Announcements

• Empower Mississippi welcomed Forest Thigpen to its growing team. In his capacity as Senior Advisor, Forest will play a critical role in strategy development, public policy research and advocacy, government relations, and community engagement.

• The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice (DOJ) after several federal executive agencies failed to respond to FGA’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to obtain documents pertaining to President Biden’s Executive Order (EO) 14019, titled “Promoting Access to Voting.” 

• A new Freedom Foundation lawsuit alleges Washington Teamsters refuse to accept packages containing membership cancelations.

• The John Locke Foundation proposed a Parents Bill of Rights in North Carolina.

• The Liberty Justice Center and Illinois Policy Institute filed a lawsuit on behalf of Chicago Public Schools teachers and parents to challenge a state constitutional amendment on the ballot that contradicts federal law governing labor relations and violates the US Constitution.

• The Mackinac Center interviewed Empower Mississippi on the legislative battle for tax cuts in the Magnolia State.

• The James Madison Institute welcomed Susan Hildebrand as the Events and Logistics Manager.

• Yankee Institute launched an all-new news website Connecticut Inside Investigator on Wednesday. CII will offer hard-hitting stories and original investigations from a new team of journalists. It will also be the new home of Yankee Institute’s award-winning investigative reporter Marc Fitch.

• Yankee Institute launched a new campaign against the proposed contract for Connecticut state workers that includes an average of about 15% raises over the next 15 months. The poster is designed to mimic public health posters and features SEBAC as a tick sucking the lifeblood out of the Connecticut economy.

• Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty developed a website that provides a ‘one-stop-shop’ for information about Wisconsin’s schools. Parents and others can view trends in enrollment, proficiency, and a host of other information.

This Week on SPN.org

Purpose-Driven Leadership And Marketing Expert Ron Tite To Headline Spn’s 30th Annual Meeting

Americans’ views on teaching race and equality

Success Stories

• The Arizona Legislature became the first in the nation to pass the Goldwater Institute’s Right to Try for Individualized Treatments (Right to Try 2.0), a law that opens the door to cutting-edge treatments that are otherwise blocked by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

• The Louisiana House passed a bill that creates Education Savings Accounts for kids of foster families, military families, and families denied a transfer from D or F schools. The Pelican Institute noted the bill ensures that some of our most at-risk children can receive an education that fits their needs.

• Mississippi sees another win against occupational licensing. The Mississippi Center for Public Policy had another win this week against occupational licensing. Dieticians that offer advice on eating will no longer be threatened with fines or jail—thanks to a case that MCPP’s legal division, the Mississippi Justice Institute, brought on behalf of a local dietician.

• Nevada Policy Research Institute wins big at the Nevada Supreme Court. In a unanimous decision, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled in favor of Nevada Policy in the Institute’s ongoing separation of powers lawsuit. In a landmark, precedent-setting ruling, the Court expanded its rules regarding taxpayer standing. NPRI noted the decision will make it easier for all Nevadans to bring constitutional challenges such as these, thereby helping to ensure that the Nevada government operates within the confines of the state constitution.

• People United for Privacy scored a win in Kansas, with the Kansas Governor signing into law legislation that protects donor privacy for all Kansans. More on the win here. 

• Wisconsin Supreme Court Selects Race-Neutral Legislative Maps. Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) celebrated a huge redistricting win in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Supreme Court selected legislative maps submitted by the Wisconsin Legislature in a 4-3 decision. The Wisconsin Supreme Court was required to review its March 2022 decision after the US Supreme Court determined the maps submitted by Governor Evers, and selected by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, were racially gerrymandered, and violated the Constitution’s equal protection guarantees. 

Solutions from the states: This week’s policy briefs

Unemployment (Over)compensation
A new report by the Badger Institute considers how the federal supplemental unemployment benefits impacted unemployment during the pandemic.

Friendly Fire: Unintended Consequences of NJ’s Death Tax
A new report by the Garden State Initiative finds the enforcement of the death tax has wide-ranging implications for residents, businesses, and our competitive standing.  

Policy News from the States

Checking in on Legislative Sessions

#KYGA22 Wrap-Up: Historic Year For Kentucky’s Budget, School Choice And Tax Reform
Bluegrass Institute

IRG Action Alert: Governor Vetoes Historic K-12 Legislation
Institute for Reforming Government

Education

Setting the Record Straight on TISA
Beacon Center of Tennessee

Poll: 72% Believe Parents Should Have School Choice
Cascade Policy Institute

Minnesota Schools Never Seem To Have Enough Money
Center of the American Experiment

More Families Continue To Turn To Homeschool
Center of the American Experiment

How The Mississippi School Finder Can Help You Make School Decisions This Year
Empower Mississippi

Michigan Aims to Catch Ohio, Give Families Extra Education Aid
Mackinac Center

COVID-19 Lockdowns Devastating Impact on School Enrollment
Pegasus Institute

Shoring Up School Choice Laws
Show-Me Institute

Energy and Environment

Will California Buyers Be Mandated To Purchase The Forthcoming Oversupply Of Ev’s?
California Policy Center

Government Accountability

Lightfoot Orders Her Name On $12.5M In Gas, Transit Cards
Illinois Policy Institute

Illinois Lawmakers Increase Salaries To 4th Highest In US
Illinois Policy Institute

Ending The Federal Mask Mandates
Mississippi Center for Public Policy

TPPF Applauds Ruling in Federal Airline Mask Mandate Lawsuit
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Healthcare

Dr. Dion Franga: Con Laws Detrimental To Patient Care
Palmetto Promise Institute

Dr. Robert Brown: Con Laws Leave Patients Fewer Options
Palmetto Promise Institute

The Virtue of Free Markets – Including in Health Care
Washington Policy Center

Housing Affordability

Achieving Housing Stability Starts With Improving The Housing Supply
Center of the American Experiment

Zoning Reform Revisited: Local Control Determines How, Not If, Housing Gets Built
Pioneer Institute

Millennials Hit Hard By Housing Crunch
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Inflation

The DFL’s Plan To Lower Prices Will Do Nothing To Actually Lower Prices
Center of the American Experiment

Taxes Were Due Yesterday, But the Inflation Tax is Every Day
John Locke Foundation

Jobs And State Economies

Alternatives To Occupational Licensing
Empower Mississippi

New Research Predicts Long-Term Pain For Labor Market
Georgia Center for Opportunity

Illinois’ 2nd-Highest Gas Taxes Drive Motorists, Business Across State Lines
Illinois Policy Institute

State Budgets and Spending

Alaska’s Tax Freedom Day
Alaska Policy Forum

Legislative Spending Unevenly Divided Among Members
Empire Center

What Could Georgia’s New Tax Bill Mean for You?
Georgia Public Policy Foundation

North Carolina Budget and Tax Policy Highlights
John Locke Foundation

Kelly’s Tax Council Proposes Higher Taxes, More Spending
Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy

Whitmer’s Spending Hike Is More Unsustainable Than the Tax Cut She Vetoed
Mackinac Center

Think Tanks in the News

Not All Gridlock Thwarts Achievement
Bluegrass Institute in The State Journal

SAT Testing Doesn’t Leave Delaware In A Good Light
Caesar Rodney Institute in Bay to Bay News

New Report Suggests Path Forward For Wind Power In Delaware
Caesar Rodney Institute featured in the Cape Gazette

The Supreme Court’s Chance to Curtail California Crazy
California Policy Center at National Review

California Union Honors Teacher Fired For ‘Racism’
California Policy Center in The Orange County Register

Stagnant Pennsylvania Economy Requires Real Business-Tax Reform
Commonwealth Foundation at RealClearPolicy

The Buffalo Bills’ Stadium Subsidy Is a Hand-Off to Unions
Empire Center in The Wall Street Journal

Hochul’s First Budget Rewards Unions At Taxpayers’ Expense — And Sets The State On The Road To Insolvency
Empire Center in the New York Post

Hochul’s Big-Spending Budget Is Largely Albany Business As Usual
Empire Center in the New York Daily News  

Voter Registration Drive: What’s Biden Hiding?
Foundation for Government Accountability in The Wall Street Journal

NC Rep Virginia Foxx Joins Lawmaker Letter On Unions Illegally Receiving PPP Funds
Freedom Foundation featured in The North State Journal

Group Pitches Billings City Council On Easing Zoning Requirements To Better Address Tight Housing Market
Frontier Institute featured in the Billings Gazette

Inflation Could Lead To Bubble Burst
Georgia Public Policy Foundation in The Northeast Georgian

The Cost Of Owning A Home Is Going Up, But So Is The Rent
Illinois Policy Institute in Crain’s Chicago Business

Colorado’s Polis Inflation Premium
Independence Institute in The Gazette

Inflation Hands Activists A Reality Check
John Locke Foundation in The Daily Advance

The Public Needs Protection From Public Safety Agencies
Libertas Institute in The Center Square

Mississippi Woman Wins Lawsuit Over ‘Vague Language’ Regulating Health Coaches
Mississippi Center for Public Policy featured in The Epoch Times

Bernie Sanders’s Healthcare Goals Are Deadly For Patients
Pacific Research Institute at Townhall

Judge’s Ruling on the CDC Mask Mandate Highlights the Limits of the Agency’s Power
Sate Policy Network cited at Kaiser Health News

Why I Sued Comcast for Discrimination
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty’s client op-ed in The Wall Street Journal

Teacher: I’m Watching Students And Colleagues Struggle To Recover From Lockdowns
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty in The Federalist

Woke Racism
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty in the American Mind

Why We Must Fight Biden’s Equity Agenda
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty in National Review

Events and Opportunities

Please see SPN’s Network Calendar for a full list of events.