Ilhan Omar Introduces Guaranteed Income Bill Of $1,200 Monthly (For Most Americans) & GDP Alternative Legislation
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Andrew Yang‘s 2020 Presidential election campaign for guaranteed income for all Americans in monthly stipend was PARTIALLY heard: On Friday, July 30, 2021, U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar introduced a bill that would include:
- SUPPORT Act: $1,200 monthly guaranteed income (or $14,400 guaranteed annual income) for adult Americans (for single people with annual income less than $75,000 and heads of household with annual income less than $112,500. For those single people making above $75,000 or heads of household making above $112,500 there is a 5% phase-out rate) and $600 monthly income for each dependent under age 18. For example, a single childless adult with income of $100,000 (which is $25,000 above $75,000) would receive guaranteed annual income of ($1,200 x 12 x 1) – (5% x $25,000)= $13,150. A couple with combined annual income of $200,000 (which is $87,500 above $112,500) would receive guaranteed annual income of ($1,200 x 12 x2) – ($5%x $87,500)= $24,425. A couple with combined annual income of $100,000 or $110,000 would receive guaranteed income of ($1,200 x 12 x 2)- $0 = $28,800 whereas a couple with combined annual income of $137,500 ($25,000 more than the $112,500) would receive guaranteed income of ($1200 x 12 x 2) – (5% x $25,000)=$27,550.
- GPI Act: providing an alternative economic metric to supplement GDP calculations to include overlooked socioeconomic and environmental costs and benefits of economic productivity
Please refer to the press lease of July 30, 2021, in italics, below:
WASHINGTON—Today, Rep. Ilhan Omar introduced the Sending Unconditional Payments to People Overcoming Resistances to Triumph (SUPPORT) Act and the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) Act, legislation designed to build a 21st century economy that is reflective of Americans’ everyday needs. The bills will create a grant program to fund local income pilots and implement a national guaranteed income program and establish a new economic metric to measure well-being.
The Sending Unconditional Payments to People Overcoming Resistances to Triumph (SUPPORT) Act will create a guaranteed income program of up to $1,200 per month for adults, and $600 for kids, following pilot programs in localities nationwide. The Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) Act will provide an alternative economic metric to supplement GDP calculations and revamp our economic policy lenses by including overlooked socioeconomic and environmental costs and benefits of economic productivity.
“Poverty is a choice. For too long we have prioritized endless growth while millions are homeless, hungry or without healthcare” said Rep. Omar. “The pandemic has laid bare these inequalities. We as a nation have the ability to make sure everyone has their basic needs like food, housing and healthcare met. Building off successful pilot programs in my home state of Minnesota, I am proud to introduce a guaranteed income that will put money directly into the pockets of Minnesotans, and introduce a holistic economic measure that will ensure our economy is centered on the long-term prosperity of Minnesotans and Americans everywhere. The world needs new economic indicators and economic policies that will prioritize and encourage truly sustainable and equitable growth. It’s time we become the leader in measuring and safeguarding our people’s economic well-being, starting with both of these bills.”
“Even during the better economic times that came before the Covid pandemic and recession, many Americans were struggling to avoid hunger or homelessness – in the wealthiest country on the planet,” said Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA). “Both of these bills would help us to Build Back Better! I also continue to advocate for other fairness measures like the Raise the Wage Act.”
“It’s crucial that we assess the economy based on how it serves working people, instead of on the profits of the largest corporations,” said Rep. Marie Newman (D-IL). “I am proud to cosponsor the GPI Act & SUPPORT Act to ensure that we are accounting for economic justice in policymaking, and to provide crucial cash assistance to tackle the country’s gross income divide. A strong economy does not just work for the wealthy and well-connected, it should work for everyone. I am thrilled to support legislation designed to do just that. ”
“We need a paradigm shift in how we measure and evaluate our economy,” said Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY). “If my district, New York’s 16th, was a country, it would have the 8th worst inequality in the world. Our barometers for economic success as well as our policies must be centered around meeting basic levels of care and dignity for all of our people. That is why I’m proud to be a co-sponsor of Rep. Omar’s GPI Act and SUPPORT Act.”
“Poverty is defined by a lack of material resources,” said Darrick Hamilton, Henry Cohen Professor of Economics and Urban Policy at the New School. “And we know the way to address poverty is to eliminate it. I am thrilled that Rep.
Omar is introducing a bold proposal to fully tackle poverty in this country and ensure that people have their basic material needs met, modeled after proposals like ‘A Guaranteed Income for the 21st Century’ and others. This proposal would amount to a $14,400 income guarantee for adults and $7,200 for children, amounting to $43,200 for an average family of four. If we are going to tackle poverty and inequality in this country, we need bold solutions. And Rep. Omar has proposed just that.”
“We applaud Representative Omar’s leadership on this long overdue reform of how this nation measures economic progress and enthusiastically support the GPI Act of 2021,” said John Talberth, Founder of the Center for Sustainable Economy. “What’s measured matters, and for too long the US has been measuring economic performance in a way that masks the staggering costs of inequality, crumbling infrastructure, deteriorating health, vanishing ecosystems and rapid climate change. We’ve been pursuing growth for its own sake without asking ‘growth in what, for whom, and at what cost?’ Instead of registering all growth as positive, the GPI can help identify what sectors need to grow to bring quality of life improvements for all and what sectors need to shrink or be replaced because the toll they exact on the rest of the economy is far too great.”
The GPI Act is cosponsored by Reps. Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Dwight Evans, Pramila Jayapal, and Marie Newman. The bill is endorsed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and Northside Economic Opportunity Network (NEON).
The SUPPORT Act is cosponsored by Reps. Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Dwight Evans, and Pramila Jayapal. The bill is endorsed by Economic Security Project, Jain Family Institute, National Coalition for the Homeless, and People’s Policy Project.
Both bills are endorsed by the African Career Education & Resource, Inc., African Development Center, Black Women’s Wealth Alliance, Center for Popular Democracy, Center for Sustainable Economy, Children’s Defense Fund MN, Church World Service, Color of Change, Communities Organizing Power and Action for Latinxs (COPAL) MN, Demos, Equity and Transformation Chicago, FoodFarmsDemocracy.net, Friends of the Earth, Human Rights Watch, Institute for the Redemption of Money, Minnesota Young DFL, Our Revolution, Our Revolution-Twin Cities, Pax Christi USA, Shriver Center on Poverty Law, Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) Action Fund, Strong Economy For All Coalition, The Institute on Race and Political Economy, The Monarch Foundation, Universal Income Project, and Virginia Excels.
You can find a detailed one pager on the GPI Act here.
You can find a detailed one pager on the SUPPORT Act here.
You can read the full legislation on the GPI Act here.
You can read the full legislation on the SUPPORT Act here.
*The pilot program proposed would be studied between 2023 to 2027 and the national program would begin in 2028, if the bill would be passed.
Commentary, below:
I personally had been a proponent of Andrew Yang’s Freedom Dividend, a guaranteed income for all for many years, but some details of this particular bill need to be addressed:
- The spirit of equality and inclusiveness: by having the phase-out rate, those who are making above $75,000 per year would not feel as though there is equal treatment and would feel as though being excluded and not part of the team. After all, these are the people paying more taxes and making great contributions to our economy and should be made to feel as part of our team rather than not part of our team.
- Complexity: the introduction of phase-out rate would increase complexity and confusion to the overall calculations and much unintended consequences. For example, the Swedish effect: there were so much deductions, benefits, and special treatments for the poor and disadvantaged that some Swedish high income earner ended up paying effectively over 100% of their income to taxes. That is a quick way to discourage people from being productive or to trigger mass exodus of productive citizens.
- Marriage penalty: for single childless individual making less than $75,000 annually there is the $1,200 monthly guaranteed income for the individual, but for childless heads of household making less than $112,500 (rather than $150,000) there is the $1,200 monthly guaranteed income for each adult individual. This is essentially a marriage tax that would discourage marriages and families (the foundation of any nation or culture).
- Solution: Treat all working adult Americans (between age 18 to starting point of collecting social security) equally by the same amount of guaranteed monthly income. Simply increase the tax rate of those with substantially higher income. This would mean easy calculations and every one can see where the tax dollars are coming from and/or going to. This would also mean every one is included and there is no penalty on marriage.
- GPI (Genuine Progress Indicator) needs to include measurements for American’s health, longevity, contentment, environment, sense of safety and security, future outlook, ability to grow and learn, etc. in addition to GDP.
*In order to pass this bill, insufficient inclusivity and marriage penalty need to be addressed.
*It is good that discussion of guaranteed income is finally at the table. But it is important to include all Americans at this table.
Gathered, written, and posted by Windermere Sun-Susan Sun Nunamaker
You may also be interested in reading: Ilhan Omar’s Near-UBI Guaranteed Income Bill
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