As our Academy starts a new fiscal year, we wish to express deep gratitude to our Members and colleagues for their ongoing support of our work, especially during this time of economic and health catastrophes.
We acknowledge especially the contributions of time, talent, and treasure on the part of Members and supporters, which have propelled a very successful start to our 2020 Ball Award: Campaign for Social Insurance. Our virtual kick-off event on June 23rd, A Stronger Society, A Fairer Future, was a hit in every way – from the substance of the full day of sessions and listening to inspirational songs of social insurance, to donations that helped us achieve our fundraising goal. If you were unable to join us, a recap of each session is available on our website.
The Campaign for Social Insurance will continue throughout the remainder of 2020, including a fall event to honor this year’s Ball Award recipients, Jacob Hacker and Virginia Reno. Stay tuned for more details about this event and other future Campaign activities. If you have not yet done so, please consider making a contribution by purchasing a sponsorship or ticket to the Campaign.
As many of you have noted, times like these not only highlight the indispensable role our nation’s social insurance infrastructure fulfills in providing economic and health security, but also draw attention to the critical gaps that we must urgently address. While continuing to examine ways we might enhance the established pillars of social insurance – Social Security, Medicare, Unemployment Insurance, and Workers’ Compensation – we must also be exploring growing risks and needs in such policy areas as Universal Family Care and Assured Income. As part of this effort, we are continuing to hold virtual roundtables and “Main Street” forums. In the area of Universal Family Care, our “Main Street” forums this summer and fall are focusing on caregiving needs in Minnesota, California, Illinois, and Michigan.
One of the Academy’s primary vehicles to examine these gaps is our Economic Security Study Panel, launched late last year, and on which we both serve as Co-Chairs along with the Academy’s Treasurer, Jason Fichtner. The Study Panel is on track to issue its final report later this year to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the landmark report of the 1935 Committee on Economic Security. The final report will also be the focus of our 2021 annual policy conference. More details about our conference, which will be a virtual event, will be provided later this year.
Throughout our new fiscal year, we will continue to deliver on the racial justice pledge we made and have reinforced during the past two months.
Thank you again for all you do to help make our work possible. We look forward to continued collaboration.
Sincerely,
William M. Rodgers III Renée M. Landers
Chair Vice Chair
