August 16, 2024
Week in Review: August 16, 2024
American Council of Trustees and Alumni released a new guide, An Equal Space for ALL, which outlines a list of practical steps that higher education governing boards can take to ensure that the academic community as a whole can access equally the campus square and be free of harassment. The Council also released Danger in Divestment, which offers recommendations to college and university governing boards to consider regarding the inherent risk of considering divestment from and boycott of Israel, and how to respond to calls for such things.
Empower Mississippi released a new report analyzing Mississippi’s labor force participation rate. This report looks at several factors to determine who is participating in the workforce in Mississippi and why more people aren’t taking advantage of increasing job opportunities in the state.
Frontier Institute, in collaboration with the National School Choice Awareness Foundation, launched Ed Navigate, a new online resource center to help families and education providers navigate Montana’s rapidly changing education ecosystem.
John Locke Foundation announced the launch of its Sowing Resilience project, a comprehensive initiative aimed at bolstering North Carolina’s agriculture industry and addressing food insecurity.
Mountain States Policy Center released videos which analyze the Kroger-Albertsons merger and brief viewers on the Center’s recently released Policy Manual.
Opportunity Arkansas released a new report, The Medicaid Monster. Key findings reveal that Medicaid in Arkansas has shifted from a safety net for the most vulnerable to a costly welfare program for able-bodied adults, showing clearly that comprehensive reforms are urgently needed to restore Medicaid’s original mission.
Pacific Legal Foundation released a new report, Locking Squatters Out: How States Can Protect Property Owners from Squatters, which provides insight on the rising incidence of squatting, legislative reform efforts to protect property rights in several states, and the impact of such reforms so far in Georgia. In addition, the Foundation’s own James S. Burling released Nowhere to Live: The Hidden Story of America’s Housing Crisis, a book which explores the root causes behind the homelessness crisis and affordable housing challenges affecting communities nationwide.
South Carolina Policy Council announced the selection of a new Chief Executive Officer, Michael Burris, who is a Charleston native, former business executive and Navy veteran.
Sutherland Institute interviewed Tony Woodlief, SPN’s Senior Executive Vice President, on their Defending Ideas podcast.
The Buckeye Institute joined an amicus brief in Lackey v. Stinnie, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to protect the access of all Americans—not just the wealthy—to our legal system by ensuring that the government cannot evade paying attorneys’ fees.
Liberty Justice Center issued a demand letter on behalf of Kentucky taxpayers, warning a local school district that its advocacy against a proposed ballot measure (which would expand educational opportunities in the state) constitutes illegal election interference under state law—and, under Kentucky Supreme Court precedent, is grounds for legal action by taxpayers. The Center also joined the Institute for Free Speech, Southeastern Legal Foundation, Cato Institute, and New Civil Liberties Alliance to file an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in Lackey v. Stinnie.
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty filed a federal civil rights complaint under Title VI and the Affordable Care Act against the Ohio-based Cleveland Clinic on behalf of Do No Harm, a nationwide membership organization that opposes racially discriminatory programs and policies in healthcare and seeks to keep identity politics out of medical education, research, and clinical practice. The Institute also filed a lawsuit challenging a state law that unlawfully restricts Wisconsin drivers’ First Amendment rights. The state uses subjective and arbitrary decisions to decide what drivers can print on their personalized license plates.
Idaho: Mercatus Center released rankings which crowned Idaho as the leader in regulatory freedom. Idaho Governor Brad Little responded in a release that celebrates moves that shrunk the state’s administrative code from 8,553 to 5,318 pages, including an additional 466 pages removed from Fiscal Year 2024 (Mountain States Policy Center).
Wisconsin: The City of Neenah clerk announced that they have removed all printed materials from City voting booths, in compliance with state law and backing down from their electioneering attempt to paint two ballot measures as partisan in nature (Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty).
California Policy Center posted a brief which examines the potential fiscal effects of implementing an education savings account policy in California.
Mackinac Center issued a brief which analyzes the electricity plans of seven Great Lakes states as they move towards net-zero goals—a movie which is threatening the reliability of the electric grid in the region.
Mountain States Policy Center published briefs that examine Idaho’s historic opportunity to bridge the digital divide and break down an open primaries bill that was introduced before the US Congress.
South Carolina Policy Council released a brief detailing the budget process and how state agencies are neglecting to follow the budget law.
Washington Policy Center released briefs which break down economic data showing Washington’s declining spot in the job market is indicative of trends that do not bode well for the Evergreen state, unveil public records that show solar industry executives brag about the taxpayer money they get and warn reporters not to talk to organizations that provide facts these executives dislike, and show how the ballot statements on the initiative to repeal the cap and trade program contradict the facts provided by the Inslee administration’s own statements.
Nationwide: The Fifth Circuit declared the Universal Service Fee unconstitutional — a ruling which signals a potential Supreme Court review and opens the door for a much-needed reevaluation of how we fund and expand our nation’s digital infrastructure (Mountain States Policy Center).
Oklahoma: In light of recent data showing the state in a strong fiscal position, Governor Stitt renewed calls for tax cuts in the state — stay tuned as policy makers respond (Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs).
Pacific Northwest: Negotiations in the Columbia River Treaty took a critical step forward towards keeping a functional and formal partnership between Canada and the United States operating in a positive manner—a move that will benefit every person in the Pacific Northwest (Washington Policy Center).
Topics:
Those Who Can’t Teach Become Real Estate Developers
California Policy Center
Civil Discourse in the Classroom
Cardinal Institute
Arizona’s Universal ESA Program: A History of Surplus, Savings, & Media Misinformation
Goldwater Institute
School Choice 2025: Nero, Ford, And Friedman
Idaho Freedom Foundation
Setting the Education Choice Gold Standard for Idaho
Idaho Freedom Foundation
3-in-10 Chicago Public School Teachers Send Their Children to Private School
Illinois Policy
Why it’s Time to End the Department of Education
Libertas Institute
Maine DOE Unveils Baseless Changes to K-12 Education at Annual Summit
Maine Policy Institute
A Quick Guide to Education Governance in South Carolina
Palmetto Promise Institute
Houston Supt. Mike Miles & Urban School Reform
Pioneer Institute
Spending and Performance: How Do Charter Schools Stack Up?
Sutherland Institute
New Study Shows Texans Support High Quality Instructional Materials Including Religious References
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Big News on Offshore Wind
Caesar Rodney Institute
North Plains Connector Project Gets $700M from DOE
Center of the American Experiment
Looking Back at Minnesota’s Energy Policy
Center of the American Experiment
Abandoned Wind Turbine Blades Litter Southern Minnesota Field
Center of the American Experiment
New Grid Study Shows How Much Wind and Solar Output Can Vary
Empire Center
Is New York’s Upcoming Energy “Summit” Just for Show?
Empire Center
Avoiding the High Cost of ESG in Louisiana
Pelican Institute
New Compact Allows Social Workers to Practice Across State Lines
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
Medical Officials Aligning with Oklahoma Lawmakers
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Why the American Dream Is Just a Dream for Many Urbanites
Cascade Policy Institute
Chicago’s Average Rent Rises to $2,200, Up 46% in 10 Years
Illinois Policy
Housing Bond Bill: Could Billions Better Bay State Cost of Living
Pioneer Institute
Kansas City Must Weigh Cost of Housing Regulations
Show-Me Institute
Poll: 9 out 10 Texans Say Housing Costs are Out-of-Control
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Getting a Handle on Affordable Housing: A More Honest Way to Evaluate Connecticut’s Housing Needs
Yankee Institute
New Income and Wealth Taxes for Minneapolis Are Terrible Ideas
Center of the American Experiment
Minnesota, North Dakota Among Best or Worst States for Retirement: Take Your Pick
Center of the American Experiment
Baumol’s “Cost Disease” Comes to Minneapolis
Center of the American Experiment
Fragmented Families, And Impact on Crime in Black Community
Center of the American Experiment
Pennsylvania State Rep. Eric Nelson Asks Important Question: Where Have All the Workers Gone?
Foundation for Government Accountability
How Safety-Net Benefits Discourage Low-Income Workers from Escaping Poverty
Georgia Center for Opportunity
Childcare at Risk as AZ Bureaucrats Push Burdensome New Regulation
Goldwater Institute
The Policy Shop: The Shrinking City
Illinois Policy
The Gospel from a DEI Queen
Indiana Policy Review Foundation
The DOJ Gets a Win, Consumers Could Lose Out
James Madison Institute
Sowing Resilience Chapter 1: Origins
John Locke Foundation
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Undermines the Social Responsibility of Businesses and Investment Managers
Pacific Research Institute
Nebraska’s Regulatory Environment Has Room to Improve
Platte Institute
Kirkwood Rejects Development Proposals
Show-Me Institute
California’s High-Risk Dashboard is Gone Without a Trace but Should Not be Forgotten
California Policy Center
Now Its St. Paul’s Turn to Get Hit with Higher Property Taxes
Center of the American Experiment
Taxes for Fargodome Update and Convention Center on Ballot Again
Center of the American Experiment
Breaking Up DHS Won’t Address Out-of-Control Welfare Spending
Center of the American Experiment
Property Tax Hikes Coming to Minneapolis
Center of the American Experiment
Moving On from Minnesota, High Tax State Version
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
States Move to End Grocery Tax While Idaho Gets Left Behind
Idaho Freedom Foundation
Pritzker to Show Democrats How He Thinks Big about Taxes, Budgets, Deficits
Illinois Policy
County Property Tax Pain Index
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation
Iowans Demand Property Tax Relief: 2% Cap Gains Support
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation
Enhancing Kansas’ Budget Process for Fiscal Responsibility
Kansas Policy Institute
Democrats’ Latest Tax Increase
Maine Policy Institute
Missouri Taxpayer Bill of Rights, Back to School, and STL County Changes
Show-Me Institute
Slashing the Income Tax to Zero
Show-Me Institute
Unions Are Bad for Cities
Mackinac Center
We Don’t Do Hard Things Anymore
Georgia Public Policy Foundation
Doing What We Can to Help Our Maui Ohana
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Restoring the Separation of Powers in North Carolina
John Locke Foundation
Biden’s SCOTUS Term Limits Would Hurt Both Parties
Maine Policy Institute
Value Your Democracy, America!
Mississippi Center for Public Policy
Unlocking Justice: Modernizing Court Document Access in Nevada
Nevada Policy
States Right to ‘Pre-Empt’ Cities that Violate Citizens’ Liberty
Pacific Research Institute
Anxious about Election Season? Look to Federalism
Sutherland Institute
At Last, Hollywood Does Reagan Right
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
In the Trussville Tribune, the Alabama Policy Institute’s Phil Williams discusses how Great Britain is cracking down on free speech.
In the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, the Arkansas Policy Foundation’s Greg Kaza notes a positive economic development as a result of tax cuts in the state.
In The Federalist, the Center for the American Experiment’s John Hinderaker points out that Gov. Tim Walz’s camo hat shouldn’t distract from his “radical” record.
At Penn Live, Commonwealth Foundation’s Charles Mitchell show how losing out on the vice-presidential ticket “may be the best thing that ever happened” to Gov. Josh Shapiro.
In the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii’s Jonathan Helton calls for lawmakers to rethink a “bill that would sting beekeepers.”
In The Denver Gazette, the Independence Institute’s Jon Caldara argues that ‘political minorities you don’t like deserve protection, too.’
In the Cedar Rapids Gazette, the Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation’s Chris Ingstad argues for a 2% cap on annual property-tax assessments.
In the Tallahassee Democrat, the James Madison Institute’s Dr. Edward Longe and Doug Wheeler call for solutions that address ‘Florida’s scam epidemic.’
In Deseret News, the Libertas Institute’s Jon England explains why it’s ‘time to end the Department of Education.’
In The Detroit News, the Mackinac Center’s Michael J. Reitz points out that “Compulsory charity isn’t charity.”
In Town Hall, the Mississippi Center for Public Policy’s Douglas Carswell explains why Britain is a mess and what to do about it.
In the Kansas City Star, the Show-Me Institute’s Patrick Tuohey exposes how Kansas City politicians ‘keep letting taxpayers down.’
In The Federalist, the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Chuck DeVore says ‘it’s time to bring back privateers.’
