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photo of environmental workers cleaning up the site of the train derailment in East Palestine

Federal Advocacy Roundup | March 2023

Though Congress has been quieter this month after their turbulent January, there’s never a quiet month in Washington D.C. February’s developments have put a bright spotlight on the actions—and inaction—of federal agencies. Here's our analysis.

As local laws fall, NY leaders call for statewide ‘good cause’ eviction legislation

In a letter to state leaders shared exclusively with City & State, dozens of local leaders pushed for the tenant protections.
LPMN Organizing Committee posing in front of a LPMN sign.

LPMN State Download 🌸 | Legislative action, state meeting & more! | March 2023

Here's some of the latest news and exciting updates from our Minnesota chapter.
Two large homes on the water in Florida.

Florida Senate unanimously approves $700 million plan to address affordable housing

A group called the Local Progress Impact Lab released a survey of 1,250 registered voters in Florida conducted by the African-American Research Collaborative on Wednesday that showed that 81% of those surveyed either strongly or somewhat agreed that the state should limit rent increases.
Minnesota local electeds and partners show support for statewide Paid Family and Medical Leave with signs in front of a mural.

Minnesota local electeds call for statewide Paid Family & Medical Leave

LP members in MN share their perspective on the state's proposed Paid Family and Medical Leave program, and what they’re hearing directly from their communities about it.

Governing is a Team Sport. Introducing LP’s Leadership Collaborative.

This year we are launching the Leadership Collaborative – a cross-organizational, multi-state, multi-issue, multi-racial space hosted as four convenings over the course of the next three years.

LPNC State Download 🌱 | NC Defend Local Democracy, ARP Cohort, & more! | Spring 2023

Here's some of the latest news and exciting updates from our North Carolina chapter.

The Network Download: Decriminalizing abortion, reimagining traffic safety, school board updates, and more | Feb 2023

Here's a look at some of what's happening across the Local Progress network.

Meet the LP’s newly-formed School Board Steering Committee!

The steering committee will guide the work of the school board cohort moving forward, bringing a diverse range of experiences and expertise to building our shared agenda.

New Resource Helps Local Electeds Welcome and Support New Arrivals with Dignity

Our newly released resource aims to chronicle this roadmap – offering direction for local electeds to follow the lead of communities, and take on this shared responsibility to create a welcoming infrastructure.

Florida legislature must stop interfering with local efforts to lower rents

In what has become an annual tradition, the Florida Legislature is poised to further restrict residents’ freedom to address issues affecting our local communities. In fact, they are taking a sledgehammer to local freedom amid the worst housing crisis in our lifetimes.

Federal Advocacy Roundup | January 2023

Since our last Federal Advocacy Roundup in early December, we’ve seen the passage of an end-of-year appropriations bill, landmark announcements from the administration on protecting tenants and migrant workers, and more!

Have a Media Inquiry?

Local Progress is a movement of local elected officials advancing a racial and economic justice agenda through all levels of local government. We are elected leaders who build power with underrepresented communities and fight to reshape what is possible in our localities all across the country. 

Want to get in touch with us for a story? Reach us at press@localprogress.org.

In The News

At Local Progress, we seek to make the aspirational pragmatic by showing how government can be a tool to create just and equitable outcomes and reshaping peoples’ understanding of governing from an institution to a collective responsibility. Here are some highlights of our media coverage:

Image of brownstonehomes. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Cities lead bans on algorithmic rent hikes as states lag behind

Minneapolis on Thursday has become the fourth U.S. city to ban algorithmic rental price-fixing software, joining San Francisco, Philadelphia and Berkeley, California, in a growing wave of legislation aimed to protect renters from rental price-gouging.
Portland City Council member Angelita Morillo is championing a local ban on the use of algorithms to set rents, following a U.S. Justice Department antitrust lawsuit.Beth Nakamura

Portland City Council weighs ban on using algorithms to set rents

Portland, Oregon could soon be the next city to ban rental price fixing!
East Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC, against blue sky and clouds. Photo: Tada Images via Shutterstock

Hundreds of State Officials Oppose Anti-Sanctuary City Act

Nearly 400 state and local electeds nationwide sent a letter to Congress today urging them to vote NO on HR 32 – a dangerous bill that would strip our communities of essential funding simply for undertaking reasonable policies that make all of us safer.
Photograph of the San Fransisco skyline. Photograph Source: Raydann

Social Housing Emerging in Cities Needs Local Govt Support

Local Progress founding board chair Nick Licata makes the case for local governments to support social housing.

press Releases

A large group standing around while one person speaks at a podium.

Road To Good Cause Campaign Scores 11 Victories Across Upstate New York

The coordinated campaign of local officials expand critical renter protections to thousands of tenants, setting their sights on Rochester next.

NEW REPORT: How Local Government Can Stand Up for Workers When States Try to Stand in Their Way

This new report for Labor Day 2024 highlights ways local elected officials can advance workers rights even when facing both hostile state preemption and federal labor law preemption.

How Localities Use Community Responder Programs to Keep People Safe

This new video from Local Progress and Local Progress Impact Lab focuses on three specific localities: Durham, Oakland, and Albuquerque to explain what community responder programs are, how they work, and why hundreds of localities are starting to adopt them.

After Grants Pass: organizing to house all our neighbors

In response to the Supreme Court's cruel decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson, we will continue to organize for housing for all.

Local Progress Condemns Cruel Supreme Court Decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson

In response to the Supreme Court’s decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson, Local Progress put out the following statement.