Category Archives: Front Page

Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Introduced in the Senate

Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Introduced in the Senate

Audrey Carroll
April 29, 2021

Today, Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). The PWFA has been introduced in the House of Representatives and passed in the House Education and Labor committee in a 30-17 vote on March 24, 2021. NETWORK celebrates introduction of the PWFA in the Senate to advance long overdue family-friendly workplace protections.

In a statement from the Pregnant Workers Fairness Coalition, NETWORK Executive Director Mary J. Novak said, “NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice celebrates the reintroduction of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) in the Senate. This common sense, bipartisan legislation is faithful to the principles of Catholic Social Teaching — and the dignity of the human person in particular — by caring for the health and economic security of pregnant people and their families. Forcing workers to choose between a safe pregnancy and a paycheck is immoral and the PWFA ends this injustice. NETWORK Lobby calls on Congress to swiftly pass the PWFA into law and support gainfully employed people bringing new life into the world.”

Read the full statement from the Pregnant Workers Fairness Coalition here.

Read NETWORK’s Letter of Support for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act here.

 

Taxes and President Biden’s American Families Plan

Taxes and President Biden’s American Families Plan

Colleen Ross
April 28, 2021

The American Families Plan, the second part of President Biden’s transformational plan for U.S. jobs and families, makes investments into our nation’s children, our education system, and our health care.

While some members of Congress have already begun a strong campaign against the plan’s changes to the individual side of the tax code, it is long past time to modernize the tax code and make it more just.

Here’s a look at the transformational investments in the American Families Plan:

  • Extend the Child Tax Credit increases in the American Rescue Plan through 2025 and make the Child Tax Credit permanently fully refundable.
  • Make the Earned Income Tax Credit Expansion for childless workers permanent.
  • Extend expanded ACA premiums tax credits in the American Rescue Plan.
  • Permanently increase tax credits to support families with child care needs.
  • Expand summer EBT to all eligible children nationwide.
  • Create a national comprehensive paid family and medical leave program
  • Offer two years of free community college to all Americans, including Dreamers.

Read the White House summary of the American Families Plan here.

The American Families plan reverses the biggest giveaways that were passed in the 2017 tax law and reforms the tax code so that all contribute to our shared prosperity in a just tax system, including the wealthiest.  These reforms are urgently needed at a time when economic inequality and the continued persistence of the racial wealth and income gap are harming our country. We cannot be a healthy country while systemic racism and economic inequality continue harming individuals and families in our nation.

For this reason, we support the tax reforms included in the American Families Plan which specifically address the ways that the tax code widens racial disparities in income and wealth. These reforms include:

Increasing the top tax rate to 39.6%

One of the 2017 tax cut’s clearest giveaways to the wealthy was cutting the top income tax rate from 39.6 percent to 37 percent, exclusively benefitting the wealthiest households—those in the top one percent. This rate cut alone gives a couple with $2 million in taxable an annual tax cut of more than $36,400. The President’s plan restores the top tax bracket to what it was before the 2017 law, returning the rate to 39.6 percent, applying only to those within the top one percent.

Enforcing compliance with the tax code

The American Families Plan would invest $80 billion to strengthen IRS enforcement, which has been decimated over the last decade and improve reporting on the income for high-earners. According to ProPublica, millionaires get audited at close to the same rate as workers with less than $20,000 of annual income. The Treasury estimates these enforcement improvements could raise $700 billion over 10 years.

Changing how capital gains are taxed

The biggest source of income for the wealthiest people in the U.S. is the profit they make from the gain on stock or other assets; this is known as capital gains. (This creates the much-talked about reality where Warren Buffet pays a lower tax rate than his secretary.)

The American Families Plan would partially fund the programs it proposes to invest in children and families by taxing income from capital gains like the taxes workers pay on their wages. It does this by closing two major loopholes that create the current system where wealth has a lower tax rate than what many middle-class workers pay on their wages.

Our partners at Americans for Tax Fairness explain how the plan closes these two loopholes:

  • For people making more than $1 million a year, or the richest 0.3% of taxpayers, Biden wants to eliminate the nearly half-off tax discount they currently get when they sell assets at a profit. Instead of paying today’s top tax rate of 20% on the profits from the sale of assets like corporate stock, the rich would pay the same nearly 40% they already pay on their big salaries and other income. The current capital-gains discount is what allows a billionaire to pay a lower tax rate than a teacher or truck driver.
  • Biden also wants to tax the wealthy on the accumulated gains of assets they inherit—gains that now go completely untaxed. The plan would only apply to gains over $1 million per individual, $2 million per couple ($2.5 million per couple when combined with existing real estate exemptions). This reform will narrow the wealth gap, limit the creation of economic dynasties, and raise revenue for services vital to all of us who do not inherit a fortune.
  • Together, these two reforms would raise around $300 billion over 10 years exclusively from rich people. This will narrow the wealth gap and limit the creation of economic dynasties. It will also fund investments in healthcare, childcare, education and tax credits for working families that raise millions of children out of poverty. (The Tax Policy Center estimated a similar plan proposed by the Biden presidential campaign would raise $327 billion.)

Pursuing Racial and Economic Justice in Housing

Pursuing Racial and Economic Justice in Housing

Jarrett Smith
April 28, 2021

Last week, President Biden released details of his much-anticipated American Jobs Plan. It is a bold proposal, and includes reforms in key areas. To honor the human dignity of every person, NETWORK affirms that housing should be a right in this country; therefore, we are pleased President Biden has prioritized affordable housing in this package. In total, the American Jobs Plan provides $213 billion to build, preserve, and retrofit 2 million homes.

More specifically, the President’s plan proposes the following capital investments:

  • $40 billion to create new public housing
  • $27 billion to establish a Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator to mobilize private investments in distributed energy and retrofits
  • $20 billion for Neighborhood Homes Investment Act tax credits to help more than 500,000 low- and middle-income homebuyers build and rehabilitate homes
  • Develop 1 million affordable, resilient, accessible, energy-efficient, and electrified housing units through tax credits, formula funding, grants, and project-based rental assistance
  • Create grants to eliminate state and local exclusionary zoning laws
  • Guarantee energy efficiency improvements through block grants, Weatherization Assistance Program, and tax credits

At NETWORK, we see housing as an opportunity to dismantle systemic racism, a cornerstone of the Build Anew Agenda, as it applies to housing policies that have been a part of this country its inception. It is critical that specific policies to address and eradicate racism are part of this housing infrastructure proposal.  Components NETWORK would like to see in the proposal include:

Bridging the gap between individual’s incomes and housing costs by expanding rental assistance to every eligible household.

  • Currently, only 1 in 4 households eligible for rental assistance receives it. The vast majority of families – over 17 million — who need rental assistance do not receive it, causing many people to be cost-burdened or experience housing insecurity (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities).

Expanding and preserving the supply of rental homes that are affordable and accessible to people with the lowest incomes, as well as providing at least $70 billion to start increasing the supply and renovating existing rental housing.

  • There is no state or congressional district in the U.S. with enough affordable homes for families with the lowest incomes. Additional housing is badly needed, and at affordable prices, for all families and individuals to secure stable housing in the U.S. (National Low Income Housing Coalition).

Providing emergency rental assistance to households in crisis by creating a national housing stabilization fund.

  • Millions of households are one unexpected financial interruption away from economic hardship that could quickly result in homelessness. Large and small municipalities should be able to directly access these funds for distribution and a request for financial assistance should be simple, involving minimal paperwork. Funds should be distributed by giving name, address, landlord and the amount owed. This process should be a very liberal annual cap that resets at the start of each calendar year.

Strengthening and enforcing renter protections.

  • The power inequities between renters and landlords puts renters at risk of housing instability and homelessness. CDC eviction protections should remain in place for 36 months to protect families and individuals from eviction.

NETWORK is committed to making sure that there are no people living in the United States without a home.  We believe that even the lowest earning household or individual should have a place to call home. Housing is a right for all individuals and families and we can no longer allow homelessness to be an acceptable condition for anyone in the United States. As Pope Francis said during his 2015 visit to the United States, “Let me be clear. There is no social or moral justification, no justification whatsoever, for the lack of housing.”

Moreover, the Build Anew cornerstone of rooting our economy in solidarity should be fundamental for future federal housing policy. Housing is the basis for stable economic security and prosperity. President Biden’s American Jobs Plan is an excellent start, and we will advocate for that proposal, and further steps, once it becomes our nation’s new infrastructure reality for housing.

#BuildAnew BINGO

#BuildAnew Bingo

Audrey Carroll
April 28, 2021

In February 2021, NETWORK introduced Build Anew: A Justice Agenda for All of Us.
This policy agenda is inspired by the principles of Catholic Social Justice and comes from encounter with individuals and families across the United States. 

Based on our Build Anew Policy Agenda, we’ve created this #BuildAnew Bingo card to use during President Biden’s address to Congress to see how well the administration is doing at supporting our Build Anew policy areas.

Certain policies and systems seek to widen the income gap, encourage racism, and exclude people based on their identity. At NETWORK, we believe there is no way to achieve justice without intentionally building our political system, economy, and society to be just and inclusive. The Build Anew Agenda includes five policy areas: Economic Security; Healthcare, Housing, and Food; Tax Justice; Our Democracy; and Our Immigration and Justice Systems.

We hope to see President Biden address these important policy areas to work towards Dismantling Systemic Racism, Cultivating Inclusive Community, Rooting Our Economy in Solidarity, and Transforming Our Politics.

Download Your Bingo Card with Instructions Here. 

Congress Must Pass H.R.40

Congress Must Pass H.R.40

Jarrett Smith
April 20, 2021

Luke 19:8-10

8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

On Wednesday, April 14 history was made in our country when the H.R.40 Bill – Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposal for African Americans Act received a favorable vote at the House Judiciary Committee markup. This is the first time a House committee has considered the bill for recommendation to the House floor since it was first introduced in 1989 by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI).

Reparations is a matter of racial and social justice. The case for reparations is 400 hundred years in the making when the first enslaved Africans were sold in Virginia in 1619. The questioning of the humanity of Africans  throughout the world as Africans and their descendants are always treated and portrayed as if they are inferior to human beings or not even being human by the hundreds of years spent dehumanizing them, and treating them as though they were property to be bought and sold.

Now is the time for reparations. Congress must act and pass H.R.40. NETWORK applauds Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX-18), the bill sponsor, for her part in bringing this bill forward and successfully getting it out of the Judiciary Committee. Currently, the bill has 180 co-sponsors. We need your help getting the remaining 38 other members of Congress to support H.R.40.

H.R.40 allows us to take the first steps towards dismantling systemic racism, cultivating a more inclusive community, and rooting our economy in solidarity so that we can Build Anew together.

This is a historic and rare opportunity to advance a federal policy that seeks to address and rectify the sinful effects of slavery in the United States. Therefore, NETWORK calls on Congress to pass H.R.40 now. It is time for the most in-need to receive recompense as many times as necessary for there to be justice.

Read the statement on H.R.40 from NETWORK’s Executive Director, Mary Novak.

Tax The Rich: NETWORK Hosts Instagram Live Conversation with Patriotic Millionaires

Tax The Rich: NETWORK Hosts Instagram Live Conversation with Patriotic Millionaires

Audrey Carroll
April 19, 2021

On Friday, April 16 NETWORK Grassroots Mobilization Coordinator Sister Emily TeKolste, SP joined Patriotic Millionaires Chairperson Morris Pearl for a conversation on Instagram Live about his new book, Tax the Rich. Emily and Morris discussed the importance of everyone in our nation paying their fair share to work towards eliminating the racial wealth and income gap. Watch the whole conversation here:

NETWORK Honors 159th Anniversary of D.C. Emancipation Day

NETWORK Honors 159th Anniversary of D.C. Emancipation Day

Audrey Carroll
April 16, 2021

Today, April 16th, NETWORK celebrates Emancipation Day. On this day in 1862, slavery was abolished in the District of Columbia through the Compensated Emancipation Act. This was a key milestone in the struggle for racial justice that still continues today. 

Emancipation Day honors an important day for people who were enslaved, and invites us to reflect on the larger issues of racial equity, freedom, and democracy. We know that D.C. statehood is a racial justice issue, and until all 706,000 D.C. residents have equal representation, justice cannot be achieved. 

As we celebrate D.C. Emancipation Day, we call on all Members of Congress to join Representative Eleanor Norton and pass H.R.51 to work towards achieving long-awaited racial equity and building a new, just system of political representation. 

Earlier today, Washington faith leaders gathered to call for D.C. Statehood and honor the significance of Emancipation Day. If you missed it, you can watch on NETWORK’s Facebook.

Healthcare is a human right

During Black Maternal Health Week, We Call on Congress to Pass the Momnibus Act

During Black Maternal Health Week, We Call on Congress to Pass the Momnibus Act

Caraline Feairheller
April 14, 2021

This week, Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12), Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14), and 77 original cosponsors introduced a resolution recognizing Black Maternal Health Week, “to bring national attention to the maternal health crisis in the United States and the urgent importance of reducing maternal mortality and morbidity among Black women and birthing persons.”

The United States has a maternal mortality health crisis that must be addressed. Around the developed world, pregnancy-related mortality rates are falling, except in the United States – where birthing people are dying at a morally unacceptable and rising rate. Approximately 700 women die each year due to pregnancy-related causes with an additional 50,000 experiencing severe health complications from pregnancy. This crisis is most severe for Black birthing people, who are dying 3 to 4 times the rate of their white counterparts. This is a tragedy for our society and for the families who have lost loved ones, and the racial disparities are unjust and sinful.

The COVID-19 pandemic has only increased the barriers to accessing care and exacerbated the already existing racial disparities. Congresswoman Adams, co-founder and co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus pointed this out, saying, “Black Americans were one of the hardest hit communities during this pandemic, and Black and Hispanic mothers accounted for a majority of COVID-19 cases among pregnant women in the United States.” We must dismantle the systemic racism in our health care system and our nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic in order to build anew together.

Earlier this year,  members of the Black Maternal Health Caucus introduced the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act (H.R.595/S.346) to address the maternal health crisis. In a country where at least 60% of maternal deaths are preventable, the Momnibus helps to fill current policy gaps in receiving care.  This comprehensive legislation seeks to address social determinants of health, invest in community-based organizations, fund research development and data collection, and invest in efforts to diversify the perinatal workforce. In total, the Momnibus is a combination of 12 standalone bills that have been introduced or reintroduced into the 117th Congress. NETWORK is proud to support the Momnibus Act, applauds the Black Maternal Health Caucus for its leadership, and calls on Congress to pass this critical legislation immediately. The Momnibus includes the following legislation:

The Social Determinants for Moms Act (H.R.943):

Introduced by Representative Lucy McBath (D-GA-06), this legislation recognizes that social determinants of health, defined as the conditions where people live, learn, work, and play; affect a wide range of health risks and outcomes. By focusing on these social determinants, this legislation will address the root cause of gaps in care by establish a task force to coordinate federal efforts to address social determinants, provide funding for safe and quality housing for pregnant people, extending Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) eligibility periods for new moms, and invest in funding research that will explore environmental risk, transportation barriers, and more.

The Kira Johnson Act (H.R.1212):

Introduced by Representative Alma Adams (D-NC-12), this legislation is named after Kira Johnson who, despite being in excellent health, died from a hemorrhage after delivering her son Langston. Unfortunately, Kira’s story is not unique in the United States. In order to combat the complex causes of maternal mortality and promote accountability, this legislation invests in community-based organizations that are leading the charge to support outcomes for Black pregnant and postpartum people and women of color. It provides support for bias and anti-racism training programs as well as establishes the Respectful Maternity Care Compliance Programs within hospitals so families can report instances of racial or other types of bias.

Protecting Moms Who Served Act (H.R.958):

Introduced by Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), this legislation seeks to uncover the reality for the more than two million women veterans in the United States and their maternal health outcomes. As so little is known about maternal health among veterans, this legislation will commission the first-ever study on the maternal health crises among veterans; with a specific focus on racial and ethnic disparities and identifying potential mental and behavioral risks. Following the study, recommendations will be made to healthcare providers. The legislation will  also provide funding towards ensuring coordination takes place between Veterans Affairs and non-Veterans Affairs facilities, facilitate access to community resources, and offer childcare and parenting classes to veterans.

Perinatal Workforce Act:

Introduced by Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI-4) and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), this legislation addresses the lack of access to maternity care found in both rural and urban communities. More than 1/3 of counties in the United State are considered ‘maternity care deserts meaning that more than 7 million birthing people live where there is no or limited access to maternity care. Specifically, this legislation establishes grant programs to increase access to maternity care providers, provides guidance to states on diverse maternal care, will allow programs to increase number of nurses and other health care workers, and fund studies on barriers that prevent women from entering maternity care professions.

Data to Save Moms Act (H.R.952/S.347):

Introduced by Representative Sharice Davids (D-KS-3) and Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), this legislation builds off the 2018 Preventing Maternal Deaths law by promoting greater levels of representative community engagement in Maternal Mortality Review Committees (MMRCs). MMRCS gather key stakeholders together to listen to the experiences of pregnant people and how these stories can inform health quality measures that promote safe, culturally competent, patient-centered maternity care. Also, this legislation invests in improving data collection and maternal health research at Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs.) Finally, this legislation will establish the first-ever comprehensive study to understand the scope of the Native American maternal health crisis, who are more than twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than their white counterparts.

Moms Matter Act (H.R.909/S.484):

Introduced by Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE-AL), Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Representative John Katko (R-NY-24), this bipartisan legislation addresses the unique challenge maternal mental health conditions as “mental health conditions are one of the leading causes of pregnancy-related deaths.” This crises is disproportionately felt by Black birthing people who are at increased risk for suicidal ideation and intentional self-harm during pregnancy and postpartum. This legislation will make investments in programs that support moms with maternal mental health conditions and substance use disorders, create initiatives that address stigma, and invest in suicide prevention programs. Also, it will provide funding to grow and diversity the maternal mental health care workforce in order to create culturally-competent care for pregnant and postpartum people with maternal mental health conditions.

Justice for Incarcerated Moms Act (H.R.948/S.341):

Introduced by Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), this legislation addresses the maternal health crises of pregnant people who are incarcerated, as they face a heighted risk for maternal mortality. The consequences of the United States addiction to mass incarceration from 190 to 2016 has resulted in the number of women in prison increasing nearly 742%, of those who are incarcerated it is Black women who are imprisoned at twice the rate of white women. This legislation will seek to end the immoral practice of shackling pregnant people, provide funds for reentry assistance programs, funds for diversionary programs to prevent incarceration of pregnant and postpartum people, and study the negative implications of Medicaid coverage termination for incarcerated mothers.

Tech to Save Moms Act (H.R.937):

Introduced by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX-32) and Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), this legislation recognizes that digital tools, such as telehealth services, can play an important and unique role in addressing maternal health in underserved areas. Specifically, this legislation will promote integration and development of telehealth, provide grants to ensure high-speed, reliable internet access; promote digital tools designed to address racial and ethnic disparities, and study the use of new technology in preventing racial and ethnic bias.

IMPACT to Save Moms Act (H.R.950/S.334):

Introduced by Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09) and Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), this legislation recognizes that maternal care payment options affect maternal health outcomes. The legislation will establish a new Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that promotes equitable and quality maternal health outcomes for pregnant people covered by Medicaid. It also develops strategies to ensure continuity of health insurance coverage for pregnant and postpartum people, including presumptive eligibility for Medicaid/CHIP programs, automatic reenrollment in Medicaid/CHIP for birthing people, and prevents any disruptions on coverage during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and up to one year postpartum.

Maternal Health Pandemic Response Act:

Introduced by Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), this legislation recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemics has worsened the already existing and immoral maternal mortality crisis in the United States. Pregnant people are at a significant risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes and Black women experienced a disproportionate number of deaths. This legislation makes targeted investments to advance safe maternal health outcomes during COVID-19 and beyond. It will require COVID-19 data collection be disaggregated by pregnancy status, ensure vaccines are safe for pregnant people, and establish a take force for creating safe birthing experiences during COVID-19 and potential future disease outbreaks.

Protecting Moms and Babies Against Climate Change Act (H.R.957/S.423):

Introduced by Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), this legislation recognizes the reality of climate change exacerbating risks for pregnant people. As climate change results in greater air pollution and heat exposure, pregnant people and their infants are at risk and the legacy of environmental racism leaves Black mothers particularly at risk. This legislation will establish research opportunities on the relationship between climate change and pregnancy, design programs to identify climate change risk zones for pregnant people and their babies, provide health professional training on how to mitigate the risk of climate-change related risks, and provide funding to improve infrastructure.

Maternal Vaccination Act (H.R.951/S.345):

Introduced by Representative Terri A. Sewell (D-AL-07) and Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), this legislation will provide funding for programs to increase maternal vaccinations rates and develop maternal vaccinations campaigns with community-based partner organizations and trusted leaders.

The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021 is a necessary and comprehensive collection of 12 bills that must be passed into law in order to address the immoral legacy of the United State maternal mortality crisis. NETWORK Lobby urges members of Congress to quickly pass the Momnibus, in its entirety, in order to honor the essential dignity of each human person.

Learn more about each of the bills included in the Momnibus Act here.

NETWORK Urges Congress to Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act

NETWORK Urges Congress to Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act

Gina Kelley
April 14, 2021

Ahead of the expected House vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 7) NETWORK sent a letter to members of the House of Representatives urging them to support this legislation as it eliminates loopholes in existing legislation, helps break harmful patterns of pay discrimination, and strengthens workplace protections for women.

Our faith teaches us that just and equal pay is necessary to recognize the dignity of work. Almost six decades after the landmark Equal Pay Act was signed into law, the gender and racial pay gap persists and this legislation takes a necessary and immediate step towards ending this immoral reality. Women, especially women of color, have been carrying a devastating burden for decades. Equal pay cannot be up for debate. Women have been economically exploited and treated as second-class citizens since the inception of this country. Widespread wage discrimination continues that legacy today. The Paycheck Fairness Act takes a necessary step towards ending systemic wage theft and discriminatory practices against women.

The choice could not be clearer. Now is the time to support women. NETWORK advocates strongly urge Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act because of the victories it achieves for working women across the country.

Read Our Vote Recommendation Letter on the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R.7)