President Obama presented the American

Jobs Act of 2011 on September 8th and sent it to Congress

on September 12th. Want to know what it's all about?

Here’s the rundown.

How does it help…

the unemployed? It makes it

illegal for employers to discriminate against unemployed job

applicants because of their unemployed status, and would extend

unemployment benefits, among other provisions.

employers? It cuts the payroll tax

in half for 98 percent of companies. It also gives a $4,000 bonus to

employers who hire the long-term unemployed.

veterans? It creates a “Returning

Heroes” tax credit to employers ...

The

White House Office of Public Engagement has scheduled a series of ten

state calls (see list and specific invitation below). Note there are

two calls today (Wednesday) for folks in California and Colorado and

the rest through the end of this week. You are welcome to forward

this invitation far and wide.

White

House staff want to speak with constituents about the federal budget

deficit/debt deal. There will be an opportunity to ask questions. NPP

hopes you will be able to join in and ask a question and/or make a

comment. (Tip: Call facilitators often give instructions ...

I had the real privilege of

speaking at the Michigan Forum on Jobs and Human Needs on Saturday,

March 6, 2001. Sponsored by a great mix of labor, faith, peace and

student groups, the event was held in Lansing, Michigan, the state's

capital, which is located within Ingham County.

Many of the conference organizers

are affiliated with Our Nation's Checkbook (ONCB), a national budget

priorities organizing campaign run amazingly well out of Friends

Committee on National Legislation and supported by NPP's information.My task was to answer the

question: What the heck does the federal budget have ...

NPP

Provides State-Level Analysis of the President'sFiscal

Year 2012 Budget RequestToday

the White House released the Obama Administration's budget request

for Fiscal Year 2012, which begins on October 1, 2011.

As

expected, the estimated $3.7 trillion FY2012 request contains a

number of critical policy and fiscal goals, including:

Reducing

the government's annual deficit by placing a five-year freeze on

so-called "non-security" discretionary spending, while

eliminating a series of fossil fuel-related tax breaks and projecting

an end to the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans in 2012;

Investing

in education, with a goal of training more ...

To the Congress of the United States:America is emerging from the worst recession in generations. In 2010, an economy that had been shrinking began to grow again. After nearly 2 years of job losses, America’s businesses added more than one million jobs. Our capital and credit markets are functioning and strong. Manufacturing is coming back. And after teetering on the brink of liquidation just 2 years ago, America’s auto industry is posting healthy gains and returning money to the taxpayers who helped it through a period of turmoil. The determination and resilience of the American people and ...

As one third of the country prepares

for winter weather this week, state and local governments are

struggling to find a way to pay for the aftermath. Snow and ice

removal is taking a toll on budgets across the country, and winter is

not yet over. Today we'll take a quick look at some of those

governments and how they are planning to meet their needs.

States that do not usually see snow in

the winter, particularly in the South, are finding other places in

the budget to take their snow removal money from. South Carolina, who

spent an ...

In the last couple of years it's become strikingly clear that the majority of people in the United States do not know where or how their federal tax dollars are spent. As a result, they feel disengaged from both the personal and societal impacts of federal spending and believe they receive little benefit from and have little influence over the creation or oversight of our nation's budget.

The absence of clear information about U.S. federal spending and its local impact has helped erode democratic participation. NPP believes that the federal budgeting process is meant to be participatory ...