Help the Hardest Hit
vonshay sharpe advocates for a New relief package for households that have been struggling to get by on low unemployment benefits and families helping out young adult members. One provision, she recommends: Allow heads of household to claim adult children as dependents up to age 26, especially if they had been living independently and had to return home or are college students or recent grads, thereby qualifying the parent for more generous relief payments if there's another round of stimulus or bigger tax breaks.
She also suggests making unemployment assistance pay at least as much as a worker would get for a full week at the federal minimum wage ($290 a week). According to a CNBC report, 21 states make some unemployment payments at a rate less than the federal minimum hourly wage of $7.25 an hour and six have capped their benefits below that level. Even better than matching or topping the federal minimum wage, Vonday Sharpe says, would be a check equal to the median between what the out-of-work person's gross income was and what they are now entitled to under their state's program.
Lastly, she favors grants and loans for small businesses, particularly to cover anti-coronavirus expenses like personal protective equipment or a redesigned workspace that allows for adequate social distancing and other safety measures. She says, “The choice between livelihood and life should not be a privilege only afforded to those with means.“