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January
26, 2009 Inside
this issue:
Senate
Passes Wage Discrimination Legislation On
January 22, the U.S. Senate passed the "Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of
2009" (S. 181), legislation that would make it easier for workers to sue
for wage discrimination. Specifically, it would refresh the 180-day statute
of limitation after each discriminatory paycheck. Senator
Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions Committee, said, "Anyone who puts in a fair day's work should
receive a fair day's pay. Today's vote is a major step toward ending pay
discrimination in the workplace and a signal to all Americans that a new era
of genuine change has begun for our country." The House
is expected to pass the Senate version next week. To read
more, go
here. Catholic
Charities USA will keep you updated on this legislation. For more
information, please contact Economic
Recovery Legislation Progresses in Congress This
week, the U.S. Congress continued work on economic recovery legislation that
would help stimulate the nation's economy through spending on infrastructure,
health care, social service programs, and a number of tax cut provisions. In the
House, the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act" was marked up
by the Appropriations, Ways and Means, and, Energy and Commerce Committees. A
"markup" refers to the process by which Members of a Committee review
draft legislation and propose amendments to the legislation before voting it
onto the full House floor for final debate. One important change to the
economic recovery package in the House Appropriations Committee was the
addition of $150 million in funds for The Emergency Food Assistance Program
(TEFAP). The House
leadership expects to have the legislation on the floor by next January 28. The
Senate Finance
and Appropriations
Committees released the details of their packages on January 23. Senate
leadership announced that they expect to finish their markups by the end of
next week. Charities
To take
action and ask Congress to pass an economic recovery package for all
Americans, go here. For more
information, please contact House
Committees Clear Health Care Improvements On
January 23, the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means and Energy and
Commerce Committees cleared important provisions to improve the nation's
health care system. These improvements come as part of the larger $825
billion economic recovery package. The measures include an expansion of
Medicaid in the form of additional federal matching funds to help states meet
the growing need of unemployed and uninsured citizens. Also provided is an
expansion of health care coverage through COBRA, which allows dislocated
workers to keep their employer-based health coverage. This provision would
provide a government subsidy for 65 percent of the COBRA cost for up to 12
months for individuals choosing to participate in this program. The
Energy and Commerce Committee also included incentives to encourage the
adoption of health information technology. The Ways and Means Committee's
health improvements focused mainly on Medicare payments to Hospices and other
long term care facilities. Catholic
Charities USA applauds the investments made in critical social service and
health care programs in the House of Representatives proposed economic
recovery package. We look forward to working with both the House and Senate
to ensure that low-income families are protected in the final economic
recovery package. To read
more, go
here. For more
information, please contact Congress
Moves Forward on SCHIP Reauthorization On
January 23, the U.S. Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D-NV) announced that
the Senate would likely approve an expansion of the State Children's Health
Insurance Program (SCHIP) by the end of next week. The legislation will
likely:
SCHIP
provides health coverage to children in families that make too much to
qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford health coverage in the general
market. Without reauthorization, the current extension of the program
will expire at the end of March. Last
week, Catholic Charities USA joined the Catholic Heath Association in a
letter to the Senate asking for these important changes to the program. We
look forward to working with the Senate to ensure that these reforms are
included in the final bill. Look for
an Action Alert next week asking your Members of Congress to strengthen SCHIP
with important protections for low-income children. For more
information, please contact CCUSA
hosts Earned Income Tax Credit Webinar Catholic
Charities USA is hosting a webinar on Thursday, January 29th at 2:00 p.m.
Eastern time with John Wancheck of the Center on
Budget and Policy Priorities, a national expert on the Earned Income Tax
Credit Program (EITC). EITC is a Federal program that helps
working poor Americans access their own funds by
filing an EITC tax form. To learn more about the EITC program and
how to enhance opportunities for those who qualify access this refund, please
register today! For more
information, please contact Jane Stenson, Senior Director Poverty Reduction
Strategies, jstenson@catholiccharitiesusa.org. *** Washington Weekly is a publication of the Social
Policy Department of Catholic Charities USA and is published regularly when
Congress is in session. Catholic Charities |
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