To build a policymaker consensus around the goal of broadening asset ownership, New America’s Asset Building Program proposed and facilitated the establishment of a bi-partisan, bi-cameral Congressional Savings and Ownership Caucus in February 2005. That work continues today, and while the membership and leadership of the CSOC has changed over time, the mission remains the same. The Caucus brings together key Members of Congress, their staffs, and leading outside experts to discuss -- in a non-partisan, forward-looking manner -- recent research findings, policy options, and potential legislative opportunities to advance the goal of expanding savings and asset ownership in America.
The Congressional Savings and Ownership Caucus is Co-Chaired by Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN), Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI), Rep. Niki Tsongas and Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA) in the 113th Congress.
To learn more about the Caucus and the activities of the Caucus, please click here.
Resources for Policymakers
At a time when debt has overloaded the American economy, saving money at the household level has become more important than ever. It is critical to have accurate information about who saves, how much, and when. That's why the Asset Building Program has put together a series of fact sheets to help provide quick answers to questions about savings, debt and American households.
- To learn more about the state of savings in American households, please click here to read our savings fact sheet.
- To learn more about the state of debt in American households, please click here to read our debt fact sheet.
External Resources
Numerous other organizations perform excellent work in the field of asset building, here are some recently issued reports and websites containing useful facts and information about asset building, saving, and economic security in the United States:
- The Economic Mobility Project of the Pew Charitable Trusts has recently produced their own fact sheet about the state of economic mobility in the US.
- The Institute on Assets and Social Policy at Brandeis University recently released their "Asset Security and Opportunity Index."
- The Urban Institute recently released a brief on asset insecurity, "Are Americans Prepared for Financial Emergencies?"
- The Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) issued their State-by-State look asset policy, "_The 2009-2010 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard." _
- The Employee Benefits Research Institute (EBRI) maintains a helpful set of "_Fast Facts" _that often deal with issues of saving, debt, and retirement security.