The DLC Releases Playbook of Policy Approaches

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) introduced the 2002 edition of its State and Local Playbook last week. The playbook is a policy product for elected officials and policymakers outside of the nation's capital.

The playbook, which debuted last year, provides a menu of policy proposals already in use by governments from which model initiatives can be implemented in states, cities and communities around the country.

Elected officials are often other elected officials' best resource for new policy ideas, DLC officials said, but learning what their counterparts have done can be a difficult chore. The playbook hopes to get around this by assembling concise summaries of policy approaches and providing links to further background material, with contact information for people with specific expertise in each area.

The 2002 Playbook includes 73 total entries, with complete updates of all of last year's plays, and, this year, 35 new plays have been added -- including innovations that focus on pressing current issues such as homeland security and energy.

The DLC said the playbook offers policy innovations in seven key issue areas:

- Education
- Electronic government and electronic commerce
- Environment, energy and transportation
- Health care
- Homeland security and crime
- State economic development
- Social and family policy