FREE & NONPARTISAN CIVIC EDUCATION
We read the bill.
All of it. So you don't have to guess.
FLAG teaches anyone — no law degree, no party line — a free five-step method for reading legislation and seeing exactly what's in it. That's the whole program.
Who it's for
Any resident, student, or community group — free, no account, no fee, ever.
What we publish
Plain-language breakdowns of real bills, using the same public method every time.
Who funds it
Individual donors and grants — never the subjects of our breakdowns.
WHY THIS EXISTS
Bills are written to be skimmed. That's exactly what lets bad provisions survive.
PROGRAM
Civic Education & the PULSE Framework™
COST TO THE PUBLIC
Free, Always
AUDIENCE
Residents, Students, Community Groups, Press
POSITION ON BILLS
Nonpartisan - method, not verdict
Most people never read the legislation that governs them — not because they don't care, but because the documents are built to discourage exactly that. Dense structure, buried riders, and vague enforcement language are all obstacles anyone can learn to see through.
FLAG's civic education program exists to close that gap directly with the public: we teach a repeatable method, publish our own breakdowns as worked examples, and give residents the same toolkit that policy staff use — for free, without translating it into an opinion for them.
OPERATED BY
FLAG
WHY THIS EXISTS
The PULSE Framework™
Five plain questions, asked in the same order, every time. Click a letter to see it applied to a real clause.
Problem
What is the bill actually solving?
Most bills claim to solve a problem. We say what that problem is in one sentence — and then check if the "fix" quietly causes a new problem of its own.
Under the Hood
"May vs. "Shall" - does it have teeth?
Evaluating soft language like "may" and "at the discretion of" as well as strict like "shall" and "mandatory" to determine if a bill has any bite and unintended consequences of the bill.
Loot
Grants, credits and carve-outs to follow.
Bills often carry financial carve-outs — grants, subsidies, tax credits, deductions. Not all of them are bad. But tracking every one tells you who actually benefits, regardless of what the bill says it's for.
Secrets
Trojan horses, riders & poison pills.
Bills often carry unrelated riders bolted on at the last minute — sometimes to quietly sink the bill, sometimes to force an up-or-down vote on something unpopular. We FLAG the trojan horses.
Enforce
Civil v. criminal v. no penalties.
A rule nobody enforces is really just a suggestion. We check whether the bill funds real enforcement, relies on lawsuits to do the work, or has no consequences at all, whilst evaluating existing options.
enforce
A rule nobody checks is just words on paper. We ask who's actually responsible for catching violations, and whether there's any other existing options.
WHY THIS EXISTS
Ethics isn't only a federal question. Neither is this method.
PULSE is built to scale down as easily as it scales up — a city council agenda item gets the same five questions as a federal bill.
Local
Free sessions that walk residents through a live local agenda item — zoning changes, budget votes, council proposals — using PULSE step by step.
State & Federal
Plain-language write-ups of pending bills, published on a fixed method with full sourcing, so readers can check our work line by line.
Educators
A free PULSE worksheet and lesson plan for civics teachers, built so students can apply the method to any bill on their own.
Community Workshops
Published Breakdowns
Classroom Materials
GO DEEPER
The free breakdowns teach the method. The course gives you the power.
Everything above - the framework, the breakdowns, the workshops - stays free, always. This is an optional self-guided course for anyone who wants a structured, hands-on way to practice PULSE on their own.
SELF-GUIDED MODULES
Free sessions that walk residents through a live local agenda item — zoning changes, budget votes, council proposals — using PULSE step by step.
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Video Guided Modules teaching the PULSE Framework™
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Downloadable worksheets you can reuse on any bill
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Self-pace, no-deadlines, lifetime access
Reading Legislation Like a Staffer
Can't pay $47?
Every bursary request is granted — no proof, no questions, no waiting. This program exists for everyone regardless of ability to pay.
$47
one time - funds the free program
TRANSPARENCY
The same standard we ask of legislation, we apply to ourselves.
Free
Every PULSE breakdown, workshop, and worksheet - no paywall, no login required.
0
Advertisers, sponsors, or bill-affected parties fund any published breakdown.
Fixed
One method, applied the same way to every bill regardless of subject or sponsor.