The Chicago Resilient Family Initiative
WHEREAS, many working people and families struggle to make rent, pay their mortgage, basic utilities, student loans, and childcare and nearly 25% of the full-time workers rely on public assistance to make ends meet; and
WHEREAS, the impacts of income inequality and 40 years of wage stagnation have stunted the economic progress of an entire spectrum of working people from the working poor to the upper middle class; and
WHEREAS, 69% of Americans don't even have $1000 in the bank for an emergency; and
WHEREAS, according to a recent Pew Research Study, after the recession of 2008, 40% of Americans viewed themselves as being at the bottom of the economic pyramid; and
WHEREAS, many individuals in Chicago and across the nation work full-time jobs and multiple side hustles in the gig economy and still cannot make ends meet; and
WHEREAS, to combat these issues and make up for lack of action at the state and federal level, the City of Chicago has increased the city's minimum wage to $13/hr by 2019, mandated earned sick time, and piloted a program to modernize the Earned Income Tax Credit by advancing tax return funds quarterly; and
WHEREAS, to build on these issues and continue to make up for inaction from Springfield and Washington DC, the City of Chicago must begin to address the 'Future of Work' and grapple with the rapid pace of technological innovation and automation; and
WHEREAS, while over the last four decades, the automation of jobs, off-shoring, and the passage of trade deals hurt small towns and big cities; and
WHEREAS, the biggest threat to the all working people and families in the near and long term is the automation of entire job categories - from trucking, to supply chain and logistics, to retail and hospitality, and the medicine and law; and
WHEREAS, automation will likely play a bigger role in job losses in the years to come; and
WHEREAS, major companies like Uber, Amazon, and others are investing billions in autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence and other technologies to reduce labor costs; and
WHEREAS, the root causes of the political divides between urban and rural areas and across race and class are rooted in automation, trade, and a growing income inequality; and
WHEREAS, rather than focusing on bridging those divides through policies and programs addressing the root causes of the political divide, President Trump, Governor Rauner, and others seek to capitalize on the divides by thwarting policies and programs targeted at reducing income inequality; and
WHEREAS, for example, coal miners are losing jobs to automation and new mining technologies not strict environmental regulation. And instead of focusing on fair tax codes, expanding Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, reducing the cost of higher education, and investing heavily in capital and infrastructure, Governor Rauner and President Trump focus their energies on tax cuts for the wealthy and regressive public policies which punish the most vulnerable; and
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago has an opportunity to lead the nation by launching a Universal Basic Income initiative and explore a Chicago only Earned Income Tax Credit to help working people and families become more resilient to day-to-day financial emergencies, are able to make rent, cover childcare, and put food on the table; and
BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Members of the City Council, assembled this day on June 27, 2018 direct the Mayor's office to empanel a Chicago Resilient Families Initiative taskforce to study Universal Basic Income and an Earned Income Tax Credit Modernization program. The taskforce would carry out the following activities:
1. Create partnerships with city departments and external stakeholders, foundations, advocacy organizations, philanthropists, and leading public policy makers to launch a Universal Basic Income (UBI) Initiative in the City of Chicago. This taskforce would be charged with developing a UBI model for 1000 families to be provided with a minimum of $500/month, no strings attached.
2.
Scaling the City of Chicago's Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) smoothing program to the same 1000 family cohort. The EITC smoothing would advance payments on a monthly basis. In addition, the taskforce would study the creation of a Chicago-based Earned
income Tax Credit Program.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Chicago Resilient Family/initiative' the City Council by October 1, 2018.
Chicago City Council Co-Sponsor Addition/Change
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Subject:
Please Add Or Change The Co-Sponsor As Shown Below.
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Please Remove Or Change The Co-Sponsor As Shown Below.
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Final copies to be filed with:
Chairman of Committee to which legislation was referred
City Clerk
Chairman