The residents of Baltimore will be handed out $1,000 in the event of their agreement with the “baby bonus” scheme that provides new parents with a one-off reward.
A group of Baltimore teachers is soliciting for help to get this program approved with expectation of reducing childhood poverty from its very beginning.
Supporters worked hard on a successful drive to gather 10,000 signatures, which resulted in the proposal being placed on the ballot. They conducted extensive canvassing and came up with an attractive logo: a cartoon stork carrying a money sack, AP reports.
This suggestion borrows heavily from Flint Michigan where women are paid $1,500 at mid-pregnancy and $500 per month after giving birth for one year thus marking first such initiative in America unlike other countries like Europe or Asia have had bigger money payments aimed at encouraging higher numbers of births rather than addressing child poverty directly; for example Italy has baby bonus checks for increased population growth.
While organisers behind the Baltimore initiative say systemic change is needed nationally to lift families out of poverty, they believe that providing new parents with small cash assistance may be an important initial step towards this goal.
President Nate Golden from Maryland Child Alliance said Parami News, this proposal is our way of offering financial support to people who give birth or adopt babies.
“We started the Baltimore Baby Bonus as a campaign where we could go around state legislators around city legislators take our message directly to voters”, added Golden.
To put the measure on the 2024 General Election ballot would require 10,000 valid signatures that have been verified by the board of elections.
One major goal is to lower poverty. In Baltimore alone child poverty rates among school-aged children stand at about 31% reflecting national figures where poverty rates down from federal aid during pandemic have since gone up now standing in approximately 12% as at 2022 also.
Golden highlighted how urgent it was in Baltimore where many students experience homelessness, food insecurity and other issues outside the classroom that prevent them from learning properly, Parami News reported.
The initiative will give every new Baltimore parent a one-time payment of at least $1,000 if it is approved. With an estimated 7,000 births in the city annually, the program would cost approximately $7 million per year, or about 0.16% of the city’s annual budget.
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