Advocacy

As part of our work to promote effective public policies and laws in our initiative areas, the Institute provides invited testimony to state and local legislatures and disseminates related information and reports on a bipartisan basis. The Institute’s advocacy efforts are often informed by our applied research and demonstration programs and they complement our efforts to raise public awareness about key urban issues.

Major advocacy efforts to date include:

• Testimony related to the state’s anti-predatory lending legislation passed in 2003 and ongoing work to implement and assess effectiveness of the law.

• Testimony supporting legislative efforts to reduce barriers to the successful reintegration of former inmates into their communities.

• Testimony supporting legislation and policy aimed at reducing the impact of driver's license suspension as a barrier to employment for urban residents.

• Testimony in collaboration with a range of local and national groups in support of a proposal by the state Juvenile Justice Commission to reduce the maximum number of days that detained youth may be placed in isolation or seclusion.