Announcements

Americans for Fair Treatment highlighted howteachers at a charter school in Pennsylvania successfully voted to decertify their union.

Chris Isaacs joined the Frontier Institute as a Tech and Innovation Policy Analyst.

The Institute for Free Speech published its 2022 Free Speech Index, a comprehensive examination of state laws regulating political speech and association.

Public policy outcomes will improve for the citizens of Idaho, Eastern Washington, Montana and Wyoming with the launch of the Mountain States Policy Center, the nation’s newest free-market research center. Learn more about the Center here.

The Freedom Foundation launched a major TV ad campaign to inform government workers of of their constitutional right to leave their union.

The James Madison Institute announced the naming of the Center for Economic Prosperity after a great friend of The Institute, George Gibbs. The mission of the George Gibbs Center for Economic Prosperity is to promote free-market solutions that unleash entrepreneurialism and fuel the American economic engine for all.

This Week on SPN.org

All Of The Ways The School Choice Movement Is Winning At The State Level

Success Stories

Empower Mississippi highlighted the story of entrepreneur Karrece Stewart, who is now able to follow her dream of opening a makeup studio thanks to a change in Mississippi law that de-licensed makeup artists.

The Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy pointed out how a handful of state laws crafted to address New Hampshire’s housing shortage took effect this week. The changes make modest improvements in the system that will make it slightly less antagonistic to new housing construction.

Solutions from the states: This week’s policy briefs

A new report by the Badger Institute and Reason Foundation offers policymakers new alternatives for highway funding in Wisconsin.

The Center of the American Experiment considered how American energy production can make the world safer.

How much do they make? The Empire Center released its annual report on public payrolls.

A new study by the Foundation for Government Accountability argues lawmakers should ban ranked-choice voting at all levels of government.

The Foundation for Government Accountability released a new paper that outlines the reasons why states currently holding school board elections in off-cycle years should make the switch to amplify the voices of their voters.

The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii released a report that analyzes how the Hawaii’s home prices are affected by out-of-state buyers.

Maine Policy Institute released a new report on critical social justice in Maine’s public education system.

The Mississippi Center for Public Policy released its annual Fat Cat Report, which discusses the highest-paid public officials in the state and shows that they are gaining large pay increases from year to year. 

The Texas Public Policy Foundation highlighted enrollment trends in K-12 education.

Policy News from the States

Education

Florida Shows School Choice Doesn’t Destroy Public Education (Alabama Policy Institute)

Parental Choice Finally Comes to Tennessee (Beacon Center)

How are School Districts Spending COVID Relief Dollars? The Answer May Surprise You. (Beacon Center)

Wilmington Learning Collaborative:  Sounds like a New Charter School (Caesar Rodney Institute)

Biden Administration May Control School Suspensions (Cascade Policy Institute)

Math Proficiency Remains Subpar, Reading Takes Another Hit (Center of the American Experiment)

Part II: Back-To-School Questions For Parents To Ask Teachers (Center of the American Experiment)

Demand for Education Freedom is Surging in Montana (Frontier Institute)

The Free Market Solution to Teacher Shortages (Libertas Institute)

Portland Families Deserve More School Choice, Not Less (Maine Policy Institute)

Seven Public-School Reforms For 2023 (Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs)

Not April Fool’s Day: Newsom Gets Education Award as California Students Suffer and Fail (Pacific Research Institute)

Is There Actually a Teacher Shortage? (Show-Me Institute)

Election Integrity

Zuckerbucks in Alaska (Alaska Policy Forum)

Energy and the Environment

Oregon Legislature Should End the GET Green Energy Fiasco (Cascade Policy Institute)

How Environmental Review Misses a Key Tradeoff (Freedom Foundation of Minnesota)

There Are More Electric Car Chargers Than There Are Electric Cars (Mackinac Center)

Government Accountability

EXPOSED: Goldwater Uncovers the University of Arizona’s ‘Surveillance State’ Secrets (Goldwater Institute)

Pritzker Extends COVID Emergency Powers For 33rd Time (Illinois Policy Institute

Report: More Illinois Debt Likely Following Misuse Of Federal Aid Money (Illinois Policy Institute)

Healthcare

Why Medicaid Expansion Is A Bad Idea For Alabama (Alabama Policy Institute)

Georgia Public Policy Foundation Applauds Decision to Protect Georgia’s Medicaid Waiver (Georgia Public Policy Foundation)

As the Pandemic Ends, Federal Strings Tangle Medicaid in Iowa (Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation)

Housing

The High Cost Of Affordable Housing In Mclean’s Boise (Idaho Freedom Foundation)

The Gubernatorial Candidates’ Housing Plans: An Assessment (Josiah Bartlett Center)

How Federal Policy Prices Nevadans Out of Housing (Nevada Policy Research Institute)

Housing First Programs Aren’t Working (Pacific Research Institute)

Jobs And State Economies

Alaska’s Economic Outlook, Ranked: 2022 (Alaska Policy Forum)

U.S. Employment Growth Has Stalled Since March (Center of the American Experiment)

What Next For The U.S. Economy? (Center of the American Experiment)

NY Pandemic Recovery Update: Climbing, But Still Far Behind (Empire Center)

I’m a Qualified Professional. Why Won’t the Government Let Me Work? (Goldwater Institute)

North Carolina Continued to Add Jobs in July, But Labor Force and Real Wages are Down

 (John Locke Foundation)

Kansas Still 19,500 Jobs Below Pre-Pandemic Levels (Kansas Policy Institute)

Five Alternatives to Occupational Licensing (Libertas Institute)

July Jobs Report Brings Good News For Louisiana (Pelican Institute)

The U.S. is in Recession and Washington is Making it Worse (Texas Public Policy Foundation)

State Budgets and Spending

Pension Spiking Problems Persist (Bluegrass Institute)

Oregon’s Budget: Out-of-Control Spending and Misplaced Priorities (Cascade Policy Institute)

What Do States Without An Income Tax Do? (Center of the American Experiment)

Fact Check: Typical Illinoisan Pays $2,288 More In Property Taxes Under Pritzker (Illinois Policy Institute)

Last Fiscal Year Produces Major Surplus (John Locke Foundation)

Is Your Local Government Increasing Property Taxes This Month? (Kansas Policy Institute)

Closing Nebraska’s Property Tax Honesty Gap With Truth In Taxation (Platte Institute)

Most of $3.2 Billion State Surplus Already Spent (Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy)

Student Loan Forgiveness

Student Loans Forgiven but Negative Consequences Not Forgotten (The Buckeye Institute)

Canceling Student Loan Debt (Empower Mississippi)

Five Problems with Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan (And What To Do About Them) (Texas Public Policy Foundation)

Workplace Freedom

Minnesota Union Seeks to Remedy Past Discrimination (Americans for Fair Treatment)

FLRA Backs Union’s Decision To Dump Local (Americans for Fair Treatment)

Other

Bluegrass Institute Statement On Special Legislative Session (Bluegrass Institute)

Work Touted As Crucial Need To Reform Ex-Convicts (Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs)

Think Tanks in the News

Bold Tax Reform Should Be At The Top Of Alabama Lawmakers’ Agenda (Alabama Policy Institute at Alabama Today)

Teachers Union Runs Ad Calling Conservative Parents ‘Extremists’ (Americans for Fair Treatment cited at The Daily Caller)

Biden Takes Aim At Small Business Owners To Boost Union Profits (Americans for Fair Treatment on the Lars Larson Show)

Connecticut Teachers Have Choices; Unions Would Do Well To Respect Them (Americans for Fair Treatment member in the CT Mirror)

Biden’s Student Loan Plan An Affront To Hard-Working Americans (Beacon Center in The Center Square)

Paying Unions: Recurring Opt-In Requirements Protect Public Workers (Bluegrass Institute in Kentucky Today)

Why Parents Are Choosing Black-Led Charter Schools (Commonwealth Foundation in The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Gov. Wolf’s Gimmick On Stimulus Checks In Pa. Will Do More Harm Than Good (Commonwealth Foundation in the Express-Times)

Kathy Hochul’s Abuse Of Power Is A NY State ‘Emergency’ (Empire Center in The New York Post)

Illinois On Automatic Keeps Government Running Into The Ditch (Illinois Policy Institute in The Center Square)

Identity Politics Tops Three R’s In Denver Schools (Independence Institute in The Denver Gazette)

Reynolds Vs. Biden: Contrasting Visions Of Statesmanship (Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation in the Iowa Torch)

State Politics Snaps Back Toward Normal (John Locke Foundation in The Wilson Times)

Progressive Judges Threaten To Override Will Of Millions Of North Carolina Voters (John Locke Foundation at National Review)

Utah Should Put Limits Around Geofence Warrants (Libertas Institute The Salt Lake Tribune)

Red State, Blue State, Whatever (Mackinac Center in The Hill)

What We Need From Our Post-Fauci Public Health Officials (Pacific Research Institute in the Washington Examiner)

Who Is Profiting From Prescription Drugs? (Pioneer Institute at RealClearHealth)

What Are We Actually Doing? (Show-Me Institute at RedState)

Solving The Student Debt Crisis Instead Of Prolonging It (State Policy Network in The Hill)

All Of The Ways The School Choice Movement Is Winning At The State Level (State Policy Network in the Washington Examiner)

Where the Money Is (The James Madison Institute at National Review)

Events and Opportunities

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