Working Families

Our first priority in confronting the economic crisis was making sure that we did not leave millions of unemployed workers without adequate income to pay rent or buy groceries.  American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed by President Barack Obama in 2009 has helped spur job creation while making long-term investments in healthcare, education, energy, and infrastructure. I was proud to stand with my Democratic Colleagues in passing the HIRE Act to provide a payroll tax credit for companies that hire employees who have been looking for work for 60 days or more.  We continue to fight for  extension of unemployment insurance benefits and payroll tax cuts that could save an average of $ 1000 million of American families.

Ensuring that unemployed Americans have a lifeline while they continue to search for jobs is critical to preventing another economic downturn.  A failure to provide such a safety net would drastically impact our economy and the livelihoods of working families throughout the United States.  I believe Congress has an obligation to support those who lost their jobs through no fault of their own, not only to save our economy, but also to mitigate the impact unemployment has on them and their families.

Accomplishments:

Earned Income Tax Credit
He fought for the dramatic expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which increases the income of workers earning up to $30,000 a year. More than 19 million families claimed the credit in 1999, receiving an average of $1,700 per family. EITC is the largest federal assistance program for working families.

Targeted Jobs Program
Spearheaded the program, now called the Work Opportunity Tax Credit,  which nationally has subsidized the employment of more than 500,000 young people, veterans and ex-offenders by providing tax incentives to employers.

Awards: 

Congressman Charles B. Rangel received a perfect score of an "A" by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) on its 2012 National Scorecard.  The scorecard grades each Member of Congress on his commitment to America’s working families relating to issues such as jobs, workers’ rights, and healthcare. Rangel and his Democratic Colleagues from the New York Congressional Delegation all received perfect scores.

Congressman Charles Rangel was recently named as a Defender of Children by the First Focus Campaign for Children (FFCC).  This award is part of their campaign to recognize the top 100 Members of Congress who advocate on behalf of children in policy and budget decisions. 

Congressman Charles B. Rangel's Legislation:

The Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2010, H.R. 4213 (Sponsor)
Bill Status: Became Public Law No: 111-205.
This bill extends unemployment benefits until the end of November 2010, and includes provisions to establish retroactive payment of benefits to those whose benefits had recently expired.

FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act, H.R. 1586 (Sponsor)
Bill Status: Became Public Law No: 111-226.
Status:  Became Public Law No: 111-226 on August 10, 2010
As enacted, the bill funds education, jobs, and Medicaid.

The Empowerment Zone
This program encourages employers to hire public assistance recipients and other needy individuals with few job skills and little or no work experience.

• $3.5 billion for urban and rural development. 
• In Harlem, East Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood, the Empowerment Zone program has helped to spur local hiring and economic growth in our community.

Unemployment Benefits Extension Act 2010, H.R. 4851 (Voted in support of) 
Bill Status: Became Public Law No: 111-157.
This bill extends unemployment insurance provisions by approximately 2 months.

Videos: 

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