In this episode of Policy for the People, OCPP Executive Director Alejandro Queral discusses the most recently available figures on inequality, why economic inequality harms Oregonians, and what kinds of policies changes are needed to shrink inequality.
Undocumented workers in Oregon are more likely than not to perform work considered essential during the pandemic, yet they have been left out of federal emergency assistance.
The just-concluded Oregon legislative session featured important victories, as well as missed opportunities. The American Rescue Plan Act, enacted by Congress in January, sent billions of dollars to state governments
The protests for Black lives that gripped our nation last summer, even as the pandemic raged, gave us an opportunity to reflect on the reality and the history of this country.
The following are the 2021 Federal Poverty Income Guidelines, informally referred to as the “federal poverty level.” The guidelines determine the benefit levels of many low-income assistance programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
More than a quarter-million Oregonians in working households — most of them U.S. citizens and authorized immigrants — cannot claim a tax credit for families surviving on low wages because they live with a family member who lacks a Social Security Number.
All of us deserve to be paid for our work and avoid injury on the job. We all have a right to expect that the state will enforce laws meant to protect workers.
Oregon can take an essential step to fix the widespread problem of corporate tax avoidance by enacting corporate tax transparency.
All workers, no matter our place of origin, should be able to earn enough to care for our families. Laws seeking to lift up modest-paid workers should treat workers equally, without discriminating on the basis of immigration status.
Oregon employers face no real downside to stealing the wages of their workers, because the state rarely penalizes them, and employers almost never pay the fines assessed. That’s according to new research by the Oregon Center for Public Policy (OCPP).