FCC Agrees To Cap Exorbitant Prison Phone Rates | ThinkProgress
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
After a protracted battle to end inordinate charges for phone calls from prison that exceeded $17 for a 15-minute phone, the Federal Communications Commission voted Friday to cap the rate for interstate calls at 25 cents per minutes, meaning 15-minute calls could no longer cost more than $3.25.
The 2-1 FCC decision not only relieves the burden on inmates for whom phone calls are the primary means of contact with loved ones, including young children. It also curbs exploitation of a largely unregulated sector of the phone market, which fostered generous profits and what amounted to legalized kickbacks to states in exchange for lucrative contracts.
The effort to curb prison phone calls started with a lawsuit filed more than a decade ago that was referred to the FCC. The FCC sat on the matter for years, until it agreed in November to consider action on the matter. Factoring into the FCC’s ruling was the policy’s impact on the 2.7 million U.S. children with an incarcerated parent. Increased familial communication not only benefits those children; it also lowers the chance of inmates committing a later offense. http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/08/09/2445871/fcc-agrees-to-cap-exorbitant-prison-phone-rates/
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Women Lawmakers Push Paid Sick Leave In New Jersey | ThinkProgress
Women Lawmakers Push Paid Sick Leave In New Jersey | ThinkProgress
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
On Thursday, a group of women lawmakers were joined by union and community leaders to promote a bill that would guarantee New Jersey workers paid sick leave.
The bill, A4125, was introduced by Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt and Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg in the spring. It would give workers at companies with more than 11 people the ability to accrue up to seven days of paid sick leave a year and five days a year for those at smaller companies.
While New Jersey is one of just three states that offer workers paid family leave, the lawmakers say 1.2 million New Jersey residents don’t have access to paid time off if they or a loved one falls sick.
The battle in New Jersey comes as the fight to pass similar legislation heats up in Massachusetts. If either succeeds in passing a bill, it would join five other cities and the state of Connecticut. New York City was the latest to pass such a law, becoming the largest city in the country to guarantee workers paid sick leave.
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/08/09/2445531/paid-sick-leave-new-jersey/
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
On Thursday, a group of women lawmakers were joined by union and community leaders to promote a bill that would guarantee New Jersey workers paid sick leave.
The bill, A4125, was introduced by Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt and Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg in the spring. It would give workers at companies with more than 11 people the ability to accrue up to seven days of paid sick leave a year and five days a year for those at smaller companies.
While New Jersey is one of just three states that offer workers paid family leave, the lawmakers say 1.2 million New Jersey residents don’t have access to paid time off if they or a loved one falls sick.
The battle in New Jersey comes as the fight to pass similar legislation heats up in Massachusetts. If either succeeds in passing a bill, it would join five other cities and the state of Connecticut. New York City was the latest to pass such a law, becoming the largest city in the country to guarantee workers paid sick leave.
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/08/09/2445531/paid-sick-leave-new-jersey/
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