Press Release: Establishment of Chicago Resilient Families Initiative Task Force
Mayor Emanuel, Ald. Pawar take aim at guaranteed income, modernizing Earned Income Tax Credit, launching Chicago Resilient Families Task Force
Task force to include national, local leaders working to combat poverty
CHICAGO, IL (September 12, 2018) — Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Ald. Ameya Pawar (47) on Wednesday announced the creation of a new Chicago Resilient Families Task Force to pursue opportunities to pilot a Universal Basic Income (UBI) or guaranteed income program and further modernize the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) program for low- to moderate-income city residents.
“Chicago has the opportunity to lead the way in groundbreaking poverty-reduction programs, and this task force will help us lay the path toward that goal,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “I have dedicated my career to expanding and improving the EITC, first in the Clinton White House, then in Congress, and now as Mayor. I look forward to finding more ways to help working families put more cash in their pockets and strengthening their economic security.”
“The Chicago Resilient Families Task Force will drive forward the conversation around guaranteed income and modernizing the Earned Income Tax Credit, two potentially transformative moves for lifting Chicagoans out of poverty,” said Pawar.
The task force will be led in partnership with the Economic Security Project, a national organization committed to advancing the debate on guaranteed income in the United States. The task force will also partner with the Research & Policy division at Heartland Alliance.
“I’m thrilled to see that my hometown of Chicago is leading the charge of providing economic stability to its hard working residents by embracing this innovative package of interventions,” said Dorian Warren, co-chair of the Economic Security Project. “This forward-thinking leadership is what we need to move our cities — and our country — into a system that works for all, not just a select few.”
The task force will be co-chaired by SEIU Local 1 President Tom Balanoff and local community leader Celena Roldan with other members including from civic, religious and community leaders in addition to elected officials and academics. The task force will aim to conclude with the production of a report on a potential Chicago-run guaranteed income program, and will list a set of prescriptive policies aimed at reducing poverty and supporting working class and the working poor Chicagoans.
The task force is charged with creating partnerships with City departments and external stakeholders, foundations, advocacy organizations, philanthropists, and policymakers to launch a UBI program in Chicago. The task force will also make a recommendation about the breadth and depth of the guaranteed income program.
In July, Ald. Pawar introduced the resolution to create a UBI pilot program, which gained the support of the majority of the City Council.
“A guaranteed income program will allow Chicagoans to efficiently make their own financial choices in accordance with their needs,” said Pawar. “This could allow financially struggling Chicagoans to begin to rise out of poverty, thereby also boosting local economic development in their own communities.”
“Universal Basic Income has the potential to raise the floor for all Chicagoans and could be one important component in the fight for economic justice for Chicago’s working families,” said Balanoff. “We need new, innovative social programs to ensure thousands of working people have the financial security they need to raise their families and support their communities. Chicago must lead the way.”
Pawar’s proposal is the latest development in a rapidly-expanding movement for guaranteed income programs in the United States. Stockton, California led the way, announcing a UBI program last fall.
