http://www.progressivestates.org/dispatch Thursday, July 26, 2007States May Get Federal Help to Modernize Unemployment InsuranceConference Call
The groundbreaking Healthy Wisconsin initiative, which guarantees health care for all residents, will be the subject of a conference call sponsored by Families USA, the Universal Health Care Action Network, and the Progressive States Network, who is hosting the call.
Wednesday, August 1st, from Noon to 1pm (EDT) Join us and Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson, Wisconsin Sen. Jon Erpenbach, and Robert Kraig from Citizen Action of Wisconsin. In Today's Dispatch:
States May Get Federal Help to Modernize Unemployment Insurance
The unemployment insurance (UI) system is broken in states across the country. Large numbers of low-wage, part-time and women workers don't get help when they are laid off; in fact, only 35% of laid-off workers are able to collect jobless benefits, a rate far below protections offered decades ago. To help states modernize their unemployment systems, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators introduced a bill yesterday that would provide $7 billion in incentive funds over five years to states that adopt model UI reforms. The National Employment Law Project (NELP), which is helping lead the fight for passage of the law, has produced a summary and an extensive analysis of the proposed reform legislation, with the bottom line being that states will receive funding to extend help to 500,000 additional workers each year if they adopt proposed model UI reforms. The key reforms states will be encouraged to adopt include:
Six states have already adopted the needed reforms to qualify for their full allotment of incentive funds under the bill, but other states can qualify for the funds simply by adopting the model rules (see the map below courtesy of NELP for current disparities between the states in UI coverage). All states will qualify for a share of $500 million to upgrade the administration of their systems and improve reemployment services. The whole incentive program will be paid for by reauthorization of the current federal UI surtax, which is set to expire at the end of this year. NELP and other advocates are asking legislators and state activists to write their Governor or other state officials (using this sample letter ) to work with their state's senators to push for passage of this bill to assist states in these UI reforms. 
The Sky is Falling: Manhattan's Aging Infrastructure Causes Explosion and Concern
New York has endured several pipe explosions in the recent past, including one in 2000 near Washington Square that blew a 15-foot crater in the street and one in 1989 that killed three people and sent mud and debris several stories into the air. However, the problem is not exclusive to New York City. Instead, as Sarah Catz, director of the Center for Urban Infrastructure at the University of California, Irvine, said, "We have an aging infrastructure in this country, and we are not doing enough to maintain it and replace it. What you saw happen in New York will happen in all types of infrastructure." As we pointed out in May, the U.S. infrastructure is an economic disaster waiting to happen. The extent of the problem was pointed out by an Urban Land Institute report and the American Society for Civil Engineers, which estimates that $1.6 trillion is needed over a five-year period to bring the nation's infrastructure into good condition. It seems like a pretty steep price tag, but let's consider the cost of the latest infrastructure explosion: 1) millions of dollars just for clean up and repair of the crater, 2) significant losses for businesses in the area of the explosions-- there are 125 ground-floor retailers in the area, and 3) loss of one life and injuries to more than 40 people. Instead of giving tax breaks to the rich and cutting crucial spending, investing that money into infrastructure repair can help prevent accidents like the one last week. Not to mention that repairing bridges and roads, for instance, creates more jobs than building new roads or bridges. The sooner we start repairing our infrastructure, the sooner things will stop exploding. Research RoundupResearch Roundup
In a chilling report casting doubt on criminal convictions across the country, a law review article by UVA Professor of Law Brandon Garrett in the Columbia Law Review highlights evidence that literally thousands of people are serving long sentences for crimes they did not commit. In many cases, innocent people were convicted based on erroneous identification by eyewitnesses, faulty forensic evidence (far less effective than CSI would lead people to believe), false testimony by informants, and false confessions. A packet of new health care studies were released this week:
In Myth vs. Reality: U.S. Broadband Policy and International Broadband Rankings, Free Press highlights why the U.S. has sunk to 15th place in broadband deployment among the 30 developed nations in the OECD - and debunks myths by industry defending the current failure of U.S. technology policies. If the federal government provided funds to keep community college computer labs open three nights a week for community resident education, a new report by the NDN Globalization Initiative argues this would radically expand access to the computer skills needed by many looking for work in the current economy. Please email us leads on good research at research@progressivestates.org ResourcesStates May Get Federal Help to Modernize Unemployment Insurance
Bill Text, UI Modernization Act NELP, Summary of the UI Modernization Act NELP, Full Report on the UI Modernization Act Center for Budget & Policy Priorities, Addressing Longstanding Gaps in Unemployment Insurance Coverage The Sky is Falling: Manhattan's Aging Infrastructure Causes Explosion and Concern
Urban Land Institute, Infrastructure 2007: A Global Perspective American Society of Civil Engineers, Report Card for America's Infrastructure Surface Transportation Policy Project, Setting the Record Straight: Transit, Fixing Roads and Bridges Offers Greatest Job Gains Time, Cities Breaking Down Drum Major Institute Blog, When Infrastructure Attacks Progressive States Network: U.S. Infrastructure, An Economic Disaster Waiting to Happen Eye on the Right
New York real estate tycoon Howard Rich is up to it again. Echoing previous reports that Rich poured million dollars into conservative state ballot initiatives in 2006 through a network of shadowy organizations, the National Institute on Money in State Politics recently documented that Rich used secretive tactics to funnel $6 million specifically into a right-wing property rights initiatives in the states. Using front organizations and disclosing as little information as possible, Rich embodies the "astroturf" tactics of monied interests that use hidden political contributions through multiple avenues to give credibility to supposedly "local" campaigns. 3 Steps Forward1. MD: Lawmakers Promoting Progressive Tax Solution to State Deficit 2. States Work to Plug "Brain Drain" 3. CT: New Haven Begins Issuing IDs to Undocumented Immigrants 2 Steps Back1. NC: Google sued over North Carolina tax exemptions 2. VA: Immigration plan would force Va. officials to initiate deportation Jobs & InternshipsCheck out current opportunities with Progressive States on the Jobs & Internships Page. MastheadThe Stateside Dispatch is written and edited by: SuggestionsPlease shoot me an email at jbacino@progressivestates.org if you have feedback, tips, suggestions, criticisms, or nominations for any of our sidebar features. John Bacino Progressive
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