Equity & Justice
The Public Leadership Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy and leadership center organized to explore and raise public awareness about key public policy issues of equity and justice and to develop public leaders who will improve the economic and social conditions of all Americans.
IdeaLog
Progressive Economic Platform for 2019-20
Posted on February 13, 2019
Progressives need to tell a compelling story about the American economy, and it shouldn’t be hard. The rich have spent decades rigging the economic and political systems to benefit themselves at the expense of...
Read MoreSpeak more simply!
Posted on January 28, 2019
This is not going to surprise you, but Donald Trump speaks like a fourth-grader. This was confirmed by the data site Factba.se using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level metric. Specifically, the past fifteen U.S. Presidents...
Read MoreTen of our newest model bills
Posted on January 16, 2019
We’ve just published our latest edition of the Progressive Agenda for States and Localities. You can read it in HTML text, download a PDF, or we’ll be happy to mail you a printed copy. Here...
Read MorePLI Bulletin
Non-Discrimination, E-Scooters, Hate Incidents and More
Posted on February 13, 2019
No Discrimination by Government Contractors Act: States, municipalities and counties have routinely included language in government contracts that prevent limited types of discrimination. The No Discrimination by Government Contractors Act expands protections to require...
Read MoreDrones, Taxation, Speaking Like a Fourth-Grader and More
Posted on January 30, 2019
Tax Expenditure Sunset Act: All government spending should receive the same scrutiny. And yet, while budget line items are reviewed and adjusted every year, there are insufficient mechanisms for reviewing tax expenditures. The Tax...
Read MoreNew Model Bills, Drug Testing, Clean Energy and More
Posted on January 16, 2019
End Marijuana Drug Testing Act: Either recreational or medical marijuana is now legal in 33 states and the District of Columbia. Yet, perhaps half of employers conduct drug tests for marijuana on job candidates,...
Read MoreIn the News
PLI legislation in Handbook for a Post-Roe America
Posted on February 6, 2019
Handbook for a Post-Roe America by Robin Marty (2019, Seven Stories Press) Page 44 In 2016, the Public Leadership Institute released a number of proactive model reproductive rights and health bills for state use,...
Read MoreWill progressives prioritize election reform, asks Rewire
Posted on January 9, 2019
Congressional Democrats Came out Swinging on Voting Rights. Will State-Level Democrats Follow? It was no coincidence: Republicans, after dominating state legislative and gubernatorial races in the 2010 midterms, made sure to immediately pass a range...
Read MoreCommunity Schools Playbook
Posted on September 12, 2018
Around the country, educators, grassroots organizations, and policymakers are advancing comprehensive community schools as a powerful evidenced-based equity strategy. Together, they’re creating high-performing schools that serve as centers of community life, where educators, families,...
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