[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1050 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1050
Addressing the hardships and disparities faced by Black women in order
to encourage more inclusive policymaking.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 7, 2022
Mrs. Watson Coleman (for herself, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. Kelly of
Illinois, Ms. Lee of California, Mrs. Beatty, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin,
Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms. Omar, Mrs. Lawrence, and Ms. Norton) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight
and Reform
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Addressing the hardships and disparities faced by Black women in order
to encourage more inclusive policymaking.
Whereas throughout United States history, the country's economy was built in
large part upon Black women's diminished power, through unpaid,
exploited, and forced labor;
Whereas income gaps, wealth gaps, lack of adequate worker protection laws, and a
host of other socioeconomic indicators illustrate a system that has been
designed to keep Black women without power;
Whereas Black women made up 6.4 percent of the United States workforce in 2020,
but represent 10.4 percent of the workers who would benefit from raising
the minimum wage to just $15 an hour;
Whereas economic insecurity is intensified for Black women, who have little to
no wealth to fall back on due to generational inequality and ongoing
discrimination;
Whereas discriminatory features of the United States labor market and the
punitive design of public benefits programs hinder the economic mobility
of Black women with disabilities;
Whereas, in 2019, the median wealth for Black women was $1,700, while the median
wealth for White women was $81,200, and the median wealth for White men
was $78,200;
Whereas Black women's median annual earnings for full-time year-round work in
2020 was $43,209, while the median annual earning for a full-time, year-
round White, non-Hispanic man was $67,629;
Whereas 4.7 percent of Black women overall report serious psychological
distress, and this rate nearly doubles for Black people living in
poverty;
Whereas studies show that Black women, whether insured or uninsured, receive
worse care by health care professionals, often at the expense of their
lives;
Whereas, in 2020, more than 30 percent of Black women relied on Medicaid as
their primary source of health coverage;
Whereas Black women have been denied access to safe and affordable housing
through the current rental housing market and Federal housing assistance
programs;
Whereas racist and sexist Federal policies have denied Black women access to
safe and affordable housing in both home ownership and rental markets,
rendering them more likely to be cost-burdened and face eviction;
Whereas Black college graduates owe an average of $25,000 more in student loan
debt than White college graduates;
Whereas Black women are less likely to have wealth, to own a home, to hold
retirement savings, and to receive inheritances and other family
financial support;
Whereas guaranteed income, direct cash transfers, hazard pay, an increase in
worker power, sectoral worker bargaining, and stronger labor law
protection can benefit the economic well-being of marginalized
demographics, specifically Black women;
Whereas policymakers must provide robust, permanent, dedicated funding for home
and community-based services to protect the right of Black women with
disabilities to receive care within their homes and communities;
Whereas Black women not only need access to health care providers that value
their identity, but also providers who look like them to improve Black
women's access to quality care;
Whereas we must eliminate the school-to-prison pipeline for Black girls and
prioritize restorative justice in lieu of policing in schools and our
communities to promote equitable academic success;
Whereas expanding the child tax credit and earned income tax credit,
incentivizing State tax changes, and strengthening the estate tax can
assist in centering Black women in tax reform;
Whereas critical legislation such as H.R. 6268, the Protect Black Women and
Girls Act, establishes a Task Force to examine the conditions and
experiences of Black women and girls to identify and assess the efficacy
of policies and programs designed to improve outcomes for Black women;
and
Whereas the Black Women Best (BWB) framework, as designed by Janelle Jones,
offers the blueprint to adopt a more innovative and equitable approach
to center the lived experiences of Black women in policymaking: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) supports the need to use policy frameworks similar to
the Black Women Best (BWB) framework to center the lived
experience of Black women in the policymaking process in order
to ensure a more equal and just future for all;
(2) encourages the use of this framework and those that
complement it as a guideline to create and implement better
public policies to benefit all people, and specifically Black
women; and
(3) considers legislative proposals presented in the
Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls March report,
``An Economy for All: Building a `Black Women Best' Legislative
Agenda'' to repair the historical disparities that Black women
endure and to secure an economy that works for everyone.
<all>