Policymaking Simulations
Policymaking Simulations put citizens in their elected officials’ shoes by simulating the process they go through in making policy decisions – getting briefed, hearing arguments, coming to decisions – using an online instrument called a “policymaking simulation.” VOP has worked with the Program for Public Consultation to develop simulations on the following issues, give one a try. At the end of each simulation, please take the opportunity to email your members of Congress and make your voice heard.
DATE | CATEGORY | SUB-CATEGORY | TOPICS COVERED | TRY SIMULATION |
05/2018 | Government Reform | Campaign Finance | - whether or not to overturn the Supreme Court's 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
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05/2018 | Government Reform | Campaign Finance | - online credit card donations for political campaigns
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05/2018 | Government Reform | Campaign Finance | - providing tax credits for small donations by small donors
- providing a six-to-one match for small donations using government revenues
- providing a six-to-one match for small donations funded by a small fee on large federal government contractors
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05/2018 | Government Reform | Campaign Finance | - ending the program for public funding of presidential campaigns
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05/2018 | Government Reform | Campaign Finance | - prohibiting Members of Congress from personally asking for donations
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05/2018 | Government Reform | Campaign Finance | - requiring all individuals or organizations that donate or receive a total of $10,000 or more for campaign‐related activities to promptly register with the FEC, have their name and the amount of the donations listed on the Commission’s website
- requiring that independent campaign‐related expenditures by corporations, unions, and other groups promptly report such spending to shareholders, members, and the general public, as well as the FEC
- requiring that names of significant donors paying for TV or radio ads in support of candidates or related to controversial issues be publicly disclosed
- requiring donors using credit cards to provide the address in which they are registered to vote in the US, to get the CVV on all online donations, and to get and report the address of all credit card donors, not just those giving $50 or more as currently required by law
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04/2018 | Government Reform | Election Reform | - making it more possible for independent and third party candidates to compete in Congressional elections
- making it more possible for independent or third‐party candidates to participate in presidential debates
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04/2018 | Government Reform | Election Reform | - establishing a commission of citizens within each state shape the Congressional districts
- using ranked choice or instant runoff voting in federal elections
- creating larger US House districts that would be represented by more than one Member of Congress
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01/2018 | Government Reform | Healthcare | - Restoring spending levels for outreach to familiarize people with the ACA’s insurance exchanges
- Restoring subsidies to reimburse insurance companies for covering out-of-pocket costs for low-income people for at least two years
- Making "copper plans" available in the ACA exchanges to anyone, including people over 30
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12/2017 | Government Reform | Lobbying Restrictions | - Limiting lobbying by former government officials
- Limiting lobbying for foreign governments
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04/2018 | Environment | Ozone Standards | - Proposal to delay by eight years the requirement that states undertake a step‐by‐step plan for lowering the maximum allowed ozone levels from 75 ppb to 70 ppb
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04/2018 | Environment | Solar Panel Tariffs | - proposal to impose a tariff on solar energy panels of 30% in year one, declining to 25% in year two, 20% in year three and 15% in year four
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05/2018 | Environment | Offshore Drilling | - proposal on whether to lift bans, allow state-specific bans, appoint independent auditorsand establish a clean-up fund
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06/2017 | Federal Government Programs | Poverty | - SNAP Benefits
- Early Childhood Education Programs
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10/2017 | Healthcare | Medicare | - Encouraging use of generic drugs
- Requiring pharmaceutical companies to pay a higher rebate for prescriptions to recipients with modest incomes
- Increasing, by 15 percent, the premiums paid by higher-income seniors
- Lowering the payments to hospitals for services to Medicare recipients to make them equal to the amount paid to doctors’ offices for the same services
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12/2017 | Net Neutrality | Public Utilities | - Faster downloads
- Blocking or restricting website access
| [hoot_button url="http://publicconsensus.org/policymaking-simulations/net-neutrality/" target="self" size="small"]Net Neutrality[/hoot_button] |
07/2018 | Federal Budget | Discretionary Spending, General Revenues | - Discretionary Spending: Raise or lower 31 line items (e.g. transportation, education, defense etc.) as you see fit.
- General Revenues: Assess arguments about what priorities should be for federal taxes and set tax rates for all of the major taxes including income taxes, corporate taxes, capital gains and more. Evaluate newly proposed taxes such as a tax on financial transactions or on carbon dioxide.
| [hoot_button url="http://publicconsensus.org/policymaking-simulations/federal-budget/" target="self" size="small"]Federal Budget FY2019[/hoot_button] |
03/2018 | Immigration | Immigration Reform | - Family based programs
- Diversity lottery
- Employment based programs
- DACA
- Securing the Southern Border
| [hoot_button url="http://publicconsensus.org/policymaking-simulations/immigration-reform/" target="self" size="small"]Immigration Reform[/hoot_button] |