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Announcing the winner of the 2017 Harvard Public Engagement in Government Award; connecting children in crisis with the help they need in Nebraska; and, forgiving child support debt in New York
Government Innovators Network
 
July 13, 2017
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Roy and Lila Ash Innovation Award for
Public Engagement in Government

Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center is pleased to announce that the California Citizens Redistricting Commission has won the 2017 Roy and Lila Ash Innovation Award for Public Engagement in Government. This initiative shows how citizens can take the lead in redistricting efforts to construct maps that respect communities and citizens and are fair to political parties. The $100,000 grand prize to support the replication and dissemination of the initiative will be presented at a ceremony in Washington, DC, later this month. Read more>>

The winner of the 2017 Innovations in American Government Award will be announced next week.

WHAT'S NEW


Louisville skyline at night

Open Data in Louisville

Innovators Insights Blog

This interview with Louisville's data officer, Michael Schnuerle, covers apps, hackathons, building relationships, and improving transparency in government. Read more>>

group of winners of NYC's BigApps competition

Six Traits of Productive Hackathons

(Photo: Bekka Palmer)

Based on his experience with New York City’s BigApps competition, Stephen Goldsmith outlines six suggestions for rolling out engaging and productive civic tech hackathons. Read more>>

IN THE NEWS


For Low-income Residents, Philadelphia Unveiling Income-based Water Bills

In a unique move, Philadelphia will assist its residents who are behind on their water bills by tying water rates to income level. Under the Tiered Assistance Program (TAP), participating customers will pay a fixed amount for their water bill, starting at $12 per month, based upon income. To encourage participation in the program, existing debt will be indefinitely suspended upon entry to the program and the penalties and interest on that debt will be forgiven after two years of on-time payments. Officials hope to enroll tens of thousands of households in the new program and will be monitoring the effects on the water department’s budget.

Seattle Landlords Must Give Voter-registration Info to New Renters

Seattle now requires landlords to provide information on voter registration and a registration form to new tenants. Renters are more likely than homeowners to be low-income, young, and people of color, and studies have shown that because renters move more frequently, this can lead to lapses in voter registrations and underrepresentation. The legislation is designed to provide easy and convenient access to voter information to these groups. Landlord penalties for failure to comply include fines and allowing the tenant to terminate the rental agreement.

A New Strategy for Collecting Child Support: Debt Forgiveness

In Westchester County, New York, the Department of Social Services has launched a pilot program that helps non-custodial fathers receive help from the state for debt owed in child support in exchange for training in life skills, parenting, employment, and the fulfillment of other benchmarks. Under the Responsible Employed Active Loving (R.E.A.L) Parenting Pilot for Stronger Families, non-custodial parents can eliminate most of the debt they owe to the county government if they make certain employment and payment goals. The current pilot has achieved success with 25 volunteers — unemployed fathers on public assistance who have child support debt ranging from $2,000 to $80,000 — and county leaders hope the program, which also includes intensive case management, will lead to stronger relationships between children and parents.

Oregon Becomes First State to Launch Auto-IRA Program

The state of Oregon has launched an automatic-enrollment, payroll-deduction IRA program for its private-sector workers. The auto-IRA, dubbed OregonSaves, will roll out in phases starting in early 2018, with the rollout scheduled for completion by 2020. Four other states — Illinois, California, Connecticut and Maryland — have passed similar legislation. Officials hope the program will strengthen the ability of private-sector employees to enhance their retirement security if they do not have a 401(k) plan available at work.

Initiative Aims to Connect Children and Families with Mental Health Professional in One Hour

To ensure that Nebraska children and families in crisis receive help as rapidly as possible, a new initiative from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services aims to connect them with a free mental health professional, either in person or online, within one hour of a call for help. Building upon the Nebraska Family Helpline, the goal is to spare families from more intensive, expensive services later on. Once a call is made, an on-call mental health professional will respond to situations needing immediate attention, working with the family to deescalate the crisis, and referring them to other resources. Callers from more remote, rural areas could be connected to someone online. The initiative is part of a broader system of care that is being underwritten by a federal grant.

Washington, DC, Is First in Nation to Offer Non-binary Driver’s Licenses

The District of Columbia has become the first jurisdiction to provide a new gender option on its driver's licenses or identification cards. Residents can now choose X for a gender-neutral identifier, instead of M or F. Officials and advocates observe that the new option will be helpful for non-binary and transgender people, who will now also be able to self-attest to a gender identifier without needing to receive a signature from a health provider.

DATA-SMART CITY SOLUTIONS


More Money, Less Fraud: Using Data to Detect Dishonesty

Data analytics is being used to spot and prevent fraud by targeting financial anomalies and implementing behavioral interventions that nudge residents likely to commit fraud. Lawmakers must be careful however to structure anti-fraud efforts in a way that benefits, rather than harms, residents that report honestly.

From Research to Results: The Next Wave of Tools For Planning Resilient Cities

A new series from Data-Smart City Solutions, "From Research to Results," highlights articles from contemporary academic research and outlines their practical implications for practitioners. The first installment discusses "Urban Resilience and Planning Support Systems: The Need for Sentience," which calls for cities to develop sentient planning support systems that can adapt to application context and user needs.

BETTER, FASTER, CHEAPER


A Model for Regulating the Ride-Sharers

By putting the burden on the companies, Chicago is keeping its costs low while providing an efficient framework and better mobility.

ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER


Innovators Insights is the news digest from the Government Innovators Network on the latest in government innovations. This digest is sent out every two weeks and is compiled and written by the editorial staff of the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School. In each issue, the editorial team identifies top policy and programmatic news that is related to government innovations so that you can stay informed about creative government at its best.

Editor: Jessica Engelman
Researcher & Writer: Brendan St. Amant
Note: The stories in this newsletter link to source articles on other websites and may not be available after a certain length of time.



ABOUT THE ASH CENTER


The Roy and Lila Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation advances excellence in governance and strengthens democratic institutions worldwide. Through its research, education, international programs, and government innovations awards, the Center fosters creative and effective problem solving and serves as a catalyst for addressing many of the most pressing needs of the world's citizens. The Ford Foundation is a founding donor of the Center. Additional information about the Ash Center is available at http://ash.harvard.edu.

 
 
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