Legislative Action Opportunities

Interested in engaging with a local campaign? There's a lot happening in our community, and they need your help. Find what you are passionate about and get involved. 

Hoping to tell your story, attend trainings, or advocate for local and state anti-poverty legislation? Fill out this form to get connected. Direct link: http://bit.ly/takeactionMIA

HEALTH 

Closing the Coverage Gap -- Contact: Athena Ford, FL CHAIN | athena@flchain.org

Earned Paid Sick Days and Paid Family Leave -- Contact: Deborah Dion, SFVWF | dion.deborah@gmail.com

Pesticides in Farms -- Contact: Elvira Carvajal, FWAF | fwafhomestead@hotmail.com

Women and Trauma -- Contact: Renita Holmes, WAAIVE | holmes_builders@yahoo.com

FINANCIAL SECURITY 

Wage Theft -- Contact: Jeanette Smith, SFIWJ | jeanettemiami@gmail.com

Raising the Minimum Wage -- 1Miami | info@onemiaminow.org

Predatory Lending --  Contact: Karen Landry, War on Poverty/RAISE FL | klandry@waronpoverty.org

Fight for 15 --  Contact: Ericka Ward, Fight for 15/SEIU | ericka.ward@seiufl.org

HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION 

Housing discrimination --  Contact: LaTonda James, NHSSF | LatondaJ@nhssf.org

Resident displacement and housing --  Contact: Adrian Madriz, MWC | adrian@theworkerscenter.org

Public transportation --  Contact: Marta Viciedo, Urban Impact Lab | marta.viciedo@gmail.com

Unaccompanied minors and homelessness --  Contact: Jorge de la Paz, MCH | jorge@miamihomeless.org

EDUCATION AND CRIMINALIZATION 

Driver's License Campaign --  Contact: Francesca Menes, FLIC | francesca@floridaimmigrant.org

Voting rights --  Contact: Jacob Coker-Dukowitz, FNM | jacob@flnewmajority.org

State violence and School to Prison Pipeline --  Contact: Phillip Agnew, Dream Defenders | phillip@dreamdefenders.org

Friends of Broward Detainees --  Contact: Christine Ho, Friends of Broward Detainees | christine.gt.ho@gmail.com

Rights Restoration --  Contact: Kevin Spring, Spring4ward | kevin@spring4ward.org

Connecting returning citizens to employers --  Contact: Mariamee Rodriguez | marrodriguez@jud11.flcourts.org

Health Reform Frequently Asked Questions

Open Enrollment has officially begun. Until mid-spring, organizations across South Florida will be hosting fairs and events to educate the community about ACA and to offer ACA navigation services. Still, many residents and service providers have questions they would like answered.

The Kaiser Family Foundation has assembled an extremely detailed Health Reform FAQs page. There you will find simple, clear answers to all of your questions. To read more, go to kff.org. Should you still have questions, call us at 305-576-5001 and we will direct you to the right place.

What is the health insurance Marketplace?

Health Insurance Marketplaces (also known as Exchanges) are new organizations that will be set up to create more organized and competitive markets for buying health insurance. They will offer a choice of different health plans, certifying plans that participate and providing information to help consumers better understand their options. Through the Marketplace, individuals and families will be able to shop for coverage if they need to buy health insurance on their own. Premium and cost sharing subsidies will be available through the Marketplace to reduce the cost of coverage for individuals and families, based on their income. Individuals and families with very low incomes will also be able to find out at the Marketplace if they are eligible for coverage through Medicaid and CHIP. Finally, small businesses can also buy coverage for their employees through the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) Marketplace.

There will be a health insurance Marketplace in every state for individuals and families and for small businesses. Some Marketplaces will be operated by the State and have a special state name (such as CoveredCalifornia or The Maryland Health Connection.) In other states where the federal government runs the Marketplace, it will be known called The Health Insurance Marketplace of [state name.]

What health plans are offered through the Marketplace?

All health plans offered through the Marketplace must meet the requirements of “qualified health plans.” This means they will cover essential health benefits, limit the amount of cost sharing (such as deductibles and co-pays) for covered benefits, and satisfy all other consumer protections required under the Affordable Care Act.

Health plans may vary somewhat in the benefits they cover. Health plans also will vary based on the level of cost sharing required. Plans will be labeled Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum to indicate the overall amount of cost sharing they require. Bronze plans will have the highest deductibles and other cost sharing, while Platinum plans will have the lowest. Health plans will also vary based on the networks of hospitals and other health care providers they offer. Some plans will require you to get all non-emergency care in-network, while others will provide some coverage when you receive out-of-network care.

Can I buy a plan in the Marketplace if I don’t have a green card?

If you are not a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national, or an alien lawfully present in the U.S., you are not eligible to buy a plan on the health insurance Marketplace. However, you can shop for health insurance outside of the Marketplace in the non-group market. Insurers outside of the Marketplace are prohibited from turning you down based on your health status or your immigration status and must follow generally the same rules as plans in the Marketplace. To obtain coverage, contact a state-licensed health insurance company or a licensed agent or broker. Your state Department of Insurance can help you find one.  

ADVISORY: Half in Ten Campaign and Catalyst Miami Host South Florida Anti-Poverty Summit

                    

For Immediate Release                                                                                                                                                  
November 6, 2014                                                                                                                           

ADVISORY: Half in Ten Campaign and Catalyst Miami Host South Florida Anti-Poverty Summit

Miami, Florida — On Saturday, November 8, 2014, the Center for American Progress Action Fund’s Half in Ten campaign will join Catalyst Miami and South Florida Voices for Working Families to co-host South Florida’s first anti-poverty summit, titled “The Time is Now: Building a South Florida Movement to Cut Poverty and Create Opportunity,” in Miami. The event will bring together service providers, social justice advocates, policymakers, media, and local and national policy experts to learn from recent success, build new partnerships, discuss policy priorities, and develop a joint strategy to make poverty reduction a real and accountable priority in 2016.

Speakers will include State Sen. Dwight Bullard (D-39); State Reps. Cynthia Stafford (D-109) and Barbara Watson (D-107); Miami-Dade County Commissioner Xavier Suarez and Miami-Dade County Commissioner-elect Daniella Levine Cava; and Monica Russo, president of SEIU Florida State Council, Executive Vice President of 1199 SEIU, among others.

RSVP to this event.

WHO:

State Sen. Dwight Bullard (D-39) 
State Rep. Cynthia Stafford (D-109) 
State Rep. Barbara Watson (D-107) 
Mayor Cindy Lerner, Village of Pinecrest 
City of Miami Commissioner Keon Hardemon, District 5 
Miami-Dade County Commissioner Xavier Suarez, District 7 
Miami-Dade County Commissioner-elect Daniella Levine Cava, District 8 
Monica Russo, President of SEIU Florida State Council, Executive Vice President of 1199 SEIU 
Clarence Washington, President of Transport Workers Union Local 291, AFL-CIO 
Karen Woodall, Executive Director, Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy 
Nely Rodriguez, Senior Staff Member and Leader, Coalition of Immokalee Workers 
Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall, Miami-Dade County Public Schools School Board Member, District 2 
Phillip Agnew, Executive Director, Dream Defenders

WHEN:

Saturday, November 8, 2014 
9:00 a.m. ET – 4:00 p.m. ET 
A complete agenda, including a rundown of panel sessions, can be viewed here.

WHERE:

University of Miami Life Science and Technology Park 
1951 NW 7th Avenue, 6th Floor 
Miami, Florida, 33136

RSVP:

Clickhere to RSVP. (required) Registration closes at 3:00PM on November 6th, 2014. 

For more information, contact Carla Strickland at CarlaS@catalystmiami.org or 786.414.1292 or Chelsea Kiene at ckiene@americanprogressaction.org or 202.478.5328.

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The Center for American Progress Action Fundis the sister advocacy organization of the Center for American Progress. The Action Fund transforms progressive ideas into policy through rapid response communications, legislative action, grassroots organizing and advocacy, and partnerships with other progressive leaders throughout the country and the world. The Action Fund is also the home of the Progress Report.

Some say $10.10 would hurt business, but most business people disagree

By Andrew Yarrow

US businesses are in. The American public is in. So what’s next on the minimum wage, Congress?

It has long been the argument from some voices in business—or at least their Washington lobbyists and the Members of Congress who listen to them—that raising the minimum wage would hurt business—and workers—by eliminating jobs.

However, the stark reality is that most business owners in America don’t agree with this idea. In fact, poll after poll shows that most business people think it’s well past time for an increase in the minimum wage.

Indeed, 61 percent of small business owners support a gradual increase in the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour, according to a recent poll by Business for a Fair Minimum Wage.  And a Harris survey released last week found that 62 percent of employers, including 58 percent of senior business leaders, think that the minimum wage should be raised from where it’s been stuck at $7.25 per hour for more than seven years.

These numbers are only slightly lower than the views of the American people. Recent polls have found that between 73 percent and 80 percent of Americans– including majorities among Democrats, Republicans, and Independents– support an increase.

Despite the overwhelming support of most US businesses, as well as the American public, the job-loss canard was again trotted out by the US Chamber of Commerce, the National Restaurant Association, and a handful of other industry associations earlier this year when they wrote to every Senator that increasing the federal minimum wage  “could truly be the difference between continuing to operate and going out of business. For the employees it attempts to help, it may be the difference between a job and unemployment.”

$10.10 is the minimum wage level proposed by President Obama and in legislation by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA.) and Rep. George Miller (D-CA). It’s a wage that would boost the incomes of more than 25 million US workers, one-third of whom have families; over 14 million children would see a boost to their family’s income.

As the minimum wage for 200,000 employees of federal contractors rose yesterday to $10.10, thanks to an executive order by the President, one contractor, Carmen Ortiz Larsen of AQUAS Inc. said:

“From a business perspective, a higher minimum wage will reduce turnover and training costs, and lead to more productive workers who are focused on the work at hand, not on looking for another job that pays more.”

If that’s not enough to dispel—or at least put a dent in—the tried-and-false argument against raising the minimum wage, a raft of academic studies have shown that increasing the minimum wage floor has little or no impact on employment—and may actually create up to 140,000 jobs by pumping money into the economy due to workers’ increased incomes.

In addition, there is evidence that job creation is faster in states that have raised their minimum wages. The Center for Economic and Policy Research found that in 13 of 14 states that raised their minimum wages in 2014, all but one (New Jersey) had higher job growth in the first five months after the wage increase than in the preceding five months. In nine of the states with faster growth, employment gains were above the national median.

So, just as the US Congress is not representing the American people in supporting a decent wage for tens of millions of workers, big Washington lobbyists for low-wage industries don’t reflect the views of most of the nation’s employers.

Read more: http://politicsofpoverty.oxfamamerica.org/2014/10/say-10-10-hurt-business-business-people-disagree/

Millennials and Social Services

By: Annabelle Gonzalez

Catalyst Miami connects people to economic opportunity through the Prosperity Campaign. The health component of this campaign focuses on securing access to basic needs services and healthcare for all age groups. There is an underrepresentation of  college students accessing these health services, even though they access other services and programs. Younger individuals who are currently enrolled in higher education institutions are not applying for services made readily available to them.

 Catalyst Miami's Prosperity Campaign assists community residents in applying for benefits like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid. All of the services offered at Catalyst Miami are open to the public. However, it is important to engage the younger generation. Millennials account for a large portion of the population. Their size goes hand-in-hand with the limitations they are facing. They are the generation with, “higher levels of student loan debt, poverty and unemployment, and lower levels of wealth and personal income” than older generations (Pew). Millennials cannot afford to shy away from help.

           If you are interested in applying for SNAP or Medicaid or any of the other services we offer, contact Catalyst Miami and schedule an appointment at (305) 576-5001. These programs are not limited to individuals enrolled in college; they are open to all individuals and families that meet the designated criteria. We are also connected with many partners who also offer great services.

Special Transit Service fares will remain the same; Other services still face negative impact from proposed budget for 2014-15

By: James Gordon

As reported by the Miami Herald’s Patricia Mazzei, Mayor Carlos Gimenez recently announced that fares for Miami-Dade disabled transit services will remain at $3.50. The fares were originally expected to be raised to $4.00 for the next budget year. The new plan to maintain current fare prices for special transit services was made after the transit department’s revised 2014-15 ride projections revealed that fewer trips are expected to be made in the upcoming year, saving the county an estimated $4 million in operations costs. As a result, disabled Miamians will no longer have to worry about paying more for essential transit services.

While Mayor Gimenez’s announcement is certainly a victory, it is only a single battle won in the war to ensure sustainable funding in the upcoming budget year for an array of vital community services. While our disabled citizens are safe from higher transit fares, Community Based Organizations (CBOs) still face significant funding cuts for the coming budget year. These organizations, many of which provide essential and necessary services to the community, face significant cuts of up to 10%—cuts that could significantly impede their ability to provide the services needed and valued by our community. However, CBOs aren’t the only ones facing the detrimental effects of next years proposed county budget. Despite Miami-Dade county commissioners’ recent popular decision to oppose Mayor Gimenez’s proposal and increase library funding, they still voted to adopt the remainder of Gimenez’s budget proposal. The proposal calls for concessions from the county’s labor unions in order to avoid tax hikes. Unfortunately, without these concessions, the county can expect to see about 600 job layoffs with a large portion coming from the ranks of our police officers.

Nonetheless, the war is not yet over. The final vote on the county budget is not scheduled until September and so the remaining time must be used to take effective action. The remaining weeks until the final vote must be used to contact our commissioners and demand a sustainable budget. Mayor Gimenez and his administration have arranged a series of six town-style meetings to hear from residents about the proposed budget for 2014-15. The meetings will take place at 6p.m. at the following locations and dates:

Aug. 19: Florida City's Hall, 404 W. Palm Dr.

Aug. 21: Little Haiti Cultural Center, 212 NE 59th Terr., Miami

Aug. 26: Palmetto Bay Council Chambers, 9705 E. Hibiscus St.

Aug. 28: West Dade Regional Library, 9445 Coral Way, Miami

Sept. 2: North Dade Regional Library, 2455 183rd St., Miami Gardens

While no one envies the difficult decisions that lie ahead for the Miami-Dade commissioners, it is imperative that we raise our voices, pick up the phones and ensure that the decisions made accurately and effectively address the diverse needs of our South Florida communities.

County Commissioners Vote to Help Libraries; Other Services Still Face Impending Cuts

By: James Gordon

Miami-Dade County commissioners voted Tuesday to raise property tax-rates in order to avoid impending library layoffs. The commissioner’s 8-5 vote to increase the library tax rate for the next fiscal year opposes Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s original recommendation, which called for no tax increases. Gimenez now has 10 days to veto the commissioners’ vote.

The commissioners’ decision to increase library funding follows notable public outcry against potential library layoffs. As reported by the Miami Herald, over 100 library supporters filled the County Hall on Tuesday in order to show their support for increased library funding. In agreement with library supporters, the county commissioners ultimately voted to raise the library tax-rate ceiling in order to bring the library budget to $52 million—$8 million more than Mayor Gimenez’s originally proposed budget of $44 million, according to the Herald.

Though initially appearing as a victory, the commissioner’s vote was met with mixed feelings. Though the increased funding successfully prevents the highly opposed library staff layoffs, it does nothing to improve current library services, which were strongly advocated for by the attendees of Tuesday’s County Hall meeting. Furthermore, despite their decision in regards to the libraries, commissioners ultimately voted to adopt all of Mayor Gimenez’s other proposed tax rates. Gimenez’s proposal firmly opposes tax hikes and instead calls for concessions from the county’s unions in order to avoid service cuts and layoffs. Without these concessions, the Mayor’s proposed budget could eliminate almost 600 county jobs, according to the Miami Herald. A significant portion of these layoffs would come from the ranks of our police officers.

Also affected by Gimenez’s proposed budget are Miami’s many Community Based Organizations (CBOs), many of which face funding cuts of up to 10%. A chart from the Miami Herald breaks down the proposed funding for all 374 of Miami’s CBOs. Thus, the decisions made by the county commission on Tuesday were largely met with a degree of dissatisfaction, with many calling for the commissioners to budget the limited funds without making cuts to the many essential services that benefit our Miami communities. With the final vote on the budget not scheduled until September, there is still time to take action. It is essential that the time remaining be used to contact our commissioners and express the need for a budget that meets the needs of our community without making serious cuts to so many essential services. And with almost a week left to make his decision, we must assure that Mayor Gimenez does not veto the commission’s decision to increase the library tax rate. With the final budget decisions fast approaching, now is the time to pick up the phones and make our voices heard.