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Congress and state legislatures should ensure that all lawfully present non-citizen residents who qualify for essential low-income benefits have access to them.
Asset limits for public-benefit programs should be increased to ensure that they do not discourage saving. These limits should then be indexed to keep up with inflation.
The federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefit level should be increased to bring beneficiaries up to the poverty level. States should supplement those benefit payments.
When economic conditions permit, states should accumulate budget reserves adequate to maintain services during recessions.
Deficit-reduction efforts should avoid cuts in programs that serve low- and moderate-income populations.
The definition of household in SNAP regulations should be clarified. It should be easier for extended families to qualify for and receive adequate benefits.
Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) should ensure that states do not deter the use of electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards needed for services.
Employers should be required to automatically enroll employees in their retirement plans.
The laws governing state and local retirement funds should be amended where necessary to provide surviving and divorced spouses of public retirees with at least the same protections that the Employ