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Upcoming Events
A policy agenda for Black Americans in 2022
Tuesday, Feb 08 (10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EST) via Zoom. Free. Registration Required.
"On February 8, as part of our celebration of Black History Month, the Brookings Institution will host a webinar focusing on an inclusive public policy agenda for Black Americans. Brookings scholars will assess the President’s progress on his campaign promises and discuss topics such as access to quality health care, housing, jobs, and education, police and criminal justice reform, reparations for Black Americans, and voting rights."|

The Impact Of Cash Support For Low-Income Families On Infant Brain Activity with the Institute for Research on Poverty.
February 9 (2:00-3:00 PM EST) via Zoom. Free. Registration Required.
"Baby’s First Years is the first causal study to test the connections between poverty reduction and brain development among very young children. In this webinar we will hear from two researchers behind the study, Sonya Troller-Renfree and Greg Duncan, about the impact of monthly cash support for low-income mothers on the brain development of their infant children. Brenda Jones-Harden, Director of the Prevention and Early Adversity Research Laboratory at University of Maryland, will serve as the discussant."

Local & Regional Updates
Recovery for All: Excluded New Jerseyans Fund Falls Short of Need, NJPP: "Even before it was cut, the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund was never funded enough to reach New Jerseyans excluded from COVID-19 relief...For all New Jersey residents to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis, more financial relief needs to flow to people excluded from most public programs and federal relief efforts."

NJ has a new law to limit landlords on refusal to rent. Advocates question enforcement, NJ Spotlight: "The law, signed last June by Gov. Phil Murphy, bans housing providers and landlords from inquiring about a potential tenant’s criminal history on housing applications in most instances and allows for only limited circumstances under which a landlord can refuse to rent to an individual with a criminal record. It is intended to ensure those with a criminal background have a fair shot at accessing safe and affordable housing upon their reentry into the community."

National Updates
Banks make billions in overdraft and other ‘junk fees.’ Biden officials want that to end, Washington Post: "If you have plenty of money, the occasional overdraft fee — or its nuisance cousin, the dreaded non-sufficient-funds fee — won’t break your bank. But for a family living on the financial edge, the fees can be devastating. One overdraft fee of $35 can result in a cascade of charges that drain a bank account."

Housing Investments Made During the Pandemic Are Effective, But More Is Needed, CBPP: "The most important and effective step Congress can take to address this crisis is to significantly expand the Housing Choice Voucher program to make more housing affordable to extremely low-income households... Congress should also fund the construction of new units for communities that need them through well-targeted programs such as the National Housing Trust Fund. Together with investments needed to repair public housing, these resources would positively affect communities nationwide."