Announcements

• The Institute for Reforming Government hired Quinton Klabon to be Senior Research Director to develop K-12 and higher education policy solutions for Wisconsin. Quinton worked for seven years at Saint Marcus Lutheran School in Milwaukee, one of Wisconsin’s only five-star schools serving low-income, Black students. He still actively mentors many Saint Marcus students and alumni.
• The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is violating the Freedom of Information Act by refusing to release documents related to its Pure Michigan tourism program, according to a lawsuit filed by the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation. The Center has requested public records from the state agency for more than a year and has been repeatedly redirected or ignored.

This Week on SPN.org

Meet Meg Hansen: Ethan Allen Institute’s New President

Americans are instinctively suspicious of regulation

Success Stories

• The Pennsylvania House passed a bill to offer Lifeline Scholarships to students in underperforming school districts. The Commonwealth Foundation explained the bill would offer a restricted-use scholarship account to any public school student in the bottom-performing 15 percent of district schools.
• Empower Mississippi highlighted how the Mississippi Governor has signed three bills over the past month that will make it easier for those leaving prison to maintain employment.
• The Freedom Foundation noted 4,000 California teachers have left the union due to controversy over the handling of COVID-19.
• The Arizona Supreme Court yesterday delivered a big victory for taxpayers with a decision that blocks efforts by pro-tax forces to revoke Arizona’s recently-enacted tax cuts. The tax relief law, SB 1828, which the Goldwater Institute helped to write and pass last year, establishes the nation’s lowest flat income tax rate—simplifying the state’s tax laws and reducing the tax burden for hard-working taxpayers. Read more about this taxpayer victory at In Defense of Liberty, and read coverage in the Arizona Daily Independent.
• The Louisiana Legislature advanced a bill to reform Louisiana’s occupational licensing system. The Pelican Institute lawmakers for advancing legislation which would open up pathways to opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs in the Pelican State.

Solutions from the states: This week’s policy briefs

Better Ways to Build & Expand Broadband Service in Ohio 
In a new policy memo, The Buckeye Institute cautioned communities across Ohio to “resist the temptation to build or expand government-owned broadband networks (GON) with the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) tax dollars.”

Over 700 MTA Employees Earned More in OT than Regular Pay in 2021, Data Show
More than 300 employees were paid at least $100,000 in overtime and at least 734 earned more in overtime than in regular pay at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) last year, according to payroll data provided by the MTA and posted on SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s government transparency website.

Inflation’s Compounding Impact on the Poor
New FREOPP Inflation Inequality Indices quantify why lower- and middle-income Americans are harmed more by rising prices.

Public Education: What Rights Do Parents Currently Have and Not Have?
In a new report, the John Locke Foundation gives an overview of the major categories of parental rights that currently exist under state law and examples of rights that many parents may not know they possess. 

Coverage Denied 
America’s broken third-party healthcare payment system prioritizes government and insurance companies as the largest payers, leaving patients with higher out-of-pocket costs, greater exposure to healthcare financial risk, and reduced access to care—finds the latest paper in the Coverage Denied series released today by the Center for Medical Economics and Innovation at the nonpartisan Pacific Research Institute.

Noncompete Agreements For Physicians: Clear And Consistent Policy Is Needed
States should ensure that their policies regarding noncompete agreements for physicians maximize access to care and allow for an open and competitive labor market that does not restrict a physician’s ability to practice medicine, according to a new analysis by the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

Policy News from the States

Checking in on Legislative Sessions

Newly Passed House Bill Won’t Make Housing Affordable
Center of the American Experiment

Goldwater Leads the Nation in Defense of Liberty: 10 Key Legislative Victories in 2022
Goldwater Institute

Here’s What Has Become Law Thus Far From The Legislature’s Second Session
Maine Policy Institute

Parents’ Bill of Rights Heads to Senate Vote, But Obstacles Remain
Show-Me Institute

Education

Background on Federal COVID-19 Education Relief Funds
Alaska Policy Forum

Kevin Cline: Parent, Teacher, Administrator, and School Choice Supporter
Beacon Center

Where Have All The Teachers Gone?
Bluegrass Institute

The School Fiscal Officer’s Dilemma
California Policy Center

TK Is Not Okay
California Policy Center

Who Is Really Behind The Lawsuit Against The Hope Scholarship?
Cardinal Institute

What Is The Main Purpose Of Education?
Center of the American Experiment

Illinois Schools Push District Consolidation To Fix Teacher Shortage
Illinois Policy Institute

IRG Submits Public Comment on Proposed Anti-Charter School Federal Regulations
Institute for Reforming Government

Schools Claim Special Education Is Underfunded But Have $200 Million Left Over
Kansas Policy Institute

Remote Learning Correlated With Greater K-12 Learning Loss, Study Finds
Maine Policy Institute

Educational Choice Will Win… Because Parents Are Relentless
Nevada Policy Research Institute’s Free to Offend Podcast

Biden Administration Copying California Law to Stifle Charter Schools
Pacific Research Institute

Don’t Believe The Lies: Esas Don’t Defund Public Schools
Pelican Institute

Harvard Mathematician Prof. Wilfried Schmid on K-12 Standards & Results
Pioneer Institute

Podcast: Charter Schools in America with Ron Rice
Show-Me Institute

Educrats Downplay The Achievement Gap
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty

Government Accountability

Experts: Highway Camera Bills On Pritzker’s Desk Ripe For Abuse
Illinois Policy Institute

From Vaccines To Banks, N.H. Sees Misguided Efforts To Restrict Freedom In The Name Of Liberty
Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy

Facial Recognition Is Plagued by Problems
Libertas Institute

Michigan Economic Development Corporation Sued For Lack of Transparency
Mackinac Center

Healthcare

A Tennessee Hospital May Keep a Georgia Competitor From Opening, Thanks to This Law
Georgia Public Policy Foundation

CON Laws Are Increasing Alaska’s Health Care Costs
Alaska Policy Forum

Housing Affordability

Short-Term Rental Ban Will Disrupt Honolulu Economy
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

Jobs And State Economies

Minnesota’s Falling Unemployment Rate Is Still Entirely Due To Minnesotans Leaving The Labor Force
Center of the American Experiment

How The Jones Act Transfers Critical Industry And Jobs Overseas
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

Union Power Vote, Population Loss Threaten Illinois’ Labor Market Recovery
Illinois Policy Institute

Iowa Poised to Make a Move
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation

North Carolina Ranks 2nd in Economic Outlook in New Report
John Locke Foundation

Turn Short-Term Surpluses Into Long-Term Tax Relief
Kansas Policy Institute

What Does Occupational Licensure Have to Do with Mental Health? A Lot.
Libertas Institute

State Budgets and Spending

Tax Rally Builds Momentum For Permanent Tax Cuts
Center of the American Experiment

The Growing Cost of Municipal Debt
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation

Colorado Workers are Getting Money Back Thanks to a Taxpayer Bill of Rights
John Locke Foundation

Diverting Money from Schools, Roads, and Public Safety to Perpetuate Corporate Welfare
Mackinac Center

Lower Taxes, More Revenue?
Show-Me Institute

Other

Elon to the Rescue….
Empower Mississippi

Red Wave in November will Hit Congress, Governor’s Races, and State Legislatures
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota

An Epidemic Of Teen Depression (And What To Do About It)
Georgia Center for Opportunity

Is ‘Blue Fatigue’ Building in Liberal California? Polls Suggest Yes.
Pacific Research Institute

Invisible Hand Revealed: Economic Lessons in Everyday Life
Pioneer Institute’s HubWonk Podcast with The Wall Street Journal’s Matthew Hennessey

Harsh Shanghai Lockdown Highlights The Strength Of The U.S. Constitution
Sutherland Institute

The Antidote To The Poison Of The Culture War
Sutherland Institute

The Sale of Twitter is a Win for Free Speech
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Think Tanks in the News

It’s Not Free. Why Summit County Should Reconsider Government-Owned Broadband
The Buckeye Institute in the Akron Beacon Journal

CRI Energy Director Gives UD Offshore Wind Research An F
Caesar Rodney Institute in the Bay to Bay News

UD Wind Power Projected Cost to Consumers
Caesar Rodney Institute on The Rick Jensen Show

Pathetic New York Pols Fail Again To Deliver Gerrymander-Free Maps
Empire Center in The New York Post

Clean Heat Standard May Worsen Carbon Emissions And Class Divide
Ethan Allen Institute in VTDigger

Time Is Running Out For Election Integrity Reform In Missouri
Foundation for Government Accountability in The Missouri Times

Abrams’ Push For Medicaid Expansion In Ga. Ignores True Costs
Foundation for Government Accountability in InsideSources

Kamala Harris’ Word Salads Expose More Cluelessness Than Competence
Freedom Foundation at RedState

Georgia Trails Neighbors In Economic Projections
Georgia Public Policy Foundation in the Dalton Daily Citizen

Chicago Needs To Rethink Its Speed Camera System
Illinois Policy Institute in The Center Square

Are Constitutional Amendments Coming?
Independence Institute in The Epoch Times

Mississippi Loses Some Licensing Weight
The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board features the Mississippi Justice Institute’s recent licensing win

Medicaid Expansion Would Only Expand Waste And Poor Care
Pacific Research Institute in Forbes

Don’t Waste New Mexico’s Opportunity — Get Rid Of Income Tax
Rio Grande Foundation in the Santa Fe New Mexican

Biden & Co. Could ‘March In’ And Kneecap America’s Economy
Pacific Research Institute in the Boston Herald

Time to Rollback Healthcare Scope of Practice Laws
Pacific Research Institute in Newsmax

Time for Receivership in Boston
Pioneer Institute in City Journal

Evers Risks Political Future with Education Vetoes
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty in The Cap Times

Events and Opportunities

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