New Prosperity Now Scorecard data on policy adoption across the states is now available just in time for the start of our state legislative sessions. We’re very pleased to announce that, along with our usual updates on most of the Scorecard’s existing policy recommendations, a new measure has been added that takes our first look at the intersection between the justice system and the need for economic justice for low-income communities and communities of color. Though no new updates are being made to the Scorecard’s outcome data measures at this time, these policy updates and other new reports from the Scorecard Team, including the new Cost of Living Reports, are the latest tools we’ve prepared for advocates and policymakers working to address the challenges that lie ahead throughout 2021. 

Our newest addition to our policy recommendations, Driver’s License Debt Suspension Protections, comes to the Scorecard with the assistance of the Fines and Fees Justice Center and the Free to Drive Coalition. This policy explores what states can do to end the cycle of punishment and poverty created by their own justice systems, specifically by no longer suspending driver’s licenses for failure to pay court fines and fees or failure to appear in a case involving fines and fees. While this policy alone is certainly not the only necessary reform to break states’ overreliance on fines and fees to cover budget shortfalls, it is a simple, clear and immediate change that policymakers can make with lasting positive benefits to individuals finding themselves caught between the rock of the justice system and an economic hard place. 

This new policy joins 28 others currently tracked in the Scorecard, many of which tie directly into the policies Prosperity Now is prioritizing for states in 2021. To take a deeper dive into these recommendations and to consider what could work in your states, we encourage advocates and policymakers alike to explore our 2021 State Policy Priorities and see how they align with policy adoption assessed in the Scorecard.  

Prosperity Now is ready to help you think through the policies we can advance together and with our partners across the Prosperity Now Community. Keep up to date with the latest campaigns and news to take action as they arise by signing up in our Advocacy Center, and stay tuned as we share more ways to build a resilient economy for all together in 2021!