Fighting for Transparency, Equity, and Accountability in Maryland’s Economic Recovery
Maryland Faces a Budget “Cliff” as Recovery Funding Runs Out
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Recovery Watch Maryand
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Events:
Issues:
- The Senate’s move
toward extending the Recovery
Act’s extra weeks of jobless
benefits for the long-term unemployed will provide much-needed help to almost 3 million
unemployed workers and a boost to the economy, since
those workers will spend their benefits quickly to cover
household expenses. - see report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
- Extensions of Unemployment, medicaid and health insurance assistance. A number of key American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provisions expired in June, including emergency unemployment compensation and COBRA subsidies for laid-off workers. Enhanced Medicaid aid to states is set to expire at the end of this year if Congress fails to act. The United States Senate has voted down a six-month extension of these critical supports for workers and the local Maryland economy as part of HR 4213, the “American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010.” Recovery Watch Maryland calls on Congress to revisit these decisions, and to restore this badly-needed aid and sustain the economic recovery.
Press release June 9, 2010, [PDF]
- Unemployment Insurance Reform
In Maryland, a worker's most recent earnings are not taken into account when determining unemployment insurance eligibility and benefits. This is especially damaging in times of recession when so many residents have been laid off, desperately need assistance and are denied solely because the state ignores recent data. By adopting the alternative base period and including workers most recent earnings, more Marylanders will qualify for benefits. This change is the most important of a package of reforms needed to grant Maryland access to $127 milion in Recovery Act dollars for unemployment benefits.
>>Recovery Watch Maryland's Position Statement
News:
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HUD Announces $31 Million In Recovery Act Grants To Baltimore
Funds to stabilize neighborhoods, rebuild local economies in Baltimore U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan announced today that HUD is awarding the Healthy Neighborhoods Consortium $26,092,880 and $5,289,216 to Chicanos Por La Causa Inc. to support efforts by Mi Casa Inc. in Johnston Square in Neighborhood Stabilization Program II (NSP2) funds. >>see Baltimore City's press release
Links:
National
Maryland
Who we are: Recovery Watch Maryland is an alliance formed to monitor the spending of federal stimulus dollars in the state, promote equity, and ensure transparency. The founding organizations of the alliance – CASA de Maryland, Job Opportunities Task Force, Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute, Progressive Maryland Education Fund, and the Safe & Sound Campaign – will fight to ensure that the recovery funds are used to help those most impacted by the recession, including disadvantaged workers, low-income communities, and people of color, among others. The alliance will work to ensure that the City of Baltimore receives its fair share of recovery dollars since it is responsible for a disproportionate share of the state’s most vulnerable populations. Recovery Watch M aryland is made possible through the support of the Open Society Institute-Baltimore.