Poverty Task Force outlines concrete steps to tackle economic inequity in Michigan

For Immediate Release
Feb. 17, 2021

Contact:
Alex Rossman
arossman@mlpp.org
517-775-9053

Poverty Task Force outlines concrete steps to tackle economic inequity in Michigan

 

LANSING—The Michigan League for Public Policy issued the following statement on the Michigan Poverty Task Force’s policy recommendations released today. It can be attributed to League President and CEO Gilda Z. Jacobs.

“As an organization that has been working to promote economic security in Michigan since 1912, we know how pervasive and persistent poverty is. And as a data-driven policy advocacy organization, we know that public policies almost always are moving the needle on poverty one way or the other.

“No other governor has made combating poverty a top priority, but Gov. Whitmer has since she first took office, from her annual budgets and positive, proactive changes made by the Department of Health and Human Services and other departments to the creation of this Task Force. The breadth and depth of the Task Force’s policy recommendations released today show how poverty is impacted by nearly every area of public policy, but it also shows how many tools are at policymakers’ disposal to improve residents’ economic standing. And there is a commitment to ensure that all departments work in concert to advance these policies and system changes.

“These recommendations include some of the League’s longstanding policy recommendations, including restoring the state Earned Income Tax Credit, strengthening safety net programs, improving child care access and affordability, and more. But the recommendations also include new and innovative ideas like establishing a new program to help residents pay their water bills, eliminating the ‘reduced-price’ fee for school meals, and working to eliminate the digital divide and widen broadband and device access. Poverty is, unfortunately, an issue for families in every part of the state, even more so right now, and we hope there will be bipartisan and universal support for these recommendations to better support our struggling residents.”

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The Michigan League for Public Policy, www.mlpp.org, is a nonprofit policy institute focused on economic opportunity for all. It is the only state-level organization that addresses poverty in a comprehensive way.

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