Cash Assistance Policies
This policy inventory compiles some family cash assistance policies that states can choose to put into place to support economic security for families with young children.
Universal Basic Income
- Establishing a guaranteed income program
More than 48 guaranteed income programs have been started in cities nationwide since 2020. Some efforts are publicly funded, and others have nongovernmental support.
Sources:
Stanford University Basic Income Lab: Map of Universal Basic Income Experiments and Related Programs
Economic Security Project: Guaranteed Income: States Lead the Way in Reimagining the Social Safety Net and Cash as Care: Healthy Moms. Healthy Families. Healthy Communities.
New York Times: Guaranteed Income Programs Spread, City by City
Baby Bonds or Child Trust Funds
- Creating subsidized wealth building and investment accounts for individual children
Example:
As of 2023, baby bonds proposals have passed in Washington, DC, Connecticut, and California and been introduced at the federal level and in eight additional states.
Sources:
NCSL: Economic Mobility Enacted Legislation Database
Prosperity Now: Baby Bonds
Urban Institute: The State of Baby Bonds
Urban Institute: As Baby Bonds Gain Momentum, States Must Grapple with These Four Implementation Questions
Prosperity Now: Toolkit: The American Opportunity Accounts Act and How to Talk about Baby Bonds
Unemployment Insurance
- Setting new unemployment insurance policy.
States can set their own policies on the coverage, duration, and amount of state-provided unemployment benefits, and the New America playbook noted below shows that implementation – how unemployment insurance is delivered – matters.
State policies vary considerably. Only one state offers a minimum of 28 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits.
Sources:
CBPP: Policy Basics: How Many Weeks of Unemployment Compensation Are Available?
New America: A Playbook for Improving Unemployment Insurance Delivery
NCCP: Early Childhood Profiles
CBPP: States Should Strengthen Unemployment Insurance Systems to Weather Possible Downturn Ahead
