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SEATTLE , WA – Washington state Sen . Marko Liias recently announced a series of three new bills to help relieve student debt . The first targets loan providers who engage in fraud , and would create an ombudsman position to investigate it . The second bill cuts employers ’ taxes if they help their staffers repay their loans , while the third explores “ lower cost loan options ,” like those that use tax-exempt bonds , to help expand access to higher education for those who otherwise couldn ’ t afford it . Sen . Liias noted the importance of loan relief , saying , “ Spiraling student loan debt is strangling middle class households and those who aspire to middle-class households .”
ITHACA
, NY – Ithaca , NY became the latest of over 100 cities and 18 states to “ ban the box .” Applicants to city jobs will no longer be asked about any felony convictions on their first round of interviews . Mayor Svante Myrick added , “ Discouraging good people from applying hurts our organization and prevents previously incarcerated people from doing the work needed to get their lives on track . This is just one more step towards ensuring that our economy works for everyone .”
PITTSBURGH , PA – Pittsburgharea YEOs Natalia Rudiak , Fawn Walker- Montgomery , and Marita Garrett were among 353 local politicians who signed an open letter to President
Obama urging the US to generate 100 percent of its power from renewables by the year 2050 .
SAN
FRANCISCO , CA – YEO Supervisor Jane
Kim voted against a proposal to build a new jail complex , joining activists who called the plans misguided and costly . Those opposed to the jail said other concerns , including expanding affordable housing and homelessness prevention , should be the city ’ s top priorities instead . Membership YEO Frontline News • Q1 2016 • PG 4 www . YEONetwork . org