Recovery Act Roundup

The one-year anniversary of the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has brought a round of more news – almost all good – about the stimulus package’s success at creating jobs and averting a second great depression.  Some of the highlights, which update the previous blog posts in this series on the Recovery Act, include:

n  NY Times Economics Columnist David Leonhardt Counts 2 million Jobs Created and Deems Bill a Success:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/business/economy/17leonhardt.html

n  TANF’s Subsidized Job Investments Hailed by Bi-Partisan Group of Governors:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/business/economy/17mississippi.html

n  SNAP/Food Stamp Stigma Fades as More Working Families Participate: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/us/11foodstamps.html

n  As for MediCal, Governor Schwarzenegger joined 42 other Governors in signing a letter praising the enhanced federal match for states (FMAP), and calling for an extension to protect the economy, families, and state budgets as they emerge from the recession.   See:  www.hhsnetworkca.org

n  The first-ever EITC Working Families Tax Credit conference has been announced, thanks to the support of Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) stimulus dollars and the leadership of the state Department of Community Services and Development.  The one-day conference will be  Thursday, May 13, 2010 at the Sheraton Gateway-LAX, Los Angeles.  Contact Lynn Grogan at Cal-Neva for more info and to register: lynn@cal-neva.org

Despite this progress, real and deep suffering continues, particularly for lower-income workers, older workers, and communities of color:

n  New York Times, “The New Poor:  Millions of Unemployed Face Years without Jobs” http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/business/economy/21unemployed.html

Because of these successes for jobs and workers -- and because of the investment still needed to help all families bounce back -- advocacy continues in Washington to extend the most successful and essential parts of the Recovery package:   Unemployment Insurance, COBRA, MediCal’s enhanced federal match (FMAP), TANF’s Emergency Contingency Funds (ECF) for Subsidized Jobs, among others.  This last week in February, a national Call-in Campaign has been organized by Jobs for America Now to urge Congress to take action on these priorities for jobs and workers – you can participate here:  http://www.jobs4americanow.org/the-end-of-the-line/

 Kim McCoy Wade