WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley has teamed up with Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) to introduce the Ley de asistencia en efectivo en caso de crisis familiar, legislation that would create a new permanent program to help families struggling through a natural disaster or economic crisis with immediate cash assistance.
Como ha dejado claro la pandemia de COVID-19, el efectivo directo brinda a las familias un alivio inmediato y les brinda la flexibilidad de usar el dinero dondequiera que enfrenten más necesidades: ya sea vivienda, alimentos, atención médica u otros gastos.
“Our communities were already struggling in the face of this global pandemic when unprecedented wildfires hit and caused even more damage. The situation is nothing short of a crisis—families have lost loved ones, their homes, all of their belongings, and their jobs,” dijo Merkley. “When people lose everything, their needs are immense, and nobody knows better than they do what is most critical to get back on their feet. This bill would put cash in families’ hands when they need it most to secure food, shelter, and other immediate needs.”
Due to climate chaos, the United States is being hit with more frequent and more severe natural disasters—including wildfires, hurricanes, droughts, and floods—every year. These extreme weather events claim lives and can plunge entire communities into financial ruin. Existing disaster recovery programs do not always reach low-income communities and communities of color, which are often among the hardest hit and suffer adverse impacts for years after a crisis.
Para aquellos que ya están pasando apuros, los desastres naturales reducen los puntajes crediticios y aumentan el cobro de deudas, las quiebras, las deudas de tarjetas de crédito y la morosidad y ejecuciones hipotecarias. Las crisis económicas también causan daños duraderos: las pérdidas repentinas de riqueza aumentan las tasas de pobreza y afectan desproporcionadamente a los hogares más jóvenes, de menores ingresos y de minorías.
Para abordar esos desafíos, el Ley de asistencia en crisis familiares would provide cash assistance at $2,000 a month for an individual, $3,000 for a family of two, and $500 more per additional member of the family, capped at $4,000 a month and adjusted for inflation moving forward. The assistance would not be taxable nor can it be garnished, and the program would prohibit rules requiring work, participation in child support programs, an asset test, discrimination based on immigration status, or artificially limiting the length of eligibility.
The program would be administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which would provide grants to states. States would then be asked to develop a distribution plan and would be responsible for disbursing cash assistance to families and individuals with incomes at 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Line or below through a mandatory funding mechanism. The program would phase out assistance gradually, ending at 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Line.
Las subvenciones estarán disponibles una vez que se cumpla uno de los siguientes factores automáticos:
- Un aumento repentino en la tasa de desempleo estatal o nacional: el proyecto de ley aplica la Regla Sahm, es decir, un aumento en el promedio móvil de tres meses (promedio móvil de seis meses para los estados) de la tasa de desempleo nacional o estatal en 0,5 puntos porcentuales o más en relación con su mínimo de los 12 meses anteriores;
- Un aumento del 20 por ciento en las solicitudes estatales de seguro de desempleo en tres meses; o
- Un desastre natural importante, como los devastadores incendios forestales que azotaron Oregón este año, definido como una declaración de desastre mayor según la Ley Stafford en la que se autoriza asistencia individual a nivel de condado o estado para los hogares en el área afectada.
El Ley de asistencia en efectivo en caso de crisis familiar cuenta con el apoyo de Prosperity Now, Economic Security Project, Children's Defense Fund, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Children's HealthWatch, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Congregación de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Buen Pastor – Provincias de EE. UU., National Advocacy Center of las Hermanas del Buen Pastor, Jóvenes Invencibles, Supporting Our Mothers Initiative LLC, Western Center on Law & Poverty, Huelga Mundial de Mujeres, Mujeres de Color/Huelga Mundial de Mujeres, Grupo de Trabajo Nacional de Bienestar y Cuidadores, Red Cada Madre es una Madre Trabajadora, Payday Men's Network, Kids Forward, Greater Hartford Legal Aid y Center for Popular Democracy.
For a copy of the bill text, haga clic aquí.
Spanish 
English