October 25, 2024
Week in Review: October 25, 2024
Common Sense Institute released the Inflation Misery Index, an examination of the financial toll rising inflation is taking on households across the country. “The prolonged period of high inflation has taken a serious toll on the financial stability of Arizona’s households,” said Zachary Milne, CSI Senior Economist and Research Analyst. “Our findings highlight not only the immediate increase in costs for essential goods and services but also the long-term decline in purchasing power.” The index was highlighted by media outlets across CSI’s four state chapters (CO, AZ, IA, OR) including The Denver Post.
Idaho Freedom Foundation announced that it has revived the Center for American Education, which specifically focuses on research and policies involving education, and has hired a new director to helm it, Samuel T. Lair.
Institute for Reforming Government’s investigation into the immigration and humanitarian crisis at Whitewater, Wisconsin laid the foundation for a US Judiciary Committee hearing at which the Institute’s experts were key witnesses.
Kansas Policy Institute reported about ACT scores and college readiness hitting new lows, noting that though results have been available more than a week, yet local media and education organizations remain silent. The Institute’s investigative journalists also disclosed that 93 children received gender-affirming care at Kansas hospitals since 2019.
Liberty Justice Center’s Senior Counsel Buck Dougherty discussed the Center’s lawsuit defending the First Amendment rights of a Wyoming doctor who was forced to resign from the Wyoming Board of Medicine for exercising his right to free speech in an interview with the Daily Signal Podcast.
Mountain States Policy Center and Washington Policy Center joined a public records amicus this week concerning the disclosure of state employee contract agreement documents in Washington state.
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty threatened legal action against the Wauwatosa School District (WSD) and its Superintendent after they announced plans to shut down the Wauwatosa STEM School, currently ranked the third-best elementary school in Wisconsin by U.S News and World Report. Additionally, WSD plans to close other STEM-specific programs and opportunities district-wide because the programs are “too white.”
Mississippi: In an important win that extends public-to-public school choice in the state, a local mom whose husband serves in the National Guard can now choose the right public school for their family and send their child to any public school with capacity, according to the state Attorney General’s formal opinion that extended public-to-public school choice to include National Guard families as well as active duty families (Mississippi Center for Public Policy).
Empire Center posted briefs that argue that Kamala Harris’s “Medicare at Home” proposal could either significantly increase federal spending or reduce benefits in states like New York, reveal how a new $650 million milk-processing plant in Monroe County will proceed using natural gas — bypassing the state’s ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals, and illuminate that New York’s proposed “MCO tax” is expected to generate significantly less revenue than initially anticipated, bringing in about $2.8 billion annually instead of the projected $4 billion.
Georgia Public Policy Foundation wrote a brief showing how Georgia’s record surplus offers a rare opportunity to provide long-term sustainable tax relief.
Idaho Freedom Foundation published briefs uncovering the positive impact universal school choice would have on homeschooling families in Idaho, especially when utilizing a tax credit rather than school vouchers or an educational savings account and detailing failures ranked choice voting has faced in the two states in which it has been implemented and a comprehensive list as to why ranked choice voting is a bad idea.
James Madison Institute released a brief this week on the use of AI in healthcare, pointing out that while these technologies promise to enhance patient care and clinical efficiency, burdensome regulations could stifle innovation and limit AI’s benefits.
Mountain States Policy Center released briefs that examine the real reasons why healthcare costs are so high, expose rent control as the great destroyer, and call for policies that empower parents — not bureaucrats — with better tools to keep their kids safe online.
Pelican Institute for Public Policy issued a brief that highlights the challenges of the rapidly evolving landscape of electricity transmission in the United States and explores Right of First Refusal policies.
Pioneer Institute posted a brief that recommends that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts focus on longer-term, sustainable policy responses to help its students regain the ground they lost in learning less due to the pandemic.
Washington Policy Center released a brief examining the increases to the paid family and medical leave premium rate, showing how it is significantly higher than the rate that accompanied the program when it first began in 2019 and is not paying its way as was promised.
South Carolina: Despite the South Carolina Supreme Court’s September 11 ruling in Eidson, which found that state funds cannot be used for private school tuition and fees, school choice is still very much a live prospect in the state, as the state Senate president and House speaker both announced that school choice will be their “highest priority” in the next session which convenes in January — signs that opponents of education freedom might unintentionally help push South Carolina to become the next state with a universal school choice program. Stay tuned for more (Palmetto Promise Institute).
Wisconsin: State Sen. Bradley announced plans to see if like-minded members of the state congress can use the state’s constitution to get around Gov. Evers spending-spree plans and return Wisconsin’s record budget surplus back to the people — welcome news for Wisconsin families (MacIver Institute).
Topics:
U of M Writing Ethnic Studies Lesson Plans for K-12 Teachers
Center of the American Experiment
Tim Walz Spent Billions to ‘Improve Child Literacy’ but Less Than Half of MN Students Proficient in Reading
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
Reminder: Less Than Half of Minnesota Students are Proficient in Reading and Math
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
Overhaul the School Funding Formula
Garden State Initiative
Illinois’ Tax Credit Scholarship Program for Low-Income Students Saved Taxpayer Dollars
Illinois Policy
Listen: School Board Member Survey on WVOM
Maine Policy Institute
Oklahoma Private School Tuition Lower Than Public-School Funding
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Bixby Schools Fight Parents of Special-Needs Children
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
The History and Future of Curriculum Transparency in South Carolina
Palmetto Promise Institute
Mountain State Modifications: Tiffany Uses ESA Flexibility to Pivot Quickly for Her Son’s Education
Pioneer Institute
Choice and Competition Lead to Better Outcomes
Show-Me Institute
Joanne Shofner, Texas Mom, Minister, and Activist
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Education Spending Doubled in Ten Years, Most Money Went to Hiring Administrators and Non-Teachers
Washington Policy Center
Would Suing the Bureaucracy Bring Us More Water?
California Policy Center
Xcel to Add 3.2 GW of Wind and 400 MW of Solar by 2030
Center of the American Experiment
Fracking Could Decide the Election in Pennsylvania — and Nationwide
Commonwealth Foundation
Offshore Wind Drives Up Electricity Costs. That’s a Bipartisan Concern
Garden State Initiative
Oklahoma Supreme Court Nullifies Countless Energy, Construction Contracts
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Latest Data Shows that Federal Subsidies for Unreliable Energy Are Growing with No End in Sight
Texas Public Policy Foundation
New Report from the National Center for Energy Analytics Outlines Pathways to Preserve and Expand US Dominance in Global LNG
Texas Public Policy Foundation
The Siren Song that Never Ends: Federal Energy Subsidies and Support from 2010 to 2023
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Senator Surovell: The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Would Have No Impact on Hurricanes or Hurricane Preparedness — To Say Otherwise Pure Politics.
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
Dominion Energy Virginia Wants More Natural Gas, More Money to Keep Energy Reliable
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
API Report Says Alabama Cannot Afford Medicaid Expansion
Alabama Policy Institute
Is Expanding Medicaid in Alabama Worth the Price and Federal Dependency? New API Report Says No
Alabama Policy Institute
New York Is a Cautionary Tale on Home Care
Empire Center
The Real Reason Health Care Costs Are So High
Mountain States Policy Center
Federal Housing Proposals Deserve Scrutiny
Frontier Institute
‘Millionaire’ Tax $2-$3.3 Billion Short of Providing Property Tax Relief
Illinois Policy
How to Create More Housing
Mackinac Center
Ghoulish Governance: Policies that Are Scream-Worthy
Cardinal Institute
Study Ranks Minnesota Dead Last for Digital Business Growth
Center of the American Experiment
Minnesota’s Loss of Residents in 2023 Larger Than All but Ten Other States
Center of the American Experiment
Employment In Minnesota Fell for Fifth Straight Month in September, Down 27,500 Since April
Center of the American Experiment
Pods a Solution to the Childcare Crisis? State Rules Need to Change
Center of the American Experiment
Three Mile Island Demonstrates the Value of Free Markets
Commonwealth Foundation
Illinois Holds Second-Worst Unemployment Rate in Nation
Illinois Policy
Silver Tech: AI’s Golden Opportunity for Florida’s Aging Population
James Madison Institute
An “Inflation Free” Thanksgiving Proves Kamala Wrong
John Locke Foundation
White House Rightly Calls Out Onerous Local Permit Hurdles
Pacific Research Institute
RGF Provides Public with Information on Homeless Issue and Economy
Rio Grande Foundation
Washington Ranks 31st in New “Clean Energy” Jobs, Contradicting Claims of CO2 Tax Supporters
Washington Policy Center
“Free” Milwaukee Streetcar Costing Over $5 Million Annually
Badger Institute
Champaign County Spends $60k in Taxpayer Money to Campaign for More Taxes
Illinois Policy
Case Study: Dollars Matter, Not Rates
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation
Florida Daily: Certain Florida Businesses Could See Relief from Unique Tax Burdens
James Madison Institute
Streamline, Don’t Tax: A Smarter Approach to Broadband Affordability
James Madison Institute
Debunking Five Myths About NH’S Business Tax Cuts
Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy
Business Tax Cuts Did Not Reduce State Aid to Local Governments
Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy
Bob Donovan: Time for Milwaukee, MPS to Start Delivering
MacIver Institute
New Study Reaffirms: ESG Investing Bad for Oklahoma
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Western Cities Double Down on Taxes for Failing Transit
Pacific Research Institute
New Report Gives Louisiana a “C” for its Worker and Taxpayer Protection Laws
Pelican Institute
10 Ideas to Get Missouri’s Budget Back on Track
Show-Me Institute
Shocker! Local Leader Demands More Money to Address Issue
Show-Me Institute
All or Nothing Thinking Gets Ag Nothing
Washington Policy Center
Up, Up and Away Goes a Tax on Workers’ Wages
Washington Policy Center
The City of Snohomish Tripling Its Water Rates after Spending $3.61 Million on Land for Planned New $62 Million City Campus
Washington Policy Center
I-2124 Would Allow Workers to Keep More of Their Earnings
Washington Policy Center
Brainerd School District Allows Union to Stuff Mailboxes with Campaign Lit
Center of the American Experiment
Unions Should Be About Employees, Not About Politics
Commonwealth Foundation
Washington: Last Quarter of 2024 Opens with a Bang
Freedom Foundation
Chicago Teachers Union’s Actions Affect All Illinoisans
Illinois Policy
A President Who Didn’t Want the Job
Frontier Institute
Busting the Myths About Article V Conventions
Independence Institute
UTSA’s Catherine Clinton on Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
Pioneer Institute
Utah’s US Senate Delegation at the Congressional Series
Sutherland Institute
It Doesn’t End with Electing ‘The Right Candidate’
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
In National Review, the California Policy Center’s Will Swaim muses how his cancellation proves he is right about California’s illiberalism.
In The Star-Ledger, the Garden State Initiative’s Audrey Lane points out that offshore wind drives up electricity costs — bipartisan concern.
Jon Caldara, president of the Independence Institute, in an op-ed for Colorado Politics asks whether people should ‘Vote no on all judges to fix Colorado’s incestuous mess?’
In The Salt Lake City Tribune, the Independent Institute’s William F. Shughart II points out that rental control causes the supply of rental units to fall, making housing even scarcer while driving up prices in the long term.
Douglas Carswell, president and CEO of Mississippi Center for Public Policy, in an op-ed for Town Hall explains ‘Why we must win for school choice.’
In the Federalist, the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Chuck Devore warns that burdensome economic policies of Kamala’s California is a foreshadowing of what Kamala’s America would be.
