PLI Bulletin

Emergency Price Gouging, Helping DACA Dreamers, Drug Price Law and More

Posted on September 13, 2017

Protection from Price Gouging During Emergencies Act: It is all-too-common that sellers try to make windfall profits during emergencies, like hurricanes, earthquakes and floods. Most states do not have an effective law to protect consumers. The Protection from Price Gouging During Emergencies Act is based on a recent California statute.

Never say “tax reform”: We are about to embark on a nationwide debate over taxes. Newspapers want to call this a debate over “tax reform.” It is not. Progressives should never say “tax reform” and never accept this phrase as the basis for debate. Whether it’s a matter before federal, state or local governments, progressives champion tax “fairness,” not “reform.” The one word sets us up for victory and the other for defeat. Read more in the latest IdeaLog, our blog intended to raise eyebrows and engage minds.

How states and localities can help DACA “dreamers” and their families: Wednesday, September 20 @ 3pm Eastern, 2pm Central, 1pm Mountain, Noon Pacific. Donald Trump rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and threw the issue to Congress. This presentation will explain the status of DACA, “dreamers,” and what federal legislation might come, and then it will suggest ways that states and localities can help dreamers and their families. To sign up for this webinar, click here.

Why you should copy Maryland’s new drug price gouging law in your state: This op-ed by a Johns Hopkins University professor describes Maryland’s new law that empowers the state Attorney General to sue when the prices of generic and off-patent brand-name drugs skyrocket for no reason other than greed. A model of the Maryland bill is here.

How Reducing Probation Populations Can Improve Outcomes: This paper from the Harvard Kennedy School does a great job of explaining (in about 12 pages of text) the nationwide problems facing probation programs and what states and localities can do to address them.

Progress in the States and Localities Report: Once again, we offer an updated PLI report on Progress in the States & Localities, which describes proactive progressive legislation that has passed at least one House in 2017. There are some great policies moving in the states and localities!