COVID-19 Response Policy Proposals

SUPPORT ESSENTIAL FRONTLINE WORKERS

Provide full funding for health and safety protections for frontline workers including coronavirus testing, treatment, and personal protective equipment (federal, state, and local)

SUPPORT ESSENTIAL FRONTLINE WORKERS

Establish national minimum standards for safety guidelines to prioritize worker safety and health (federal)

SUPPORT ESSENTIAL FRONTLINE WORKERS

Expand access to emergency paid sick days and paid family leave to include employers of all types (federal)

HELPING THE UNEMPLOYED

Extend federal supplemental unemployment insurance benefits (for up to 26 weeks) and expand access to unemployment insurance for gig-economy and self-employed individuals (federal and state)

Provide additional direct cash stimulus to low-income households (federal)

PROTECTING FAMILIES IN NEED

Protect families most in need by prioritizing the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program by directing cash assistance to low-income households (state)

FEDERAL PREPAID DEBIT CARD PROGRAM

Utilize Direct Express™ federal prepaid debit cards to ensure everyone has access to COVID-19 stimulus funds quickly, including those without bank access (federal)

FOOD SECURITY

Increase food assistance for low-income families through expanded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and suspended time limits (federal and state)

MEDICAID EXPANSION

Create special enrollment periods for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in states with exchanges and expand Medicaid coverage in those without (state)

DIRECT LOCAL FUNDING

Increase direct aid and expand eligibility for state and local governments (federal)

HEALTH EQUITY

Require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) work in coordination with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to collect and distribute data on racial and ethnic health disparities related to the coronavirus pandemic by passing the Equitable Data Collection and Disclosure on COVID-19 Act (federal)

PRIORITIZE EQUITY IN BUDGETING

Ensure COVID-19 economic impacts on state and local budgets are viewed through a racial equity lens by issuing a formal executive order or resolution affirming a commitment to equity (state and local)

BAIL/PRISON REFORM

Establish guidelines for reducing risk in prisons, detention facilities, and throughout the carceral system, including evaluating options to release non-violent and elderly offenders to promote safety and prevent mass exposure to the coronavirus (federal, state, and local)

PROTECT TENANTS & HOMEOWNERS

Protect tenants and homeowners by instituting moratoriums on evictions, foreclosures, and late fees. Reinstitute Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing standards and offer emergency rental assistance, rent freezes, and grace periods (federal, state, and local)

SUPPORT LIHEAP EXPANSION

Extend support for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)(federal)

SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS & COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION

Support small business and community revitalization by providing $1 billion to Community Development Financial Institutions to make Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to economically disadvantaged communities and provide low-documentation Small Business Administration (SBA) grants (federal)

EXPAND LIFELINE & BROADBAND ACCESS

Expand access to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’s Lifeline program and reduce barriers to broadband access (federal and state)

BAIL/PRISON REFORM

Implement emergency bail reform procedures, divert low-level offenses from formal prosecution, release non-violent offenders, elderly populations with underlying medical conditions, and inmates approaching release, provide short-term housing to returning citizens and phase out state private prisons (federal, state, and local)

VOTING RIGHTS & REFORMS

Enact federal baseline rules to ensure every eligible American can vote safely, provide additional funding for increased use of vote-by-mail without requiring an excuse and safe in-person voting, implement online, automatic and same-day voter registration, outlaw “voter caging,” expand early voting periods, widely disseminate public service announcements on all voting rules changes to include non-English language advertising, guarantee early voting, establish no-fault absentee voting, expand options for vote-by-mail requests, clarify and strengthen the use of provisional ballots and increase voter education (federal, state and local)

CENSUS 2020

Expand 2020 Census promotion budgets for online and digital communications to maintain social distancing (federal, state, and local)