Jobs & The Economy
ALL JOBS & THE ECONOMY REPORTS
Why licensing all drivers, regardless of immigration status, makes economic sense
If an age-eligible immigrant without status can pass a driving test, the state should issue them driver’s licenses so they can drive safely to work, school, doctor’s offices, and other places without fear. There are myriad health, safety, and social reasons to grant licenses to immigrants without status. One of these reasons is economic. Below are updated versions of our reports that estimate the economic and state fiscal impacts of such a policy. The latest data are primarily from 2018 and 2019. What’s new: If Massachusetts licenses all drivers, regardless of immigration status, an estimated 45,000 to 85,000 drivers would ...
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Testimony before the Health Equity Task Force on the importance of work and family mobility for all, regardless of immigrant status
Testimony by Monique Ching, Senior Policy Analyst at the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, for the Health Equity Task Force public hearing on February 8, 2021. Members of the Health Equity Task Force, thank you for the opportunity to speak today about An Act Relative to Work and Family Mobility During and Subsequent to the COVID-19 Emergency (HD.448/SD.273). My name is Monique Ching and I am a Senior Policy Analyst at the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, a nonpartisan research organization that focuses on state fiscal and economic policy. Imagine, for a moment, that you do not have a driver’s ...
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Unemployment Insurance Saved the Massachusetts Economy. How Can We Ensure It Will Be Strong for the Future?
Many Massachusetts businesses today owe their survival in part to UI sustaining customers’ demand for products and services. Over the years, even though the UI system funding has run low, legislators have repeatedly waived rules requiring employers to increase their payroll contributions. The state has had to borrow from the federal UI Trust Fund which puts Massachusetts in debt to that fund. While no state UI system was prepared to handle the tidal wave of unemployment brought about by the pandemic, the Commonwealth is particularly badly prepared. In 2021, Massachusetts employers will be required to pay assessed interest on unpaid ...
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Bringing in the Relief Part II: The Census Counts for Equity
More than $3.3 billion in CARES Act funding comes to our Massachusetts communities based on population estimates from the census. Learn how the Commonwealth can get its fair share of power and money through a complete, accurate 2020 Census count in our latest report.
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Municipal Budgets, Local Aid, and Property Taxes Amid COVID-19
As a result of the pandemic, municipalities face increased spending needs and declining revenues. Many have the ability to raise property taxes, though others are constrained by Proposition 2 1/2. Moreover, property taxes tend to fall hardest on those with lower incomes. Without sufficient municipal aid, cities and towns may be forced to make public cuts which would slow the economic recovery.
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Tens of thousands of undocumented, essential workers at risk of lost jobs, lost pay, exposure to COVID-19
Immigrants without status form the backbone of Massachusetts — producing our food, tending to our loved ones, and stocking our supermarkets. But the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread business closures mean many of these undocumented workers have found themselves at risk of losing their jobs, losing income, or being exposed to the virus.
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Unemployment Assistance in a Time of COVID-19
The Commonwealth has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences by implementing several bold new federal unemployment policies that are also supported with federal funds. These have provided crucial protection to many workers and the economy, though undocumented workers have been excluded. Since late April, the greatest volume of unemployment claims have been for a new program for workers traditionally ineligible for unemployment insurance. Without new federal legislation, this program will expire at the end of the year. The federally-funded $600 enhancement to weekly benefits will expire at the end of July. The loss of these benefits would ...
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Testimony Supporting Act to Provide Equal Stimulus Checks to Immigrant Taxpayers
Testimony supporting legislation for state stimulus checks for taxpayers excluded from federal benefits because they pay taxes with an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) instead of a social security number.
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The Anti-Stimulus: Budget Cuts are Worse for the Economy than Tax Increases During Recessions
Anyone concerned about Massachusetts' economic recovery should be worried about state and municipal budget cuts. This is not the time for austerity. Avoiding budget cuts through targeted tax increases is the best way to build a strong recovery in Massachusetts. Learn more in the latest on our Blogs & Briefs publication.
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Statement on Reopening the Commonwealth
Read the full statement by Marie-Frances Rivera, president of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget), in response to the Governor's Reopening Massachusetts plan amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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