Poverty Law News

Consumer

Public Recognizes Debt as a Fast Growing Problem
A national survey sponsored by the Center for American Progress reveals broad concern about the growing problem of household debt in America. Survey respondents identified debt as an obstacle to middle-class families and were very supportive of a range of policy solutions to empower and protect borrowers to make better decisions. The Center recently sponsored a one-day conference on household debt, and has posted presentations and video as well as other resource materials on its website.

Employment

Undocumented Workers Rebuilding New Orleans Suffer Workplace Violations
A study released by researchers at Tulane University and the University of California, Berkeley reveals that undocumented workers are being abused even as they provide critical help to rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The comprehensive study of more than 200 workers surveyed in March 2006 discovered vulnerability of undocumented workers, including severely reduced access to health care, wage discrepancy and unsafe working conditions.

Worker Exploitation in New Orleans
A new report from the Advancement Project, the New Orleans Worker Justice Coalition, and the National Immigration Law Center, And Injustice for All: Workers’ Lives in the Reconstruction of New Orleans, provides the most comprehensive documentation of post-Katrina worker conditions to date. This report is a compilation of personal narratives based on more than 700 worker interviews that raises the voices of New Orleanians struggling to return and reconstruction workers, all of whom are attempting to survive in the face of inequitable and unjust policies and practices of public and private institutions.

Waging a Living
Following a screening of the new documentary "Waging a Living: Opportunities for Action," the Brookings Institution sponsored a panel discussion on the obstacles facing low-income workers and steps that can be taken by employers and federal, state, and local policymakers to provide better lives for low-income workers' families.

Chicago's Retail Living Wage Ordinance
On July 26, the Chicago City Council voted 35-to-14 to approve a new ordinance requiring large retailers in the city to pay their employees a living wage. The policy represents an important new tool for cities trying to ensure that economic development delivers good jobs for their residents. The Brennan Center advised in the design and drafting of the proposed law and is providing economic policy research to help communities assess its impact.

Health

The Role of Employer-Sponsored Health Care for Immigrants
Access to employer-sponsored health insurance is declining for all families living in the United States, and this problem is especially acute for immigrant families. Employer-sponsored coverage is a particularly important source of insurance for immigrant families since their eligibility for public coverage through Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is restricted. This primer from the Kaiser Commission on Health Care and the Uninsured examines the role of employer-based coverage for immigrants and the specific hurdles they face in obtaining this coverage.

Housing

Safe Homes Act Signed into Law
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has signed the Safe Homes Act into law—the first of many steps toward making the homes of domestic and sexual violence victims a safer place. The Safe Homes Act allows victims (1) to terminate a lease due to an imminent threat of domestic or sexual violence against the tenant; (2) to terminate a lease due to sexual violence on the property; and (3) to change their locks without the landlord's permission under certain circumstances.

Immigration

Social Security Administration No-Match Letters
The National Immigration Law Center has published a set of advocacy resources for submitting comments to the Department of Homeland Security regarding proposed rules for using Social Security Administration "no-match" letters for immigration enforcement. Comments on the proposed rule are due August 14, 2006.

Welfare

Outcomes of 1996 Welfare Reform
The House Ways and Means Committee held hearings on July 19, 2006, to review outcomes of 1996 welfare reform legislation. The committee heard testimony from Ronald Haskins of the Brookings Institution, Sharon Parrott of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation, among others.

When Work Doesn't Pay
This brief from the National Center for Children in Poverty seeks to inform policymakers and others about the difficulties faced by low-income working parents as they strive to make progress in the workforce. Using data from NCCP’s Family Resource Simulator, it highlights ways in which the current structure of work support policies often leads to unintended consequences. As low-wage workers increase their earnings above the federal poverty level, their families begin to lose eligibility for government work supports. Given that some of these benefits drop off quickly, earning more does not always improve a family’s financial bottom line.

Welfare Reform Roundtable
On July 25, writers and critics of the landmark 1996 welfare reform bill took part in an Urban Institute roundtable event with federal officials, state and local human service practitioners, researchers, and analysts to mark the legislation's approaching 10th anniversary. Audio of the discussion is available at the Institute's website.