PLI Bulletin

Disrespectful Mascots, 911 Diversion, Infrastructure Money and More

Posted on November 17, 2021

Prohibition on American Indian Mascots Act: Stereotypical American Indian sports mascots are symbols of disrespect that degrade Native people and especially harm youth. The Prohibition on American Indian Mascots Act bans the use of such disrespectful names and images by K-12 schools within the jurisdiction.

Lessons from the 2021 elections, part 2: We should use election results to understand the political moment. Like opinion polls, elections are a snapshot of how voters feel at a given time. The questions, then, are why did voters feel that way and how can we use that knowledge to do better? For answers, read the latest IdeaLog, our blog intended to raise eyebrows and engage minds.

A New Approach to Child Support: Child support enforcement based on civil contempt has always been a difficult system. This NCSL podcast discusses a new procedural justice approach to child support that appears to be making a difference.

Program diverting mental health calls from police: The District of Columbia is trying a pilot program to divert some 911 calls to health or social services workers in order to reduce violent interactions between police and people with behavioral emergencies.

States and cities will have significant discretion over how federal infrastructure money will be spent: Most of the federal infrastructure dollars will go directly to state governments. At least $120 billion will separately be awarded through competitive grants.

More than 200 PLI model bills: As you plan legislative agendas for 2022, consider the model bills on our website. Nearly all are policies that have been enacted in at least one state or major city.