PSN Works with State Legislators and advocates in supporting effective legislative campaigns to promote policy change state by state Read more about how PSN can support you

Home > Our Campaigns

2010 Shared Multi-State Agenda

A Shared Multi-State Agenda

Our current era of tough economic times and budget cuts, now more than ever, requires progressives to project an overarching agenda that reflects our values, from rewarding work to valuing families to increasing democracy. The right-wing has had much success over the years in using such coordinated state legislative campaigns -- from anti-gay marriage bills to anti-tax campaigns -- to establish their national political message. Progressives can and must likewise use coordinated state policy work to project our values and vision to voters during the 2010 legislative sessions.

By adopting a Shared Multi-State Agenda and introducing similar bills in multiple states, we can convert individual state policy fights into national campaigns that capture both media attention and grassroots excitement for those policies across the nation. The power of coordinated action and access to greater resources and support will also strengthen the advancement of key progressive state policies while helping to shape a message that projects progressive values.

In short, instead of being the folks who cut public services less, forward-thinking legislators can, through these policies, answer the important question, "What does it mean to be progressive?"

The 2010 Shared Multi-State Agenda


The policies included in the 2010 Shared Multi-State Agenda are:  

  • Paid Sick Days – Require employers to provide paid sick days to employees for them to take care of their own illness, that of a family member, or deal with domestic violence.
  • Election Reforms to Help Drive Turnout in 2010 and 2012 – Enact legislation to increase voter turnout, including improved public assistance agency compliance with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), allowing all voters to vote by mail, and making presidential elections competitive in every state by implementing a national popular vote for the President.
  • Prescription Drug Reforms: Reducing Costs and Improving Quality – Enact an integrated prescription drug policy to curb costly industry marketing practices, promote generic medications and join multi-state collaboratives to pool state purchasing power.
  • Corporate Transparency in State Budgets – Require full public information about how corporate interests benefiting from government contracts, economic subsidies and tax breaks are spending the money received.
  • Green Buildings – Implement policies aimed at making new and existing buildings more environmentally friendly.
  • Foreclosure and Predatory Lending Reform – Require lenders to use mediation, require proper maintenance of foreclosed homes, give homeowners right to rent former homes, increase state enforcement powers, and give whistle-blower protections to employees at lending institutions.

Legislators or advocates interested in introducing bills in one or more of these issues areas are asked to contact PSN through our website or by emailing sharedagenda@progressivestates.org.

For those states that have already enacted or introduced legislation touching on one or more of these policy issue areas, we'd like to work with legislative sponsors and allies to evaluate current laws and/or bills to identify elements of our model legislation that can strengthen those already existing. Legislation already introduced is welcome for inclusion in the Shared Agenda campaign so that its advancement can be supported through our gathered resources and peer support.

If you know of legislators or advocates, national or state-based, working on these issues, please let us know so we may contact them - we welcome and invite the input of legislators and advocates with experience and expertise in these issue areas.

How Will the Shared Agenda Campaign Work?

PSN has already begun working with legislators and advocates to provide support for them as they introduce model legislation for each of these policies. We'd like to work with many more!

In the coming weeks, PSN will dedicate a Stateside Dispatch to detailing and exploring each of the chosen issues in the Shared Agenda. We will also hold national conference calls for each issue with legislative allies to plan coordinated policy campaigns across the country.

PSN Conference Call Listings
Shared Agenda Conference Call Schedule
Thursday, Nov. 19th, 4pm EST Paid Sick Days Conference Call - listen to call recording
Tuesday, Dec. 1st, 4pm EST Prescription Drug Reforms Conference Call - listen to call recording
Friday, Dec. 4th, 1pm EST Corporate Transparency in State Budgets Conference Call - listen to call recording
Friday, Dec. 11th, 1pm EST Green Buildings Conference Call - listen to call recording
Tuesday, Dec. 15th, 3pm EST Foreclosure and Predatory Lending Reform Conference Call - RSVP now!

 

While not part of our official Multi-State Shared Agenda, we are also supporting Wage Law Enforcement policies around the country and will be holding a conference call on that issue on Thursday, December 17th at 4pm EST.

The links for each issue area above lead to special web pages containing model legislation, bill summaries, research and other resources. Please check these often as we will be adding additional resources throughout the campaign and especially in the coming weeks.

Our policy staff are also available to answer questions and supply information not on the website. Again, legislators or advocates can contact us about the Shared Agenda or specific issue areas through our website or by emailing sharedagenda@progressivestates.org.

As bills are introduced and sessions begin, PSN will provide ongoing resources and updates on legislation, as well as coordinate strategy and information sharing among sponsors and advocates for each issue area. We are excited about joining with legislative and advocate allies in building these campaigns across the states!

       ShareThis