Public Policy

We’re pleased to report that on September 23, 2008 the United States House of Representatives passed the Healthy Start Reauthorization Act (S.1760/H.R. 3267), extending this vital program for reducing infant mortality. House passage of the bill follows that of the United States Senate on April 30th, and now heads to the President for his signature.

The Healthy Start program was established to combat and reduce infant mortality. The program targets those risk factors that contribute to the nation’s high infant mortality rate, particularly among African American and other minority groups. It does so by providing intensive services tailored to the needs of high risk pregnant woman, infants and mothers in geographically, racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse communities with exceptionally high rates of infant mortality. Risk factors include, but are not limited to: low birth weight and late entry into prenatal care.

United Way of America is a member of a coalition working hard in support of this important legislation that advances our goal of improving maternal health and infant well being. After the bill passed the Senate in April, we reached out to you, the supporters of our movement, to contact your Congressman and urge passage of this bill in the House. Your hard work on behalf of our children paid off. Congratulations United Way advocates on a job well done!

Thank your Representative for supporting this vital legislation!

Families throughout the country face the devastating effects of high fuel costs, a fallen housing market, and limited access to credit. Further, with federal, state and local governments facing increasingly tight budgets and the private sector reeling from the recent Wall Street crisis, the nonprofit sector is being called upon to do even more to meet basic needs of our communities. As a leading member of the nonprofit sector, United Way’s resources will be needed more than ever to meet those needs. The United Way’s most important resources are its people, whose dedication and hard work enable us to make a difference in the lives of Americans.

That is why we are proud to endorse the Serve America Act, S. 3487. This groundbreaking legislation would expand opportunities for Americans to serve at any age and would be a major step forward in providing United Way with the volunteers needed to find common-sense solutions to the country’s most difficult problems. Please visit S.4387 to view a detailed summary of the legislation.

September 24, 2008; Washington, DC: The Community Agenda for America’s Public Schools is an action plan to ensure that all children enter school healthy, ready to learn and succeed. It prepares students to pursue post secondary education and become productive family and community members. The Community Agenda will help struggling youth, families and communities improve their lives by fostering school and community partnerships that support student outcomes. Key national leaders from education, youth development, community engagement, health and social services, and higher education organizations will sign on to a set of strategies and solutions enabling communities to support public education.

Quality education is critical and schools cannot do the job in isolation. For all students to achieve academic success the community must become active partners in addressing the challenges in the lives of youth, their families and neighborhoods, enabling schools to remain focused on their core mission of education.

United Way works with partners across the country to pioneer and support the integrated student services model outlined in the Community Agenda.  One such example is the work of United Way of the Lehigh Valley (UWGLV).  UWGLV, a Coalition for Community Schools partner located in the Northeast corner of Pennsylvania, has been perfecting their matchmaking skills since they launched their ambitious COMPASS Community Schools Initiative (Community Partners for Student Success) in 2005. The Lehigh Valley is composed of three major urban hubs, suburbs, and pockets of rural communities between Philadelphia and New York City...click here to read the full article...

Effective Tax Year 2008, the Child Tax Credit (CTC) earned income threshold has been lowered from $12,050 to $8,500. This change was included among tax changes in the financial rescue legislation that recently passed both the U.S. House and Senate, and has been signed into law by the President. It is estimated that this expansion will benefit 13 million children – 2.9 million who will become newly eligible for the benefit and 10.1 million who will see their credit increased due to this provision, according to the Tax Policy Center.

 “Newly eligible” families are those with annual incomes between $8,500 and $12,050. A broader group of low-income families will see their credit increase as a result of this provision, because the size of their credit is based on the amount by which the family’s earnings exceed the threshold. Specifically, the provision will temporarily expand the credit by lowering, for tax year 2008, the earnings threshold that families must meet to qualify for the refundable portion of the credit. ..read more...