PLI Bulletin

Vaccine Skeptics, Census Data, Bold New Laws and More

Posted on August 25, 2021

Divestment from Fossil Fuels Act: It seems like every day we see new evidence of climate change, from wildfires in California to floods in Tennessee. With the Divestment from Fossil Fuels Act, every jurisdiction can at least divest itself from companies that mine, drill and produce fossil fuels.

How to talk to vaccine skeptics: Anti-vaccine lies and deliberate misinformation have killed thousands of Americans. Those of us who are vaccinated understandably feel like yelling at the unvaccinated to wise up. But, of course, that won’t persuade anyone. For advice about how to persuade the unvaccinated, read the latest IdeaLog, our blog intended to raise eyebrows and engage minds.

How the 2020 census data will reshape voting districts: The Census Bureau recently released information about the race and ethnicity of Americans across the nation, numbers that will be used to redraw voting districts at all levels of government. For a National Public Radio podcast discussion of the data, listen here.

Stateline’s Legislative Review of 2021: This is an excellent five-part series from Pew’s Stateline about trends in the state legislatures. It includes budgets, policing, elections, public health, and culture wars.

Eight Bold Laws State Legislators Passed This Year: Our friends at the State Innovation Exchange published an article that describes eight of the most significant proactive, progressive success stories of 2021.

How you should research policies before launching advocacy campaigns: Progressive advocacy groups too often find, after spending a great deal of time and money, that a policy is unworkable or politically impractical. Chapter 4 of our advocacy book, Preparing to Win, explains how to research beforehand so you’re not taken by surprise.