Social Policy Network Newsletter: September 20

Whether you are a new or returning subscriber, we are excited that you're here!

The Social Work Policy Network remains committed to sharing key news updates, policy changes, action opportunities, events & more - with content particularly focused on social justice, equity, and systemic change.

Thank you for your continued support of the Social Work Policy Network!

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we will be focusing on local/regional and national policy news that impacts (or is impacted by) the Hispanic community. In addition, we will be posing events sponsored by and for the Latinx community. If you have any events or news you would like to share, please email us at russwswpn@gmail.com!

September is National Voter Registration Month!
Tuesday, November 5th, is Election Day, and it's rapidly approaching. Make a plan about how you are going to vote!
Are you registered?
Can you vote early?
Can you vote by mail?
Can you work the polls?
If you vote in person; where is your polling place?
When are the hours?
How will you get there? 

Did you know that in some states, even if you registered previously, it is possible that you could have been removed from your states' voter rolls? You can quickly check your voter registration status to ensure you are still actively registered to vote. 

Here are important registration and voting deadlines for the tri-state area:

New Jersey:
 - Registration deadline: Tuesday, October 15th
 - Mail-in ballot request deadline: Tuesday, October 29th
 - Early voting: Saturday, October 26th to Sunday, November 3rd
 - Verify your voter registration status here.
 - Find your polling site here.
 - Apply to be a PAID poll worker here.

Register to vote, apply for a mail-in ballot, and find more info about NJ voting here.

New York:
 - Registration deadline: Saturday, October 26th
 - Mail-in ballot request deadline: Saturday, October 26th
 - Early voting: Saturday, October 26th to Sunday, November 3rd
 - Verify your voter registration status here.
 - Find your polling place here.
 - Apply to be a PAID poll worker here.

Register to vote, apply for a mail-in ballot, and find more info about NY voting here.

Pennsylvania:
 - Registration deadline: Monday, October 21
 - Mail-in ballot request deadline: Tuesday, October 29th by 5pm
 - Verify your voter registration status here.
 - Find your polling place here.
 - Apply to be a PAID poll worker here.

Register to vote, apply for a mail-in ballot, and find more info about PA voting here.
 
Not from any of these states? Don't worry! Click the buttons below to register, verify your voting status, apply to work the polls, find your deadlines and polling place, and sign up to vote by mail.

Register to vote or check registration status
Where can I vote?
National Mail Voter Registration Form
Apply to be a PAID poll worker

Professional Opportunities

Rutgers Graduate Research Assistant - Rutgers Health Center for State Health Policy (Research Institute) (Hybrid: New Brunswick, NJ)

Conference & Partnerships Manager - Americans United for Separation of Church and State (remote)

Legislative Liaison (Posting #374-24) - New Jersey Department of Children and Families (Trenton, NJ)

Assistant Program Officer - Local Initiatives Support Corporation (Newark, NJ)

Senior Policy Advisor (1-Year Appointment) - The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (Washington, DC)

New Jersey Project Director - Rails to Trails Conservancy (remote)

Community Partnership Liaison - The City of New York (Manhattan, NY)

Assistant Professor of Social Work (MSW), Tenure Track Professor - Stockton University (Galloway, NJ)

National Policy News Highlights
A records flaw could block thousands in Arizona from voting in state and local races
NPR
“Election officials in Arizona have discovered a flaw in the state’s voter registration system that could disqualify nearly 100,000 people from voting in state and local races just weeks before early ballots will hit mailboxes. A state law that went into effect in 2004 requires Arizona voters to provide proof of citizenship to register to vote in state and local elections, though individuals that do not provide proof can still register to vote for federal offices like president and U.S. Senate using a federal only form.”

The labor market impact of deportations
The Brookings Institution
“There has been a dramatic increase in the number of deportations in the U.S. in the last few decades. Deportations, including removals at the border and those from the interior, increased from about 200,000 per year in the early 2000s to 400,000 per year in the late 2000s.”

Local organizations are combating disinformation among Latinx communities
PRISIM
“Amid the 2024 election season, the Miami Freedom Project is stepping up its efforts to combat misinformation, particularly within Latinx communities. As the stakes rise, so does the prevalence of disinformation, making the organization’s work more crucial than ever.”

Regional Policy News Highlights
Most Latinx immigrants said they didn’t know abortion was legal in New Jersey. Meet the group helping the state understand why
The Jersey Bee
“Prior to the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade and ending the constitutional right to an abortion, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed the Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act in 2022 to protect the right to an abortion under state law. But the coalition’s report suggests that these protections aren’t reaching Latinx residents in New Jersey, who comprise more than 20 percent of the state’s population.”

More NJ hospitals adopt team approach to improve birth outcomes
NJ Spotlight News
“A growing number of hospitals in New Jersey are embracing protocols shown to improve the birthing experience for mothers and could help reduce the state’s troublesome racial disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes.”

Upcoming Event
Voices of Resilience: Elevating Afro-Latinx Stories 
featuring the esteemed Dr. Beverly Araújo Dawson
Presented by the Rutgers University School of Social Work Latina/o/x Initiatives for Service, Training, and Assessment (LISTA) 
Tuesday, September 24th, 2024 at 4:30pm
**Virtual**

"Beverly Araújo Dawson is an Afro-Latinx Professor in the School of Social Work at Adelphi University and the inaugural Program Director of the Online MSW Program. She received her doctoral and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan and a BA in Psychology from Hunter College. Her research focuses on social work pedagogy in online learning environments and the impact of discrimination and cultural protective factors on mental health outcomes and identity development among first and second-generation Latinx. This event has been approved for 1 CE credit for alumni!

Click here to register.

Presidential Policy Focus: Taxes
Taxes. What are they? The answer to that question is simple: important. Taxes fund the majority of services, offices, and programs in the United States. The country's budget relies upon taxes to pay for old and new legislation and departments that help keep the country alive. Every year, the president and legislature pass an annual budget that determines where the resident-paid taxes go. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities explains where our tax dollars went in the 2023 federal budget here.

But how important are they? Every election, whether it's local, state, or federal, taxes are a huge concern for both political parties. With the upcoming presidential election, there are two candidates with distinctly different ideas and motivations for what they would like to see done with the tax code. We're going to compare both presidential candidate's platforms to show how Social Security and Medicare, and Child Tax Credits will be directly impacted by their tax plans. 

1. Social Security & Medicare
Social Security (along with Medicare and unemployment insurance) is financed through a dedicated payroll tax. Income tax revenue collected from Social Security benefits is allocated to the Social Security and Medicare trust funds. The revenue from taxation of up to 50 percent of benefits is dedicated to the Social Security Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) trust fund, while the remainder goes to the Medicare Hospital Insurance trust fund.

Trump: would like to exclude Social Security benefits from income tax.

• Exempting all Social Security benefits from income tax would therefore reduce revenue going to Medicare and Social Security.  This would likely accelerate the insolvency of the trust funds.

VP Harris: (in line with the Biden Administration) proposed to increase the Medicare tax to reach 5 percent on income above $400,000.

• Currently, any income over $168,600 does not get taxed for social security, so that individuals who make $400k or more pay significantly lower taxes proportionally to those who make less. Increasing the percentage adds revenue going to Medicare and makes the system more fair.

2. Child Tax Credit (CTC)
Enacted in 1997, the child tax credit reduces the tax bill for families with dependent children under the age of 17 by up to $2,000 per child as of today. However, because it was not refundable, lower income families got nearly nothing. In 2017, the Additional Child Tax Credit was created, allowing low-income families to get up to $1700 credit per child. 

Trump: May be considering expanding the child tax credit to a $5,000 universal credit per his VP Nominee, J.D. Vance.

• Trump has not made clear his motivations for expanding the CTC, but has historically been in line with those against expansion as seen with the expiration of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) child tax credit (CTC).

VP Harris: (in line with the Biden Administration) Would like to revive and make permanent the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) child tax credit (CTC) and increase the CTC for newborns to $6,000 in the first year of life, $3,600 for children aged 2-5, and $3,000 for older children.

• The expanded CTC as part of the American Rescue Plan Act reduced child poverty rates in the US (by more than half) to the lowest levels ever reported; however the expanded CTC was allowed to expire by Congress in 2022. Restoring and expanding the CTC back to the American Rescue Plan Act provisions would ensure that more money is going back into the hands of those who need it most. 

Taxes are complex for a reason, but we hope this brief review of how they impact current programs and their potential futures is helpful when thinking about the presidential candidates and their platforms. Nothing proposed by the candidates is ever promised, though we can use the information as a guide to guess where the candidates' motivations are.

For more specific candidate information on tax policies, click here.
 
As of the posting of this newsletter, there are only 46 days left until the election on November 5th. Before voting (which we hope you do!), take time to learn about the policies most important to each candidate and how they may impact you as a social worker, and your clients around the country. We will keep you informed on the stances of each candidate as we approach the election.

Please email us to provide any comments, ask questions, and provide information you would like to see in the newsletter!