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October 15, 2021 NF Legislative Roundup: Reconciliation Bill

By October 15, 2021No Comments

This week, we’re switching it up! Are you confused about all the coverage of the reconciliation bill in Washington? Our Legislative Roundup focuses on the different elements of the Build Back Better Act as they relate to social justice. Keep reading – we promise we kept it simple!

Education

  • College tuition aid
    • Why we’re watching: The bill promises two years of free community college for all students, regardless of income at the time of application. Many progressives see this as a step towards a more expansive free-college-for-all proposal that would help lower-income families break the cycle of poverty. Additionally, the bill boosts Pell Grant funding.

Families

  • Child tax credit
    • Why we’re watching: As part of an earlier pandemic relief package, Democrats created the child tax credit, which lifted hundreds of thousands of families and their children out of poverty. Now, Democrats want to expand the program into 2025 while increasing the payments.
  • Child care
    • Why we’re watching: Child care is among new families’ highest expenses. Along the lines of the child tax credit, the reconciliation bill allocates $450 billion toward lowering the cost of child care and providing two years of pre-K for young children.

Workers’ Rights

  • Paid leave
    • Why we’re watching: Our country is the most developed in the world that doesn’t mandate paid leave. Under the reconciliation bill, workers would have access to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave, during which they would earn two-thirds or 80% of their normal pay, depending on their tax bracket.

Climate Change

  • Clean electricity performance program
    • Why we’re watching: This program incentivizes the biggest polluters to shape up. If passed, the law would mandate utility companies to increase their renewable supplies by 4% each year or risk regulatory fines.
  • Electric vehicle charging
    • Why we’re watching: Electric vehicles are the answer to solving Black and Brown neighborhoods’ high exposure to air pollutants. Measures of the Build Back Better Act would accordingly allocate funds towards EV charging infrastructure.

What do you think of the bills in this week’s legislative roundup? Did we miss anything? Drop us a line on any of our social channels or hit us up through our contact us form. Let us know what’s happening in YOUR neighborhood!