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Shutdown Employment Update: 800,000 Furloughs and Counting

Posted by Lauren Frohlich, Fellow | Posted on: October 04, 2013 at 03:13 pm

As a result of the government shutdown, the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not release its monthly jobs report that it was scheduled to release today. Even without the BLS jobs report we know that the government shutdown is changing the jobs picture dramatically. 

At least 800,000 federal workers are being furloughed without pay for the duration of the shutdown. Some of these workers have already applied for unemployment benefits, which would need to be returned if they are later issued back pay. Unemployment insurance eligibility requirements vary by state, but in general, employees will be eligible for unemployment if their pay is withheld for seven or more consecutive days. In states with high numbers of federal workers, unemployment offices are already struggling to process the influx of applications

Beyond the dramatic national numbers, stories have poured in from across the country about the number of government programs and the people they serve affected by the shutdown. The shuttering of programs not only strains the lives of already vulnerable families but also causes the loss of wages and jobs for the people who run those programs. 

For example, as a result of the shutdown, states are forced to close 23 Head Start programs that serve 19,000 children and employ thousands of staff.

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How the Shutdown Is Hurting Low-Income Families

Posted by Julie Vogtman, Senior Counsel | Posted on: October 04, 2013 at 10:30 am

We’re on Day 4 of the first federal government shutdown in 17 years. Here in D.C., the subway and the streets are noticeably emptier without thousands of federal workers on the job.

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Happy 100th Birthday, Personal Income Tax! Two Reasons to Celebrate (and One Suggestion to Grow On)

Posted by Susanna Birdsong, Fellow | Posted on: October 03, 2013 at 11:58 am

Last week, my daughter celebrated her first birthday. Marking that important milestone for my family allowed me to reflect on the difference that just a year can make. Today I’m celebrating another important milestone for my family and for yours—the one hundredth birthday of our federal personal income tax—and reflecting on its benefits for all of us.

One hundred years ago today, President Wilson signed the Revenue Act of 1913 into law, giving birth to the personal income tax. Although that first personal income tax looked a lot different than it does today, its adoption signified an important shift in our country’s approach to raising revenue. In honor of this important birthday, here are two things to celebrate about the federal personal income tax—and one suggestion to make the next hundred years even better.

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Millions of Americans Rush to Sign Up For New Health Coverage

Posted by Stephanie Glover, Health Policy Fellow | Posted on: October 02, 2013 at 01:02 pm

Everywhere you turn lately you can hear about new opportunities for health coverage under the health care law, sometimes called Obamacare. And, it turns out, people are listening.

Yesterday marked the official launch of the new Health Insurance Marketplaces. People who are uninsured or purchase coverage on the individual market have new options for high quality, affordable health insurance on the Marketplace. The Marketplace allows people to comparison shop to find the plan that best meets their needs and budget.

On the first day for health insurance enrollment, both the federal Marketplace and state-based Marketplaces experienced large amounts of online traffic. Here are just a few examples of yesterday’s high numbers:

  • Yesterday afternoon, the White House reported over 2.8 million online visitors to the federal Marketplace at Healthcare.gov.
  • In the first three hours of operation in Colorado, there were over 34,500 visitors to Connect for Health Colorado, the state-based Marketplace.

These numbers will continue to climb as Americans seek information about their new health care options. And, many consumers have already begun enrolling in new, affordable health insurance plans available on the Marketplaces. For example, Kentucky’s Kynect Marketplace reported processing over 1,000 applications for insurance by 9:30am yesterday.

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California Stands Up for Domestic Workers

Posted by Catherine Yourougou, Fellow | Posted on: October 02, 2013 at 11:18 am

California just enacted the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights, joining New York and Hawaii as states that care for those who care for the vulnerable. Domestic workers are an important part of today’s work force. These workers – 95 percent of whom are women – care for the household, the children and grandparents, the sick and people with disabilities. In the words of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, they do “the work that makes all other work possible.” And yet, they are often paid very low wages, and work in difficult conditions.

After 7 years of advocacy and two vetoes, California’s domestic workers will finally receive a very important workplace protection: the right to overtime pay. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but it can be for workers who spend all day taking care of children, the elderly and the infirm. The bill of rights is estimated to cover 200,000 California housekeepers, child-care providers, and caregivers.

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Open Enrollment Begins Today: What You Need To Know

Posted by Stephanie Glover, Health Policy Fellow | Posted on: October 01, 2013 at 01:30 pm

Today marks the start of the open enrollment period for new health insurance options that are part of the health care law, also known as Obamacare. We’ve waited a long time for this day. The law passed three years ago and the National Women’s Law Center worked hard for the passage so we’re celebrating today as major step forward towards high-quality, affordable health insurance for all.

There’s a lot of confusing information out there, so we wanted to share some key information about what today really means and encourage you to join us in celebration.

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House Singles Out Women’s Health As a Bargaining Chip in the Debate Over the Government Shutdown

Posted by Sharon Levin, Director of Federal Reproductive Health Policy | Posted on: September 30, 2013 at 12:50 pm

While the rest of us were watching the season premiere of Saturday Night Live this weekend, the House passed a bill that holds women’s health hostage as a bargaining chip in the debate over shutting down the government.

It is such a typical move by the far-right politicians in the House that it almost plays out like a skit on SNL. They have become caricatures of themselves.

Specifically, late Saturday night, the House passed a continuing resolution that would exempt bosses from complying with the ACA’s Women’s Health Amendment if they oppose it for “religious or moral” reasons. This means that bosses could impose their religious beliefs on their employees, or even block their employees’ access to needed women’s health care for vague and undefined “moral” reasons. Female employees and dependents – just like men – are capable of making their own health decisions and must be allowed to do so without interference from their bosses.

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The Hyde Amendment Hurts Women

Posted by Leila Abolfazli, Senior Counsel | Posted on: September 30, 2013 at 09:52 am

Just because something has been policy for many years doesn’t make it a good policy. I’ve got a whole list I could go through (not letting women vote, not letting gay people marry, the whole “separate but equal” thing). Add to that list the Hyde Amendment.

What’s the Hyde Amendment? It is an amendment added to the yearly federal funding bill that bans Medicaid from covering abortions with federal money except in the narrow cases where a woman is a survivor of rape or incest or when her life is endangered. Added 37 years ago by Representative Henry Hyde, this harmful rider has been hurting low income women ever since.

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