This weekly round-up shares the latest news about what the Network is doing to promote state-based solutions that will improve the lives of families, workers, and local communities. If you are an SPN member and have an update you’d like us to include in next week’s round-up, please email us at updates@spn.org (all submissions are subject to SPN approval).
Success Stories
- The Mississippi legislature voted to increase funding for Education Scholarship Accounts from $3 million to $5 million, creating around 300 new scholarships to meet the needs of hundreds on the wait list. Empower Mississippi was instrumental in raising public awareness on this issue through their Waitlisted campaign.
- SEIU paid $28,000 to settle a Freedom Foundation lawsuit on behalf of a home caregiver in Washington State. A union organizer had forged the caregiver’s signature on a membership form, resulting in more than a year of dues being deducted from her paycheck.
Research & Initiatives
- The Empire Center examined how New York governor Cuomo’s budget ignored the possibility of a serious revenue shortfall and how healthcare costs will likely go up. To help New York residents visualize how much money ($5,565 per second) their state government is spending, thanks to the $175.5 billion budget, they created a spend-o-meter.
- The Mississippi Center for Public Policy looks at how many bills Mississippi legislators drafted this year, how many passed, and how that compares to trends in previous years.
- The Pacific Research Institute released the first paper in their Breaking Down Barriers to Opportunity series. The report found
costly regulations serve as a barrier to entrepreneurship, small business growth, innovation, and job opportunities to lift people into the middle class. - Senators and media heard a wide range of expert testimony from the Palmetto Promise Institute, educators, economists, policy experts, parents, and teachers in support of South Carolina’s proposed Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship Account bill.
- The Pioneer Institute‘s new book U-Turn: America’s Return to State Healthcare Solutions proposes that states take the lead in healthcare reform and Washington facilitate the transition rather than dictate every move.
- What makes a successful city? The Show-Me Institute partnered with the Institute for Humane Studies to host an academic research seminar that explored how cities should measure success and what they can do to grow their economy.
Think Tanks in the News
- Ballotpedia breaks down what it means to use the nuclear option for confirming judicial nominees.
- The Georgia Public Policy Foundation debunks myths about education spending in Georgia and what voters should anticipate next year.
- Well-intentioned regulations have made doing business in Vermont costly for small business owners. The Ethan Allen Institute outlines the many new obstacles entrepreneurs in Vermont are facing.
- Illinois should follow New York’s lead on taxes. The Illinois Policy Institute highlights how the governor’s push for a progressive income tax may increase the speed at which residents leave for lower-tax states.
- If the court struck down the Affordable Care Act, how bad would it be? The Independence Institute looks at the impact that returning to a pre-Affordable Care Act healthcare system would have on individuals and families.
- The Intercollegiate Studies Institute thwarted the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT)’s attempt to seize a significant portion of its property. Eighteen months after the Institute challenged DelDOT, the department caved, dropped their land grab demands, and agreed to reimburse ISI for related expenses.
- The Texas Public Policy Foundation asks: what if “fair” taxes don’t actually help the poor?
- The Washington Policy Center calls out Washington lawmakers attempts to hide an income tax on capital gains by calling it an “excise tax,” a tax that does not exist anywhere else in the US.
- The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty‘s positive impact on Wisconsin policy is being recognized. The Cap Times, a Madison-based newspaper, highlighted WILL as one of the most important organizations that will serve as a counterweight to Democratic Governor Tony Evers.
