thumbnail

Dignified Retirement For All

Problem

64% of Americans are not prepared for retirement and 45% of Americans have no retirement savings. Social security will only replace 40% of retirees’ income, leaving many with a lower standard of living in their vulnerable elder age. This issue disproportionately impacts elders of color and elder women. Connecticut is also perceived to be an expensive state to retire, and there’s a vocal minority of former residents who have moved to states with lower costs of living following their retirement.

 

Solution

Retirement investments must begin at the earliest of ages.  Every natural-born citizen will have $2500 invested in a Fortune 500 Index or equivalent and $2500 invested and managed by the State Treasurer.  Assuming an 8% ROI, this early investment would net citizens over $500,000 for retirement at age 60 to supplement SSI and other retirement accounts. Citizens would only be entitled to the funds if their primary residence was in CT.

thumbnail

Equal Access to Justice for Victims and Witnesses of Violent Crimes and Human Trafficking

Problem

The U and T visa programs were created back in 2000 with bipartisan support in Congress to benefit both victims and witnesses as well as law enforcement agencies. Certifications from law enforcement agencies assist victims and witnesses in applying for immigrant protections, and facilitate cooperation with law enforcement from communities that are sometimes wary of law enforcement. Victims and witnesses of crime and trafficking have to submit the certification in order to start the application process. While many agencies and jurisdictions have processes in place for victims and witnesses to obtain certifications, many others do not, and several have not encountered these requests before. As a result, many victims will wait years to get a certification, and many will wait indefinitely, not getting a response at all.

Solution

This idea increases victim and witness participation in the criminal legal system and promotes public safety and assistance to law enforcement by creating a consistent victim certification process for vulnerable immigrant victims and witnesses of crime and trafficking, and standardizes the process for law enforcement, prosecution, and investigatory agencies to provide victims who have been helpful in an investigation or prosecution of serious crimes, described in the federal Violence Against Women Act, the certification form they need to help them apply for a U-visa or a T-visa. It does not require that a law enforcement agency provide certification. It only requires that a decision be made within ninety days. If there are extenuating circumstances, the agency must provide a written explanation for the delay and projected timeline for the issuance of a decision.

thumbnail

Enhancing Access to the At-Home Ballot Box

Problem

More and more Mainers and individuals across the country are utilizing the option to vote from home. This is especially true in Maine where our population is the oldest in the country and absentee voting provides an accessible option for casting a ballot for older Mainers and persons with disabilities. However, it can be cumbersome for someone who votes via absentee to request a ballot for each and every election.

Solution

I introduced and passed legislation that creates an ongoing absentee voting status for persons over the age of 65 and persons with disabilities. These individuals will be able to request this status once and from that point forward they will receive an absentee ballot for each and every election. This will create greater access to the ballot box and most importantly it will enhance participation, particularly in local elections that do not have all of the fanfare of a presidential election.

thumbnail

Civics Education – Middle School through College

Problem

The events that transpired on January 6th represent one of the darkest days in American history. It showed the vital importance of civics education. We need to properly educate our young people so they can become critical thinkers who are able to discern truth from fiction. They must understand the foundations of our representative democracy, and take a participatory role in it. Through civics, it is our collective hope that these students will not be indoctrinated into any one particular political ideology but rather become informed and educated citizens that will shape our nation for generations to come.

Solution

Our bill, which is now law, directs the NJ Dept of Education to require at least one course in civics in middle school starting with the 2022-2023 school year. Additionally, I have introduced legislation which would require students at public universities to complete at least one course of American government and civic engagement before graduating. 

thumbnail

Teachers Rooted in Oakland — increasing recruitment and retention of teachers of color by addressing the cost of housing/cost of living

Problem

In Oakland, 78% of the hard-to-staff specialized teachers, including STEM and SpEd, believe they may need to leave teaching because of the lack of affordable housing; this number is even higher for teachers of color. Our students — who are predominantly students of color — then suffer from major racial disparities in outcomes of academic performance. 

Solution

Our mission is to advance educational equity by addressing the cost of living and providing affordable housing to increase the recruitment & retention of highly skilled and committed Black, Latinx, and other teachers of color. We do this by providing affordable housing or housing stipends to incoming teacher residents (research shows teachers trained through residency models stay longer and are more effective) during their residency year and then supporting with guaranteed income stipends for the following 4 years, as long as they continue teaching in the school district.

 

thumbnail

Save up with BottleDrop

Problem

The costs associated with post-secondary education and training programs remain a major factor limiting economic mobility. For families with low- or moderate incomes —and especially people of color—the goal of sending kids to college seems financial unattainable. 

 

Solution

We entered into a partnership with BottleDrop, the private industry operator of Oregon’s “Bottle Bill”. Nearly every beverage container sold in Oregon carries a deposit of $0.10, becoming a $0.10 refund when a bottle or can is returned. Containers are frequently returned in “green bags” and dropped off at grocery stores or redemption centers.  Nearly 1 in 3 Oregon households has a BottleDrop account, around 800,000 households.  The demographics of this program swing toward middle and lower income.
The Oregon Bottle Bill was passed 50 years ago, making Oregon the first state with a bottle redemption system aimed at reducing litter (~85% of cans and bottles sold in Oregon are returned for redemption).
Participants can opt to receive cash, but the program was expanded to provide discounts at certain stores and to allow for participants to direct their redemptions to charitable organizations.
The newest option is Save up with BottleDrop which allows participants to direct their redemptions into their Oregon College Savings Plan account. For participants this simply means filling up one of the signature green bags with containers and dropping it off. The funds ($0.10 per container) will be automatically transferred to the college savings plan(s) connected with the account.
The partnership leverages existing incentives to recycle to create a low-friction way to save for post-secondary education.

thumbnail

Expanding Access to Computer Science Education

Problem

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 67% of new jobs in STEM are in computing, jobs that also happen to be some of the highest-paying and fastest-growing in the country. Yet only 11% of STEM bachelor’s degrees are in computer science, leading to a massive workforce shortage. Many students lack access to computer science curriculum and less than half of U.S. schools teach computer science courses.

 

Solution

State governments should adopt policies that require middle and/or high schools to offer at least one foundational computer science course.