ProGov21 Policy Library

The New Math on School Finance: Adding Up the First-Ever Disclosure of Corporate Tax Abatements’ Cost to Public Education

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2018

Level City or Town, State, School District

State(s) All States

Source Good Jobs First

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Education

The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Statement 77 requires most state and local government bodies, including school districts, to annually disclose the costs of corporate tax abatements. As a result of the new rule, thousands of America’s public school districts are...

Making Smart Decisions About Smart Cities

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2017

Level City or Town

State(s) California

Source American Civil Liberties Union of California

Policy Areas Finance & Procurement, Data & Technology

“Smart city” products are often touted as cost-efficient solutions to providing government services and addressing societal challenges, but in reality these technologies are no more intelligent than the data and algorithms behind them. Like other tools, their effectiveness depends...

Why You Should Be Wary of Privatization

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source In the Public Interest

Policy Areas Finance & Procurement

While privatization occurs under different names, such as outsourcing, contracting out, and public-private partnership, it always removes a public good from public control and places it under the control of a private entity. The specifics of these deals vary, but the consequences...

Balancing Privacy and Innovation in Smart Cities and Communities

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2023

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source Information Technology & Innovation Foundation

Policy Areas Data & Technology, Democracy & Governance

While smart city technologies hold promise for improving public services and residents' quality of life, they also raise legitimate concerns about data collection and privacy. This report stresses the need to monitor cybersecurity risks, the commercial use of data, and potential government...

1999 Easton Maryland Ordinance 390 Establishing a Moratorium on Big-Box Stores

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 1999

Level City or Town

State(s) Maryland

Source Easton Town Council

Policy Areas Community Development, Public Spaces, Democracy & Governance

This ordinance enacts a temporary moratorium on big box store applications and hearings to allow time for residents and town officials to consider the impacts of large-scale retail and amends the town zoning law accordingly....

The Law on What Documents Scientists Must Keep and Disclose

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2012

Level Other Boards and Agencies

State(s) All States

Source Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Environment & Natural Resources

Recently, several climate scientists have received demands to produce their raw data, working notes, e-mails, letters, or other communications. These demands come in the form of subpoenas, U.S. Freedom of Information Act requests, or requests during litigation. This article features...

Data De-identification

Type Fact Sheet or Infographic

Year 2012

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source Privacy Technical Assistance Center

Policy Areas Data & Technology, Democracy & Governance

Data de-identification is the process of modifying or removing personally identifiable information from datasets in a way that minimizes the risk of unintended disclosure of individuals' identities. The paper defines terms such as anonymization, blurring, de-identification, disclosure,...

Setting the Agenda: A Mayor’s Guide to Water Affordability

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2019

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source Mayors Innovation Project

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Environment & Natural Resources, Community Development

It is becoming more difficult for families to access clean and affordable water due to aging water infrastructure systems, climate change, and the rising cost of living. This report outlines best practices and innovative solutions mayors can adopt to ensure that residents have equitable...

2012 Austin Ordinance 126-045 Mandating Transparency from Crisis Pregnancy Centers

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2012

Level City or Town

State(s) Texas

Source Austin City Council

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Health

This ordinance requires unlicensed pregnancy service centers or crisis pregnancy centers to prominently display a sign that states: if the center provides medical services; if the center provides medical services under the direction and supervision of a licensed health professional;...

2003 Carbondale Ordinance 27 Requiring Community Impact Assessments for Residential Developments

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2003

Level City or Town

State(s) Colorado

Source Institute for Local Self-Reliance

Policy Areas Community Development, Public Spaces, Transportation & Mobility, Environment & Natural Resources

This ordinance requires that residential developments generating more than 500 Average Daily Trips (ADT) shall be subject to a Community Impact Assessment review process. The purpose of the review is to ensure that the Town has the ability to address and mitigate any adverse impacts...

2019 San Francisco Ordinance 170029 Requiring Disclosure of Campaign Contributions

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2019

Level City or Town, County

State(s) California

Source City and County of San Francisco

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Finance & Procurement

This ordinance requires elected officers to disclose campaign contributions greater than $10,000 to the City's Ethics Commission, which will then make the information publicly available. It also prohibits campaign contributions to members of the Board of Supervisors, candidates for...

Keep Public Funds in Texas Public Schools: Reject Harmful Private School Voucher Programs

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2023

Level State, School District

State(s) All States, Texas

Source Public Funds Public Schools

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Education, Children & Families

Private school voucher programs negatively affect public education in Texas and across the nation. When state resources are funneled away from investing in public schools into funding voucher programs it disproportionately harms the most vulnerable students. Voucher schools are not...

Transparency is Not Enough: A Framework for Building Campaign Strategy

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year -

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Community Justice Exchange

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Public Safety, Health

Activists, organizers, and reformers often demand transparency from the criminal legal system because of the harm the system inflicts behind closed doors—particularly upon Black and Brown, poor, LGBTQ, and immigrant communities. For organizers working to dismantle the criminal legal...

Blueprints for Democracy: Actionable Reforms to Solve our Governing Crisis

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2015

Level City or Town, State

State(s) All States

Source The Campaign Legal Center

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance

American democracy is being subverted by a relatively small number of people and organizations that spend large amounts of money to influence who runs for office, who is elected, and the issues that will be up for debate. To combat this influence, this report recommends public financing...

2017 Ventura County Ordinance 4510 Implementing Campaign Finance Reforms

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2017

Level County

State(s) California

Source Ventura County

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance

The Ventura County Campaign Finance Reform Ordinance helps the individual voter by reducing the potential influence, and the appearance of influence, resulting from large campaign contributions to candidates, committees supporting candidates, or independent expenditure committees....

After Citizens United: The Story in the States

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2014

Level City or Town, National, State

State(s) All States

Source Brennan Center for Justice

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance

Citizens United allows unlimited election spending by outside groups, but requires this spending to be independent of candidates and campaigns; this requirement is frequently violated as campaigns and outside groups coordinate activity. This report reviews coordination laws and enforcement...

Digital Democracy and Transparency

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2019

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Local Progress

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Data & Technology

Transparency and public data can help improve the effectiveness of government agencies and elected officials. However, current transparency requirements focus on physical publication and inspection, which favor and protect incumbent power. Local governments often do not have rigorous...

The Companies Behind the Surge in Illegal Child Labor

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2024

Level National

State(s) All States

Source Good Jobs First

Policy Areas Children & Families, Economic Justice

Federal enforcement data reveals a significant surge in illegal child labor mostly driven by large retail and restaurant chains. Penalties for violations remain low and enforcement is generally insufficient to deter the use of child labor. This report advocates for stricter federal...

Abating Our Future: How Students Pay for Corporate Tax Breaks

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level State, School District

State(s) Louisiana, Missouri, New York, South Carolina, Texas

Source Good Jobs First

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Education

Public school students in the U.S. suffered poorer schools—and local and state taxpayers paid higher taxes—in 2019 due to corporate tax breaks; economic development tax abatements given to corporations cost public school districts at least $2.37 billion in foregone revenue in FY 2019....

The Fair Elections Act/Democracy For The People Initiative

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2018

Level City or Town

State(s) Colorado

Source CleanSlateNow Action

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance

The Fair Elections Act/Democracy For The People Initiative establishes campaign finance transparency, small donor contribution matching, and campaign contribution limits for city elections...

Local Police Surveillance Technology

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year -

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Local Progress

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Data & Technology, Democracy & Governance, Public Safety

As the capabilities of surveillance technology develop, law enforcement's ability to surveil citizens' movement, communication, and ideas also advances. In order to protect citizens' safety, the Center for Popular Democracy and the ACLU launched the Community Control Over Police Surveillance...

2013 Chicago Ordinance 9148 Establishing Disclosure Requirements for Businesses

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2013

Level City or Town

State(s) Illinois

Source Chicago City Council

Policy Areas Finance & Procurement

This ordinance outlines the disclosure requirements necessary when a corporation applies for city council approval with respect to the sale/purchase of real estate, property tax reclassification, zoning, financial assistance from the City of Chicago, or entering into a contract with...

Campaign Finance Reforms

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2019

Level City or Town, State

State(s) All States, Wyoming

Source Local Progress

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance

Big money in local elections limits who can run, who can win, and ultimately leads to governments that fail to reflect the needs of everyday people. To combat large campaign donations, political action committees, Super PACs, and rising outside spending, local governments should implement...

Behavioural Insights for Cities

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2016

Level County

State(s) All States

Source The Behavioural Insights Team

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Environment & Natural Resources, Energy, Health, Housing, Public Safety, Education, Democracy & Governance

By 2050, two out of every three people on the planet will live in a city. Urbanization and new ideas go hand in hand; by their very nature, cities have long served to create pockets of innovation, changing and improving the way we live our lives in the process. Historically this process...

Madison Network Security Policies and Procedures

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2022

Level City or Town

State(s) Wisconsin

Source City of Madison

Policy Areas Data & Technology, Democracy & Governance

These policies and procedures outline guidelines for maintaining a secure municipal network infrastructure. It emphasizes user responsibility, consequences for non-compliance, and covers acceptable use policies, data privacy, and network security measures. Specific provisions include...

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