Co-chairs of the NewDEAL Forum’s Broadband Task Force have asked Congressional leaders for an additional $7 billion of funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), an initiative created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that subsidizes high-speed internet for more than 20 million Americans, with more eligible to participate, and is projected to run out of funding in the coming months.

Digital equity in schools — students' access to digital tools, resources, and curriculum — is now fundamental to their long-term success as schools become increasingly technological, something accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

With an unprecedented summer marked by extreme heat and weather events drawing attention to the dangerous consequences of climate change and the urgent need to limit global warming, a new report from NewDEAL addresses opportunities for policymakers outside Washington to support removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and safely store it away.

Rather than tinker around the edges of dealing with climate change, it is time for states to throw everything they have at the issue to stave off further—and permanent—damage.

Despite Americans’ pessimism about the state of our democracy, Democrats and Republicans agree on policies to protect election workers, expand voting access and strengthen election integrity.

State and local policymakers will recommend practical ways to maximize the impact of historic federal investments in climate change.

Across the country, state and local governments are accelerating their efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions. They are creating approaches that can be borrowed and improved upon.

Through the Inflation Reduction Act and other pieces of federal legislation, Congress has created a prime opportunity for states to engage in innovative, economically-beneficial programs related to climate and energy. Let’s take steps to make the world a little better, while at the same time providing good-paying jobs for our citizens.

In his State of the Union speech, President Biden urged Congress and the states to “finish the job” – a call to confront and solve the various critical issues facing our nation.

In May, NewDEAL Leaders will head to Detroit for our annual Ideas Summit. The conference brings together outside experts and pragmatic, pro-growth elected officials to discuss innovative solutions to some of the nation’s most pressing issues like education, high-speed internet access, climate change, and more.

NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan discusses the NewDEAL Forum's Democracy Playbook with Adam Morgan for KOSI Denver.

In 2020 and 2022, our democracy held firm against a wave of authoritarian forces, but we cannot ignore the cracks that have formed due to the malfeasance of unscrupulous actors. The tactics and attempts to undermine democracy are constant and shifting. Our efforts must keep pace in the face of relentless attacks.

Unfounded claims about voter fraud after 2020 continue to polarize the traditionally nonpartisan administration of elections in unfortunate ways. The defeat of many high-profile election deniers in the 2022 midterms should have begun to break the fever, but it remains more difficult than it should to rationally discuss ways to improve confidence. Which is why the common-sense ideas laid out in a new report are so welcome.

As we begin new terms as secretaries of state, our primary focus must be on making sure that the next election—Nov. 5, 2024—is safe, secure, and trusted. Yes, that is more than 600 days away, but the reality is that states and localities must act now to strengthen our systems for the future. Existential threats to our democracy may have receded for the time being, but they have by no means disappeared. Former President Donald Trump and his cronies continue to falsely claim that the 2020 election was rigged, and state legislators are right now considering bills to make it easier to restrict voting rights and to allow partisan interference in elections.

Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has participated in a national effort to improve the election system. NewDEAL Forum, a Washington, D.C. nonprofit, has released a set of recommendations for state and local leaders “to preserve and strengthen our democracy,” according to the organization.

More than 40 specific policy recommendations were developed by organization’s Democracy Working Group co-chaired by Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson of Michigan, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes of Arizona, County Commissioner Ken Lawrence of Pennsylvania, and Assembly Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui of Nevada.

The NewDEAL Forum, the policy-focused arm of a group of state and local progressive Democratic officials, is out with a new, expansive report called its “Democracy Playbook,” a list of policy recommendations for how to actually run elections. The group said it pulled the report together given all the focus that has been on the mechanics of American democracy over the last couple years.

NewDEAL Forum releases policy recommendations and best practices gathered during a visit of state and local officials to study Mayor Schaaf’s initiatives to provide students with “Cradle to College” support and address the digital divide.