Policy Agenda - Meeting Basic Needs
Rhode Islanders have a shared responsibility for ensuring that all of our residents especially low-wage workers and those who cannot support themselves through work are able to meet their basic needs.
The Economic Progress Institute supports the following policy proposals.
- Affordable child care: Expand access to quality, affordable child care for working families by allowing them to continue to receive subsidies, even if they receive a modest increase in earnings.
- Cash assistance: Streamline the RI Works program by eliminating the two-tiered time limit and retaining the forty-eight month life-time limit.
- Affordable health care: Expand Medicaid to single adults without children up to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level.
- Affordable housing: Create a rental voucher program to allow individuals to secure safe affordable housing and create protections for homeowners and renters facing foreclosure.
- Payday lending: Reform payday lending so that working families are not caught in a debt trap.
- Tax credits for working families: Increase the refundability of the state earned income tax credit to boost the incomes of low-wage working households.
- Minimum wage: Increase the minimum wage so that workers can better keep pace with the rising cost of living.