Joe Biden

FOrmer Vice President

Opportunity

Racial Wealth Gap

Joe Biden addresses the racial wealth gap in “The Biden Plan for Strengthening Worker Organizing, Collective Bargaining, and Unions”. His plan will “increase the federal minimum wage to $15” and “index the minimum wage to the median hourly wage so that low-wage workers’ wages keep up with those of middle income workers.”

In “The Biden Plan to Invest in Middle Class Competitiveness”, he will:

“Expand the New Markets Tax Credit, make the program permanent, and double Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) funding.”
“Double funding for the Economic Development Administration.”
Create a new fund to support the establishment and revitalization of anchor institutions which can be a source of good jobs in low-income areas.

Additionally, In his “Build Back Better” plan, Biden will:

“Expand access to $100 billion in low-interest business loans.”
“Eliminate barriers to technical assistance and advisory services.”
“Spur More than $50 Billion in New Equity Investment and Venture Capital for Entrepreneurs in Economically Disadvantaged Areas.”
- “Dramatically increase the availability of venture capital investments for small businesses, especially those owned by Black and Brown people.”
- “Encourage private equity investment in businesses owned by Black and Brown people by expanding the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) to $5 billion yearly and making it permanent.”
“Leverage $100 Billion in Additional Financing for Small Businesses.”
- “Expand lending through the expanded Small Business Opportunity Fund.”
- “Capitalize Community Development Financial Institutions.”
- “Ensure all small business relief efforts are specifically designed to aid businesses owned by Black and Brown people.”
- “Strengthen and expand the Community Reinvestment Act to ensure that our nation’s bank and non-bank financial services institutions are serving all communities.”
“Expanding Access to Additional Resources and Technical Assistance for Black and Brown Entrepreneurs.”
- “Create a national network of federally funded small business incubators and innovation hubs.”
- “Establish an intensive, semester-long business development program at every public community college in the United States, as well as two-year HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs.”
- “Increase the funding and stature of the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA).”
- “Unleash the full potential of businesses owned by Black and Brown people and other disadvantaged businesses to participate in the global marketplace.”
- “Employ the resources of the federal government to protect Native artisans.”
“Reform opportunity zones to ensure they serve balck and brown communities, small businesses, and homeowners.”
“Require prime contractors to develop and execute plans to increase subcontracting opportunities for small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs).”
“Expand long-term technical assistance and federal contracting preferences for small disadvantaged businesses.”
“Incentivize state and local governments and private sector partners to contract with small disadvantaged businesses.”
“Protect small disadvantaged businesses from federal and state contract bundling which often prevents smaller firms owned by Black and Brown people from effectively bidding on procurement contracts.”
“Strengthen implementation of the Buy Indian Act.”
“Boost Retirement Security and Financial Wealth for Black, Brown, and Native Families.”
- “Equalize the tax benefits of defined contribution plans.”
- “Give small businesses a tax break for starting a retirement plan and giving workers the chance to save at work.”
- “Open the door for Asset Managers owned by Black and Brown people.”
“Ensure workers of color are paid fairly.”
- “End pay discrimination.”
- “Increase the federal minimum wage to $15 across the country and eliminate the minimum tipped wage.”
- “Stop employers from denying workers overtime pay they’ve earned.”
“Empower the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to fulfill its mission and address workplace discrimination.”
“Make it easier for workers of all color and all workers to organize unions and bargain collectively.”
“Address longstanding inequities in agriculture.”
- “Establish an Equity Commission.”
- “Farm Land Purchase Assistance Program.”
- “Protect Heirs Property.”
- “Establish a Farmland Trust.”
- “Advance Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).”
- “Advance fairness, accountability, and transparency at the United States Department of Agriculture.”
- “Expanding protections for farm workers.”

Affordable Housing

Joe Biden addresses afford
able housing In “The Biden Plan to Invest in Middle Class Competitiveness”. His plan will “boost federal investments in low-income neighborhoods to ensure that every American has access to clean drinking water, well-paved roads, high-speed broadband, safe schools, and affordable housing.”

In addition, “The Biden Plan for a Clean Energy Revolution and Environmental Justice” will “alter local regulations to eliminate sprawl and allow for denser, more affordable housing near public transit.”

Biden’s “Plan for Strengthening America’s Commitment to Justice” will:

“Set a national goal of ensuring 100% of formerly incarcerated individuals have housing upon reentry” by “directing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to only contract with entities that are open to housing individuals looking for a second chance.”
“Expand funding for transitional housing.”

In his “Build Back Better” plan, Biden will:

“Ensure his housing plan makes bold investments in homeownership and access to affordable housing for Black, Latino, Native, and AAPI families.”
- “Help families buy their first homes and build wealth by creating a new refundable, advanceable tax credit of up to $15,000.”
- “Scale up support for investing in homeownership in revitalization areas.”
- “Spur the construction of 1.5 million homes and public housing units to address the affordable housing crisis, increase energy efficiency, and reduce the racial wealth gap.”
- “Call for more accurate, non-discriminatory, inclusive credit scoring and create a public credit reporting agency.”
- “Protect homeowners and renters from abusive lenders and landlords through a new Homeowner and Renter Bill of Rights.”
- “Bolster programs that improve housing affordability for renters.”
- “Protect tenants from eviction.”
- “Eliminate local and state housing regulations that perpetuate discrimination.”
- “Hold financial institutions accountable for discriminatory practices in the housing market.”
- “Roll back Trump Administration policies gutting fair lending and fair housing protections for homeowners.”

Access to High Quality Education

Joe Biden addresses access to high quality education in “The Biden Plan for Education Beyond High School”. His plan will:

“Provide two years of community college or other high-quality training program without debt.”
“Target additional financial support to low-income and middle-class individuals by doubling the maximum value of Pell grants.”
“Give states financial incentives to foster collaboration between community colleges and community-based organizations to provide wraparound support services for students.”
“Create a “Title I for postsecondary education” to help students at under-resourced four-year schools complete their degrees.”
Invest over $70 billion in HBCU, TCUs, and MSIs to make them more affordable, better resourced and more competitive.

Additionally, in his “Build Back Better” plan, Biden will:

“Provide relief from student debt.”
- “Include in the COVID-19 response an immediate cancellation of a minimum of $10,000 of federal student loan debt.”
- “Double the maximum value of Pell grants and significantly increase the number of middle-class Americans who can participate in the program.”
- “More than halve payments on undergraduate federal student loans by simplifying and increasing the generosity of today’s income-based repayment program.”
- “Fix the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program and forgiving $10,000 of undergraduate or graduate student debt for every year of national or community service, up to five years.”
- “Crack down on private lenders profiteering off students.”
- “Forgive all undergraduate tuition-related federal student debt from two- and four-year public colleges and universities and private HBCUs and MSIs for debt-holders earning up to $125,000.”
“Make public colleges and universities, as well as private HBCUs and MSIs, tuition-free for all families with incomes below $125,000.”
“Support colleges and universities that play unique and vital roles in their communities.”
- “Make HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs more affordable for their students. Biden will provide tuition-free access to four-year public HBCUs and MSIs for students from families earning below $125,000.”
- “Invest in the diverse talent at HBCUs, TCUs and MSIs to solve the country’s most pressing problems.”
- “Build the high tech labs and facilities and digital infrastructure needed for learning, research, and innovation at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs.”
- “Provide support to continuously improve the value of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs by investing $10 billion in programs that increase enrollment, retention, completion, and employment rates.”
- “Expand career pathways for graduates of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs in areas that meet national priorities, including building a diverse pipeline of public school teachers.”
- “Triple and make permanent the capacity-building and student support for HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs in Title III and Title V of the Higher Education
- Reduce disparities in funding for HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs.”
“Provide two years of community college or other high-quality training program without debt for any person looking to learn and improve their skills, especially to connect these individuals with the millions of job opportunities created by the historic investments in Biden’s Build Back Better Plan.”
“Tackle the barriers that prevent students from completing their community college degree or training credential.”
“Make a $50 billion investment in workforce training, including community-college business partnerships and apprenticeships.”
“Help develop pathways for diverse workers to access training and career opportunities.”
“Require publicly traded companies to disclose data on the racial and gender composition of their corporate boards.”
“Ensure access to high-quality, affordable child care and offer universal preschool to three-and four-year olds through greater investment, expanded tax credits, and sliding-scale subsidies.”

Environmental Equity

Joe Biden addresses environmental equity in his “Plan for a Clean Energy Revolution and Environmental Justice”. It will:

“Stand up to the abuse of power by polluters who disproportionately harm communities of color and low-income communities.”
“Reinstate federal protections, rolled back by the Trump Administration, that were designed to protect communities.”
“Make it a priority for all agencies to engage in community-driven approaches to develop solutions for environmental injustices affecting communities of color, low-income, and indigenous communities.
Ensure the Environmental Protection Agency brought cases against the worst corporate polluters.
Understand that “resiliency investments can raise property values and push lower-income families out of their neighborhoods. Climate change mitigation efforts must consciously protect low-income communities from “green gentrification.”

Additionally, In his “Build Back Better” plan, Biden will:

“Set a goal that disadvantaged communities receive 40% of overall benefits of spending in the areas of clean energy and energy efficiency deployment; clean, accessible transit and transportation; affordable and sustainable housing; training and workforce development; remediation and reduction of legacy pollution; and development of critical clean water infrastructure.”
“Ensure clean, safe drinking water and water infrastructure is a right in all communities – rural to urban to tribal lands, rich and poor.”
“Clean up and redeveloping abandoned and underused Brownfield properties, old power plants and industrial facilities, landfills, abandoned mines, and other idle community assets.”

Health Equity

Joe Biden addresses health equity in “The Biden Plan to Protect and Build on the Affordable Care Act: How Biden’s Plan for Health Care Benefits Communities of Color”. His plan will:

“Double America’s investment in community health centers. Community health centers provide primary, prenatal, and other important care to underserved populations.”
“Achieve mental health parity” by “enforcing mental health parity laws.”
“Expand funding for mental health services.”
“Offer premium-free access to a public option for individuals who would be eligible for Medicaid but their state has yet to expand.”

Additionally, In his “Build Back Better” plan, Biden will:

“Invest in a 21st century care infrastructure.”
- “Expand access to a broad array of long-term services and supports in local settings, including through closing the gaps in Medicaid for home- and community-based services and establishing a state innovation fund for creative, cost effective direct care services.”
- “Guarantee up to 12 weeks paid family and medical leave for all workers and up to seven days of paid sick, family, and safe leave.”

Transportation Access

Joe Biden addresses transportation access in “The Biden Plan to Invest in Middle Class Competitiveness”. His plan will:

“[Invest] in rebuilding and connecting historically underserved areas to better transportation options and “will make sure that our highway, road, transit, and air systems never again divide us.”
“Emphasize a robust public engagement process in planning all new transportation projects.”
“Create a new Community Restoration Fund, specifically for neighborhoods where historic transportation investments cut people off from jobs, schools, and businesses.”
“Boost federal investments in those neighborhoods to ensure that every American has access to clean drinking water, well-paved roads, high-speed broadband, safe schools, and affordable housing.”
“Dedicate an additional $10 billion over 10 years specifically for transit projects that serve high-poverty areas with limited transportation options.”

Additionally, In his “Build Back Better” plan, Biden will:

“In Black and Brown communities the federal government will provide state, tribal, and local governments with resources to:
- Rebuild the thoroughfares and main arteries;
- Redo the lighting and streetscapi
  ng;
- Repair and build new sidewalks;
- Create funding for demolition of blighted properties and empty commercial spaces;
- Build parks and invest in the infrastructure that prevents fires;
- Update and add air conditioners for elementary, middle and high schools;
- Invest in facilities where victims of crime can access, health navigators, mental health, addiction and trauma recovery services;
- Incentivize supermarkets to bring healthy fresh foods to communities;
- Ensure all public infrastructure is fully accessible and integrated.”

Justice

Bail/Prison Reform

Joe Biden addresses bail/prison reform in “The Biden Plan for Strengthening America’s Commitment to Justice”. His plan will:

“Establish an independent Task Force on Prosecutorial Discretion.”
“Invest in public defenders’ offices to ensure defendants’ access to quality counsel.”
“Eliminate mandatory minimums.”
“End the federal crack and powder cocaine disparity.”
“Decriminalize the use of cannabis and automatically expunge all prior cannabis use convictions.”
“End all incarceration for drug use alone and instead divert individuals to drug courts and treatment.”
“Use the president’s clemency power to secure the release of individuals facing unduly long sentences for certain non-violent and drug crimes.”
“End cash bail.”
“Stop corporations from profiteering off of incarceration.”
“Provide for the unique needs of incarcerated women.”
“Encourage states to collect sufficient data so we can make evidence-based criminal justice policies and eliminate disparities.”
“Invest $1 billion per year in juvenile justice reform.”
“Incentivize states to stop incarcerating kids.”
“End the use of detention as punishment for status offenses.”
“Give children a true second chance by protecting juvenile records.”
“Create a $20B grant program to encourage states to reduce incarceration and crime.”

Re-Entry Services

Joe Biden addresses re-entry services in “The Biden Plan for Strengthening America’s Commitment to Justice”. His plan will:

“Expand access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment, as well as educational opportunities and job training for individuals during and after incarceration.”
“Set a national goal of ensuring 100% of formerly incarcerated individuals have housing upon reentry.”
“Incentivize states to automatically restore voting rights for individuals convicted of felonies once they have served their sentences.”
“Eliminate barriers keeping formerly incarcerated individuals from accessing public assistance such as SNAP, Pell grants, and housing support.”
“Expand on the Obama-Biden Administration’s “ban the box” policy by encouraging further adoption of these policies at the state and local level.”

Additionally, In his “Build Back Better” plan, Biden will:

“Advance a pathway for redemption and re-entry – and make real the possibility of second chances for all Americans – by helping states modernize their criminal justice data infrastructure and adopt automated record sealing for selected categories of non-violent offenses, to modernize their criminal justice data infrastructure.”

“Set a national goal of ensuring 100% of formerly incarcerated individuals have housing upon reentry – at the federal and state level.”
“Expand access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment, as well as educational opportunities and job training for individuals during and after incarceration.”
“Eliminate existing barriers preventing formerly incarcerated individuals from fully participating in society.”

Ending Capital Punishment

Joe Biden addresses ending capital punishment in “The Biden Plan for Strengthening America’s Commitment to Justice”. His plan will:

“Work to pass legislation to eliminate the death penalty at the federal level.”
“Incentivize states to follow the federal government’s example.”

Expanding Gun Safety Measures

Joe Biden addresses expanding gun safety measures in “The Biden Plan to End Our Gun Violence Epidemic”. His plan will:

“Ban the manufacture and sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.”
“Regulate possession of existing assault weapons under the National Firearms Act.”
“Require background checks for all gun sales.”
“Close the “Charleston, Boyfriend, & Hate Crime” loopholes”
“End the online sale of firearms and ammunitions”

Improving Police-Community Relations

Joe
Biden addresses improving community-police relations in “The Biden Plan to End Our Gun Violence Epidemic”. His plan will:

“Fund initiatives to partner mental health and substance use disorder experts, social workers, and disability advocates with police departments.”
“Expand and use the power of the U.S. Justice Department to address systemic misconduct in police departments and prosecutors’ offices.”
“Establish a panel to scrutinize what equipment is used by law enforcement in our communities.”
“Reinvigorate the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program with a $300 million investment; as a condition of the grant, hiring of police officers must mirror the racial diversity of the community they serve.”
“Train police officers to better de-escalate interactions with people in severe emotional distress before they become violent.”
“Appoint Justice Department leadership who will prioritize the role of using pattern-or-practice investigations to strengthen our justice system.”

Democracy

Voting Rights

Joe Biden addresses voting rights in his “Plan to Lead the Democratic World”. His plan will:

“Restore the Voting Rights Act.”
“Strengthen our democracy by guaranteeing that every American’s vote is protected.”

He also addresses voting rights in his “Plan for Strengthening America’s Commitment to Justice”, which will “incentivize states to automatically restore voting rights for individuals convicted of felonies once they have served their sentences.”

Access to Voter Registration

Joe Biden’s campaign platform does not address access to voter registration. However, when responding to CBS News, Biden said, “We should have automatic registration. We should have it allowing everybody to vote.”

Gerrymandering

Joe Biden’s campaign platform does not address gerrymandering. However, he discussed the topic on Twitter:

“For too long, partisan gerrymandering has allowed politicians to rig the political process and draw districts in their favor. Voters should choose their representatives — not the other way around.” — 3:40 PM · Sep 4, 2019

Census 2020

Joe Biden’s campaign platform does not address the 2020 census. However, he discussed the topic on Twitter:

Today’s decision from the court hopefully means there will not be a question on the 2020 Census, but we have much more work to do to ensure all voices are heard in our democracy. — 11:53 AM · Jun 27, 2019

Additionally, In his “Build Back Better” plan, Biden will:

Apply the principles of Congressman Jim Clyburn’s 10-20-30 plan to ensure that federal dollars go to high-poverty areas that have long suffered disinvestment.