PLI Bulletin

Hate Crimes, Fighting the Right, Environmental Toolkits and More

Posted on December 21, 2016

Hate Crimes Prevention Act: Since the November election, we have seen a wave of violence and threats against anyone who disagrees with the Radical Right. This will likely get worse. Right now, 45 states have some version of a Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Our model helps ensure that your state protects the full range of hate crimes targets and includes civil litigation. Uniquely, our model covers hate crimes against abortion providers and patients, and against immigrants, who are in special peril today.

Five bills to help you fight the Radical Right: We are counting down the days to some of the most horrific political battles in American history. All of us need to do our part. Here are five model bills that you could sponsor or support that would directly fight back: Hate Crimes Prevention, Prevent Extortion of Immigrants, Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE), Health Care for All Assessment, and National Popular Vote. Read about them on IdeaLog, our blog intended to raise eyebrows and engage minds.

Archive of past webinars: Since we’re on a holiday break (and we hope you are too), the next PLI webinar will be Wednesday, January 11 @3pm Eastern. In the meantime, you can watch 15 of our most recent webinars on our YouTube channel, by clicking here. Happy Holidays!

Great toolkits on environmental issues: The National Caucus of Environmental Legislators has excellent toolkits on 18 different issues, covering climate & energy, clean water, pollution, chemical policy and conservation.

How state tax policies can stop increasing inequality and start reducing it: A new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities explains how the rich have managed to overwhelmingly gain the most income since 1980, and specific policies that can make the system fairer.

A look back at Progress in the States and Localities during 2016: While the past year turned out to be a political disaster, a great deal of important progressive legislation was enacted in states, cities and counties across the nation. Here are the top ten progressive policy victories in 2016.