Economic Justice

https://brook.gs/2qy6YQS

What do our tables and maps show? Our top line estimates suggest while the total number of jobs potentially disrupted by an all-out trade war remains modest, the count encompasses a diverse and shrewdly chosen “hit list” of hallmark American industries—one that appears well-calculated to scare both red and blue America.

Altogether, we count some 2.1 million jobs in the 40 industries that produce products now slated for possible tariffs, and see a wide variation in the type and number of exposed jobs in those industries.  Here’s a look at the industry list:

Scan the list and it ranges from sizable industrial enterprises such as plastics manufacturing, aircraft manufacturing, and automotive/light/truck/motor home production (300,000, 230,000, and 200,000 direct jobs respectively, in 2016); to farm-sector mainstays like corn (18,000 jobs), soybeans (5,000 positions), and hog production and slaughter (147,000 workers); and into specialty industries such as fruit and nut production (187,000 workers), wineries (60,000 workers), and distilleries (12,000 positions).

Overall, the list suggests that Chinese trade bureaucrats have as good, or perhaps even better, of a feel for the diverse and culturally significant key elements that comprise the U.S. production base than their U.S. counterparts. High-tech and low-tech, industrial and agricultural, commodity and specialty production are all represented and put into play.

Map the potentially affected jobs, meanwhile, and it’s very clear that the Chinese have done their homework about the geography of both the U.S. production system and its divided politics.

To confirm this, we mapped the county-by-county location of employment in the 40 potentially affected industries (as a share of the local total); here are the results:

http://bit.ly/2qvVqO2

‘This is a social movement.’

Community development credit unions “believe in providing individuals with second, third and fourth chances,” says Paul Woodruff, vice president of community development at a community development credit union based in St. Louis.

Note the members from Michigan...

http://bit.ly/2qspp9t

The ABLE National Resource Center (ANRC) announced today the launch of its inaugural ABLE Advisory Group. The 10 Individuals in the first cohort consist of working-age adults with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities. The ABLE Advisors have a wide range of motivations for opening an ABLE account and short- and long-term financial goals for how funds in their accounts will be used to help them increase their health, independence and quality of life. The Advisors also represent a diverse selection of ABLE programs, types of disabilities, geographic locations, ages, gender, race and ethnicity. 

The following individuals have been selected to serve as 2018 ABLE Advisors:

• Larry Angeli - Farmington Hills, MI – Parent, Michigan MiABLE Program
• Regina Bradley – Buffalo, MO – Parent, Missouri MO ABLE Program
• Al Elia – Washington, D.C. – Massachusetts Attainable ABLE Program
• Lauren Hughes – Caldwell, ID – Parent, Oregon ABLE for All Account Program
• Rachel Mast – Olathe, KS – Kansas ABLE Program
• Edward Mitchell – Jackson, TN – Tennessee TN ABLE Program
• Anthony Mowl – Austin, TX – Maryland ABLE Program
• Kathryn Oliver – Austin, TX – Ohio STABLE Account Program
• Sarah Perez – Norfolk, VA – Michigan MiABLE Program
• Cheryl Walfall-Flagg – Raleigh, NC – Parent, NC ABLE Account Program

The role of the ABLE Advisors will be twofold. As the human face of ABLE, Advisors will be national spokespersons for ABLE accounts. ABLE accounts are tax-advantaged savings accounts that have the potential to significantly increase the health, independence and quality of life of individuals with disabilities, without jeopardizing eligibility for benefits provided through programs such as Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Through sharing their experiences and stories as ABLE account holders, Advisors will impart knowledge of successful strategies for utilizing ABLE accounts to achieve personal goals to millions of ABLE-eligible individuals. 

“ABLE accounts are a down payment on freedom for millions of individuals with disabilities and their families,” Christopher J. Rodriguez, Director of the ANRC, said. “Yet, public knowledge of ABLE accounts is somewhat lacking and enrollment in ABLE programs still has significant room for growth.” 

http://bit.ly/2EGwjw6

Detroit homeowners in danger of losing their homes to property tax foreclosure are not tapping into a fund that could save them.

The University of Michigan's School of Public Health and Poverty Solutions initiative are working with the United Community Housing Coalition, a nonprofit in Detroit, to raise awareness about a program that can reduce property taxes for low-income residents.

More than a quarter of homes in Detroit have been foreclosed for tax delinquency and auctioned off by the Wayne County Treasurer. The city's Homeowners Property Tax Assistance Program can help reduce property taxes for those living at or near the poverty level. Each year, roughly 40,000 households are eligible for the exemption, but an estimated 6,500 received it in 2017.

"While thousands of Detroit residents in need qualify for the tax assistance program, it remains underutilized," said Roshanak Mehdipanah, assistant professor of health behavior and health education at U-M's School of Public Health. "This means that families across Detroit are losing their homes to tax foreclosure for taxes they could have been exempt from paying."

U-M researchers found that lack of awareness about the poverty tax exemption is one of the biggest hurdles, and they will also address additional recommendations in a forthcoming paper. U-M and the housing coalition developed a video about the program as part of a joint project examining potential factors that may hinder or facilitate access to the tax exemption.

"There is no retroactivity for this exemption—homeowners have to apply during the year they need it. So it is imperative that those who cannot afford to pay their taxes are informed about the exemption and how to take advantage of it," said Michele Oberholtzer, director of the Tax Foreclosure Prevention Project at UCHC.

http://bit.ly/2JBn4Ry

In every state, the majority of households benefitting from EITCs (state and federal) have a working woman (see table). And these credits have a wide range of benefits for women, research finds, like helping single moms move into the labor force and increasing women’s Social Security benefits in retirement by boosting their employment and earnings in their working-age years.

https://fam.ag/2IJRxM4 

Why It Is Time To Prioritize Persons With Disabilities in Development Projects

efakor Komabu-Pomeyie remembers having to crawl on the ground to enter her school in Ghana because there were no ramps for disabled students. At times, she even had to urinate on the floor; it was just too difficult to make it to the bathroom. Sefakor’s parents understood that their polio-stricken daughter would be out on the streets begging if she didn’t get an education, though, so they pushed her to stay in school. And she did. Today she is a graduate student and Ford Fellow at the School for International Training (SIT) Graduate Institute in Vermont. She also advocates for disability rights, particularly for those held back from education by lack of physical access.

Disability is a national and global issue, and it is time for a comprehensive approach that includes education and development. The numbers are staggering: About 19 percent of the U.S. population -- 56 million Americans -- has a physical or cognitive disability, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That makes it one of the country’s largest minority groups. Worldwide, the figure is 15 percent -- over a billion people -- according to the World Health Organization and the World Bank’s latest statistics.

Every year, the United Nations holds an International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The theme this past year was “Break barriers, open doors: for an inclusive society for all.” But that sentiment needs to be echoed every day, not just once a year, if the world is to prevent persons with disabilities from being marginalized or excluded.

For any child with disabilities in any part of the world, the first challenge is often the first step -- literally making it inside a school building without a ramp.

https://goo.gl/xsfo3Y

Most adults who participate in SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) work, our new paper finds. Many of these workers move in and out of both work and SNAP over time, as our new animation illustrates. Workers who participate in SNAP frequently work in low-wage jobs with little stability and lack key work supports, such as affordable child care — conditions that often contribute to job turnover. Some participate in SNAP to supplement low wages or insufficient hours, and others participate when they lose a job or their hours are cut.

Many SNAP participants who aren’t working in an average month are temporarily out of work. Those who don’t work over time often have family members who work, have caregiving responsibilities, or face barriers to work such as health conditions that limit their ability to work, as our paper describes.

Most SNAP participants who can work, do, but they are most likely to receive SNAP when they are between jobs. Here we show people who participate in SNAP over a period of roughly 3.5 years as they move in and out of both SNAP and work. We show that looking at any given month doesn’t tell the whole story, because:

• Work is often unstable: Most participants work, but many move in or out of work.
• SNAP is often a short-term support: Most participants only received SNAP for part of the 3.5-year period.

Therefore by the end of the period of several years, most have moved in and out of SNAP, work, or both.

https://goo.gl/co8s2m

If you’ve had your eye on a specific role or have always wanted to work for a particular company, referrals are one of the best ways to get your foot in the door. In fact, the #1 way that job seekers have reported first discovering a job, was through someone they knew. Not that surprising as nearly 50% of recruiters say referrals are the leading source of quality hires. And once you've asked for one and applied for the job, you're 4X more likely to hear back from a recruiter at that company. Long story short - it's important to know who in your network can help you find your next role - and how to reach out.

Today, we’re introducing Ask for a Referral to help make this process even easier.

With Ask for a Referral you can:

1. See jobs where you already know someone through the “In Your Network” search filter on LinkedIn Jobs.

2. Easily request a referral by clicking the “Ask For A Referral” button on jobs where you know people.

3. Know what to say with suggestions on how to craft your message and put your best foot forward.

Another Survey...

https://goo.gl/MwPVfk

If you decide to take part in the questionnaire, it will take approximately 2 minutes to complete. You hold the right to withdraw at any stage of the questionnaire. You can do this by simply exiting the web page and any previous data provided will not be saved. Although there may not be a personal benefit for you as the participant by taking part in the questionnaire, it is hoped that the research will highlight the effectiveness of workplace accommodations, which could be useful for organisations in the future. 

https://goo.gl/oegN3j

Each year, IRS-certified volunteers and trained reviewers provide free tax preparation services to millions of low- and moderate-income Americans through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program — a widely available service that saves millions of people from paying to file their taxes. Today is VITA Awareness Day, designed to call attention to this valuable free tax assistance and thank the volunteers for their hard work.

VITA helps low- and moderate-income Americans keep more of their tax refund. For many low-income Americans, the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit provide a significant income boost in the form of a tax refund, which they can use to pay for necessities, repair their homes, maintain the cars that they use to commute to work, and in some cases, jumpstart their asset building and saving. Using a paid tax preparer — whose average fee is $273 — cuts into that refund.

VITA sites are community-based programs that go beyond tax preparation. Most sites connect taxpayers with banks and other financial resources, including financial education.

To learn more about free tax filing and refundable tax credits, visit CBPP’s Get It Back Campaign, a national effort to promote tax credits that provide critical support for low-income workers.