Citing Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard’s consistent and unwavering support for legislation to assist our nation’s families, the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy gave the congresswoman a 100 percent rating, or an A+, for her voting record in 2008.  Only 41 percent of members of the U.S. House of Representatives received an A+ or A rating on the congressional scorecard.

“Middle class means more than middle income, so we analyze legislation that directly impacts education, health care, economic security, and other tangible aspects of a middle class standard of living,” said Amy Traub, Director of Research at the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy, who directs all legislative analysis at theMiddleClass.org.

The report highlights votes on 10 bills last year that impact the quality of life of average Californians in areas such as education, healthcare, employment and housing.  The education-related votes evaluated in the report include measures to increase access to college through Pell Grants, loan forgiveness and the new GI Bill that provides full funding for a college education for returning veterans.  Regarding health insurance, the institute evaluated legislation to expand the Children’s Health Insurance Program to provide health insurance to children from low and middle-income families who cannot afford health insurance.  To help families get through the economic downturn, the report evaluates the congresswoman’s votes on legislation to extend unemployment benefits, provide tax cuts and rebates to households and businesses, institute new consumer protections for credit card users and provide financial assistance to states to purchase, sell and rehabilitate vacant foreclosed homes to stabilize neighborhoods. 

The full report is available at www.themiddleclass.org

The Drum Major Institute (DMI) for Public Policy is a non-partisan, non-profit think tank generating the ideas that fuel the progressive movement. From releasing nationally recognized studies of our increasingly fragile middle class to showcasing progressive policies that have worked to advance social and economic justice, DMI has been on the leading edge of the public policy debate. Originally called the Drum Major Foundation, DMI was founded by Harry Wachtel, lawyer and advisor to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the turbulent years of the civil rights movement. DMI was relaunched in 1999 by New York attorney William Wachtel, Harry's son, Martin Luther King III, and Ambassador Andrew Young.
 

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