Young Adults
Historically, young people face greater disadvantages during an economic downturn–they have fewer years of experience, less education and have not had time to build up emergency savings. Young workers are already the most likely to be unemployed or under-employed even during good economic times and, despite unemployment hitting 50-year lows in January 2023, young adults continued to face unemployment rates roughly twice the national average.
Recent investments in young adults created a more stable foundation.
Approximately 195,000 young workers benefited from the American Rescue Plan Act’s temporary expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to include young workers without children.² Including both the federal and state credits, workers without children in Michigan are estimated to have received an average total credit of $875 in tax year 2021. This is money they could use for car repairs, college classes or savings.
In 2021, 396,037 students at 112 Michigan colleges and universities received Emergency Aid Grants worth $1,430 on average to support any expense related to the cost of attendance, including food, housing, mental health and child care. These grants were well-targeted, with 80% of Pell Grant recipients receiving direct aid.²
In March 2020, the Office of Federal Student Aid paused student loan repayments, a move that has benefited approximately 233,100 Michiganders ages 24 and under who carry $3.53 billion in total student debt.4 This COVID-19 emergency relief measure has been both expanded to help more borrowers and extended numerous times throughout the past three years, but is scheduled to end no later than August 2023.
Evidence Into Action
SMART POLICY CHOICES FOR MICHIGAN’S YOUNG ADULTS
1. Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to workers who are currently excluded.
Michigan’s EITC excludes workers ages 19-24 without children, those over 65 without children and immigrants who work and pay taxes, but lack a social security number. Altogether, these exclusions harm approximately 250,000 workers with low wages who keep Michigan’s economy running. Expanding the EITC to cover these groups would help keep more workers out of poverty and put more money into the local economies where these workers live.
2. Ensure all young adults can access higher education and workforce training.
The Michigan Reconnect program pays in-district community college tuition for adults pursuing a certificate or associate degree, but adults under 25 have traditionally been left out. Permanently lowering the age limit to 21 could help reach some of the 52% of young adults who are not enrolled in and have not completed college.
End Notes
1. Census Bureau. “Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2022,” April 2023. https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/
demo/voting-and-registration/p20-586.html.
2. Aidan Davis. “Federal EITC Enhancements Help More Than One in Three Young Workers.” Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy,
February 2022. https://itep.org/federal-eitc-enhancements-help-more-than-one-in-three-young-workers/.
3. “New Data Show the American Rescue Plan and Other Pandemic Relief Funds Have Helped 18 Million College Students.” The White House
Briefing Room, February 2023. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/heerf-2021-state-by-state.pdf.
4. Melanie Hanson. “Student Loan Debt by Age.” Education Data Initiative, April 2022. https://educationdata.org/student-loan-debt-by-
age#:~:text=Borrowers%2024%20and%20younger%20owe,higher%20have%20student%20loan%20debt.
5. “2024 Budget Priority: Strengthen Michigan’s EITC.” Michigan League for Public Policy, 2023. https://mlpp.org/strengthen-eitc/.
Jay Cutler joined the League in March 2026 as the Kids Count Senior Data Analyst, where he collects, analyzes, and prepares data for Kids Count in Michigan.
Danielle Taylor-Basemore joined the League as the Development Data and Stewardship Coordinator in June 2025. She brings with her five years of nonprofit experience with a special focus on community engagement, data visualization and strategic programming. Prior to joining the League, Danielle served as the Business District, Safety, and Digital Manager at Jefferson East, Inc.
Scott Preston is a Senior Policy Analyst with the Michigan League for Public Policy, where he leads the organization’s immigration and criminal justice reform portfolios. In the three years prior to joining the League, Scott facilitated the Southeast Michigan Refugee Collaborative and managed a small business economic development program at Global Detroit. His work included launching Michigan’s first Refugee Film Festival and building on a trusted connector model that linked marginalized communities with crucial resources. Scott’s work at the League is informed by his background in journalism and research. He spent four years covering the Syrian refugee crisis in the Middle East for publications such as The Economist, and later worked with unaccompanied refugee minors through Samaritas. Scott holds a master’s degree in international migration and public policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Kate Powers joined the League as the Chief Development Officer in February 2025. Prior to joining the League, Kate held leadership positions at many Michigan nonprofit organizations, most recently serving as the COO and Chief Development Officer of Ele’s Place. Kate has spent the bulk of her career in fundraising, with a short stint in the state Legislature as a legislative aide to members in both chambers. Kate is a graduate of Michigan State University’s James Madison College with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Relations and has a certificate in fundraising management from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. Additionally, Kate served on the East Lansing Public Schools Board of Education and is a past President of the Junior League of Lansing. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her husband and her son and saving outfit of the day and home decor ideas on Pinterest. 
Nicholas Hess joined the League as the Fiscal Policy Analyst in September of 2024. In this role, Nicholas focuses on tax policy, government revenue, and their impact on working families and racial equity, including the effects of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC). Nicholas values the role that judicious fiscal policy can play in the improvement of people’s lives and the economy, alleviating inequities along the way.
Audrey Matusz joined the League as the Visual Communications Specialist in September 2024. She supports the team with implementing social media strategies and brainstorming creative ways to talk about public policy. She brings with her nearly a decade of experience in producing digital products for evidence-based social justice initiatives. 
Jacob Kaplan 
Donald Stuckey 
Alexandra Stamm 
Amari Fuller
Mikell Frey is a communications professional with a passion for using the art of storytelling to positively impact lives. She strongly believes that positive social change can be inspired by the sharing of data-driven information coupled with the unique perspectives of people from all walks of life across Michigan, especially those who have faced extraordinary barriers. 
Yona Isaacs (she/hers) is an Early Childhood Data Analyst for the Kids Count project. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, she began her career as a research coordinator in pediatric psychiatry using data to understand the impacts of brain activity and genetics on children’s behavior and mental health symptoms. This work prompted an interest in exploring social determinants of health and the role of policy in promoting equitable opportunities for all children, families, and communities. She returned to the University of Michigan to complete her Masters in Social Work focused on Social Policy and Evaluation, during which she interned with the ACLU of Michigan’s policy and legislative team and assisted local nonprofit organizations in creating data and evaluation metrics. She currently serves as a coordinator for the Michigan Center for Youth Justice on a project aiming to increase placement options and enhance cultural competency within the juvenile justice system for LGBTQIA+ youth. Yona is eager to put her data skills to work at the League in support of data-driven policies that advocate for equitable access to healthcare, education, economic security, and opportunity for 0-5 year old children. In her free time, she enjoys tackling DIY house projects and trying new outdoor activities with her dog.
Rachel Richards rejoined the League in December 2020 as the Fiscal Policy Director working on state budget and tax policies. Prior to returning to the League, she served as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Michigan Department of Treasury, the tax policy analyst and Legislative Director for the Michigan League for Public Policy, and a policy analyst and the Appropriations Coordinator for the Democratic Caucus of the Michigan House of Representatives. She brings with her over a decade of experience in policies focused on economic opportunity, including workforce issues, tax, and state budget.
Simon Marshall-Shah joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a State Policy Fellow in August 2019. His work focuses on state policy as it relates to the budget, immigration, health care and other League policy priorities. Before joining the League, he worked in Washington, D.C. at the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), providing federal policy and advocacy support to nonprofit, Medicaid health plans (Safety Net Health Plans) related to the ACA Marketplaces as well as Quality & Operations.
Renell Weathers, Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP) Community Engagement Consultant. As community engagement consultant, Renell works with organizations throughout the state in connecting the impact of budget and tax policies to their communities. She is motivated by the belief that all children and adults deserve the opportunity to achieve their dreams regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or economic class.
Emily Jorgensen joined the Michigan League for Public Policy in July 2019. She deeply cares about the well-being of individuals and families and has a great love for Michigan. She is grateful that her position at the League enables her to combine these passions and work to help promote policies that will lead to better opportunities and security for all Michiganders.
Megan Farnsworth joined the League’s staff in December 2022 as Executive Assistant. Megan is driven by work that is personally fulfilling, and feels honored to help support the work of an organization that pushes for more robust programming and opportunities for the residents of our state. She’s excited and motivated to gain overarching knowledge of the policies and agendas that the League supports.
