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Quick Reads

Latina Women Have to Work Ten Months into 2020 to be Paid the Same as White Men in 2019

October 28, 2020 — This week marks Latina Equal Pay Day, which signifies how long a Latina woman has to work into 2020 to bring her 2019-20 earnings to the same amount a White man made in 2019. Latina Women’s Equal Pay Day is half a year later than National Equal Pay Day, which falls in April and is the date in 2020 when women overall matched the earnings of men in 2019.  That’s because Latina women and other women of color earn less than White women, widening the earnings gap even further compared to White men.

Wisconsin’s Tax Code Includes Loopholes that Let the Wealthy Dodge Taxes, as Trump Did at the Federal Level

October 1, 2020 — The disclosure that President Trump pays next to nothing in income taxes has highlighted the fact that the federal tax system is stuffed full of loopholes that are only available to the ultra-wealthy. But you don’t have to look to the federal system to find a tax code tilted in favor of the rich and powerful. Wisconsin’s own state and local tax system is also loaded up with a collection of special-interest tax breaks that siphons revenue away from where it is needed most. The Wisconsin tax code is a major driver of economic inequality, and contributes to the increasing concentration of income and wealth in a few hands — hands that are most likely to be white, due to a long history of racial discrimination.

Some Local Governments Want to Rethink How Police Services are Delivered. This Bill Would Make that Harder.

September 10, 2020 — A Wisconsin Republican Senator has proposed legislation that would prohibit cities and other local governments from saving money by reducing the amount of money they spend on police staffing. This bill would block innovation in how communities address policing, require local governments to double down on budget cuts in other areas of local services, and disenfranchise people of color by allowing predominantly white state lawmakers to overrule the choices made by local government officials in communities of color. 

A Few Weeks of Supplemental Unemployment Assistance Is No Substitute for Congressional Action

September 1, 2020 — Wisconsin has applied for the supplemental federal unemployment benefit recently authorized by executive actions taken by President Trump. Although the $300 per week supplemental payments will briefly provide some financial relief for thousands of Wisconsin families once the new program goes into effect, it will fall far short of the larger and longer-term supplemental assistance that expired in late July.

Black Women Have to Work 8 months into 2020 to be Paid the Same as White Men in 2019

August 14, 2020 — This week marked Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, which signifies how long a Black woman has to work into 2020 to bring her 2019-20 earnings to the same amount a White man made in 2019.Black Women’s Equal Pay Day is months later than National Equal Pay Day, which falls in April and is the date in 2020 when women overall matched the earnings of men in 2019.  That’s because Black women and other women of color earn less than White women, widening the earnings gap even further compared to White men.

To Spur Wisconsin’s Economy, Ensure All Immigrants Are Included in COVID Relief Proposals

July 30, 2020 — The Republican plan for the next round of COVID relief does not go far enough to meet the needs of Wisconsin families, and ignores the hardship of people who are struggling to get by during the recession caused by the pandemic. The GOP proposal also prohibits some immigrants from receiving benefits, which would make it harder for those families to make ends meet, and would also slow the economic recovery. The new GOP COVID relief plan is better described by what’s not in it than what is.

Federal Funding is Essential to Saving Wisconsin’s Economy and Public Services

July 14, 2020 — Without additional federal assistance, Wisconsin state and local governments will be forced to lay off teachers and other workers, cut important services like health care and education, and take other actions that would make the recession longer and more painful. These budget cuts would fall most heavily on families with low incomes and people of color, who have already been hit the hardest by the pandemic and the recession.

Expanded Unemployment Benefits To Help Jobless Workers

April 20, 2020 — A new expansion of federally-funded unemployment benefits means that many workers filing for unemployment benefits will have access to additional weeks of benefits and larger weekly checks than was available before the pandemic.