The economy is growing again, but too many low- and moderate-income families are not seeing any benefit. Instead, stagnant wages, rising costs, and unprecedented income inequality are only a few of the challenges that Americans face as they try to make ends meet in an economy that simply is not working for everyone.
While Congress seems incapable of passing common-sense policies to build a more inclusive economy, states are taking matters into their own hands. States are forging ahead to improve economic security by raising the minimum wage, breaking down barriers to employment, extending access to paid sick days, and more.
Please join the Center for American Progress and the State Innovation Exchange, or SiX, for a panel of state legislative leaders from around the country and nationally recognized economic experts to discuss state-level policies to grow the middle class, which are more crucial now than ever.
Featured panelists:
Sen. Sandra L. Pappas (D), Senate President, Minnesota State Senate
Rep. Jessica Farrar (D), Democratic Caucus Leader, Texas House of Representatives
Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D), Majority Leader, New Jersey State Senate
Melissa Boteach, Vice President, Poverty to Prosperity Program, Center for American Progress
David Madland, Managing Director, Economic Policy, Center for American Progress
Moderated by:
Nick Rathod, Executive Director, State Innovation Exchange