Low-income

Policy Brief explaining need for need-based financial aid in Colorado.

Colorado should increase its EITC from 10 percent to at least 20 percent of the federal credit. And it should make the credit available in all years, not just when there is a TABOR surplus.

Using new U.S. Census Bureau data available through a multi-state project on working poor families, the Bell Policy Center is releasing a one-year update on its 2004 Opportunity Lost report.

HB 1098 represents a net opportunity gain for Colorado. It will help increase the number of students, especially from low-income and minority backgrounds, who complete high school and enroll in college.

The next governor and legislature should commit to eliminating the cliff effect from all state programs. They should review all the programs and laws involved and the interactions among them, and implement a comprehensive solution as soon as possible. A key component should be a sliding eligibility scale that gradually phases out benefits so that a family never loses more than it gains when its income increases.

This issue brief provides a one-year update for several of the indicators included in the Bell???s April 2004 report, "Opportunity Lost: When Hard Work Isn't Enough for Colorado's Working Families."

The Denver Post examines the effects of Amendment 42 on Colorado workers.

Colorado should work with federal, local and private partners, and it should greatly increase its own investment so Colorado???s housing trust fund can provide a level of assistance that will truly make a difference for low and moderate-income families seeking affordable housing. Ultimately, the state government and its partners should collectively provide at least $25 million annually to the fund.

We should use Referendum C money to help make up for past funding cuts to community colleges, junior colleges and state colleges throughout Colorado, giving priority to institutions serving and demonstrating a commitment to low-income, underserved and rural students.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - More than one in four American working families now earn wages so low that they have difficulty surviving financially, a new report concludes. The report finds that too many jobs pay poor wages and provide no benefits, and that American workers are poorly prepared and supported to move into better paying jobs.