August 11, 2023
Week in Review: August 11, 2023
Alaska Policy Forum analyzed new rankings compiled by the Institute for Free Speech which listed Alaska among the worst offenders of the First Amendment, though only four states scored over 70%.
In public comments on a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed rule, The Buckeye Institute-led coalition demonstrates the failings of the rule, which will jeopardize America’s energy security by making cheap power scarce and markedly increasing power costs for all Americans, rich and poor alike. The Caesar Rodney Institute, Frontier Institute, John Locke Foundation, and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy joined Buckeye in filing the comments.
John Locke Foundation delved into Freedom Conservatism, a new initiative that numerous policy experts, including senior members from Locke, are endorsing, aiming to champion freedom not just as an ideal but as a concrete policy principle.
Institute for Reforming Government’s Center for Investigative Oversight released the “Open Meetings Primer” to assist the public with better understanding their rights within the governmental process under the guidelines of Wisconsin’s Open Meetings Law.
Mountain States Policy Center announced the speakers for its Fall Dinner: Dr. Ben Carson and Kim Strassel and published a guide for understanding the Washington state legislative process.
Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Andrew Gillen provided a statement to the U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce, focusing on the subject of lowering costs and increasing value for students, institutions, and taxpayers.
Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty published its Healthcare Agenda, A Healthier Future: Policy Ideas for Improving Healthcare in Wisconsin. The report focuses on policies to overcome 15 issues people face in the state’s current healthcare system, centering on three main categories: Freedom to Practice, Rising Healthcare Costs, and Lack of Access.
The Buckeye Institute filed its second amicus brief in Missouri v. Biden urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to uphold a preliminary injunction—that forbids the Biden Administration from “jawboning” social media companies to censor viewpoints the government does not agree with—until the case is resolved.
Foundation for Government Accountability filed an amicus brief in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals case VoteAmerica, Inc. v. Schwab. In the amicus, FGA argues Kansas has a legitimate and rationally related interest in ensuring its election process is secure, orderly, and efficient.
Liberty Justice Center asked the United States Court of Appeals to reverse a lower court decision that dismissed a First Amendment challenge to Facebook’s and Twitter’s censorship of social media posts at the Biden Administration’s direction.
Mackinac Center and the Cato Institute, along with the NCLA, sued the Biden administration over the latest student loan debt forgiveness scheme.
Texas Public Policy Foundation filed an amicus brief in the Biden Administration’s ongoing challenge to Texas’ placement of floating buoys in the Rio Grande River to stem the flow of illegal immigration, reduce drownings, and encourage migrants seeking asylum to utilize legal points of entry.
Oklahoma: The U.S. Supreme Court issued welcome news in the Justin Hooper v. City of Tulsa case, affirming that Tulsa and other cities in eastern Oklahoma still have the right to enforce local laws, regardless of a citizen’s racial status (Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs).
Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty settled a landmark open records lawsuit with the Madison Metropolitan School District, securing thousands of dollars in punitive damages and reforms to how the school district processes open records. This is a major victory for government transparency and the equal treatment of all students in Wisconsin.
Badger Institute’s Mike Nichols analyzed the policies behind the “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program”or SNAP—finding the program to be a larded, sugary mess.
The Buckeye Institute outlined how states—in the wake of Congress’s failure to adopt comprehensive data privacy legislation—can work together to harmonize state-level data privacy rules, which, if left unaddressed, could cost businesses and consumers $98 billion to $112 billion annually.
California Policy Center’s Sheridan Swanson examined the data illuminating California’s literacy crisis and the policies that underpin it.
Idaho Freedom Foundation’s Center for American Education partnered with the Claremont Institute Center for the American Way of Life and released a report looking at how the state of Florida has worked to excise critical social justice from its public school system.
Illinois Policy Institute’s Hannah Schmid examined the policies that led to Chicago public schools’ current math and reading literacy crisis.
John Locke Foundation examined Wake County Public Schools’ spending and use of COVID funding for salaries and benefits over tutoring programs.
Mackinac Center’s Jarrett Skorup released a brief showing how the recent policies proposed in Michigan will exacerbate the state’s housing crisis.
Mountain States Policy Center’s Madilynne Clark penned a brief examining the policymakers, cities, developers, tribes and agriculture that are responsible for Idaho’s water supply.
Pacific Research Institute’s Kerry Jackson pondered a policy what-if: “What if the housing market were truly a free market?”.
Pelican Institute’s Dr. Erin Bendily examined the real risks to artificial intelligence in response to the announcement of a planned executive order regarding AI pending from the Biden Administration.
Platte Institute’s Michael Lucci laid out the next steps for Nebraska from a fiscal policy perspective after the state enjoyed the nation’s best tax reform in 2023.
Topics:
Ahead of a New School Year, How Is the Public Viewing Education?
Mountain States Policy Center
Minnesota Scores Lower on Teaching Attractiveness Compared to Neighboring States
Center of the American Experiment
If Ohio Can Fix Education, So Can Pennsylvania
Commonwealth Foundation
Republicans’ Unearned Victory Lap on School Choice
Georgia Public Policy Foundation
Nevada Policy Decries Committee Decision to Disregard Needs of NV Students
Nevada Policy Research Institute
New LEAP Scores: Student Achievement in Louisiana Improving, Still Not Fully Recovered from COVID Pandemic
Pelican Institute for Public Policy
History of Parent-Driven Education: Part 6 – Vouchers, ESAs and Pre-Pandemic Private-School Choice
Sutherland Institute
Washington Public Schools Lost 46,000 Students. Where Did They Go?
Washington Policy Center
American Experiment Modeling Finds EPA’s Carbon Rule Would Cause Blackouts in MISO, Cost $246 Billion
Center of the American Experiment
New Jersey Must Look Elsewhere for Renewable Energy
Garden State Initiative
Vogtle Unit 3 Is First New Nuclear Power Plant to Open in Decades
Georgia Public Policy Foundation
Déjà Vu: Michigan Going All-In On Taxpayer-Subsidized Battery Plants
Mackinac Center
Adoption of California-Style EV Mandates Would Spell Disaster for Maine
Maine Policy Institute
Outlawing Commercial Gas Ovens Latest Government Hit on Minority Workers
Pacific Research Institute
Oppenheimer Is Not the Only Interesting Thing in Nuclear this Summer
Show-Me Institute
Why Dominion is Calm in the Wind Energy Storm
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
New York’s Health Insurance Affordability Gap Grows Wider
Empire Center
Reforming Connecticut Healthcare after COVID
Yankee Institute
Little Changes Can Lead to More Housing
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Cook County Property Taxes Rise Most in Suburbs
Illinois Policy Institute
Making Driving More Expensive Won’t Fix Oregon’s Congested Roads
Cascade Policy Institute
Minneapolis City Council Presses on with Anti-Rideshare Measure
Center of the American Experiment
Sen. Welch’s Small Farmers bill
Ethan Allen Institute
Letting People Renege on Their Debts is Unconstitutional—and Foolhardy
Goldwater Institute
Minimum Wage Increases Threaten Nevada’s Economy
Nevada Policy Research Institute
Why Do Politicians Hate Planned Communities?
Pacific Research Institute
Veterinarians Sue Louisiana Board Over Anti-Work Rule
Pelican Institute for Public Policy
I Guess Rural Iowa Is Entirely Different than Rural Missouri
Show-Me Institute
No, Baltimore, All Is Not Well
The Maryland Public Policy Institute
The Connecticut Standard of Living: Not Quite as Lackluster as Supposed
Yankee Institute
Which State will be the Next to Axe Its Income Tax?
Mountain States Policy Center
Illinoisans Pay 2nd Highest Gas Taxes in the Nation
Illinois Policy Institute
Michigan Lawmakers Authorize Another $800 Million in Business Subsidies
Mackinac Center
With Oklahoma Government Spending and Savings at Record-High Levels, It’s Time to Cut Taxes
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
The Budget-busting Cost of Waiting
Show-Me Institute
Budget Talk Doesn’t Come Cheap
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Virginians Want Their Change Back
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
Seattle “Revenue Stabilization Workgroup” Publish Report on New Progressive Tax Options
Washington Policy Center
Biden Administration Twists the NLRA to Accommodate Pro-Union Bias
Freedom Foundation
Ambassadors in Action: Meet California Teacher Peggy Nguyen
Freedom Foundation
Judge Roasts Reachers Union Hysterics Over Florida Curriculum Transparency
Goldwater Institute
Join Thousands of Public School Employees Who Left Their Union
Illinois Policy Institute
Pritzker Doles Out 19% Raises and $1,200 Stipend in Largest AFSCME Contract Ever
Illinois Policy Institute
In South Carolina Port Case, Court Caves to Organized Labor
Palmetto Promise Institute
What Is Civil Asset Forfeiture?
Cardinal Institute
If NH Is the Star Wars Cantina, Massachusetts Is the Empire
Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy
Seven Things I Love About Living in America
Mississippi Center for Public Policy
America Is Almost 250 Years Old. Will We See Celebrations or a Funeral Wake?
Sutherland Institute
The Rise of the Grievance Essay?
Pioneer Institute
In The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Georgia Center for Opportunity’s Buzz Brockway notes Georgia needs to widen schooling choices in 2024.
In The OC Register, California Policy Center’s Will Swaim highlights the censorship campaign of the Los Angeles County Director of Public Health.
At Broad + Liberty, the Commonwealth Foundation’s Guy Ciarrocchi asks why suburban progressives won’t trust urban parents to pick their kids’ schools.
In the Vermont Daily Chronicle, the Ethan Allen Institute’s John McClaughry considers Vermont’s Fairness for Small Farmers and Ranchers bill.
In the Daily Caller, Freedom Foundation’s Aaron Withe calls on Congress to rein in the out-of-control teacher’s union.
At National Review, Freedom Foundation’s Maxford Nelsen notes Congress should protect federal workers from union coercion.
At Fox News Online, the Goldwater Institute’s Matt Beienburg highlights the teachers union’s hysterics over Florida’s online curriculum transparency legislation.
In the Honolulu Star Advertiser, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii’s Malia Hill notes it’s the Hawaii Legislature’s turn to act on housing.
In the Daily Herald, the Illinois Policy Institute’s Matt Paprocki considers what it really takes to make Illinois the best place to live and work.
In Forbes, Independent Institute’s John C. Goodman opines on whether the left and the right can agree on health reform.
In The American Spectator, Independent Institute’s Sr. Fellow Richard Vedder points out that the affirmative action ruling may save American colleges.
In The American Spectator, Independent Institute’s Lloyd Billingsley argues that NIAID directors should be limited to a single four-year term and held to account for all actions in office.
In his column for The Denver Gazette, the Independence Institute’s Jon Caldara considers the victims of cancel culture.
In The Gazette, Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation’s John Hendrickson notes Herbert Hoover was a defender of American constitutionalism and conservatism.
In his recent column, the John Locke Foundation’s John Hood argues presidential primaries need a shake-up.
On Fox & Friends, the Mackinac Center’s Patrick Wright discussed Mackinac’s lawsuit against the Biden Administration regarding student loan forgiveness.
In AL.com, People United for Privacy Foundation’s Heather Lauer celebrates recent progress in the states on nonprofit donor privacy, including a unanimous law adopted in Alabama.
In The Deseret News, Sutherland Institute considers what America’s 250th birthday celebration will look like.
At Fox News Online, the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Jason Isaac argues Bidenomics is really just a ploy to destroy American energy.
In The Daily Caller, the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Robert Henneke highlights the bipartisan proposal to put Americans on the hook for high blue state taxes.
