Dear John,
MAP’s Innovation Lab officially launched yesterday at Ascend at the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC, where young lawmakers from across the political spectrum convened for discussions addressing what they consider to be our nation’s most pressing public policy challenges.
The Lab is a hub for policy education and bridge-building that connects the dots between the next generation of legislators and politically diverse experts and thought leaders to support bipartisan collaboration and innovative policymaking on key issues. It was established to provide space for bipartisan engagement and workshop public policy that can pass divided legislatures and move communities forward. Serving as a nexus for young lawmakers to connect with policy experts at leading institutions, the Lab will pair legislators with authorities in the fields of strengthening democracy, future of work, healthcare, criminal justice, energy & environment, and housing.
MAP’s just released Innovation Agenda — authored by hundreds of Gen Z and Millennial legislators— was created to serve as a roadmap for collaboration on public policy solutions. |
Initiating the event, Millennial Action Project President and CEO Layla Zaidane, said, "This was a project years in the making. Today I am so very thrilled to announce the Innovation Lab -- a way to turbo charge the amazing work Future Caucus legislators are already doing in their states and accelerate even more effective policymaking."
When Zaidane asked young legislators on the panel what has been valuable in having a network of peers to share information with across state lines, Oklahoma Rep. Daniel Pae (R) said, “In my state of Oklahoma, being co-chair of the Criminal Justice Reform Advisory Council meant a lot to me. Oklahoma is known as having one of the highest rates of incarceration. We passed bipartisan policies on transitioning those incarcerated out of the system based on what worked in other parts of the country and what didn’t work. In our advisory council, we had a lot of different viewpoints on the same platform. But those connections and relationships maintained with those on both sides of the aisle helped us look at this issue holistically. With the Innovation Lab, we will have good data and good experts on a whole variety of topics that will help us even more in approaching this type of policymaking.”
Equipping young legislators with tools, knowledge, and networks needed to craft effective, innovative policy solutions that transcend partisan divisions, the Innovation Lab provides MAP Future Caucus members access to an expansive policy repository, real-time briefings, on-demand expertise, and connections to fellow legislators engaged in issues of shared concern. |
MAP’s event at the Institute also featured a discussion with Amy Dacey, Executive Director of American University’s Sine Institute of Policy & Politics, focusing on the release of their new polling report, Reimagining the American Dream: Views from Young Americans. MAP partnered with the Institute on joint polling to collect the perspectives of young Americans — ages 18-34 — on politics, community engagement, and public service, reflecting on their experiences, values, and goals.
The event panel discussion included four young lawmakers: Rep. Jennifer Bacon (D-CO), Rep. Daniel Pae (R-OK), Rep. Ajay Pittman (D-OK), and Rep. Brandon Woodard (D-KS). Learn more about the policy Innovation Lab here. Onwards, Millennial Action Project |
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