Defend Homerenters from Abuse (and Help Test KEJC's Comment Collector!)

The Kentucky Equal Justice Center has worked with a very generous Code for Kentuckiana member to build an app that allows us to collect and send comments on federal regulations.

Obviously, we have done this as part of our work before, but because we just send people to the page on regulations dot gov where people can comment on a specific regulation, we’ve never been able to track how many people and who has commented. When you’re a small org in a state with a challenging advocacy environment, that’s a problem because it’s a huge missed opportunity to build a relationship with those people who are most likely to take action on a specific issue.

The app we built uses the new API that Regulations.gov recently launched to automatically submit comments to regulations dot gov, but through a form we built and control so we can a) thank that person for submitting a comment and b) follow-up with them at other actionable advocacy moments.

Help Needed

Please help us test this app. We know it works, but want to test it more widely. The comment period for the CFPB’s rule that will require debt collectors (including landlord attorneys) to inform homerenters of the CDC’s eviction protections or violate the FDCPA closes on May 7. More info on the rule itself from the National Consumer Law Center here: https://library.nclc.org/effective-may-3-new-federal-debt-collection-rule-eviction-practices

Please submit a comment in support of the rule in the form below or here: https://www.govcommenter.com/submit-comment/kejc/cfpb-2021-0008-0001

Submitting a comment (brief or long) a) encourages the CFPB to maintain or strengthen the rule and b) helps us test our app.

Help Offered

The ability to use the regulation-commenting process to build power with grassroots action-takers is huge. I know a few platforms serving nonprofits already offer this service to its customers, but my research suggests that these platforms cost ~$500/month and are therefore only available to the largest national nonprofits (or, at least, are not accessible to organizations like the one I/many of us work for).

If you want to learn more about the app and (potentially) get your own version of the app up and running, go ahead and leave a comment on the CFPB’s proposed rule at the link above and we’ll do a Zoom at some point with the app developer to show you the “behind the scenes” and answer your questions and hear your comments.

Alternatively (but suboptimally), you could send me an email (ben at kyequaljustice dot org), I guess, asking to get an invite to whatever Zoom we eventually set up.

🤜 💥 🤛