Thursday, September 12, Our Money Founder, Rev. Dr. Delman Coates was invited by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s office to speak at the press conference she and fellow Congresswoman Bonnie Watson were to hold presenting legislation for a Job Guarantee pilot program. Speakers included Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rev. Dr. Delman Coates, Founder – Our Money, Lauren Maunus, Political and Legislative Coordinator – Sunrise Movement, and Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL). We thank Congresswoman Omar for the invitation to participate in the introduction of this historic bill.
View the full press conference here (Dr. Coates’ remarks begin at 5:53).
Congresswoman Omar’s website states that H.R. 4278 Federal Jobs Guarantee Development Act of 2019 would:
- Select up to 15 communities across the country facing high unemployment based on local need and assets, ensuring that work would advance critical local and national priorities like child and elder care, infrastructure, and community revitalization.
- Guarantee that every interested adult with residence in a pilot community may participate in the program to obtain a guaranteed job.
- Jobs will include a prevailing wage, paid family and sick leave, and comprehensive health coverage like that enjoyed by Members of Congress.
- Require that each pilot community creates a “Community Job Bank” website, which will feature high-impact jobs sourced primarily by local communities, as well as Federal agencies, based on their needs and priorities.
- Expand the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to incentivize private employers to recruit and hire participants out of the pilot program.
- Authorize a rigorous evaluation of the program’s implementation and impact across a number of metrics, including unemployment rates, private sector wages, safety net spending, and incarceration rates.
- Workers participating in the program will maintain their job for the full three years of the pilot program.
