Bill aims to expand benefits for the unemployed, By Stephen Ohlemacher (AP), May 20, 2010, Washington Post: “People who are out of work for long stretches would get expanded unemployment benefits through the end of the year under a bill Democratic lawmakers plan to pass next week. The bill would also extend, for a year, about 50 popular tax cuts that expired in January. The bill would be paid for, in part, by tax increases on investment managers and some U.S.-based multinational companies. House leaders said they plan to vote on the bill early next week, leaving just a few days for the Senate to act before Congress goes on a weeklong vacation for Memorial Day. House leaders had planned to vote this week, but they were still waiting for some cost estimates, and a few issues were unresolved…”
Day: May 20, 2010
Self-Sufficiency Standard – Philadelphia, PA
Study: To survive, family of four needs nearly $60,000, By Alfred Lubrano, May 20, 2010, Philadelphia Inquirer: “To survive in Philadelphia without food stamps or other government assistance, a family of four needs to make nearly $60,000 a year – a hard-to-fathom ‘sticker-shock’ number that shows how expensive life has become. According to a study being released Thursday, two adults with one preschooler and one school-age child have to take in $59,501 a year to live on a bare-bones budget in the city. In 2008, the same family of four needed $53,611 to make it in Philadelphia. That’s the word from the Self-Sufficiency Standard for Pennsylvania, a highly respected University of Washington analysis that comes out every two years. The problem is that nearly 62 percent of Philadelphia households take in less than $50,000 a year, according to census data analyzed by Dave Elesh, a sociologist at Temple University…”
Hate Crime Legislation and the Homeless – Florida
Florida among first states to make attacks on homeless hate crimes, By Kate Santich, May 19, 2010, Orlando Sentinel: “For four years, Florida has been named the worst state in the nation for violence against the homeless. Now it’s one of the first states to enact a law making it a hate crime to attack a homeless person. Experts are divided on whether the newly passed legislation will serve as a deterrent, but there’s no question it will make for stiffer penalties. The law, signed last week by Gov. Charlie Crist, will go into effect Oct. 1. It adds homeless people to an existing hate-crimes law that increases sentencing for attacks motivated by a victim’s race, color, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, mental or physical disability or advanced age…”