Why a return to a debt-free system of public universities and colleges would help revive the promise of affordable higher education regardless of one’s family income.
Higher education has long been our nation’s primary lever of upward mobility. As a result, throughout our nation’s history, we have committed to ensuring that all individuals, regardless of cost, would be able to attend college. But that commitment has faltered in the last generation as states reduced funding for higher education and family incomes stagnated. Today, college costs are rising beyond the reach of many Granite Staters.
Like every generation before us, Americans are coming together to preserve a democracy of the people, by the people, and for the people. American democracy is premised on the consent of the governed, and on the idea that we all deserve a say in the government decisions that affect our families. We stand united supporting commonsense protections that recognize the people as the ultimate check on the corrosive influence of money in politics, which is eroding the very foundation of self-government.
This is a joint effort by the following organizations:
Thank you Chairman Wolf, Chairman Scibak, and Honorable Members of the Committee for this opportunity to present testimony. My name is Amy Traub and I am a senior policy analyst with Dēmos. Dēmos is a public policy organization working for an America where we all have an equal say in our democracy and an equal chance in our economy. I’m pleased to be here today to testify on Senate Bill 123, “An Act regulating the use of credit reports by employers.”
The fast food industry is the main driver of compensation inequality in the most disparate sector of the economy, with a CEO-to-worker pay ratio in 2013 of over 1000-to-1.
In today’s economy, a college education is essential for getting a good job and entering the middle class. Yet, despite this reality, college costs are rising beyond the reach of many
Wisconsinites, and student loan debt has become a clear and present danger to both the Wisconsin and American economies.
Dear Mayor de Blasio and Members of the City Council:
As leaders in New York City who are concerned about economic and racial injustice, we call on you to enact Intro. 261, The Stop Credit Discrimination in Employment Act, and to ensure that this legislation does not include unjustified exemptions. The common practice of using credit checks to screen job applicants creates illegitimate barriers to employment, exacerbates racial discrimination, and may lead to invasions of privacy.
Demos is a national, non-partisan public policy organization working for an America where we all have an equal say in our democracy and an equal chance in our economy. Demos’ lawyers, researchers, and advocates have extensive legal and policy expertise on money in politics. These comments are submitted in response to the Commission’s Notice 2014-12, an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM). We appreciate the opportunity to comment on whether the Commission should modify its regulations in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling in McCutcheon v.
From: Demos
To: Mayor Bill de Blasio; City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito; and interested parties
Regarding: Unjustified exemptions that weaken and Aundermine legislation on employment credit checks
Chairman Capito, Ranking Member Meeks, and members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to submit the following statement for the record as part of today’s hearing.
Discrimination has no place in New York. At our best, we’re a city where people of all races, ethnicities, creeds, and backgrounds have an opportunity to work hard and make their mark. But today in New York, many qualified job seekers are turned away from employment because of their personal credit history.
In 2010 and 2011, Maryland and New York took bold steps to correct the problem known as prison gerrymandering, a problem resulting from the United States Census Bureau’s practice of counting incarcerated individuals as residents of their prison cells rather than their home communities.
Mary Ziegler, Director
Division of Regulations Legislation, and Interpretation
Wage and Hour Division
U.S. Department of Labor, Room S-3510
200 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20210
Re: RIN 1235-AA10 - Proposed Rule – Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors
Dear Ms. Ziegler:
The Honorable Thomas Richard Harkin
Chairman
Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
The Honorable Lamar Alexander
Ranking Member
Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
Dear Chairman Harkin and Ranking Member Alexander:
Signed into law on May 22, 2009, the Credit CARD Act has benefited millions of households in ways that directly affect their monthly budgets. Demos’ 2012 National Survey on Credit Card Debt of Low- and Middle-Income Households finds that the Credit CARD Act empowers Americans to take control of their finances by increasing the transparency of credit card statements and dramatically reducing unfair and excessive fees and
penalties.1 New estimates show that the CARD Act has saved U.S. consumers $50.4 billion, or $12.6 billion a year, in fees alone.
Chairman Harkin, Ranking Member Alexander, and Members of the HELP Committee: I greatly appreciate this opportunity to speak to you about economic security for working women, particularly the experience of women in the retail industry. My name is Amy Traub and I am a senior policy analyst at Dēmos. Dēmos is a non-partisan public policy organization working for an America where we all have an equal say in our democracy and an equal chance in our economy.