As a member of the Financial Equity Coalition, the Bell supports HB18-1415 because it offers greater oversight of student loan servicers in Colorado, which will aid in preventing predatory practices and improving the economic mobility for the 56 percent of Coloradans with student debt.
While pay inequity should first be recognized as a moral issue, it is also an economic issue. Colorado loses more than a combined total of $13 billion every year due to the gender wage gap.
Policies that focus on a job’s worth, versus an applicant’s salary history, have been implemented by companies like Amazon, Facebook, and Google. Still, a recent survey found only 5 percent of employers say it’s already existing practice not to ask about a candidate's pay history.
The hourly wage needed to be self-sufficient for an adult and a preschooler is $26.86 in Boulder County, $17.41 in Mesa County, $20.18 in El Paso County, and $14.80 in Yuma County. Yet the state minimum wage is the same for all.
In our 2016 study, we found almost 900,000 Colorado private sector workers in their prime working years are not participating in any type of retirement savings plan at work. The Colorado Secure Savings Plan could change that.
A work requirement is unlikely to spur large numbers of additional non-disabled adults to get a job, but it will lead to tens of thousands of people losing coverage.
Increasing the state tax credit for child care expenses as a percentage of the federal tax credit and extending eligibility to those with middle incomes will help more Coloradans afford child care. The Bell supports HB18-1208 to expand the child care expenses income tax credit and urges a yes vote on it.
Increased drug price transparency in Colorado provides the public with information about how rising prescription drug prices impact health care costs, and helps Coloradans plan for these expenses.
Temporary health care cost relief offers hardworking Coloradans who meet certain criteria the budgetary breathing room to navigate the financial squeeze caused by rising insurance costs and stagnant wages.
As we seek to make economic mobility for every Coloradan a reality, two-generation policies will be crucial to that mission. Here, we identify the bills being considered during the 2018 legislative session that focus on both children and parents.
