Welcome
New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund (NJCAEF) is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization, founded in 1983, promoting the empowerment of low- and middle-income people through research, education and training around public policy issues and direct counseling and services. We work with the state's largest citizen watchdog coalition, New Jersey Citizen Action.
MAJOR EVENT! September 14 — Financial Reform Summit (SEE BELOW).
From Our Mission Statement
NJCAEF's goals are to promote economic and social justice, to empower and organize the unorganized, to build a strong progressive coalition working on issues of common concern, strengthening our base both collectively as a coalition and as individual organizations.
Our education focuses on community, senior, consumer, labor and other constituencies that would be affected by pocketbook issues like changes in the tax code, health care reform, environmental hazards, and utility rates. We have comprehensive outreach and training programs to assist families in dealing with insurers, banks, health providers, utilities, and telecommunications service providers. Read our complete Mission Statement.
September 14 — Financial Reform Summit
Financial Reform Summit
Making it Work for New Jersey:
A Statewide Education and Implementation Summit
Tuesday, September 14, 2010 — 10am to 3:30pm
Rutgers University Student Center
126 College Avenue
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Map and Directions
Please RSVP by Friday, September 10, 2010
This program is held in partnership with Rutgers University Department of Labor Studies and Employment Relations
History has been made! — This summer, President Obama signed one of the most significant pieces of financial regulatory legislation passed since the Great Depression. These reforms will bring transparency and accountability to Wall Street and protect consumers on Main Street. Let's ensure that this historic law is implemented effectively and that all New Jerseyans are informed as programs are established and new rules and guidelines are set.
With compromises being made by all sides, it is now time to roll up our sleeves and make this law work for New Jersey. The success (or failure) of financial reform will depend on how well we understand, publicize and implement the law and the opportunities it presents. It is vitally important that all sectors of the population who will be touched by this legislation continue to work together in a strong partnership as this new law becomes a reality.
Please join stakeholders of financial reform — including consumer advocates, community leaders, elected officials, bankers, regulators, labor leaders, seniors, academics, students and members of the public — gathering to discuss what's in the law, what's not in the law and where we go from here.
Speakers will outline the major provisions of the new law, the policy options, and the impact on consumers, investors and small business owners. State and national reform experts will also discuss the establishment of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and how it will expand consumer safeguards. Additionally, panelists will explore the effect of the new law on the flow of capital back into our communities and the impact it will have on asset building opportunities.
Please RSVP by Friday, September 10, 2010
Admission is free. Seating is limited. Please RSVP online (click here) to reserve your space; or RSVP by phone at 732-246-4772 Ext. 18. Please include your name, organization or business, title, phone, email, and address including city, state, and zip code.
Distribute the Flyer (click here) and spread the word!
NEW! If you would like to be a sponsor of the Financial Reform Summit, please download this Form in PDF (click here), and see the details in the final section. Thank you!
At–A–Glance Agenda
| 10 a.m. | Registration |
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| 10:15 a.m. | Welcome, Introductions and Agenda Review Phyllis Salowe-Kaye, Executive Director, New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund The Honorable Robert Menendez (invited), US Senator for New Jersey |
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| 10:30 a.m. | The Financial Reform Organizing Campaign Heather Booth, Executive Director, Americans for Financial Reform (AFR) Heather will provide a comprehensive overview of how a coalition of national, state and local consumer, labor, retiree, investor, community, business, and civil rights organizations was formed and waged a campaign for real reform of our nation's financial system. She will share the war stories and key success factors that brought about historic financial reform. |
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| 11 a.m. | Financial Reform from a Lender's Perspective E. Robert Levy, Executive Director & Counsel, Mortgage Bankers Association of NJ and PA Bob will provide an overview of how bankers view the new financial reform legislation, what they think will work and what they think needs to be changed. He will discuss how the legislation will affect mortgage availability for low- and moderate-income buyers and the impact the new consumer protections will have on lending. |
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| 11 a.m. | All-Conference Plenary Discussion: Implementing Reform in New Jersey The Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was created "to promote the financial stability of the United States by improving accountability and transparency in the financial system, to end 'too big to fail', to protect the American taxpayer by ending bailouts, to protect consumers from abusive financial services practices." Panelists will discuss how financial institutions, bankers and brokers, small businesses, homebuyers, homeowners and other consumers will be affected in both the long and short term. Attention will be paid to the current policies and practices in New Jersey that will change. Panelists will discuss what we, in New Jersey, can do to influence the implementation through the rules and regulations that are still to be created. MODERATOR: Alan Charney, USAction, Policy Director |
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| 12:30 p.m. | LUNCH |
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| 1 p.m. | Lunch Keynote — The Role and Function of the Consumer Financial Protection Board Ed Mierzwinski, Consumer Program Director, U.S. Public Interest Research Group |
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| 1:30 p.m. | Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Modernization John Taylor, President, National Community Reinvestment Coalition An updated CRA will play a major role in rebuilding NJ neighborhoods and businesses decimated by the Great Recession. CRA has brought millions of dollars of investment to our state's low- and moderate-income communities that were on track for recovery. Many of these communities have now been devastated by foreclosure and are also reeling from job losses resulting from the economic crisis. Can a modernized CRA help to provide the programs needed to stimulate these areas? What should the new legislation look like? |
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| 2 p.m. | How the Law will Affect Small Businesses Sam Blair, Network Director, Main Street Alliance J. Kelly Conklin, NJMSA Steering Committee member; Owner of Foley-Waite Custom Woodworking This presentation details the Dodd-Frank provisions relating to small business. Sam will review how the financial reform law will affect small businesses, and he will discuss public policies that still need to be put into place for New Jersey businesses, employees, and communities to flourish in these tough economic times. |
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| 2:30 p.m. | Auto Loans as Financial Instruments Speaker, To Be Determined Auto Loans have not been regulated by the new law. How will this affect consumers? Should consumers who obtain loans from auto dealers receive the same protections as those covered under the new law? |
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| 3 p.m. | Closing Speaker, To Be Determined |
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| 3:30 p.m. | Adjourned |
Renewal of PNC's Three-Year Community Reinvestment Commitment to New Jersey
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| L to R: Diane Sterner, executive director of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey; Phyllis Salowe-Kaye, executive director of New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund; William Best, senior vice president for PNC. |
On August 31, 2010, New Jersey Citizen Action, the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey, and PNC formally signed PNC's three-year Community Reinvestment Agreement for almost $1 billion.
In renewing their commitment to the people of New Jersey by signing this three-year agreement, PNC is extending its pledge to lend and invest in low- and moderate-income communities, to individuals, and to small businesses owned by women and minorities. PNC will offer below market rate mortgages with low down payment requirements, no points and no PMI for low- and moderate-income borrowers, grants for closing costs, and grants and loans for residents with disabilities.
This agreement will also provide refinance loans, consumer loans, and capital for low-income and moderate- income business owners. PNC has also made a major commitment to New Jersey's community development nonprofits. PNC has agreed to provide products including loans for site acquisition and construction financing, lines of credit for rehab and resale, and permanent financing for affordable housing development. Non-residential real estate loans for construction and permanent financing will also be available to non-profit organizations.
In addition, PNC will continue to support local small business lending and is making a commitment to lend to businesses located in low- and moderate-income communities and to smaller businesses borrowing $100,000 or less.
- News Coverage: "PNC Pledges More Than $900 Million In Community Reinvestment" (The Record / NorthJersey.com — September 1, 2010), "PNC Bank Renews Mortgage-Lending Commitment To Low And Moderate Income" (NJBIZ — August 31, 2010).
What Next? Making Health Care Work for New Jersey
A Statewide Health Care Implementation Conference
Thank you for attending the Health Care Implementation Conference on June 8, 2010 and making it a huge success! Special thanks to Community Catalyst, all the panelists, our planning committee, and all the conference participants — your breadth of knowledge, diversity, thoughtful questions, and feedback made this a truly dynamic and substantive event.
Now that we have set the stage for implementation in our state, it is time to roll up our sleeves and get the work done. Please join us in taking the next steps to support implementation by joining our NJ for Health Care Coalition. With your help we can ensure that our state maximizes the benefits available to us through the federal health reform law. Please sign on to the NJ for Health Care coalition to get more involved.
Click here to see all Materials from Conference.
Free Tax Preparation / Preparacion De Taxes Gratis
| 1-888-TAXES-11 Or Text the word "TAXES" to 89074 |
1-888-TAXES-11 Ó Texto La Parbla 'TAXES' to 89074 |
| Click here for full details | Información en Español |
The Cost of Failure to Enact Health Reform: 2010 – 2020
This new report shows that the cost of failure to enact national health care reform would be high, especially for middle-class families. Under the worst-case scenario, failure to pass national reform would result in:
- The number of uninsured Americans increasing from 49.4 million in 2010 to 59.7 million in 2015 and 67.6 million in 2020.
- A larger share of the uninsured coming from middle- and higher-income families.
- Premiums becoming increasingly expensive for employers and their workers.
- Offers of coverage falling significantly for workers in small and medium firms.
- Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance (CHIP) enrollment and costs increasing substantially.
- Employers seeing large increases in premium costs.
- Uncompensated care costs more than doubling.
- Health care costs paid directly by families increasing significantly.
Resources
- Full Report.
- NJCAEF's Press Statement.
- Cost of Failure Uninsured Fact Sheet.
- Cost of Failure CHIP Fact Sheet.
- Cost of Failure Employer Fact Sheet.
- Cost of Failure Uncompensated Care Fact Sheet.
NJ Policy Perspective Report — What National Health Reform Means for New Jersey
On February 24, 2010, the NJ Consumer Voices for Coverage (CVC) Leadership Team released a new report by Ray Castro, Senior Policy Analyst at NJ Policy Perspective, analyzing the impact of national health care reform on New Jersey. NJ CVC was joined by Congressman Rush Holt (NJ-12) in explaining the benefits of comprehensive national health reform including expanded coverage, improved quality, and lower health care costs for New Jersey residents.
The Report looks at key provisions of the House and Senate health care bills and President Obama's health reform proposal released on Monday, February 22nd and recommends which elements of each proposal best serve the Garden State.
- Read the Report: "Estimated Impact of Health Reform Bills Passed by the House and Senate on New Jersey."
- Summary of the Report.
- Press Release.
- List of Press Conference Speakers.
- Statement of Eve Weissman, NJ Citizen Action Education Fund.
- Dr. Jeffrey Brenner, MD, Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers.
- Kelly Conklin, NJ Main Street Alliance.
New Report Shows How Much New Jersey Families Can Afford to Spend on Health Care
A new report by the NJ Consumer Voices for Coverage Leadership Team shows how much money New Jersey families can afford to spend on health care. New Jersey Consumer Voices for Coverage launched Making Health Care Affordable for New Jersey: Real Families, Real Stories to educate New Jersey residents, through community-based organizations, about the health reform debate going on around them, and to take a practical look at what families can, or cannot, afford to pay for their health care.
The aim of this project is to aid policymakers in understanding how much real families living in New Jersey can afford to spend on health care, based on real stories and household budgets of people living across the State. The stories and data presented in this report come from 648 families who attended over 40 community-based workshops throughout New Jersey. Their stories present numerous policy implications on the need to develop a reasonable standard of affordability for New Jersey families if health reform is going to succeed in reducing the number of New Jersey's uninsured.
Key Findings
- A majority of families cannot make ends meet and are operating in the red. 52.9% of respondents reported monthly expenses outpacing monthly income resulting in a negative cash flow by month's end.
- Families are delaying needed health care because of high costs. 46.4% of respondents report forgoing needed medical care due to cost or lack of insurance in the past year.
- Health care costs cause financial hardship for families. 13% of families reported having medical debt, the result of unpaid health care bills.
- Uninsured families report delaying care at high rates. 77.0% of families without health insurance report delaying needed care due to cost or lack of insurance in the last year.
- Many with health insurance also cannot afford needed care. 32.1% of insured respondents report delaying needed care due to cost in the past year.
- Those with chronic health conditions are more likely to delay care. 54.0% of those with chronic health conditions report delaying needed care due to cost or lack of insurance compared with 46.4% of total respondents.
Policy Recommendations
- Develop and implement a sliding scale affordability measure based on income to ensure that New Jersey families are not required to pay more for health care than they can afford.
- The affordability scale should provide full subsidies to cover the entire cost of health care for families up to 200% FPL and sliding scale subsides for families at least up to 399% FPL.
- New Jersey must collect more data to determine how much families above 400% FPL can afford to spend on health care.
Resources
- Full Report.
- Press Release.
- One-Page Report Summary.
- News Coverage: "Advocates: Health Care Will Still Elude Many In N.J." (Star-Ledger — December 2, 2009), "Report: New Jersey Families Struggling With Health Care Costs" (New Jersey Newsroom — December 2, 2009), "New Report Shows Health Care Affordability For NJ Families" (NewsBlaze — December 2, 2009), "Survey Claims New Jersey Health Care Costs Prevent Treatment For Many" (Press of Atlantic City — December 1, 2009), "New Report Shows Health Care Costs Cause Financial Hardship For NJ Families" (Radio News Source — December 1, 2009 — AUDIO NEWS).
New Report: The Right Rx for NJ — National Health Care Reform
On October 8, 2009 members of the NJ For Health Care Coalition released a new report by NJ Policy Perspective that shows the impact of the health care bill currently in the US House of Representatives on New Jersey's public health and economy.
The report analyzes the major provisions in "America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009" (HR 3200) and describes how the bill will benefit New Jersey residents including low and middle income families, small businesses, children, adults, seniors, people with disabilities, and the uninsured. It is the first and only comprehensive analysis examining the impact of HR 3200 on New Jerseyans to date. New Jersey Policy Perspective has also broken down the information by county and Congressional District.
- Read Key Findings from the Report.
- Read the full Report: "The Right Rx for NJ: National Health Care Reform."
- Congressional District and County Breakout Data.
- Press Conference Speakers.
- Statement of Ray Castro, NJ Policy Perspective.
- Statement of Eve Weissman, NJ Citizen Action Education Fund.
- Statement of Kelly Conklin, NJ Main Street Alliance.
- Statement of Reverend Bruce Davidson, Lutheran Office of Governmental Ministry of NJ.
- Press Release.
- Press Coverage: News Coverage: "Advocates: Health Care Will Still Elude Many In N.J." (Star-Ledger — December 2, 2009), "Report 'Prescribes' Public Option To State" (Daily Targum — October 12, 2009), "N.J.'s Public Health, Economy 'Threatened' Without Universal Care, Report Says" (Star-Ledger – October 8, 2009) and "Report: Health Care Reform Bill Would Benefit N.J." (New Jersey Newsroom – October 8, 2009).
Photos from the "The Right Rx for NJ" Press Conference |
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| Ray Castro, Senior Policy Analyst at NJ Policy Perspective and author of the report explains the findings | Reverend Bruce Davidson, Director of the Lutheran Office of Governmental Ministry of NJ | Kelly Conklin, Small Business Owner in Bloomfield, NJ and Spokesperson for the NJ Main Street Alliance discusses the need to reform health care from a small business perspective |
Out-Of-Pocket Health Care Costs Could Increase by More than 35 Percent in Every State by 2019
A new report commissioned by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) projects that if national health care reform is not enacted, the cost of failure will be substantial. In every state, the number of uninsured will increase, employer-sponsored insurance coverage will continue to erode, spending on public programs will balloon and out-of-pocket health care costs for individuals and families could increase by more than 35 percent over the next decade. While people at all income levels will be affected, middle-class working families would be hardest hit.
The report shows that within 10 years:
- As many as 1.9 million New Jersey residents could be uninsured - up from 1.4 million this year.
- The average New Jersey resident would see his/her health care spending rise by as much as 67.8%.
- New Jersey employers would see premiums continue to skyrocket - increasing up to 101.6%.
- New Jersey government would see Medicaid/CHIP spending rise by as much as 105.7%.
- The amount of uncompensated care in New Jersey would increase by as much as 138.6%.
Resources:
- Press Release.
- Complete Report.
- Press Coverage: "Report Says Failure To Reform Health Care Will Be Costly" (Patriot — October 1, 2009).
Health Reform: The Cost of Failure
On May 21, 2009, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), along with New Jersey Citizen Action and the NJ Citizen Action Education Fund released a report, "Health Reform: The Cost of Failure."
It projects that if federal health care reform efforts are not enacted soon, within 10 years the cost of health care for businesses could double and the number of uninsured Americans could reach 66 million — with middle-income families hardest hit. The report was conducted by researchers from the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C. Read the Press Release, Statement, and full report.
Loan Counseling Service and NJ Judiciary Foreclosure Mediation Program
You may be able to participate in the NJ Judiciary Foreclosure Mediation Program. Click here for more information, including full eligibility requirements.
Our Loan Counseling Service Application is now linked to the NJCA Website, and can be completed and submitted entirely online.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Report "At the Brink: Trends in America's Uninsured 1994–2007"
With Congress and the Obama administration discussing how to reform the nation's health care system, this new report looks at what has happened since the last significant reform effort ended in 1994 without any comprehensive congressional action. At the Brink: Trends in America's Uninsured 1994-2007 chronicles state-by-state health coverage trends. The report finds that over the last 15 years, nearly every state has seen increased numbers of uninsured residents, greater costs for workers while their incomes are flat, and significant erosion of private coverage.
- Read NJ Citizen Action Education Fund's Public Statement, distributed on Wednesday, March 25, 2009
- Read At the Brink: Trends in America's Uninsured 1994-2007 (PDF of full report)
Our Economic Security Center Can Help You — And It's Free
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Our goal is to increase your economic security by helping you understand how to get public benefits, tax credits and other essential services to which you are entitled. These programs provide a cushion against everyday setbacks — a sick child, car trouble, temporary job loss — that can become catastrophes in your life.
Call Us Today: 1-888-829-3711
744 Broad Street, Suite 2080
Newark, New Jersey 07102
Map and Directions
HOURS: Monday through Friday, from 8am–4pm
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The Citizen Action Economic Security Center is an Empowerment Project of New Jersey Citizen Action and the New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund and is supported by the Sovereign Endowment at the Independence Community Foundation and Single Stop USA.
From NJCA Education Fund Executive Director Phyllis Salowe-Kaye
2007 saw many great accomplishments for the New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund (NJCAEF). We educated our members, the public, the media, and policy makers about vital progressive issues such as Universal healthcare, a safe end to the war in Iraq, fair and clean elections, and paid family leave insurance.
We worked hard to lower utility rates in the state and saved ratepayers up to $2.3 billion a year by preventing the costly merger between PSE&G and Chicago-based Exelon Corporation which would have created a giant utility monopoly capable of easily manipulating energy supplies and polices. At the same time, the New Jersey Citizen Action Oil Group continued to provide lower cost home heating oil, saving members an average of $200 – $400.
We also provided direct service to thousands of low- and moderate-income individuals, families, and seniors in the form of financial education, homeownership preparation and foreclosure prevention, and lead poisoning abatement.