By Rachel Goldfarb, originally published on Next New Deal
Click here to subscribe to Roosevelt First, our weekday morning email featuring the Daily Digest.
Bright Future Chicago Pushes for Universal Preschool (Chicago Tonight)
Roosevelt Institute Fellow Saqib Bhatti explains one way that universal preschool could be funded: Chicago could pursue legal claims against banks for bad interest rate swap deals.
Jerry Brown Signs Bill Requiring Employers to Give Paid Sick Leave (The Sacramento Bee)
California is the second state to enact state-wide paid sick leave, but David Siders reports that labor groups aren't in full support of the new law because it excludes home health care workers.
Asset Limits Are a Barrier to Economic Security and Mobility (CAP)
Rebecca Vallas and Joe Valenti explain how asset limits on social safety net programs prevent low-income families from building necessary economic stability, and lay out a plan for reform.
The Federal Reserve's Too Cozy Relations With Banks (WSJ)
Stephen Haber and Ross Levine suggest ways to limit banks' influence with the Federal Reserve, including requiring ex-Fed officials to agree to a waiting period before taking jobs in financial services.
Student Debt Collections Are Leaving the Elderly in Poverty (Bloomberg Businessweek)
Federal student debt among the elderly has increased sixfold since 2005, and a law meant to keep garnishments from putting retirees in poverty is in dire need of an update, reports Natalie Kitroeff.
Who Needs a Smoke-Filled Room? (NYT)
Thomas Edsall lays out an example of the complicated structures that allow tax-exempt "social welfare" organizations to spend millions of dollars on political campaigns with little accountability.
These Charts Are Good News if Your Employer Pays for Health Insurance (TNR)
Jonathan Cohn says that the slowed premium increases for employer-sponsored insurance this year are another sign that the Affordable Care Act is keeping health care costs down.