At last night’s State of the Union address, President Obama took the opportunity to hit the reset button on his presidency and propose a long and varied list of goals for the future.  Today, we take a look at the speech and highlight the proposals that will have the greatest impact on our region’s women and girls.

 

Jobs

President Obama started out on a somewhat positive note, declaring that the worst of the recession is over. But, he continued, “the devastation remains.  One in 10 Americans still cannot find work…. And for those who’d already known poverty, life has become that much harder.”  To combat these issues, the President called for jobs to be the country’s number one focus in 2010.

He asked for a new jobs bill and proposed using the $30 billion in loans banks have repaid to offer small businesses a new tax credit.  The tax credit would affect more than a million small businesses that either hire new employees or raise wages.  He also proposed eliminating all capital gains taxes on small businesses.

The President also plans to create more jobs for work on railroads, the highway system, and clean energy facilities.

Equality

The President promised to “crack down on violations of equal pay laws – so that women get equal pay for an equal day’s work.”

He also said that he’ll work with Congress and the military to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Finance

The President cautioned against the recklessness that “nearly brought down our entire economy,” saying that “we need to make sure consumers and middle-class families have the information they need to make financial decisions.”

He announced that the child care tax credit is doubling, that workers with retirement accounts will see an expanded tax credit, and that refinancing will be increased in 2010 “so that homeowners can move into more affordable mortgages.”

Education

President Obama called for education reform “that raises student achievement; inspires students to excel in math and science; and turns around failing schools that steal the future of too many young Americans, from rural communities to the inner city.  In the 21st century, the best anti-poverty program around is a world-class education.  And in this country, the success of our children cannot depend more on where they live than on their potential.”

The President went on to urge Congress to pass a bill that will revitalize community colleges.  The bill would also increase Pell Grants and give families a $10,000 tax credit for four years of college.  It would also require students to pay only 10 percent of their income on student loans.

Healthcare

The President asked Congress to take another look the proposed health care plan, and urged them to pass health care reform.

What did you think of the address?  Personally, I liked the education reform proposals, but I would have liked to have heard more about jobs for women specifically, and HIV/AIDS initiatives here in the United States (he mentioned doing this in developing countries; we need it here, too!).  Was there a topic, bill or initiative you were listening for?

Comment below or join the conversation online: www.Facebook.com/TheWomensFoundation.

Photo credit: Pete Souza

— A survey out today from the Food Research and Action Center found that nearly one in five Americans was unable to buy the food they needed at some point last year.  A record high number of Americans (38 million) now receive food stamps.  The District of Columbia ranked 15th in FRAC’s list of states with the highest rates of food hardship in 2009.  Virginia and Maryland ranked 35th and 44th, respectively.  Click here to read the report.

— In this Washington Post column, the writer — a working mom — takes a real-life look at a new study that found that while America is the hardest working country in the developed world, it has some of the worst options for family support.  The result: some parents spend so much on child care, it’s like they’re paying to work.

–Young survivors of homelessness told their stories to legislators this week as advocates for homeless and runaway children asked Congress to expand funding for services.  Click here to listen to a WAMU story about the young people and their experiences.

— Teen pregnancy in the U.S. has increased for the first time in more than a decade.  According to the Washington Post, “the pregnancy rate among 15-to-19-year-olds increased 3 percent between 2005 and 2006 — the first jump since 1990….”  There are a variety of opinions about why there’s been an increase.  Click here for more details.

— Low-income Virginians may be eligible for free cell phones and wireless service as part of a new plan from Virgin Mobile USA.  An estimated 650,000 Virginians could receive the service.  Click here for more details.

— At the annual D.C. Veterans Affairs Health Fair for Homeless Vets, a growing number of aid recipients were women.  According to the VA, eight percent of homeless vets they help are women.  That’s up from two percent before Operation Desert Storm in 1991.  Click here to listen to a report with more details.

 

— More than a year ago, Washington, D.C. became the second city in the country to require most employers to provide paid sick leave to their workers.  Today, very few people — employers and employees — know about the law, and it appears that it’s not being enforced.  According to this article in the Washington Post, “advocates for low-wage workers and business leaders say the Fenty administration has delayed finalizing new rules that would get the word out to the community.  Until those regulations are spelled out, critics say, workers are not guaranteed protection.”  The D.C. Employment Justice Center, a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation, also weighs in.

— The unemployment rates in D.C. and Maryland hit new highs in December.  The D.C. jobless rate was at 12.1 percent last month, the highest it’s been since the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics started tracking unemployment numbers in 1976.  Maryland’s jobless rate was 7.5 percent.  Virginia was at 6.9 percent.  Nationwide, the unemployment rate was 10 percent in December.  Click here for more details.

— Montgomery County may make cuts to a program that provides low-income seniors and people with disabilities with subsidized taxi rides.  The Call ‘N’ Ride program allows seniors making less than $25,000 a year to buy two taxi voucher books a month.  Montgomery County officials have proposed limiting the number of books to one per month.  The move would save the county nearly $750,000 for the rest of the fiscal year, but opponents say it would be a significant loss for people who rely on the service to get around.  Click here for more.

— Later today, a group of foster teens will testify before the D.C. council about their lives in the foster care system.  They’ll also have recommendations on ways the city can improve programs for them.  The teens have been working with The Young Women’s Project — a Washington Area Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner — on their testimonies.  Click here to read more about them.

— Budget cuts in Loudon County could have a serious impact on high school students who are enrolled in Advanced Placement classes.  The school district is no longer paying for students to take AP exams, which means that kids and their families will have to pay an $86 fee for each test.  Click here to listen to WAMU’s report.

— Yesterday we reported that a new Brookings Institution report found that the growth rate of the poverty level in U.S. suburbs is rising faster than in urban areas.  This Washington Business Journal article uses the Brookings study to compare the D.C. metro area’s suburban and urban poverty levels.

— While just about as many women enrolled in medical and law schools as men, the enrollment of women at graduate business schools remains low.  Now, some business schools are trying to lure in more women applicants to combat the lack of parity.  Click here to find out what they’re doing.