April 4, 2025
Week in Review: April 4, 2025
Arkansas Policy Foundation’s Greg Kaza was quoted in an article in Talk Business & Politics that reported on Arkansas’ continued ranking as first among the states in quarterly GDP growth.
The Buckeye Institute’s experts testified on numerous bills being debated in the Ohio General Assembly. On House Bill 96—Ohio’s biennial budget—Buckeye lauded lawmakers for adopting several Buckeye-championed Medicaid, education, and tax policies. On Senate Bill 127, Buckeye urged lawmakers to bring greater accountability to Ohio’s public schools by taking measurable actions to turn around failing schools.
Goldwater Institute was quoted in Fox News and the Washington Examiner, commenting on the University of Michigan’s move to eliminate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) mandates.
Heartland Institute led a coalition of more than two dozen other free-market groups with a letter urging the Trump administration and Congress to take action to protect U.S. sovereignty, economic prosperity, free markets, and individual liberty.
Independence Institute’s Fiscal Policy Analyst, Nash Herman, created interactive charts showing that 2025 legislation would add over 300 new state employees, cut General Fund revenue by $900 million, and reduce TABOR-eligible funds by $1.3 billion. In addition, the Institute’s Jon Caldara and Nash Herman were granted title by the Secretary of State for a ballot measure that would secure the rights of Colorado workers by ensuring their freedom to choose whether to join or financially support any organization, including a union.
Kansas Policy Institute exposed the State Department of Education’s attempt to hide poor outcomes with new performance-level descriptors and called on legislators to stop protecting local governments and provide property tax relief.
Virginia Institute for Public Policy’s analysis on vetoed minimum wage legislation was quoted in The Daily Signal.
The Goldwater Institute joined forces with the Kansas Policy Institute and American Dream Legal to file a brief in the US Supreme Court urging the justices to consider how state constitutions protect privacy rights in cases involving warrantless searches. In addition, an Oregon attorney represented by Goldwater asked the US Supreme Court to enforce a simple concept: you shouldn’t have to subsidize speech you disagree with just to do your job.
Liberty Justice Center filed a lawsuit on behalf of Nested Bean, Inc. against the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for the regulatory overreach of the CPSC, initiated by Commissioner Trumka’s targeted attack on Nested Bean products with no legal or scientific basis. In addition, the US District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, Eastern Division heard oral arguments in the Center’s legal challenge in CTM Holdings, LLC v. U.S. Department of Agriculture, a lawsuit challenging the longstanding federal “Swampbuster” law, which unconstitutionally takes farmers’ property without compensation. Finally, the Nebraska Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Center’s defense against government overreach in NFOA v. Lincoln. The lawsuit argues that Mayor Baird’s executive order conflicts with Nebraska’s Legislative Bill 77, which adopted “constitutional carry” statewide and declared local firearm restrictions null and void.
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, alongside Alliance Defending Freedom and Parents Defending Education, filed a complaint with the US Department of Education and the US Department of Justice against the Milwaukee Public Schools for its secret gender transition policy.
Kentucky: Overriding the veto of Governor Andy Beshear, the legislature passed legislation that eliminates a broad range of discriminatory policies that waste taxpayer money and transform college campuses into centers of ideological activism. Legislators also overrode Governor Andy Beshear’s veto of legislation that ends judicial deference to government agencies’ interpretations of laws and their own regulations (Goldwater Institute).
Michigan: A massive marketing campaign to highlight the potential job losses and increased costs that stringent minimum wage hikes and mandatory paid sick leave would impose on businesses in the state resulted in Democrats and Republicans working together to reform the laws in a last-minute move (Mackinac Center).
South Dakota: In a life-changing victory for patients with rare and ultra-rare diseases, Governor Rhoden signed the Right to Try Individualized Treatments Act, a move which allows suffering patients to work directly with their physician to safely seek the most groundbreaking of investigational personalized care options (Goldwater Institute).
Virginia: The Governor signed a bill that bars the state from unnecessarily requiring a college degree for state jobs (Virgina Institute for Public Policy).
Nationwide: A major win for free speech — the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that it was dropping its defense of controversial climate rules that imposed sweeping new disclosure requirements on corporations. The rules were widely criticized for forcing corporations to make disclosures related to climate change that are unrelated to the SEC’s purpose of regulating securities and protecting investors (Pelican Institute and Liberty Justice Center)
Common Sense Institute issued a brief that reveals that Oregon’s estate tax structure is increasingly out of step with the rest of the country—and it may be pushing older, high-net-worth residents out of the state.
Goldwater Institute released a brief that points out how driverless ride-hailing is an ordinary reality in Arizona thanks to a regulatory model that prioritizes freedom and innovation over bureaucratic control.
Heartland Institute published a brief titled “CSDDD: The European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive Is a Direct Threat to US Sovereignty, Free Markets, and Individual Liberty.”
Mountain States Policy Center posted briefs that point out how reforms to the building permit process could increase the housing supply, warn against Washington state’s continued attacks against its own economic engine, and call for congressional action to completely kill the misguided Lava Ridge energy project.
Pelican Institute released briefs that examine the economic effects of state-level Right of First Refusal electricity transmission laws, highlight deregulatory solutions that would drive opportunity and economic growth in Louisiana, and cast a vision of policies that would enhance public safety in the state.
Washington Policy Center issued briefs that expose a misguided bill that limits school notifications for parents that has cleared committee, sound the alarm on a proposed bill that would raid the tourist cookie jar to fund affordable housing, question if every rural home should have fiber internet, and analyze how Washington state’s electric vehicle (EV) sales have fallen far short of next year’s mandate.
Idaho: Lawmakers introduced a bill which seeks to establish uniform and competitive procedures for public contracts, which will level the playing field for all industries when seeking to apply for government work and projects (Mountain States Policy Center).
New Hampshire: The House unanimously advanced a bill that empowers patients with rare and ultra-rare diseases to work with their physicians to seek highly specialized treatments that are as unique as they are (Goldwater Institute).
Oklahoma: Members of the House Common Education Committee voted to simplify the process for children with special needs to access a state scholarship program (Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs).
Texas: Lawmakers in the House Public Education Committee passed universal school choice — the bill now moves to the House floor. In addition, lawmakers proposed a bill which addresses the environmental and property rights issues that surround the decommissioning and disposal of energy storage facilities, and the House DOGE Committee considered a bill which would require the approval of the comptroller of public accounts before a state agency may accept federal money (Texas Public Policy Foundation).
Virginia: Governor Youngkin vetoed the High-Risk Artificial Intelligence Developer and Deployer Act, a bill which was the epitome of the perils of restrictive artificial intelligence (AI) legislation (Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy).
Washington: A bill hoping to deliver on the long-overdue climate tax fuel exemptions promised to agricultural producers passed the House and is awaiting action by the Senate (Mountain States Policy Center).
Topics:
US Dept. of Education Investigates California Over FERPA Violations Tied to AB 1955
California Policy Center
New Law Expands School Choice to All Wyoming Children
Cascade Policy Institute
Mankato YMCA Caves to Activists, Reneges on Hosting Education Expo
Center of the American Experiment
Education Savings Accounts: Flexibility and Innovation for Minnesota Education
Center of the American Experiment
Rural Pennsylvanians Deserve School Choice, Too
Commonwealth Foundation
Literacy Epidemic Hits Illinois as Fewer Than 1 in 3 Students Read Well
Illinois Policy
Fix This Flaw in Michigan’s Teacher Licensing System
Mackinac Center
Fixing Nevada Education: One Scholarship at a Time
Nevada Policy
Poor Reading Outcomes Impact Oklahoma Taxpayers, Economy
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Public Schools Serve Rich and Poor Alike—So Does School Choice
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
How the Closure of the Federal Department of Education Could Impact South Carolina
Palmetto Promise Institute
Hoover’s Dr. James Lynn Woodworth on CREDO, NCES, & Data-Driven Policy
Pioneer Institute
The Arena: Abbott Says School Choice Benefits Parents, Students and Teachers
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Senator Lucas: Our Neediest Students Deserve an Opportunity Now!
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
Stuck Under the Green Thumb of the California Environmental Quality Act
California Policy Center
Fast-Track Dredging to Save the Delta
California Policy Center
Paving Over Paradise
Center of the American Experiment
Build More Power, but Don’t Forget About the Grid
Libertas Institute
Climate Agenda Is a Regressive Tax on Consumers
Mackinac Center
California Water Works
Pacific Research Institute
Energy ‘Reform’ Bills Potential Shock to Ratepayers’ Wallets
South Carolina Policy Council
New York’s Home Health Workforce Jumps by Another 10 Percent
Empire Center
Tragic: Child’s Measles Death in Texas Was Entirely Avoidable
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho Freedom Action Joint Statement on Veto of Senate Bill 1023, The Medical Freedom Act
Idaho Freedom Foundation
Counting the Cost of Single-Payer
Pacific Research Institute
Chicago’s Latest Housing Ordinance Will Make Affordability Worse
Illinois Policy
Even Liberal Cities Are Taking Steps to Boost Housing Construction
Pacific Research Institute
It’s Official: Minnesota Is Now a Below Average GDP per Capita State
Center of the American Experiment
Accounting for Growth: Human Capital and ‘Raw’ Labor
Center of the American Experiment
We Can Do More to Help Hawaii Businesses Rebound
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Illinois Drivers Face Some of Nation’s Highest Costs, Expected to Grow
Illinois Policy
Illinois Tipping Bill Could Cut Earnings for Restaurants, Servers
Illinois Policy
Google’s $32 Billion Wiz Bid: A Test of Conservative Antitrust Philosophy
James Madison Institute
A Timely Pivot: Reassessing the CFPB’s Overdraft Fee Rule
James Madison Institute
Carded at Every Click
James Madison Institute
Lawmakers Pitch Ban on Wisconsin Land Sales to Foreign Investors
MacIver Institute
Whitmer’s Plan for Licensing Deserves Action
Mackinac Center
Historical Domestic Migration Patterns: Putting Massachusetts in Context
Pioneer Institute
Not Extending Trump Tax Cuts Could Cost CT Families Nearly $3,400, 14,000 Jobs
Yankee Institute
Gov, Senate, and House Budget Proposals Miss the Mark
Center of the American Experiment
Feds Cancel MN Pandemic Grants Funding Renovations, Other Projects
Center of the American Experiment
Capitol Watch: Legislative Leaders Agree Not to Balance the Budget
Center of the American Experiment
Josh Shapiro’s Taxpayer-Funded Self-Promotional Horror Show
Commonwealth Foundation
Tax Season Reminds Minnesotans What They Already Know… and Feel
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
Illinois Townships Vote to Fix Pensions, Gerrymandering and Unfunded Mandates
Illinois Policy
Survey: Illinoisans to Pay Over 10% of Incomes to State, Local Taxes in 2025
Illinois Policy
Illinois Governors Abuse Budget Projections, Leaving Taxpayers Damaged
Illinois Policy
Stein’s Budget Proposal: Billions in Tax Increases and Elimination of School Choice Program
John Locke Foundation
Part 1: What Maine’s 2024 Audit Reveals About Government Oversight and Corruption
Maine Policy Institute
Part 2: How Maine’s Bureaucracy Enabled Mismanagement
Maine Policy Institute
Part 3: How Lawmakers Should Respond to the 2024 Audit
Maine Policy Institute
Marklein: No Real Budget Action ’til mid-May
MacIver Institute
Wimberger: Federal Spending Audit Shows “Clear Need for Improvement” in Wisconsin
MacIver Institute
Return to Work Legislation gets First Hearing in Wisconsin Assembly
MacIver Institute
Income Tax Elimination is a BIG Win for Freedom!
Mississippi Center for Public Policy
Arizona’s Income Tax Drops to 2.5%—Is a Full Phaseout Next?
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Competition Drives Push for Income-Tax Elimination
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
State Budget Watch: Lawmakers Should Heavily Scrutinize LA’s Wildfire Funding Ask
Pacific Research Institute
No Tax Bill Is Perfect. But This One Nearly Is. Here’s Why…
Palmetto Promise Institute
Discriminatory Taxes Make Unreliable Revenue Sources
Platte Institute
Another Crack at the Income Tax
Show-Me Institute
Spending More, Getting Less — Connecticut Near Bottom in Taxpayer ROI
Yankee Institute
Unions Are Failing to Protect the Privacy of Members from Hackers
Commonwealth Foundation
Freedom Foundation Supports Executive Order to End Collective Bargaining with Federal Unions
Freedom Foundation
Open Letter to Union Township Board of Trustees
Mackinac Center
Shedding Light on Governor Walz’s ‘Shadow Government’ Dream
Center of the American Experiment
NYS List of State Boards and Commissions Appointees
Empire Center
Court Watch: Text, History, and Tradition versus Values and Feelings
Institute for Reforming Government
In the Savannah Morning News, the Georgia Center for Opportunity’s Buzz Brockway notes Georgia should do more to fully fund Promise Scholarships for all students.
At USA Today, the Foundation for Government Accountability’s David Craig criticizes Democrats’ selective outrage.
At Governing, the Foundation for Government Accountability’s Hayden Dublois notes Medicaid needs to be both cut and reformed.
At Florida Politics, the Goldwater Institute’s Brian Norman encourages Florida lawmakers to pass Right to Try.
In the Chicago Tribune, the Illinois Policy Institute’s Paul Vallas notes the decline in Black teachers has nothing to do with CPS’ evaluation system.
In the San Francisco Chronicle, the Independent Institute’s Christopher Caltonpoints out that regulation that limits construction of new housing is the cause of housing shortages — not immigrants.
In her column for Newsmax, the Pacific Research Institute’s Sally Pipes points out price controls won’t end global pharma freeloading.
In The Detroit News, the Mackinac Center’s Mike Reitz highlights how excessive regulations can often face resistance efforts when efforts are made to reduce such laws.
At National Review, the Mississippi Center for Public Policy’s Douglas Carswell highlights Mississippi’s income tax win.
In The Center Square, the Mountain States Policy Center’s Sebastain Griffin notes that the economic climate in Washington is becoming unsustainable for innovation.
At Forbes, the Pacific Research Institute’s Wayne Winegarden notes Louisiana is litigating away its economic prosperity.
In his recent column, John Hood encourages North Carolina to get ready for the looming budgetary storm.
