30, 2010. Without an extension, the 28 states and DC currently operating subsidized jobs programs will start winding down their programs in the next month. These programs have put over 180,000 people back to work at a very low cost per job and have helped businesses hire earlier than they otherwise would have.

• Many state budgets have assumed the extension of the Emergency Fund; if it is not extended, state budget shortfalls will likely force severe cuts in programs serving the most vulnerable families with children.

Timing is of the essence — This bill needs to clear the House and Senate before the Memorial Day recess and there is no time to waste on being indecisive, on playing partisan games, or on misdirected worries about the deficit.

Washington—As today marks the deadline for Americans to file their income tax returns, the nation’s largest jobs coalition called for new policies that crack down on Wall Street and for responsible investments that create jobs and put America back to work.

“America paid its fair share, Wall Street should pay theirs,” said Alan Charney, campaign manager for Jobs for America Now. “If the wealthiest individuals and corporations paid their fair share, we would have the resources we need to make America stronger and put our people back to work. While so many people are unemployed, it is unconscionable that the wealthiest among us get a free ride in the form of excessive tax cuts, tax breaks and tax loopholes.”

The Jobs for America Now coalition has endorsed the Local Jobs for America Act, which would put one million people to work almost immediately, doing essential jobs in communities across America. The bill, which was introduced by Chairman George Miller (D-CA), is pending in the House and has more than 120 cosponsors.

Local partners of Jobs for America Now today are organizing at least 40 “tax day” events in at least 21 states plus Washington, D.C. These events include a sit-in at a Bank of America branch in Seattle; a Workers’ Memorial Day ceremony outside OSHA’s offices in Dallas; leafleting in Concord and Manchester, N.H.; and a presentation of a “free lunch” to the Maryland Chamber of Commerce in Annapolis. The latter event reflects the fact that, as in many states, one-third of Maryland’s largest corporations do not pay taxes. Many of today’s events are being organized by affiliates of Jobs with Justice and USAction. For more information about today’s events across the country, please visit www.TaxWallStreet.org.

Jobs for America Now is a broad coalition of more than 60 national organizations. Its members have endorsed a five-point program that would extend unemployment benefits; provide fiscal relief to state and local governments; create jobs in distressed communities that face severe unemployment; invest in infrastructure such as schools, transportation and energy efficiency; and spur private-sector job growth by providing incentives and credit to small and medium-sized businesses.

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Washington, D.C. — Jobs for America Now, the nation’s largest jobs coalition, today commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Works Progress Administration, a $10 billion federal program that placed millions of people in hundreds of thousands of jobs from 1935 into the early 1940s.

Across the country, local organizers are holding events marking the anniversary and calling upon Congress to pass legislation by Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., that would put one million people to work almost immediately, doing essential jobs in local communities across America. Miller’s Local Jobs for America Act, which already has gathered more than 100 cosponsors, is pending in committee.

“Faced with the Great Depression, a determined Congress and President acted decisively to put America back to work,” said Alan Charney, campaign manager for Jobs for America Now. “From LaGuardia Airport to Camp David to the Golden Gate Bridge, the legacy of WPA remains with us today. Just as joblessness was the number one issue then, the unemployment crisis is the most important issue facing us today. We need bold and decisive action from Congress to put our country back to work.”

The Local Jobs for America Act would provide $100 billion over two years to create or save a million public and private sector jobs; extend critical support to local communities to maintain essential services; and fund private sector job training to help local businesses put people back to work.

Jobs for America Now, is a broad coalition of more than 70 national organizations. Its members have endorsed a five-point program that would extend unemployment benefits; provide fiscal relief to state and local governments; create jobs in distressed communities that face severe unemployment; invest in infrastructure such as schools, transportation and energy efficiency; and spur private-sector job growth by providing incentives and credit to small and medium-sized businesses.

Washington, D.C. – Jobs for America Now, the nation’s largest jobs coalition, today endorsed legislation by Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., and chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor, that would help put America back to work. Alan Charney, campaign manager of Jobs for America Now, issued the following statement:

“Besides passing health care reform, the most important thing Congress can do right now is to enact legislation that addresses the unemployment crisis in this country. We know that the economy remains weak and the private sector cannot generate enough jobs to put us on a safe and sure path to recovery. With this legislation, Congress is finally taking action to create jobs. We thank Chairman Miller for introducing legislation that will directly fund one million jobs. This is an important step to putting our country back to work.”

Jobs for America Now, is a broad coalition of 60 national organizations. Its members have endorsed a five-point program that would extend unemployment benefits; provide fiscal relief to state and local governments; create jobs in distressed communities that face severe unemployment; invest in infrastructure such as schools, transportation and energy efficiency; and spur private-sector job growth by providing incentives and credit to small and medium-sized businesses.

For more information, please visit www.Jobs4AmericaNow.org.

For Immediate Release: Monday, March 01, 2010
Contact: Germonique R. Ulmer: 202-339-9331

Washington–As Congress continues the process of taking up a jobs bill hundreds of members of the Jobs for America Now coalition kick off a national week of action today to build broad-base public support for a robust plan to put people back to work.  With record unemployment rates and double digit numbers in communities of color, current proposals coming from Washington lack the boldness needed to adequately address the job crisis.

“Current proposals out of Washington do not go far enough to fundamentally alter the dire jobless crisis we face today,” said Alan Charney, campaign manager for Jobs for America Now. “Millions of people are out of work and are at the end of their rope and need government intervention that historically has helped lift this country out of deep joblessness. Only a big and bold effort by the federal government that includes job creation, infrastructure investments, fiscal relief for states and expanded unemployment benefits can extricate us from this economic and moral crisis.”

Community organizations are ready for Congress to push forward on comprehensive jobs legislation. Just as the week of action begins today, hundreds of thousands of unemployed workers will start loosing their critical unemployment benefits.  Unemployment insurance and COBRA benefits that were part of the Recovery Act’s aid to the jobless received a limited two month extension late last year, which expired February 28.

“Every day we see the desperation this crisis is causing America’s families,” said Charney. “People are tired of the gridlock and incremental solutions.  People want action on the same scale as the problems they’re facing.”

More than 50 events are planned in 25 states including Florida, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Michigan and California through March 8 that will bring the voices of unemployed workers into the debate. Some of the events include a community forum in Orlando and a march in Providence, R.I., all of which deliver an urgent message of political leaders about moving forward on a jobs plan that would put people back to work immediately. (See list of events.)

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Jobs for America Now is a nationwide campaign of more than sixty groups organizing to put America back to work. For a complete list of participating organizations visit www.jobs4americanow.org

Contact:
Germonique Ulmer 202-339-9331

Washington–Today, the U.S. Senate passed a $15 billion jobs bill. The following statement is by Alan Charney, campaign manager for Jobs for America Now:

“We thank the Senate leadership for pushing boldly for the passage of the $15 billion jobs bill,” said Alan Charney.  “Now that the legislative logjam has been broken there is an opening for the Senate to take up important job measures like: a full year extension of UI and COBRA to strengthen the social safety net for the long-term unemployed; extensions of state fiscal relief and FMAP to preserve jobs and needed services; publicly funded jobs to put the long term unemployed back to work; and infrastructure investments to get the economy moving again.

“We will continue to push for the bold action on the level of the crisis people are facing. When Wall Street needed help, America delivered. It’s time we deliver for Main Street.”

The Jobs for America Now coalition has a five point plan that would:

• Provide relief through continued and expanded unemployment benefits, COBRA and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).  This relief aids those without jobs while at the same time creating jobs by boosting consumer spending.

• Extend substantial fiscal relief to state and local governments.  Without this aid, state and local governments will have to cut their budgets, budget cuts that would lead to substantial job losses in both the public and private sector.

• Create jobs that put people to work helping communities meet pressing needs, including in distressed communities that face severe unemployment.

• Invest in infrastructure improvements in schools, transportation and energy efficiency, thus providing jobs in the short run and productivity enhancements in the longer run.

• Spur private-sector job growth through innovative incentives and providing credit to small and medium-sized businesses.

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Jobs for America Now is a nationwide campaign of more than sixty groups organizing to put America back to work. For a complete list of participating organizations visit www.jobs4americanow.org.

Contact:
Catherine Singley
Sherria Cotton
(202) 785-1670

Washington, DC—Leading economists and civil rights figures reacted to the Senate’s latest proposal to create jobs in light of new unemployment numbers from the Department of Labor. The legislation, introduced by Senators Reid (D–NV), Durbin (D–IL), Dorgan (D–ND), Baucus (D–MT), and Schumer (D–NY), is a good first step toward creating jobs immediately. However, major improvements are needed to effectively tackle the high unemployment rate among minority workers, according to NCLR (National Council of La Raza), the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States. Unemployment data released today confirms that minorities continue to suffer disproportionately from joblessness. In January, the unemployment rate was 16.5% for Blacks and 12.6 % for Latinos, compared to 9.7% nationwide.

NCLR recommends creating jobs in minority communities through incentives to hire local residents, with a special emphasis on funding projects to rebuild neighborhoods with high rates of foreclosure. Nonprofit organizations, in their role as employers and service providers, must also be seen as critical to rapid job creation and economic recovery.

“Latinos, like all Americans, are looking to Congress to tackle unemployment in the hardest-hit areas first,” said Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO. “The Senate should not rest until this legislation guarantees that employment opportunities reach distressed communities of color.”

“Congressional action on jobs is welcome, but the level of investment they are offering is inadequate measured against the scale of the problem. This should be considered the first of what will need to be more substantial efforts to give unemployed Americans what they want and deserve, the dignity that comes from having a job with fair pay,” said Christian Dorsey, Director of External and Government Affairs at the Economic Policy Institute.

“Job creation needs to be priority number one for Congress and the president. You cannot simultaneously restore America’s prosperity and rebuild the middle class without rescuing those who strive to be in the middle class. Many Americans live on Main Street, but many more Americans live on Back Street,” stated NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous. “This bill is a step in the right direction; investing in small business and transportation are vital, but more needs to be done. We applaud the Senate for moving so quickly and our hope is that this process continues to be expedited so that America’s families can begin to move out of financial hardship.”

“We should applaud lawmakers in the Senate for attempting to reverse the unemployment trend through a new jobs package,” said David Madland, Director of the American Worker Project at the Center for American Progress. “However, we also need to ensure that job creation programs be robust, well funded, and benefit all Americans.”

“While we rescued Wall Street from self-inflicted wounds, the greatest threat to America’s stability is economic stagnation and slow job growth,” said Deepak Bhargava, Executive Director of Center for Community Change. “Congress must do more to promote job growth. Now is not the time to shrink deficits on the backs of America’s workers, not when persistently high unemployment rates continue to weigh down economic growth, ravage lower- and middle-class Americans’ earnings, and force long-lasting damage on our economy.”

“The Leadership Conference commends the Senate for taking a first step toward addressing the jobs crisis. With nearly 16 million people out of work and looking for a job, the first thing we must do is care for the casualties by extending unemployment insurance and COBRA benefits through the end of the year. Along with ensuring that the most vulnerable survive this crisis, these extensions will help maintain the consumer demand that is critical to kick-starting an economic recovery. American workers have kept their end of the bargain as the most productive workers in the world. It’s time to help them get back on their feet,” said Wade Henderson, President of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

“The United States Students Association (USSA) applauds the effort to create more jobs and stimulate the economy. However, students are calling on Congress to ensure that support for young workers is included in job creation legislation,” stated Greg Cendana, President of USSA. “The majority of college graduates are leaving school with an average of $23,200 in debt as they enter a job market with the highest unemployment rate on record for graduates aged 20–24. Job creation legislation should offer support for college graduates and ensure that they can achieve the financial stability necessary to grow the economy.”

“Migrant and seasonal farmworkers have been particularly vulnerable in the existing economic climate,” said David Strauss, Executive Director of The Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs. “The Senate jobs bill offers renewed hope for the restoration of the American Dream, and while the bill is not the end-all solution, it does offer a starting point to end the staggering unemployment rates currently plaguing the country.”

Find detailed proposals of NCLR’s recommendations to Congress at www.nclr.org/JobsNow.

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BUDGET IS A GOOD START FOR STATE RELIEF, NEEDY FAMILIES, INFRASTRUCTURE AND TAX CREDITS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, Feb. 1, 2010

Contact:
Germonique Ulmer 202-339-9331

Washington– Alan Charney, campaign manager for Jobs for America Now, issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s fiscal year 2011 budget proposal:

“President Obama has proposed $100 billion for job creation, making this the first-ever significant jobs-creation budget. It’s a good start. In particular, we are pleased that the President’s budget helps states fund Medicaid at a time when state and local governments are feeling the dual pinch of greater demand for services and reduced revenue because of lower tax revenue.  These funds will preserve and create jobs as well as prevent service reductions.

And we are pleased that the proposed budget would include $2.5 billion in new funding for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, with special incentives for states to use the funds to create subsidized jobs to help poor parents now unable to find work.

“However, this proposal does not roll back the unemployment rolls. It does not go far enough to fundamentally alter the dire jobless crisis we face today. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the nation’s unemployment rate is expected to climb to about 10.7 percent by the end of the third quarter of this year. In nine states – California, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island and South Carolina – the unemployment rate will be over 12 percent, in some cases well over 12 percent. We currently are mired in a jobless recovery and only a big and bold effort by the federal government can extricate us from this economic and moral crisis.”

Charney added that the five-point program favored by Jobs for America Now, serving as a complement to President Obama’s budget, would create four million to six million jobs. The five-point jobs plan would:

• Provide relief through continued and expanded unemployment benefits, COBRA and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).  This relief aids those without jobs while at the same time creating jobs by boosting consumer spending.

• Extend substantial fiscal relief to state and local governments.  Without this aid, state and local governments will have to cut their budgets, budget cuts that would lead to substantial job losses in both the public and private sector.

• Create jobs that put people to work helping communities meet pressing needs, including in distressed communities that face severe unemployment.

• Invest in infrastructure improvements in schools, transportation and energy efficiency, thus providing jobs in the short run and productivity enhancements in the longer run.

• Spur private-sector job growth through innovative incentives and providing credit to small and medium-sized businesses.

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Jobs for America Now is a nationwide campaign of more than sixty groups organizing to put America back to work. For a complete list of participating organizations visit www.jobs4americanow.org