Addressing the hardships and disparities faced by Black women in order to encourage more inclusive policymaking.

Bill: 118-hres-484
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12]
Introduced: 2023-06-07
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Latest action: action_date: 2023-06-07
text: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-06-07
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This resolution supports the need for and use of certain policy frameworks to incorporate the experiences of Black women into public policies.</p>

tv_txt: IV 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 484 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 7, 2023 Mrs. Watson Coleman (for herself, Ms. Clarke of New York , and Ms. Kelly of Illinois ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability RESOLUTION Addressing the hardships and disparities faced by Black women in order to encourage more inclusive policymaking.

Whereas throughout United States history, the country’s economy was built in large part upon Black women’s diminished power, through unpaid, exploited, and forced labor; Whereas discriminatory features of the United States labor market and the punitive design of public benefits programs hinder the economic mobility of Black women with disabilities; Whereas income gaps, wealth gaps, lack of adequate worker protection laws, and a host of other socioeconomic indicators illustrate a system that has been designed to keep Black women without power; Whereas Black women made up 6.4 percent of the United States workforce in 2020, but represent 10.4 percent of the workers who would benefit from raising the minimum wage to just $15 an hour; Whereas Black women make between 62 to 64 cents of every dollar made by a White, non-Hispanic man; Whereas economic insecurity is intensified for Black women, who have little to no wealth to fall back on due to generational inequality and ongoing discrimination; Whereas guaranteed income, direct cash transfers, hazard pay, an increase in worker power, sectoral worker bargaining, and stronger labor law protection can benefit the economic well-being of marginalized demographics, specifically Black women; Whereas expanding the child tax credit and earned income tax credit, incentivizing State tax changes, and strengthening the estate tax can assist in centering Black women in tax reform; Whereas studies show that Black women, whether insured or uninsured, receive worse care by health care professionals, often at the expense of their lives; Whereas, in 2020, more than 30 percent of Black women relied on Medicaid as their primary source of health coverage; Whereas Black women not only need access to health care providers that value their identity, but also providers who look like them to improve Black women’s access to quality care; Whereas Black women do not breastfeed at the same rates as their non-Black counterparts and are disproportionately affected by first food deserts and maternity care deserts; Whereas single woman led households have the highest rates of food insecurity and this disproportionately affects Black women; Whereas Black women are less likely to have wealth, to own a home, to hold retirement savings, and to receive inheritances and other family financial support; Whereas Black women have been stigmatized in the American welfare state, which affects their equitable access to government assistance programs; Whereas Black women have been denied access to safe and affordable housing through the current rental housing market and Federal housing assistance programs; Whereas racist and sexist Federal policies have denied Black women access to safe and affordable housing in both home ownership and rental markets, rendering them more likely to be cost-burdened and face eviction; Whereas policymakers must provide robust, permanent, dedicated funding for home and community-based services to protect the right of Black women with disabilities to receive care within their homes and communities; Whereas 4.7 percent of Black women overall report serious psychological distress, and this rate nearly doubles for Black people living in poverty; Whereas the school-to-prison pipeline for Black girls must be eliminated and restorative justice in lieu of policing in schools and communities to promote equitable academic success must be prioritized; Whereas critical legislation, such as the Protect Black Women and Girls Act, establishes a Task Force to examine the conditions and experiences of Black women and girls to identify and assess the efficacy of policies and programs designed to improve outcomes for Black women; and Whereas the Black Women Best (BWB) framework, as designed by Janelle Jones, the first African-American woman to serve as chief economist at the Department of Labor, offers the blueprint to adopt a more innovative and equitable approach to center the lived experiences of Black women in policymaking: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1) acknowledges the Black Women Best (BWB) framework to empower and improve life for all through guaranteed income, expanding child and income tax credit, increasing access to equitable health care and government assistance, prohibiting policing in schools, and prioritizing restorative justice; (2) supports the need to use policy frameworks similar to the BWB framework to center the lived experience of Black women in the policymaking process in order to ensure a more equal and just future for all; (3) encourages the use of this framework and those that complement it as a guideline to create and implement better public policies to benefit all people, and specifically Black women; and (4) considers legislative proposals presented in the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls March report, An Economy for All: Building a Black Women Best Legislative Agenda to repair the historical disparities that Black women endure and to secure an economy that works for everyone.