Mission
What one state proves possible, the nation owes to all.
Citizenship and taxation carry a reciprocal duty: government owes every person a baseline of legal protection. In the United States, that baseline still varies by state.
Excessive bank fees, punitive late charges, and the lasting publication of old records are regulated in some states and left unaddressed in others. That disparity is a form of institutional disenfranchisement.
Matilda Law identifies the most protective enacted statutes in the country, states their operation in plain terms, and equips residents to petition their own legislatures for the same standard. The work concerns equal civil standing under law.
Benchmark standard
A statute is listed as a benchmark only when it meets all four criteria:
01
Enacted
It is current law in a U.S. state or the District of Columbia, not a bill, proposal, or court opinion alone.
02
Verifiable
Its exact text is available from an official government source and is cited precisely.
03
Operative
It has been in force long enough to show it can be administered in practice.
04
Transferable
Its rule could be adopted by another state legislature without depending on that state's unique structure.
Statutes named by the search engine that have not yet been checked against official text are marked for further review and are not placed in prepared petitions.
The RSA civic rights proposal
Ten baseline protections, each already enacted in at least one state.
- Matilda Law is the method
- A way of reading the law: find the most protective enacted state statute, state it plainly, identify where it is absent, and give citizens the evidence to petition for it.
- Republican Socialist of America applies it
- RSA is an organization that uses this method to advance its own mission: a republic is free only when ordinary people can participate, recover, and exercise their rights without unnecessary dependence on government, corporations, wealth, or geography. Its proposal asks government to remove unnecessary barriers to ordinary citizenship. Matilda Law remains a public library and takes no political position.
01
Same-day physical identification
A usable physical ID is issued at the counter rather than lost to mail delays.
Models: Delaware, Minnesota, Pennsylvania
02
Identification without housing
People without a fixed address can obtain state ID without fees or a residential address.
Models: Pennsylvania, California, Tennessee
03
Clean slate
Eligible records are sealed automatically by computer, without a petition.
Models: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Utah
04
Correctional calls at cost
Calls from prison are free or priced at cost, with no commissions paid to the state.
Models: Connecticut, Massachusetts
05
Keep necessary property
Owning a car or modest savings does not disqualify a household from food assistance.
Models: California and other broad-eligibility states
06
Work after a conviction
Licensing boards may deny a license only for convictions directly related to the occupation.
Models: Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio
07
Recover housing
Dismissed or unadjudicated eviction filings are sealed so they do not follow tenants.
Models: California, Minnesota
08
Drive
Licenses are not suspended for unpaid court debt unrelated to driving safety.
Models: California, Virginia, New York
09
Automatic restoration of the vote
Voting standing is kept or restored by operation of law, without an application.
Models: Maine, Vermont, Nebraska
10
Essential services
Heat and power are not shut off in winter or during documented medical hardship.
Models: Massachusetts, Maine, New York
Two tests of governance
- Citizen test
- Does it materially increase an ordinary person's practical ability to live, work, participate, or recover from hardship?
- Government test
- Can public administration implement it nationwide, within the envelope, without unworkable burden?
Administrative cost
$342 million
The estimated nationwide cost to administer all ten — about $1.00 per American, and roughly one year of combined state legislative compensation. One-time administrative and technology implementation only — card printers, eligibility systems, record automation, contract restructuring, and contingency. It does not include benefit payments.
When the cost of baseline civic standing is this small, cost alone cannot justify leaving it unadopted.
Ask your legislature to adopt these rights
See which of the ten rights your state already holds, then send its lawmakers a prepared letter for each gap. Each letter names the model law and includes the cost argument above.
Institutional scope
Matilda Law operates as an open-access statutory research library and comparative methodology. It does not provide legal counsel, represent clients, or review private case records.
Start with The Strongest Law, civil legal aid by state, the verified statute library, or printable reform guides. Matilda Law is a public legal library, not a law firm. It does not provide legal advice or attorney representation.