PolicyPitch
Encyclopedia
PolicyPitch is a crowd-powered platform that gives ordinary people the power to influence policy and change in their community. The site focuses on increasing transparency in government and providing tools for citizens to connect with their elected officials and include policy at the local and state level. PolicyPitch is part of the Open Government movement.
In 2009, Walker Hines, a Louisiana state representative from New Orleans, became the first elected official to post legislation on PolicyPitch. The legislation sought to eliminate Louisiana income tax liability for people, ages 18–29, in college or with a college degree]. Hine's goal was to gather feedback and open a two-way dialogue with the public.
The website was redesigned in early 2010, where the focus on transparency in local and state government played a larger role. PolicyPitch allows people to propose new public policy ideas and track local legislation at the state level. Currently, users can track legislation in Arizona, California, and Kentucky for free. Blog posts report that the site will eventually contain legislative tracking for all 50 states, and eventually municipal ordinances as well. In addition to the legislative tracking, users can also pitch their own ideas for change to their community.
PolicyPitch has been featured on Mashable, The Times Picayune, and New Orleans CityBusiness.
In 2009, Walker Hines, a Louisiana state representative from New Orleans, became the first elected official to post legislation on PolicyPitch. The legislation sought to eliminate Louisiana income tax liability for people, ages 18–29, in college or with a college degree]. Hine's goal was to gather feedback and open a two-way dialogue with the public.
The website was redesigned in early 2010, where the focus on transparency in local and state government played a larger role. PolicyPitch allows people to propose new public policy ideas and track local legislation at the state level. Currently, users can track legislation in Arizona, California, and Kentucky for free. Blog posts report that the site will eventually contain legislative tracking for all 50 states, and eventually municipal ordinances as well. In addition to the legislative tracking, users can also pitch their own ideas for change to their community.
Founding
PolicyPitch was founded in 2008 by Zach Kupperman, a native of New Orleans. In 2008, PolicyPitch was a Finalist in the Tulane Business Plan Competition. In 2009, for his work on PolicyPitch, Kupperman was named to Gambit's "40 under 40" and New Orleans CityBusiness also named Kupperman an Innovator of the Year for his work on PolicyPitch.PolicyPitch has been featured on Mashable, The Times Picayune, and New Orleans CityBusiness.