PLI Bulletin
Insurance Enrollment, Mask Use, COVID-19 Resources and More
Posted on May 20, 2020
Resolution to Facilitate Health Insurance Enrollment for COVID-19 Layoffs: Thousands of residents are losing health insurance because they have been laid off by their employers. The Resolution to Facilitate Health Insurance Enrollment for COVID-19 Layoffs directs the state to execute a three-step plan to help the unemployed sign up for coverage.
Get people to wear the damn masks: Among Trump’s failures, one particularly catastrophic mistake is discouraging Americans from wearing masks. Understand just a little science behind the transmission of the coronavirus and you’ll see that this failure has killed thousands. For more, read the latest IdeaLog, our blog intended to raise eyebrows and engage minds.
State and local taxes during the pandemic: A bit wonky, but important! This podcast from the Journal of Accountancy explains how tax procedures should be altered during the pandemic and how state and local tax filing and payment relief measures do and don’t correspond to federal provisions.
NCSL COVID-19 Resources for States: The National Conference of State Legislatures has created a directory to coronavirus-related policies that is updated daily.
NLC COVID-19 Resources for Cities: The National League of Cities has a webpage that provides coronavirus tools and resources and also links you to an effort for increased federal funding.
A new COVID-19 Resources page on the PLI website: This page provides hyperlinks to a variety of bills, resolutions, columns and reports to help you deal with the pandemic. The COVID-19 Resources page is here.
Online Registration, Debt Collection, Coronavirus Resources and More
Posted on May 6, 2020
Online Voter Registration Act: Forty states now allow online registration, something that is essential during a pandemic. The states that do not provide online registration are: AR, ME, MS, MT, NH, NC, ND, SD,...
Vote by Mail, Sick Leave, the Essential Message and More
Posted on April 22, 2020
Vote by Mail Act: We need to increase voting by mail as much as possible to prevent coronavirus infections and save lives. The Vote by Mail Act requires that all registered voters be mailed...
Price Gouging, Racial Data, Fiscal Freefall and More
Posted on April 8, 2020
Protection from Price Gouging During Emergencies Act: Thirty-three states have prohibitions against price gouging during a declared emergency, however, only a few statutes fully cover emergency situations and employ a practical standard for price...
Coronavirus Emergency Act, Telework Instructions, Messaging and More
Posted on March 25, 2020
Coronavirus Emergency Act: Many states, cities and counties have enacted emergency legislation in recent weeks, but one of the most comprehensive laws is the District of Columbia’s. The Coronavirus Emergency Act, modeled after the...
CROWN Act, Amendment Strategy, Tax Abatements and More
Posted on March 11, 2020
CROWN Act: So far, five states have enacted the CROWN (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) Act, which provides that, for purposes of state/local law, illegal racial discrimination includes discrimination based...
Easy Enrollment, Virginia Victories, Coronavirus Updates and More
Posted on February 26, 2020
Easy Enrollment Health Insurance Act: Last year, Maryland enacted a system to use information from state income tax returns to help uninsured residents obtain health care coverage. The Easy Enrollment Health Insurance Act is...
LGBT Fairness, Cybersecurity, Coronavirus and More
Posted on February 13, 2020
LGBT Fairness Act: Senator Adam Ebbin, who became Virginia’s first openly gay legislator in 2003, is about to see his long-time legislation enacted to prohibit housing and employment discrimination against LGBT people. The LGBT...
Polling Priorities, Logical Fallacies, Clean Slate and More
Posted on January 29, 2020
Clean Slate Act: In 2018, Pennsylvania enacted the Clean Slate Act which automatically seals criminal records that are routinely eligible for sealing but which otherwise require a complicated and costly application process. How to...
Youth Voting, Repro Rights, Family Leave and More
Posted on January 15, 2020
Six Policies to Promote Youth Voting: The Fair Elections Center and Campus Vote Project produced the report “Democracy’s Future: Proposals to Expand Access to Registration and Voting for a New Generation” which includes model...