The second part of a multi-stage hike in the federal minimum wage takes effect July 24, raising the wage from $5.85 to $6.55 per hour. But many states and the District of Columbia are a step ahead of the federal government when it comes to guaranteeing a fair wage. This week's Economic Snapshot illustrates which states have a higher-than-federal minimum wage.

In testimony this morning before Congress's Joint Economic Committee, Jared Bernstein, a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, examines the array of economic forces and events that are squeezing most working Americans' income and living standards, and suggests some policy fixes to help ease at least some of the pain. Bernstein makes a strong case for a second stimulus package, stressing state fiscal relief and public investment in needed infrastructure to help keep more Americans working and contributing to the economy through the downturn. He also advocates strengthening oversight of the financial sector to improve stability and provide long-term protection from the kinds of bubbles that have so buffeted the US economy in recent years.

Join E.J. Dionne, Jr., Diane Sosne, Paul Almeida, and David Kusnet on Thursday, July 31st, for a lively discussion at EPI about job dissatisfaction in the New Economy, and Kusnet's new book, Love the work, hate the job: Why America's best workers are unhappier than ever.

While life expectancy has grown in the United States, the degree to which people live longer has become increasingly connected to their socio-economic status. In 2 decades, the life expectancy gap between those at the top of the socio-economic scale and those at the bottom has grown wider. Read about it in this week's Economic Snapshot.

As Congress and the Federal Reserve consider reform proposals in response to the subprime mortgage crisis, it is important to consider how and why the crisis came to have a disproportionate impact on communities of color. As part of its new Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy Program, EPI hosted a panel discussion on June 12 that explored the reasons for this disparate impact and which policy reforms can best serve the communities hardest hit. Audio and video from this event are now available.

Mexico is feeling the sting of the shrinking construction industry, which hires many Mexican immigrants. This week's Snapshot illustrates that, as construction jobs dry up, so do the remittances many immigrant workers send back home.

Critics of prevailing wage laws argue that they inflate government contract costs. But a growing body of economic studies finds that prevailing wage regulations do not increase costs. Learn more in EPI's latest briefing paper.

For a full analysis of today's employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, read EPI's Jobs Picture.

An alternative, more comprehensive measure of poverty reveals shortcomings in the official poverty rate measurements used by the U.S. government. This week's Economic Snapshot compares the two measures and illustrates how the alternative measure, which incorporates recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences, shows higher and faster growing poverty rates.

In the past, cyclical downturns in the economy prompted an increase in early retirements. Read this week's Snapshot to see what new factors may be shaping these decisions.

It now takes just 3.7 days for the highest-paid earners to make what most of us do in a year. Get the facts at a glance in this week's Snapshot.

Hispanics and African Americans received about double the rate of subprime loans compared to whites during 2006, raising the prospect of discrimination. Read about this alarming disparity in this week's Economic Snapshot.

A task force of national policy experts with diverse religious and political affiliations, in public policy fields including education, social welfare, health, housing, and civil rights have launched a campaign to break a decades-long cycle of reform efforts that promised much and have achieved far too little. In ads in The New York Times and The Washington Post, the task force -- convened by EPI's president and education policy director, Lawrence Mishel -- calls for a "Broader, Bolder Approach to Education" to raise achievement levels for disadvantaged children. Read the statement of the task force and to add your name to the list of signers.

In the past, cyclical downturns in the economy prompted an increase in early retirements. Read this week?s Snapshot to see what new factors may be shaping these decisions.

It now takes just 3.7 days for the highest-paid earners to make what most of us do in a year. Get the facts at a glance in this week?s Snapshot.

Hispanics and African Americans received about double the rate of subprime loans compared to whites during 2006, raising the prospect of discrimination. Read about this alarming disparity in this week?s Economic Snapshot.

A task force of national policy experts with diverse religious and political affiliations, in public policy fields including education, social welfare, health, housing, and civil rights have launched a campaign to break a decades-long cycle of reform efforts that promised much and have achieved far too little. In ads in The New York Times and The Washington Post, the task force -- convened by EPI's president and education policy director, Lawrence Mishel -- calls for a "Broader, Bolder Approach to Education" to raise achievement levels for disadvantaged children. Read the statement of the task force and to add your name to the list of signers.

In light of the jump in the jobless rate, EPI President Lawrence Mishel urges Congress to finally extend unemployment insurance benefits. For a full analysis of today's employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, read EPI's Jobs Picture.

EPI's new Briefing Paper, Bailing out on America, shows that at least 14,000 new U.S. jobs hang in the balance of the Air Force's decision regarding who gets the contract for its new tanker aircraft. But beyond these jobs, the experience gained under this contract will give the winner a leg up in securing future contracts with the Air Force and militaries in other countries for these aircraft, meaning even more jobs in the future. The United States is the lone country in the developed world to make these types of purchases without regard to domestic employment or the competitiveness of its domestic aerospace industry.

President Bush wants to spend approximately $2,500 per union to make sure they comply with the law. By contrast, his budget proposes only $26.08 per employer to make sure they comply with labor standards law, including overtime rules, child labor laws, and the Family and Medical Leave Act, among others. Read about it in this week's Economic Snapshot.