UA · SLPThe Alabama Policy Dashboard — a Governance Operations Center publication
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Tabletop & Simulation Program
Rehearse the hard decision before it becomes real.
Quarterly simulation exercises that put students, faculty, and invited state officials into the same room around the same scenario. Policy choices are rehearsed, not theorized. The after-action record is public.
01Next Simulation
Open enrollment for SLP Graduate Fellows
Tue · May 12 · 2026 · 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM CT
Federal Funding Cliff '27
The scenario: it is January 2027. Pandemic-era federal supports have expired on schedule. SNAP-E&T, ESSER remnants, expanded ACA subsidies, and one-time ARPA infrastructure reserves are gone within the same fiscal quarter. The cumulative hit to Alabama state and local budgets is modeled at $1.8B over 18 months.
Players take agency roles and move through four move-turns — initial briefing, first-week response, ninety-day adaptation, and legislative package. Red team (SLP Graduate Fellows trained as legislative staff) stress-tests each move. After-action debrief at 3:30 PM, public archive published within one week.
02Player Roles · Federal Funding Cliff '27
24 players · assigned Apr 28
Governor's Office
Decision Principal
2 players · invited state staff
Legislative Services Agency
Fiscal Staff
3 players · 1 invited, 2 Graduate Fellows
Department of Finance
Budget Principal
2 players · invited state staff
Medicaid Agency
Program Principal
2 players · invited state staff + 1 Fellow
ALSDE
Education Principal
2 players · invited state staff + 1 Fellow
Senate Leadership Cell
Legislative Principal
3 players · Graduate Fellows
House Ways & Means
Legislative Principal
3 players · Graduate Fellows
County & Municipal Cell
Local Government
3 players · 1 invited mayor, 2 Fellows
Press Corps
Red Team
2 players · Undergraduate Analysts
Outside Advocacy
Red Team
2 players · Undergraduate Analysts
03Full Annual Schedule
4 per year · FY26
Tue · May129:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Federal Funding Cliff '27
Quarter-by-quarter budget-gap response to the expiration of pandemic-era federal supports; tests state-local fiscal coordination and the General Fund stress floor.
Players 24Observers 60Duration 7 hrsStatus Open enrollment
Fiscal
Thu · Aug139:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Hurricane Landfall + Recovery Finance
Category 3 storm makes landfall near Mobile Bay with major grid impact. Simulation tests EMA-to-Finance-to-Governor decision chain, FEMA match-share calculations, and legislative special-session triggers.
Players 28Observers 60Duration 6 hrsCo-hosted with ALEA + AEMA
Emergency
Wed · Nov058:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Legislative Walkthrough: 2027 Session Opening
Full-day simulation of the first week of the 2027 Regular Session. Students cycle through committee staff, member, and press roles. Invited observers include returning legislators and freshman-member staff.
Players 36Observers 80Duration 9 hrsFeeds into Session Preview briefing
Legislative
Thu · Feb119:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Medicaid Rebase: The 2028 Structural Gap
Models the projected structural Medicaid shortfall at FMAP reset; tests coverage, provider-rate, and eligibility levers. Red team represents hospital association and consumer advocacy.
After-action records for each simulation are published within one week, redacted only for invited-official candor. Materials become case studies for SLP coursework the following semester. This is how the simulation program feeds the curriculum, and how the curriculum feeds the simulations.