As our April recap demonstrated, PolicyPitch has gained a great deal of momentum lately. Over the course of the next few months, we hope to capitalize on this by rolling out the new and improved PolicyPitch now with 30% more policy and less pitchy aftertaste!
Democracy is only as good as its citizenry and PolicyPitch is likewise only as good as its users. Therefore, we are currently working deep in an underground bunker implementing improvements to the site that will make it more functional and user friendly than ever before. The new version will feature advanced video camera functionality, including double tap auto-focus and low light level macro settings… oh wait sorry that’s the new iPhone 3GS… well, at least you don’t need AT&T to use PolicyPitch! I guess ya’ll just have to check back often to see our progress.
Oh and one last thing. I’d like to thank the PolicyPitch team for welcoming me on board. We are looking forward to bringing civic engagement to an entirely unprecedented level and I am just proud to be a part of that process.
~ Damien LaManna
April was an exciting month for the Policypitch team! Our first legislative bill was pitched by a Louisiana state legislator, we made it to the finals of the Tulane Business Plan Competition, made a splash in the press, and continued development of our new platform!
State Representative Walker Hines, D-New Orleans, became the first elected official to post a proposed piece of legislation on Policypitch for public comment and feedback. With Louisiana facing a large budget deficit, his bill to eliminate the Louisiana state income tax for residents age 18-29 attending college or with college degrees was sure to face an uphill battle in the 2009 legislative session. So, Mr. Hines pitched the idea to his constituents on Policypitch.com – writing an open letter to residents, seeking input and feedback, and asking for their support. Within a few weeks, the bill easily became the most popular–and polarizing–issue pitched on the website.
The past few weeks we have received some great press from the New Orleans media. I wanted to share some of the coverage that we have received. A lot of it stems from the first bill that we made available for public comment 2 weeks ago, House Bill 638 by Representative Hines. The Louisiana Legislative session starts today, and Rep. Hines is still seeking public input on the bill.
From WDSU Channel 6 News “New Web Site Offers Public Feedback on Proposed Bills:”
The site allows users to communicate directly to their state representatives and communicate with other
residents about the issues they care about most. The web site www.policypitch.com is an online forum for introducing and discussing community ideas. Citizens can give input into proposed bills and receive feedback by voting or ranking the ideas in their community. People who visit the site can also start petitions, accept online donations, and build support for their ideas.
Policypitch was launched by local New Orleanian Zach Kupperman.
And from New Orleans City Business “No State Income Tax for Young Adults:”
…Kupperman said his Web site, launched in test form last year and headquartered in New Orleans, is 
“trying to change the way that the public interacts with their elected officials. Society is moving towards a bottom-up approach to creating public policy. We are entering the era of the community authored wiki bill.”
The Web site will soon offer free legislative tracking for Louisiana and, eventually, the United States.
Also watch the news video from ABC 26 News “Tax Break for College Students.”
Check out our press page to check out all of our recent buzz!
As a strategic partner with Social Actions, Policypitch is excited about all of these amazing widgets and applications! Which apps do you think could be of most use to enhancing the ideas on Policypitch?
NetSquared and Social Actions are proud to announce the Top 24 Finalists from the Change the Web Challenge…read more.
We got a lot done in March. A short snapshot at our inner workings:
Headline news:
Hey PolicyPitch readers, members and supporters! This is my first post here as a member of the PolicyPitch team, one of many I hope. Since PolicyPitch provides a way for citizens like you and me to get involved in our communities, I thought it would be interesting to look at something that affects all of our U.S. readers, whether they know it or not: access to federal court filings and documents, and the cost associated with that access. The next step, of course, is to see what kinds of ideas we can put together to pitch to our local and national leaders to effectively address the shortfalls in the current system. That’s what PolicyPitch members are doing on a daily basis, and it’s something I hope gains a great deal of traction and can assist in more citizen involvement in politics and policy. Keep reading →
