Economic Justice

Monthly Direct Cash Payments. This is absolutely essential if we’re going to recover from the economic devastation, be able to deal with racial injustice to get people moving forward, and be able to move to the next level of reform and progress.

Closing the Wage Gap. Pay equity has been the law since 1963, yet, according to a recent study of college graduates conducted by the American Association of University Women (AAUW), women graduates earn only 80 percent of their male peers. Pay disparity continues to be discriminatory and only worsens over time. The numbers are more disturbing for women of color. According to the same study by AAUW, African American women, on average, earn 63% of the salary of a white man and Latina women make only 54% of their white male counterparts, losing more than a million dollars over a 40-year career. We must address the lost income over a lifetime and its devastating impact on the lives of women and their families.

Raising Wages. The Congressman is a co-sponsor of the Raise the Wage Act to raise the minimum wage nationwide to $15 an hour so the days of working families having to work two and three jobs just to make ends meet would be over.

Paid Family Leave. Working families should never have to choose between a paycheck and their well-being. He is a cosponsor of the FAMILY act to ensure that workers can take up to 12 weeks of paid leave for pregnancy, birth or adoption of a child, or to recover from or care for a serious illness to them or a family member.

Making College Affordable. Every American should have the opportunity to get an education, regardless of socioeconomic status. To that end, he’s fought for:

• The College for All Act, which eliminates tuition and fees at public colleges and universities for families making under $125,000.
• The Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act to allow students to take advantage of lower interest rates.
• The Employer Participation in Student Loan Assistance Act, which encourages employers to provide educational assistance, including loan repayment, for employees.

Rein in Wall Street Recklessness and Hold Big Banks Accountable.

• Reinstate Glass-Steagall to help promote stability in the financial industry and to limit certain types of risky behavior that contributed to the Great Recession.
• Expand bankruptcy protections for homeowners to keep hundreds of thousands of people in their homes and force banks to be more responsible lenders.
• Prosecute wrongdoers. Sending people to jail will send a message. Crooks, whatever the color of their collars, should be held accountable.
• Block the concerted effort by the finance industry to hijack consumer protections.