New York, NY – Today, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley signed into law landmark legislation that will allow voters to both register to vote and cast a ballot during the state’s early voting period. Twelve states and the District of Columbia now offer Same Day Registration. Senate Bill 279 also adds two additional days to the early voting period, increasing the number from six to eight days to vote prior to Election Day.
We were deeply saddened to learn today of the sudden passing of our friend and ally in the fight for a more inclusive democracy Bob Edgar, President of Common Cause. Our hearts go out to his family and friends as well as the board and staff at Common Cause.
As former and present Secretaries of the State of Connecticut, we are very proud of our state for broadening our democracy by adopting a public financing system for our legislative and statewide campaigns. As former legislators, we understand intimately the fundraising aspects of standing for election, and as Secretaries of the State we have been responsible for administration and implementation of campaign finance laws.
ALBANY, NY – Connecticut’s public campaign finance program is making the state legislature more responsive to voter priorities, helping lawmakers spend more time with constituents, and reducing the power of moneyed special interests, according to a compelling report released today that underscores the potential impact of similar reform in New York State.
One motivation for this hearing is the recent study by the Federal Trade Commission finding that one in five American consumers identified material errors on their credit reports that were substantiated by the credit reporting agencies.
ALBANY, NY – As New York State considers campaign finance reform, the national public policy center Demos will release a new report detailing how public financing is improving Connecticut’s legislative processes and relieving lawmakers of special interest burdens at a press conference in Albany on Monday, April 22nd at 11:00 AM.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Corporate Reform Coalition calls on newly confirmed SEC Chair Mary Jo White to act now to require disclosure of corporate political spending. A record-breaking 500,000 investors and members of the public have submitted comments supporting the rule, demonstrating the importance of this issue. Chair White should seize this pivotal opportunity to safeguard shareholders by providing them with information necessary for their investing decisions.
Over the past decade, Demos has conducted extensive research on credit card debt among low- and middle-income households. As part of this research, we have become increasingly concerned with how families are being financially penalized for being in debt, making it difficult, if not impossible, for them to ever get out of debt. In 2012, we surveyed a nationally representative sample of about a thousand low- and middle-income households that were carrying credit card debt for three months or longer. I was the principal researcher on that study.
NEW YORK, NY – In advance of the release of this month’s job figures, national public policy center Demos today issued a new report analyzing the lasting economic effects of youth unemployment.
A new report by Professors Benjamin Page, Larry Bartels, and Jason Seawright presents the findings from one of the first studies of its kind—a study of the political clout and policy preferences of the wealth. Based on a pilot study of Chicagoans with a mean wealth of 14 million, "Democracy and the Policy Preferences of Wealthy Americans" shows that the wealthiest Americans not only are the most politically active, but have a different set of policy priorities.
Senator Musto, Representative Jutila, Senator McLachlan, Representative Hwang, Members of the Committee. Thank you for having me here today. It gives me great pleasure to come before the Committee on which I served for all ten years of my legislative service and with which I worked so closely in my years as Secretary of the State.
Demos is a public policy organization working for an America where we all have an equal say in our democracy and an equal chance in our economy. We are based here in New York City. On behalf of Demos, I thank the Committee on Civil Service and Labor for this opportunity to present testimony on Intro 97-A: The Paid Sick Time Act.
My name is Wallace Turbeville. I am a Senior Fellow at Demos, a national public policy organization working to reduce political and economic inequality, advancing a vision of a country where we all have an equal say in our democracy and an equal chance in our economy. I am testifying today on behalf of Americans for Financial Reform, a coalition of more than 250 organizations who have come together to advocate for the reform of the financial sector. I would also like to thank Marcus Stanley, AFR’s Policy Director, for assistance in preparing this testimony.
Demos strongly urges the members of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee to vote in favor of confirming Richard Cordray to direct the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for a full term. Director Cordray is highly qualified and has done an admirable job leading the Bureau so far.
Demos is a non-partisan public policy organization working for an America where we all have an equal say in our democracy and an equal chance in our economy.
Demos released a new report showing how the rise of high frequency trading (HFT) comes at a massive cost to the real economy, despite Wall Street’s claims to the contrary.
NEW YORK, NY—While much of the country’s attention is focused on the need for job growth, a new report released today by national public policy organization Demos reveals the ways in which the use of credit history in hiring acts as a significant barrier to employment and may lead to discriminatory hiring practices, particularly for people of color and the long-term unemployed.
Demos strongly supports the Attorney General's proposal to require 501(c)(4) organizations that spend at least $10,000 to influence New York state and local elections to disclose the identity of their donors who have contributed more than $100.