July 14, 2023
Week in Review: July 14, 2023
Center of the American Experiment announced a legislative session recap speaking tour which will bring policy fellow and the Center’s leadership to nearly 20 cities around Minnesota this summer.
Kansas Policy Institute’s investigative journalism outlet exposed backroom dealing by a school board to eliminate its conflict-of-interest policy and appoint an employee of a district vendor to the board.
Georgia Center for Opportunity launched a new campaign, Free the Future, through leadership from BETTER WORK Columbus program director, Kristin Barker, which looks to break the cycle of recidivism in their communities.
Georgia Public Policy Foundation announced that an event with author Matthew Continetti will kick off its upcoming Georgia Freedom Series in September.
Goldwater Institute sent a letter to Congress urging support for the free speech and donor privacy protections of the American Confidence in Elections Act.
Independence Institute released parts one and two of its guide to this year’s constitutional cases from SCOTUS.
Indiana Policy Review Foundation published a tribute to longtime collaborator Leo Morris, who passed away this month.
Institute for Reforming Government’s Center for Investigative Oversight reported on new records that expose University of Wisconsin-Madison’s unconstitutional faculty hiring program.
Mountain States Policy Center celebrated its one-year anniversary by updating the organization’s look.
Nevada Policy introduced an updated look and shortened its public name from Nevada Policy Research Institute (NPRI) to Nevada Policy.
Opportunity Arkansas released their latest tracking poll, which found that support for phasing out the state’s individual income tax has surged in recent months, even before the state’s end-of-year $1 billion-plus surplus was announced.
People United for Privacy led a coalition of more than 70 nonprofit leaders and organizations in sending a letter to Congress urging support for provisions of the American Confidence in Elections Act that would safeguard nonprofit donor privacy and free speech.
Rio Grande Foundation, alongside the Washington-based Competitive Enterprise Institute led a coalition letter of state-based and national free market organizations and leaders in expressing serious concerns about provisions contained in the “Railway Safety Act,” which is now moving through Congress.
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty launched the “Equality for All Agenda,” calling for the repeal of all race-based laws and programs, following the Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard.
The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in O’Handley v. Weber, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the state of California from “jawboning” social media companies from censoring viewpoints the government does not agree with.
The Buckeye Institute joined New Civil Liberties Alliance, the Manhattan Institute, and the Law Offices of Crystal Moroney in filing an amicus brief in Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Community Financial Services Association of America, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to rein in the power of the unelected administrative state and protect the separation-of-powers principle embedded in the U.S. Constitution.
Mackinac Center filed a lawsuit against Michigan State University for violating the Freedom of Information Act by redacting and blacking out key documents and information related to a potential Eagle Township megasite.
Pelican Institute advocated for the free speech rights of a Louisiana attorney in an oral argument before a U.S. Court of Appeals in the case of Boudreaux v. Louisiana State Bar Association.
California: An appellate court ruled in favor of a group of Rancho Mirage property owners who had gone to court to challenge city ordinances restricting their right to rent out their property (Goldwater Institute).
Texas: Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick announced an agreement on an $18 billion property tax relief package that reduces school tax rates, increases the homestead exemption, initiates a circuit breaker pilot project, and provides franchise tax relief (Texas Public Policy Foundation).
Caesar Rodney Institute examined the ”grading” air quality report recently released by the American Lung Association, finding it flawed.
Empire Center analyzed the policies behind New York state-local pension’s four percent loss in fiscal year 2023.
Frontier Institute demonstrated the need for government spending restraint and an improved budget process to protect taxpayers in their 2024 Real Local Budgets report.
Illinois Policy Institute released a brief which argued that only school choice can revive Chicago’s education system and save their kids.
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation released an analysis of Iowa’s 2021 migration results, showing how public policy decision have consequences.
John Locke Foundation shed further light on the claims from North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s state of emergency for public education and discussed the North Carolina Senate’s decision to include a $1.4 billion allocation for NC Innovation.
Mackinac Center examined the data of current and past wildfire seasons, arguing for policies that prescribe active forest management practices.
Mountain States Policy Center showed how income taxes on capital gains will not bring Wyoming revenue stability.
Pacific Research Institute issued a brief with strategies for permit and licensing reforms.
Pelican Institute examined Louisiana’s safety-net programs and revealed how reforms to these policies would increase prosperity in the state.
Cash for Alaska’s School Districts: July 2023 Update
Alaska Policy Forum – Quinn Townsend and Josiah Davidson
Education Reform Success Will (Luckily) Depend on Reformers
Cardinal Institute
Will New Reading Instruction Requirements Strengthen Minnesota’s Teacher Prep Programs?
Center of the American Experiment – Catrin Wigfall
A User’s Guide to Montana’s Nascent Education Freedom Laws
Frontier Institute – Trish Schreiber
Charter Schools Outshine the Traditional Public School Model, Stanford University Report Finds
Georgia Center for Opportunity
Record-Breaking School Aid Budget Ignores Proven Ways of Improving Student Achievement
Mackinac Center – Molly Macek
Support for School Choice Remains Strong After Pandemic
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs – Ray Carter
Northshore School District Officials Should Not Shut Down Popular Elementary Advanced Program for Students
Washington Policy Center
Choice Helps Teachers, Too
Texas Public Policy Foundation – Austin Prochko
Oregon’s 2040 Electric Utility Mandates Rely on Future Technology–or Buying Electricity from Other States
Cascade Policy Institute
Biden EPA Assumes 10x Reduction in ‘Green Hydrogen’ Costs to Justify Power Plant Greenhouse Gas Regulations
Center of the American Experiment – Isaac Orr
Nebraska Hail Storms Destroy a Solar Facility, Cause Minor Damage to the Nuclear Plant
Center of the American Experiment – Isaac Orr
New Jersey’s EV Drivers Are Getting a Free Ride
Garden State Initiative – William J. Smith
The Sage Grouse Stand-Off Continues in the West
Mountain States Policy Center – Madilynne Clark
No Compensation for Voluntary Change of Farmland Status to Save Water
Pacific Research Institute – Pam Lewison
EVs Aren’t the Answer to Climate Worries
Texas Public Policy Foundation – Jamila Piracci
Where Minnesota’s $17.5 Billion Surplus Went: $1 Billion For ‘Affordable’ Housing
Center of the American Experiment – Martha Njolomole
How to House Your Family—and Make it Affordable
Show-Me Institute – William Redington
Hiking the Minimum Wage for Gig Workers Will Cut Their Earnings to $0
Center of the American Experiment – John Phelan
California Dreaming – Residents Fleeing in Droves
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
What Happened at Phoenix’s Homeless ‘Zone’ Trial?
Goldwater Institute – Austin Vanderheyden
Office Vacancy on the Rise in Hartford Area
Yankee Institute – Andrew Fowler
Mayor Fears $65 Million Rec Center Could Sink Rochester Local Sales Tax Vote
Center of the American Experiment – Tom Steward
Unhappy Anniversary: Illinois Income Tax Hike Is 6 Years Old
Illinois Policy Institute – Dylan Sharkey
Tax Relief (and Increases) in the Mountain States
Mountain States Policy Center
The Condition of Washington State’s Highways Is Getting Worse Despite the Increase in Taxes
Washington Policy Center – Charles Prestrud
Washington State’s Department of Revenue Publishes Preliminary Draft Rules for Capital Gains Tax
Washington Policy Center – Chris Corry
Even the Rich Aren’t Rich Enough to Save Us
Mackinac Center – James M. Hohman
What to Do about Property Taxes in Missouri
Show-Me Institute – David Stokes
How the Pandemic Shifted Relationships with Teachers’ Unions: A Former Union Member Perspective
Americans for Fair Treatment
New Orleans Collectively Bargains, Sets up Showdown with State Commission
Americans for Fair Treatment
Trojan Horse Alert: Teamsters Using Dirty Tricks to Unionize CT Businesses
Yankee Institute – Meghan Portfolio
Wisconsin Students’ Guide to College Debt
Badger Institute – Scott Niederjohn, Ph.D.
Power to the People, Via the Legislative Branch
Mountain States Policy Center – Chris Cargill
At Fox News Online, Americans for Fair Treatment’s Brigette Herbst unpacks how a federal court handed down a major conviction of corrupt union bosses.
In the Bay to Bay News, the Caesar Rodney Institute’s Dr. Tanya Hettler notes chronic school absenteeism needs solutions.
At National Review, the California Policy Center’s Will Swaim highlights how California’s political class have lost touch with reality over affirmative-action ruling.
In The Daily Caller, the Commonwealth Foundation’s Kevin Mooney notes the push for ‘net zero’ isn’t clean or green.
In the Maui News, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii’s Joe Kent highlights how a tax increase proposal will hurt poorer residents.
In the Chicago Tribune, the Illinois Policy Institute’s Paul Vallas notes the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling offers a less divisive way to deal with inequities.
In his recent column for The Denver Gazette, the Independence Institute’s Jon Caldara encouraged businesses to empower workers to stop crime.
At RealClearMarkets, The James Madison Institute’s Sal Nuzzo notes the federal government can’t be a business because it isn’t one.
In his recent column, the John Locke Foundation’s John Hood notes separation of powers protects freedom.
In the New Hampshire Journal, the Josiah Bartlett Center’s Andrew Cline asks if the Founders would consider us free.
In the Daily Herald, the Libertas Institute’s Ben Shelton notes countries with large health care professional shortages could save us from ours.
In The Salt Lake Tribune, the Libertas Institute’s Kyra Inston notes Utah shouldn’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to character education.
In The County Press, the Mackinac Center’s Jason Hayes points out wildfires have always been part of our history.
At Fox News Online, the Pacific Research Institute’s Lance Izumi notes the Harvard-UNC SCOTUS ruling puts pressure on K-12 to do better.
At Forbes, the Pacific Research Institute’s Sally Pipes highlights how the problems with single-payer are continuing.
In The Washington Times, People United for Privacy’s Heather Lauer warns that recent declines in charitable giving may be exacerbated by cancel culture and attacks on donors’ privacy.
At Fox News Online, the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Chuck DeVore notes there’s been an alarming rise in Made in China counterfeit postage stamps here in America.
In The Spokesman-Review, the Washington Policy Center’s Sean V. O’Brien notes science, not emotion, should dictate state hunting and wildlife policies.
