NewDEAL Statement on the Anniversary of January 6th

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As we mark one year since the horrific attack on the U.S. Capitol, the memory of that day must strengthen the resolve of leaders who care about the health of our democracy to protect the right of every eligible American to vote and to ensure the results of those votes are respected. The riot on January 6, 2021, was the most visible part of a continuing effort to disrupt our elections, and our democratic system.

The vitriolic political environment that fostered the Insurrection last January has also led to unprecedented attacks on our elected leaders. In this week’s episode of the NewDEAL podcast An Honorable Profession, Mayor Brandon Whipple (Wichita, KS) talks about the foiled plot last year to kidnap and kill him, and how he stays grounded in the mindset that public service is bigger than him and instead “about what (he) can do to make a difference for the greater good.”

In this challenging environment, state and local leaders across the country are on the frontlines fighting to make government work, improve access to voting, and oppose policies that allow partisans to overrule election results.

On behalf of our nearly 200 member state and local elected officials, the NewDEAL applauds efforts, including by the January 6 Committee, to hold responsible those who encouraged and inflamed the violence on January 6 and urges the passage of federal legislation to protect the right to vote and maintain the integrity of our elections.

Washington Center for Equitable Growth: Equitable Growth joins NewDEAL Leaders to discuss child care in the post-pandemic U.S. economy

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As the U.S. Congress finalizes its negotiations around the Build Back Better Act, policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels of government continue working to rebuild their respective economies in the wake of the coronavirus recession. Against this backdrop, the NewDEAL Leaders, a network of pro-growth elected progressives from state and local jurisdictions, met for their annual conference in Washington, DC, to discuss policy solutions on a range of issues, from student debt to housing to mental healthcare and more.

Equitable Growth’s Sam Abbott joined Vermont’s Lt. Gov. Molly Gray at the conference for a conversation moderated by Zero to Three’s Amanda Szekely on child care and early education in the post-pandemic economy. During this panel, Abbott discussed the major economic ramifications of the current child care system in the United States, as outlined in Equitable Growth’s recent report “The Child Care Economy.”

Below, we share some of the highlights from the session, which took place on November 18.

Supporting children in safe, nurturing environments during early childhood is vital for healthy development

Kicking off the panel, Szekely discussed why high-quality early care and education is so important for healthy child development. During the first several years of early childhood, the brain is developing more rapidly than at any other time in life. This neurological development—the creation and fine-tuning of the networks and connections in the brain—plays a large role in a child’s cognitive development and their risk of developing future mental health disorders.

High-quality early care and education provide socialization and learning opportunities that are critically important in the early childhood years. When children are cared for in a supportive, nurturing environment—either by family members or professionals—there are physical changes in their brain development associated with positive long-term outcomes. High-quality caregiving can even mitigate harmful developmental outcomes associated with poverty and high-stress environments, suggesting an important role for early care and education in addressing inequality and promoting intergenerational economic mobility.

Public investment in child care can grow the economy and stabilize the child care market

Abbott reinforced the link between high-quality care for children during this important developmental period and sustainable, broad-based economic growth. In the short term, policies that make child care more accessible and affordable to families can help break down barriers to employment for parents who wish to work—leading to a larger and more diverse labor pool, higher household incomes, greater consumer spending, and a bigger tax base to fund pro-growth government programs.

In the long term, children who participate in high-quality early education report better school readiness and employment outcomes, higher incomes as adults, and reduced contact with the criminal and juvenile justice systems. All of these beneficial outcomes contribute to future U.S. economic growth.

Additionally, an infusion of public support has the potential to stabilize the child care market so that it is always available for families when they need it. Research on previous economic recessions highlights the fragility of the child care market in moments of economic downturns. Even small changes in enrollment, due to parents no longer needing or being able to afford care, can cause a damaging ripple through the child care industry, leading to layoffs and center closures.

This harmful dynamic creates new child care challenges for parents when they try to return to work. Sufficient and sustained public investment in child care can help avoid these supply-side challenges and ensure that child care can continue to act as a vital work support for families, regardless of changes in the overall economy.

Child care reform will support the well-being and economic security of families and workers alike

Lt. Gov. Gray shared some takeaways from her Recover Stronger tour—a series of meetings with residents, experts, and business leaders across Vermont about their priorities in the aftermath of the coronavirus recession—including child care reforms, which would benefit families and workers alike.

For parents across the country, child care is often too expensive and too hard to find. Lt. Gov. Gray shared data showing that, on average, child care costs families in Vermont more than $20,000 a year. Yet despite the high prices many families pay, the child care workforce still earns near-poverty wages, with national median pay in 2020 at just $12.24 per hour, or $25,460 per year.

Vermont recently passed child care legislation that could help on both fronts, The state caps child care payments at 10 percent of a family’s income or less, based on the family’s relation to the federal poverty line. And it provides scholarships and loan forgiveness to child care workers to help caregivers enter and remain in their chosen field.

At the national level, the Build Back Better Act is poised to deliver similar relief. The legislation, if enacted into law, would cap child care payments for most families at an even more affordable 7 percent maximum of household income and would provide more resources and incentives to raise child care worker pay and recruit new care providers in the process.

Communications Daily: States Plan for Key Role in $42.5B Broadband Program

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State broadband leaders see opportunity for transformational change with at least $100 million coming to each state from the infrastructure law’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. States are in planning stages as NTIA prepares to distribute funding, said officials and other experts in interviews after President Joe Biden signed the bill Nov. 15 (see 2111150074).

The infrastructure law’s $65 billion for broadband includes $42.45 billion for NTIA grants to states. BEAD will send at least $100 million for each state and $20 million per territory for expansion or affordability. States can get more, “allocated by need, primarily based” on unserved numbers, said an NTIA fact sheet. The law prescribes a formula, requires NTIA to base unserved designation on new FCC broadband maps, and gives NTIA 180 days to issue a notice of funding opportunity, said an agency spokesperson, adding NTIA is working to release a request for comments soon.

States’ bigger role is welcome, said Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist (D) and Florida Sen. Loranne Ausley (D), co-chairs of progressive NewDEAL Forum Broadband Task Force. Some past support mechanisms sent money to industry. “Everybody is not yet connected, which means that we need more people and more collaborators at the table, including the state,” Gilchrist told us. States know best because they’re close to the problem, said Ausley in a separate interview.

Gilchrist said $100 million could be “transformational” for Michigan, bringing fast connections to 400,000 Michiganders in rural, urban and suburban communities. Michigan established a High-Speed Internet Office this year that will be the state’s single point of contact, he said. Expanding broadband is “important and urgent,” said Gilchrist: “We want to be smart” and “move responsibly” but also quickly. Michigan will closely watch NTIA to see how much money it can get beyond the base, said Gilchrist. “We will be offering input and suggestions … about how those resources can be most effectively invested here. … We’re certainly advocating for everything we can get.”

“This is critical funding,” agreed Ausley, who represents 10 rural counties. Considering state legislators “passed a grant program last year and did not fund it at all, $100 million would go a long way.” She expects Florida will get more given its population. State spending will probably be directed by Florida’s broadband office, which should complete a state map by June, she said.

Read more on Communications Daily

Weston Today: Haskell Recognized for Student Debt Legislation

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State Senator Will Haskell won national recognition on November 18 in the 2021 Ideas Challenge competition held by the NewDEAL organization.

Senator Haskell won in the organization’s “Expanding Access to Education” category for his sponsorship of Connecticut’s Student Loan Repayment Tax Credit legislation, which provides a corporate tax credit for businesses that help employees pay off student loans.

The legislation, enacted in 2019, takes effect in January. It earned broad support on a bipartisan basis and from the business community. The competition category included measures that promote opportunities from early childhood to post-secondary education to put students on a path to college and career success.

“This is such an unexpected honor,” said Senator Haskell. “I really appreciate the NewDEAL highlighting our work to combat student debt in Connecticut. I can’t wait to see the credit become available this January, helping entice graduates to launch their careers in our state.”

“Astronomical student loan debt,” he said, “holds students and recent graduates back, delaying the launch of a small business, the purchase of a first home, and the start of a family. I’m proud that we were able to work across the aisle in revitalizing our economy and making higher education more affordable.”

Route Fifty: How Local Governments are Attacking Crime in Their Communities

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Violent and other crime continues to plague many cities and counties nationwide. Government officials recently gathered at The NewDEAL’s annual leaders conference to discuss these issues and solutions to the problems, including employing federal relief funds, boosting community involvement, and decreasing the number of false arrests.

Here are some of the ways Washington D.C., St. Louis, and Columbus, Ohio are working on improving public safety in their communities:

Washington, D.C.

At the City Summit Event, Marcus Ellis, chief of staff at the Safer, Stronger D.C. Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, spoke about reimagining public safety and what that could look like for his city.

ONSE addresses violence in Washington D.C., while assisting families dealing with the grief and trauma caused by these occurrences. Its core values are social justice, equity, youth voice, collaboration, and innovation.

Middlesex East: Rep. Nguyen a finalist in Ideas Challenge

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The NewDEAL, a “selective national network of exceptional, rising, pro-growth progressive state and local elected leaders,” announced that the efforts of Massachusetts State Representative Tram Nguyen (D-Andover) to promote justice for victims of violent crimes have made her a finalist in the 2021 Ideas Challenge – a competition among rising and innovative state and local policymakers to propose the most effective solutions on an array of issues.

Rep. Nguyen represents Tewksbury in the 18th Essex District.

“I am thrilled to be named a finalist and to be included in this group of talented leaders across the country,” said Rep. Nguyen. “We can’t wait for political rhetoric to solve our problems, and that’s why these solutions proposed by state and local leaders across the country are so important. By building on what we have learned from best practices, our work for victims and witnesses of human trafficking and other violent crimes takes concrete steps toward improving our justice system. I’m excited to have the chance to share it as a template that can be replicated by NewDEALers and others across the country.”

Governing: State and Local Policymakers Honored for Effective Solutions

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Connecticut has the highest student debt per capita in the country, averaging over $30,000 per person. The state is also suffering from a brain drain, with highly skilled graduates leaving to start their careers elsewhere. Businesses that have left this state regularly cite the challenge recruiting a talented workforce when explaining their decision to relocate operations.

To stem the brain drain and to help financially stressed students, state Sen. Will Haskell drafted and passed SB 72, a corporate tax credit for any business that helped to pay off their employees’ student loans. In short, companies that hire recent graduates can reduce their tax liability by helping to pay back the loans of their employees. The bill received bipartisan support for its innovative approach to assisting both students and businesses.

It’s also why Haskell’s legislation has been chosen by NewDEAL as one of five 2021 Ideas Challenge winners. The awards were announced on Nov. 18 at the organization’s 11th annual Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C. The competition challenges rising and innovative state and local policymakers to propose the most-effective solutions on an array of issues. With more than 50 solutions submitted, judges selected five winners.

Governing: Building Back In The “After” Times

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The Ideas Challenge is a biannual competition that identifies and recognizes public leaders who promote innovative and sustainable solutions to the complex issues affecting our economic well-being, overall quality of life, and the ability of government to work effectively to meet communities’ needs.

The winners, already a part of the NewDEAL network of over 165 state and local government officials, get their ideas added to an agenda NewDEAL promotes as examples for the country to follow.

NewDEAL Leaders are advancing thoughtful and innovative solutions to the challenges facing their communities. Explore a selection of their exciting policy solutions on a range of topics, including winning and finalist ideas from our past Ideas Challenge policy competitions. The organization is pleased to recognize the winners and finalists across five categories in its 2021 competition.

  1. Responding to immediate post-pandemic needs & building a stronger safety net
  2. Rebuilding jobs and the economy
  3. Expanding access to education and building college & career pathways
  4. Securing our communities and our planet
  5. Healing our democracy and rebuilding community

Loranne Ausley’s Agricultural., Environmental Efforts Honored at National Level

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Last week, state Sen. Loranne Ausley, D-Tallahassee, announced that she has been named as a Finalist in the NewDEAL 2021 Ideas Challenge due to her efforts “to protect natural resources through agricultural and environmental alliances.”

Ausley was signaled out for her proposal “to bring the environmental, aquaculture and agricultural communities together to quantify ways that these industries contribute to long-term sustainability and resiliency goals” since “the benefits of these services will encourage and incentivize best practices and modern farming techniques that are integral to the protection of critical natural resources not just in North Florida, but for our entire state.”

The contest is sponsored by the NewDEAL which defines itself as a “national network of rising state and local elected leaders who are pro-growth progressives” whose “mission is to bring together leaders focused on expanding opportunity and to help them develop and spread innovative ideas to spur economic growth that is broadly-earned and sustainable.”

NewDEAL 2021 Ideas Challenge Winners

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For Immediate Release:                                                    

November 18, 2021                                                        

Contact: Jonathon Dworkin (NewDEAL), 202-660-1340 x5, jonathon@newdealleaders.org

 

Five National Ideas Challenge Winners Announced

State and local leaders recognized for best ideas to expand opportunity and make government work better

 

Washington, DC – At the organization’s eleventh annual Leaders Conference today, NewDEAL released the winners of its 2021 Ideas Challenge – a competition among rising and innovative state and local policymakers to propose the most effective solutions on an array of issues. Policy experts voted for the proposals that would best improve Americans’ economic well-being and overall quality of life, and that would make government work more effectively to meet communities’ needs. Of more than fifty solutions submitted, an esteemed and diverse panel of judges (listed below) selected the following five winners in their respective categories:

 

Responding to Immediate Post-Pandemic Needs & Building a Stronger Safety Net: Kentucky Maternal and Infant Health Project – State Representative Nima Kulkarni (Louisville, KY)

 

Rebuilding Jobs and the Economy: Secure Tokens for State Financial Offerings – State Senator Chris Hansen (Denver, CO)

 

Expanding Access to Education: Student Loan Repayment Tax Credit – State Senator Will Haskell (Westport, CT)

 

Securing our Communities and our Planet: Biogas to Vehicle Fuel – Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird (Lincoln, NE)

 

Healing our Democracy and Rebuilding Community: New Standards for Police Use of Force – Councilmember Will Jawando (Montgomery County, MD)

 

More information on the winning ideas is below. A full list of finalists and their ideas can be found here.

 

“Congratulations to our winners for their innovative and impactful ideas that can help inform policymakers in states across the country, as well as leaders in Washington,” said NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan. “Their solutions embrace the keys to prosperity in the 21st century — adapting to the new economy, strengthening our safety net, improving access to a great education, promoting cleaner and more sustainable energy, and healing divisions. At a moment of extraordinary challenges facing our nation, but also enormous opportunities to solve persistent problems, the Ideas Challenge has highlighted the critical role of state and local leaders in building back better from the pandemic. Together, the more than 50 proposals submitted in this year’s competition serve as a governing agenda for a more equitable and prosperous society.”

 

In its fifth edition, the Challenge was open to 178 members of the NewDEAL (Developing Exceptional American Leaders), an organization that supports state and local pro-growth progressive elected officials through the exchange of ideas and engagement with other top public, private, and non-profit sector officials. U.S. Senator Chris Coons (DE), Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), and Columbia, SC Mayor Steve Benjamin serve as Honorary Co-chairs of the group.

Submissions to the New Ideas Challenge were evaluated by seven judges:

U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, Chair, New Democrat Coalition

Elizabeth Fairchild, Executive Director, Business Forward

Josh Freed, Senior Vice President for the Climate and Energy Program, Third Way

Zachary Markovits, Managing Director of What Works Cities, Results for America

Nelson Reyneri Jr., Chair-Elect, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Cathilea Robinett, CEO, e.Republic

Desiree Tims, President and CEO, Innovations Ohio

 

2021 Ideas Challenge Winners:

 

Kentucky Representative Nima Kulkarni’s Kentucky Maternal and Infant Health Project won in the “Responding to Immediate Post-Pandemic Needs & Building a Stronger Safety Net” category, which included ideas to help address Americans’ short-term financial instability, joblessness, housing insecurity, and other needs, while also reimagining safety net systems to better meet Americans’ needs now and beyond the pandemic. Her submission focused on a package of 21 bills and resolutions introduced this year that recognize that expanding resources to women is imperative to ensure their safety and wellbeing. The rate of Kentucky women dying from pregnancy-related causes is more than double the national average. Among its solutions, the legislation addresses: care for families, mental health, incarceration, access to care, and health equity.

 

Colorado Senator Chris Hansen’s Secure Tokens for State Financial Offerings won in the “Rebuilding Jobs and the Economy” category, which included ideas that help communities rebound from the lows of the pandemic, get Americans working for pay that allows for a better quality of life, and address inequities. His idea revolves around finding a new way for people to partake in capital financing by digitizing the origination process and building a transparent system that allows for a broader range of investors. The traditional method of securing state debts limits the number of businesses and organizations that can invest in the state and assist in financing capital projects. Hansen’s plan would reduce dependence on commercial banks, institutional investors, mutual funds, and pension funds. Certificates of Participation (COPs) could be funded by millions of individual investors through the use of secure tokens. The introduction of a policy that sets up a plan for secure tokens to be used to finance COPs would greatly expand the number of potential investors and decrease the interest rate that the state would owe on its principal loan as a result of direct purchases by retail investors.

 

Connecticut Senator Will Haskell’s Student Loan Repayment Tax Credit won in the “Expanding Access to Education” category, which included ideas that promote opportunities at every level — from early childhood to post-secondary — to put students on a pathway to success in college and career and, ultimately, to making the most of their abilities. Haskell’s submission involves a corporate tax credit for any business that helps to pay off the student loans of employees. The credit can be valued up to $5,250 per year to sync with a federal tax benefit available to employers.

 

Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird’s Biogas to Vehicle Fuel submission won in the “Securing our Communities and our Planet” category, which included ideas for states, cities, and regions to address climate change with cleaner and more resilient power, transportation, and infrastructure, and to promote a more sustainable society. Her submission highlights a project in Lincoln to treat, clean, and transform the biogas generated by wastewater systems into quality, renewable vehicle fuel. This initiative addresses the challenge that the anaerobic digestion of solids that go to wastewater treatment facilities produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Lincoln has partnered with the private sector, including companies that have developed infrastructure to connect the renewable natural gas to the national natural gas pipeline and to get renewable energy on the marketplace.

 

Councilmember Will Jawando’s New Standards for Police Use of Force won in the Healing our Democracy and Rebuilding Community category, which included ideas aimed at promoting the right to vote, engaging people in civic society, and healing divisions in our society, especially by addressing systemic inequality. His idea starts with prohibiting a police officer from using deadly force except when absolutely necessary when no other alternatives are available. This includes prohibiting neck or carotid restraints and striking a restrained individual. The bill bans no-knock warrants in drug cases and shooting from or at moving vehicles, unless the vehicle is being used as a weapon and the circumstances would authorize the use of deadly force. In addition, Jawando’s solution requires officers to stop or attempt to stop the use of excessive force or the commission of a crime by another officer. Officers who intervene must not be retaliated against or disciplined for taking action.

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Recent News

NewDEAL Statement on the Anniversary of January 6th

As we mark one year since the horrific attack on the U.S. Capitol, the memory of that day must strengthen the resolve of leaders who care about the health of our democracy to protect the right of every eligible American to vote and to ensure the results of those votes […]

Washington Center for Equitable Growth: Equitable Growth joins NewDEAL Leaders to discuss child care in the post-pandemic U.S. economy

As the U.S. Congress finalizes its negotiations around the Build Back Better Act, policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels of government continue working to rebuild their respective economies in the wake of the coronavirus recession. Against this backdrop, the NewDEAL Leaders, a network of pro-growth elected progressives from state and […]

Communications Daily: States Plan for Key Role in $42.5B Broadband Program

State broadband leaders see opportunity for transformational change with at least $100 million coming to each state from the infrastructure law’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. States are in planning stages as NTIA prepares to distribute funding, said officials and other experts in interviews after President Joe Biden […]