CivOS

Grand Bargain — 39 Reforms

A public reform program for neutral, systems-level scenario analysis.

Reform areas

  • Economic Mobility
  • K-12 Education
  • Healthcare
  • Energy
  • Taxes
  • Federal Spending & Debt
  • Congressional Reform

All 39 proposals

Incentivize Worker Training Across Colleges, Employers, and Unions

Create incentives for community colleges, employers, unions and other providers to constantly improve and expand programs that train workers for higher-paying jobs, especially in fast-growing industries.

Reduce Regulations Restricting Affordable Housing and Infrastructure

Reduce regulations that restrict construction of new affordable housing and infrastructure.

Support Rural and Low-Income Urban Areas

Support rural and low-income urban areas with education, training, universal broadband access, and investment incentives to promote entrepreneurship and job creation.

Independent Agency to Evaluate AI Impact on Ordinary Americans

Establish an independent agency to evaluate how each Artificial Intelligence initiative is promoting overall progress for ordinary Americans — improvements in skills, health, jobs and job quality.

Expand Earning Subsidies for Low-Wage Workers with Children

Expand earning subsidies (e.g. EITC-style) for low-wage workers with children.

Protect Workers' Rights to Form, Join, and Contribute to Unions — and Not To

Support workers' rights to form, join and contribute to unions — and their rights not to.

Boost Basic Research Funding and Commercialization Pipeline

Boost federal spending on basic research, and improve the pipeline from publicly funded research to commercialization.

Revise Educational Goals to Include Life Skills

Revise educational goals and standards to include both academic and life skills, such as teamwork and resilience.

Reform Teacher Training and Professional Development

Reform teacher training and professional development to boost teachers' performance.

Hold Teachers and Schools Accountable for Student Progress

Hold teachers and schools to account for students' progress.

Significantly Increase Pay for More Effective Teachers

Significantly increase pay for more effective teachers.

More Instruction Time, Feedback, Personalization, and Tutoring

Promote more instruction time, high expectations, frequent teacher feedback, tailoring instruction to students' performance, and tutoring as needed.

Programs to Increase Low-Income Parent Engagement

Develop programs to increase lower-income parents' support for their children's learning.

Expand School Choice (Public and Charter)

Expand families' opportunities to choose among public and charter schools.

Increase Per-Student Support for Under-Resourced Schools

Increase per-student support for under-resourced schools.

Build State and Local Evaluation/Research Capacity

Help state and local education agencies build up their evaluation and research capabilities.

Expand Community Health Support in Rural and Distressed Areas

Expand support for overall community health, especially in areas where providers lack incentives to go — rural and distressed communities.

Public Education and Funding for Nutrition and Prevention

Coordinate public education and increase funding for healthier lifestyles, nutrition and prevention — especially regarding obesity.

Value-Based Payment for Medicare and Medicaid

Require each Medicare and Medicaid plan to measurably reduce costs and improve patient health outcomes — and stop paying providers for each test and procedure they perform.

Support Outcome-Focused Providers (e.g. Kaiser Permanente Model)

Support public and private providers that focus on producing the best health outcomes at the lowest cost (such as Kaiser Permanente).

Expand Year-Round Free Meals at Low-Income Schools

Expand free meals to low-income schools year-round to ensure poor children have access to nutritious foods.

Prevent Provider Monopolies in Any Region

Prevent any business from buying up a monopoly of healthcare providers in any region.

Expand Federal Price Negotiations on Prescription Drugs

Expand federal price negotiations to manage the cost of pharmaceuticals and prescription drugs.

Repeal Energy Subsidies and Rules Whose Costs Exceed Benefits

Repeal energy subsidies, regulations and legislation whose costs exceed the benefits.

$51/Ton Carbon Price with Tax Cuts for Low-Income / Rural Families

Place a price on carbon emissions of at least $51 per ton, and cut income taxes accordingly on low-income and rural families.

$51/Ton Carbon Border Tariff

To level the playing field with countries that do not put a price on carbon emissions, create a $51 per ton tariff on their products.

Methane Reuse + Abandoned-Well Capping Liability

To reduce methane emissions, support reuse technologies and hold current and former owners of abandoned fossil fuel wells liable for capping those wells.

Federal Authority for Interstate Energy Permitting

To move energy across state lines efficiently, increase federal agencies' authority to plan and issue permits for energy infrastructure, including transmission lines.

Sharply Reduce Deductions, Exclusions, and Credits for High-Income Households

Sharply reduce deductions, exclusions and credits that mostly help high-income families.

Full Business Expensing (Excluding Interest)

To encourage investment, allow businesses to deduct all expenses — including capital assets, but excluding interest — in the year paid.

6% Value Added Tax with Low-Income Rebate

Place a 6% value-added tax (VAT) on goods and services at each point in the supply chain — and rebate the amount to low-income consumers — to reduce evasion and promote exports.

Restructure Social Security: Higher Floor, Slower Growth at Top, Higher Retirement Age

Boost Social Security's cost-effectiveness by raising benefits for low earners, slowing growth of benefits for high earners, and raising the retirement age for those who can still work.

End Tax Distinctions Between Corporate and Non-Corporate Businesses

End taxation distinctions between corporate and non-corporate businesses.

Tax Capital Gains on Inherited Assets (Close Step-Up Loophole)

Tax the gains on capital assets when they are inherited, ending the ability to avoid such taxes.

Lower the Estate Tax Exemption (Currently $30M / Couple)

Lower the size of estates exempt from tax (currently $30M per couple).

Bipartisan Defense Cost-Cutting Plan with Up-or-Down Vote

Invite former Secretaries of Defense from both parties to develop a plan for simultaneously increasing defense preparedness while cutting costs — and require Congress to vote the plan up-or-down. Estimated savings: ~$100B/year.

Replace Partisan Committees with Cross-Priority Task Forces

Replace congressional committees divided along partisan lines with task forces designed to resolve problems: lawmakers sharing priorities pick a spokesperson; spokespeople hash out differences; if they agree, each pitches the deal to their colleagues.

Open Primaries Legislation

Enact legislation to open up primaries, so every voter has a voice and candidates across the spectrum compete on a level playing field.

Prohibit Partisan Gerrymandering

Enact legislation to prohibit either party from drawing congressional districts to boost its odds of winning elections.