New episode of Maine Policy Matters podcast discusses UBI, Covid-19, and Maine

President Donald Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act into law on March 27, 2020. Contained within the bipartisan legislation was the establishment of direct cash payments for many Americans amounting to $1,200 with an additional $500 for each child. As Congress moves towards bipartisan agreement on a ‘phase 4’ relief package, more direct cash payments have been agreed upon. On the global political landscape, Spain has recently announced that it is moving towards a permanent basic income program to aid workers and families affected by Covid-19.

Maine Policy Matters host, Daniel Soucier, virtually sat down with Michael Howard, coeditor of the journal Basic Income Studies and the national coordinator for the United States Basic Income Guarantee Network to find out what basic income is, what type of pilot programs exist in the US and across the globe, and the confluence of basic income policies with the novel coronavirus pandemic to discuss the policy matter of basic income and why basic income matters to Maine.

Maine Policy Matters is the official podcast of the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center. Future episodes Maine Policy Matters will be discussing:

• Childless Elders and the Coronavirus Pandemic
• Dealing with Twin Pandemics: Opioid Use Disorder and Coronavirus
• Education Policy and Covid-19

The podcast can be found where podcasts are hosting including Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, and Google Play, or by clicking the following link, Maine Policy Matters.