August 30, 2024
Week in Review: August 30, 2024
Alaska Policy Forum announced an upcoming event featuring special guest Kimberley Strassel, editorial board member of The Wall Street Journal and author of the Potomac Watch column.
American Council of Trustees and Alumni released a new guide, Danger in Divestment, which offers practical advisories for college trustees as they try to navigate what is widely anticipated to be a volatile fall semester.
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation released a new Hendrickson Report titled The Conservatism of Governor Kim Reynolds vs the Socialism of Governor Tim Walz which points out how Minnesota has been transformed under Gov. Walz.
James Madison Institute released new Florida polling which show how voters are deeply concerned about economic issues—namely: inflation and housing affordability.
John Locke Foundation’s Carolina Journal published a recap of SPN’s 32nd Annual Meeting, pointing out that it is a gathering of “unsung thinkers”.
Kansas Policy Institute released “School Choice – if you build it, he will come,” tracking the remarkable demand for alternative education opportunities in many states, and new investigative reports which exposed school districts sponsoring an event featuring a mock drag show and lap dance and the need for immigration judicial reform.
Maine Policy Institute hosted its 2024 Freedom and Opportunity Luncheon, an event which featured Mr. Peter Schweizer as its keynote speaker.
Mackinac Center published a new study that analyzes the electricity plans of seven Great Lakes states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The study was launched with an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, in which the authors discuss the dangers of transitioning to greater dependence on wind and solar energy.
Pioneer Institute’s Pioneer Public Interest Law Center announced that its president, Frank J. Bailey, has been elected as the next Vice Chair of the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association.
Sutherland Institute announced its 2024 Congressional Series lineup. Each year, this series gives Utahns a public forum to directly interact with their elected representatives and discuss policy ideas that matter most to them.
Texas Public Policy Foundation hosted a Pastors and Parishioners Parent Empowerment Summit which served to unite faith leaders in the cause of empowering parents with the opportunity to select the best education environment for their children in the Lone Star State.
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy hosted a screening of “Reagan the Movie,” which featured touching and insightful remarks from Ed Feulner before the film rolled.
The Buckeye Institute dismantled the government’s argument that Buckeye’s client (Ohioan John Ream) does not have standing in a filing in Ream v. U.S. Department of Treasury, Buckeye’s case to overturn the federal government’s ban on home distilling of spirited beverages. Buckeye also appealed Wos v. Cleveland—Buckeye’s class action lawsuit on behalf of all nonresidents of Cleveland who filed a municipal income tax return with the city and received their refund more than 90 days after filing their return—to Ohio’s Eighth District Court of Appeals, and filed an amicus brief in two cases. In Goldstein v. Professional Staff Congress at City University of New York, Buckeye called on the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case and end forced union exclusive representation laws. In United States v. Ross, Buckeye called on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to stop the government from gaming the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act to avoid paying attorneys’ fees—as Congress intended.
Goldwater Institute filed an amicus brief in support of Pacific Legal Foundation’s federal lawsuit challenging the state of California’s restrictions on telehealth that would otherwise allow patients to access medical care from the comfort of their own home using a computer, smartphone, or landline phone. Goldwater also filed a brief in support of a group of Jewish professors in New York City that are being forced to submit themselves to formal representation by a union that openly denounces Israel as “racist”.
Liberty Justice Center filed a lawsuit to defend the First Amendment rights of Dr. Eric Cubin, a radiologist whom the Governor of Wyoming forced to resign from the Wyoming Board of Medicine for privately writing a letter in support of a proposed bill that the Governor himself eventually signed into law. The Center also issued a demand letter urging the Kentucky Attorney General to investigate widespread election interference after local school districts and the Lieutenant Governor illegally used taxpayer funds to lobby against Amendment 2, a proposed ballot measure that would increase school choice. In addition, the Center filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in Coalition Life v. Carbondale, a case challenging the restrictions imposed on free speech by “bubble zone” laws. The Center also filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in Goldstein v. Professional Staff Congress, arguing that exclusive representation schemes by unions violate employees’ constitutional rights. At the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the Center filed an amicus brief in Leroy v. Livingston Manor Central School District, urging the Court to uphold protections for free speech by finding that school administrators do not have the power to censor students or teachers speaking outside the context of school.
Mackinac Center, who submitted an amicus brief at the Court and has two ongoing lawsuits fighting other unlawful student loan debt forgiveness actions, applauded the U.S. Supreme Court’s denial of the Biden-Harris administration’s request to continue one of its student loan giveaways. In addition, the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation filed an amicus brief at the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the plaintiffs in Goldstein vs. PSC/CUNY. The brief argues that the practice of exclusive representation violates workers’ First Amendment rights.
Texas Public Policy Foundation partnered with the Goldwater Institute to aid a group of citizens fighting to limit the authority of Texas city bureaucrats to the city limits and protect the rights those living outside these limits who are unable to vote for the political leaders in these cities.
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty’s case against the Wisconsin State Bar was allowed to proceed. The Institute is asserting in the case that mandatory membership in the Bar is unconstitutional.
Arizona: The Arizona Court of Appeals agreed with a trial judge who last September ordered the city of Phoenix to clean a vast homeless encampment that the city effectively operated for well over a year on the streets of the city— a welcome reminder that the government is not above the law. In addition, the Court of Appeals also struck down an attempt by the city of Scottsdale to deceive voters by calling a proposed tax hike a plan to “replace and reduce” taxes (Goldwater Institute).
California: In an unlikely victory against government excess in the Bay Area, a regional housing authority has decided to remove a $20 billion housing bond from the November ballot — a bond which if passed would have made the Bay Area less affordable for the millions who pay property taxes directly or indirectly through their rent (California Policy Center). In addition, the state continued its record-breaking year in public-sector union opt-outs with an average of nearly 1,250 opt-outs per month—some of which contributed to an unprecedented nationwide 1,304 opt-outs in the span of a week (Freedom Foundation).
Illinois: An Illinois Supreme Court decision upheld a victory for voters’ rights by blocking Governor Pritzker’s attempt to change state election law in the middle of an active election cycle (Liberty Justice Center).
Nationwide: The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that geo-fence warrants are unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment—a significant victory in the ongoing efforts to protect the public from unreasonable search and seizure in the digital age (Libertas Institute).
Bluegrass Institute released briefs which show how students are not the only ones to profit from school-choice policies, how a proposed ballot amendment clears the way for legislators to consider school choice solutions that give students access to better education, and how Florida’s K-12 results are leaving school-choice-less Kentucky behind.
Empire Center published briefs examining the constitutionality of New York’s Early Mail Voting Law, New York’s run-away Medicaid spending, and a new report from New York’s electric grid operator, NYISO, which highlights significant uncertainties in the state’s plan to rely heavily on wind and solar power.
Idaho Freedom Foundation released a brief which etched out what a universal education choice bill must look like to provide the best program for students and families—a move that seeks to set the standard for the standard for 2025 legislative session. Additionally, IFF pointed out that Idaho is falling behind in the education choice revolution as other red states race ahead to help students thrive.
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation posted a brief which examines a sample of Iowa cities and counties to see the impact of a 2 percent property tax cap, showing how it is a necessary step for the state.
Mountain States Policy Center published briefs examining the effects of higher per-student spending versus education outcomes, questioning calls to loosen regulations on raw milk sales and mandate use of paper straws, and showing how a failure to extend the Federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act would hurt taxpayers.
Platte Institute released a brief which does a deep dive from a Nebraskan’s perspective on the Mercatus Center’s Snapshots of State Regulations, which offers a revealing look at how states stack up against each other in terms of regulations.
Washington Policy Center issued briefs highlighting the abundance of expenses relating to the implementation of the WA Cares long-term-care program, expansions of Washington’s state-based health care, mistakes made by the Seattle Times editorial board on school choice programs, effects of the cap and trade program, looming ferry service cuts due to the bad policy choices from Washington Department of Transportation, and how capping food prices is such a harmful narrative, from the perspective of an economist and farmer.
Kentucky: Bluegrass State voters have an opportunity to amend their state charter in November to make room school choice in the state, and support for the measure is growing (Bluegrass Institute).
Oklahoma: By a wide margin, voters ousted a Senate Republican that opposed school choice in the last session in favor of challenger that has stated support for it—a clear sign for Oklahoma legislators that parents have embraced education freedom in the state (Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs).
Nationwide: A new piece of energy legislation in Congress called the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 (EPRA) has made its way through the committee process and will soon hit the Senate floor. The bipartisan bill, sponsored by Senator Manchin (D-WV) and Senator Barrasso (R-WY), aims to speed up the approval process for new energy projects (Mountain States Policy Center).
Topics:
Fourteen Months After Deal with Legislature, Still No Cops in MPS Schools
Badger Institute
Opening Doors: How Charter Schools Can Elevate Kern County Education
California Policy Center
With Declining Enrollments, Why Is Portland Building Bigger High Schools?
Cascade Policy Institute
Majority of Minnesota Students Still Not Meeting Reading and Math Standards
Center of the American Experiment
MN District Admin Staff Keeps Growing Despite Declining Student Enrollment
Center of the American Experiment
Chicago Teachers Union Is Lobbying Powerhouse, But Is That Waning?
Illinois Policy
Dane County Judge Protects $50M in Literacy Funding
Institute for Reforming Government
Passing Educational-Freedom Legislation is Only the First Step
John Locke Foundation
Students Falling Behind Were Denied Additional Help
Mackinac Center
Maine’s DOE Should Not Be Stirring Fear of AI
Maine Policy Institute
Why the Mississippi Education ‘Miracle’ Is a Myth
Mississippi Center for Public Policy
For Local School-Board Member Training in Oklahoma, There’s Now a Conservative Alternative
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Oklahoma’s School-Choice Program Is National Leader but Has Room for Improvement
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
How Is Louisiana’s K-12 Education Funding Being Spent?
Pelican Institute
National Alliance’s Starlee Coleman on Public Charter Schools
Pioneer Institute
New Schools, Old Problems: The KCPS Bond Proposal with Patrick Tuohey
Show-Me Institute
More Districts to Try New Standardized Testing System
Show-Me Institute
Bullying and Public School Funding
Show-Me Institute
New Research and Policy Recommendations to Boost Parent Engagement in Schools
Sutherland Institute
Passing Educational-Freedom Legislation Is Only the First Step
Sutherland Institute
Utah Is a Leader in Open Enrollment – But It Could Do More
Sutherland Institute
The New Texas Curriculum is a Win-Win
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Floating Offshore Wind – An Environmental Catastrophe
California Policy Center
Are Massive Blackouts at the End of the Carbon-Free Rainbow?
Center of the American Experiment
Solarfication Transforms the Landscape
Center of the American Experiment
North Dakota Challenges California Zero-Emissions Vehicle Law
Center of the American Experiment
Troubling Times Ahead for American Energy
Commonwealth Foundation
Minnesota Students (and Taxpayers) are Losing
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
Better Batteries Won’t Save the Energy Grid
Mackinac Center
Connecticut Residents Plan Rally Over Electric Bill Hikes
Yankee Institute
‘Green Monster’ Strikes Again: Making Electric Bills a Whole Lot Uglier
Yankee Institute
Connecticut’s Latest Electric Bill Hike: A Generous Gift to the State’s Wealthiest Towns
Yankee Institute
Hochul’s Pandemic Review Contract Included a Gag Clause, Records Confirm
Empire Center
340B Hospitals Does Not Necessarily Translate to Charity Care
Pioneer Institute
Jumbo “Affordable Housing” Bond Dropped from San Francisco Bay Area Ballot
California Policy Center
Apply Homeowner Exemption to All Who Rent Out Part of Property
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Let Maui Property Owners Rebuild Without Paying for Street Repairs
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Incentivize Long-Term Rentals, But Ditch Rollback Penalties
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Reject Empty Homes Tax, Focus on Policies that Work
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
More Californians Plan Exit as Home Prices Top $900K
Pacific Research Institute
Farmer Stands His Ground
Beacon Center of Tennessee
Harris’s Price Controls Ignore Basic Economics
Commonwealth Foundation
Why is the Federal Government Bullying Small Businesses in Conservative States?
Foundation for Government Accountability
Montana 2050: Crypto
Frontier Institute
Make It Easier to Work
Georgia Public Policy Foundation
Bill 64 Restrictions Would Harm Small Farms, Apiaries
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Smaller Is Better, Local Is Best
Indiana Policy Review Foundation
Unemployment Rates Remain High Across Illinois Metro Areas
Illinois Policy
Sowing Resilience Chapter 3: Help
John Locke Foundation
Are Increased Sausage Sales a Sign of Economic Collapse?
John Locke Foundation
Occupational Licensing Guarantees Higher Prices
Mackinac Center
Latest Experiment Further Proof That Basic Income Doesn’t Lift People Out of Poverty
Pacific Research Institute
How Has Employment Changed in Massachusetts?
Pioneer Institute
Anti-Energy Kamala Harris Would Destroy My Blue State’s Economy
Rio Grande Foundation
Taxpayers Foot the Bill as St. Paul Bungles Federal Grant for Pricey E-Fire Truck
Center of the American Experiment
Market Correction Shows the Need for Reform for Georgia’s Teacher Pension
Georgia Public Policy Foundation
Highland Could Be First Illinois City to Add Local Grocery Tax
Illinois Policy
Direct Taxes and the Founders’ Originalism
Independence Institute
Belichick: Patriots’ Recruiting Hurt by “Taxachusetts”
Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy
UW Asks Wisconsin Taxpayers for 34% Funding Increase
MacIver Institute
Republican Primary Voters Helped Defeat Constitutional Amendment Resolutions
MacIver Institute
State Fair High Speed Rail Exhibit Shows Project That May Never Materialize in our Lifetimes
Pacific Research Institute
California’s Expensive but Ineffective Income Support Spending
Pacific Research Institute
Harris’ Tax Vision: Policy & Politics
Pioneer Institute
LR2CA Emerges as Partial Solution to Property Tax Problem
Platte Institute
TPPF Releases May 2024 Bond Election Report
Texas Public Policy Foundation
How 1199 Earns Reputation as Albany’s No. 1 Labor Power Broker
Empire Center
Mass Misrepresentation: Mainstream Media’s Distortion of State of America’s Labor Unions
Freedom Foundation
Mandatory Union Meeting Reinforces Oregon Teacher’s Decision to Opt-Out
Freedom Foundation
New York Teachers Union Website Post Reveals Panic
Freedom Foundation
Freedom Foundation’s Amicus Brief Helps Scuttle Arizona’s ‘Release Time’ Scam
Freedom Foundation
Workers Should Not Be Forced into Exclusive Union Representation
Mackinac Center
Apparently, We’re Doing Something Right—Thoughts from SPN’s Annual Meeting
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Locke’s Energy Crossroads Report Wins State Policy Network’s “Most Influential Research” Award
John Locke Foundation
Poll: State Voters Overwhelmingly Support Ending Public Records Exemption, Auditing the Legislature
Pioneer Institute
Recent Photos from RGF’s Recent Visit to Phoenix and More
Rio Grande Foundation
This Labor Day, Celebrate America’s Workers but Guard Against Communist Influence
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Will Wins Multiple Awards from Nationally Recognized State Policy Network
Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty
‘Welcome Lafayette’: The Revolutionary War Hero’s 1824 Tour in Connecticut
Yankee Institute
In The Wall Street Journal, The Buckeye Institute warns of threats to the independence of the U.S. Supreme Court.
In a Labor Day opinion piece in Crain’s Cleveland Business, The Buckeye Institute offers a check-up on Ohio’s labor market.
At Newsmax, The Buckeye Institute demonstrates how President Biden’s Euro-style war on affordable energy won’t work.
Lance Christensen, vice president of government affairs at California Policy Center, in an op-ed for the Orange County Register says ‘California politicians continue their misguided war on plastic bags.’
Will Swaim, president of the California Policy Center, co-authored with David Bahnsen of National Review an op-ed for the San Diego Union-Tribune that argues Democrats are ‘trying to spin Kamala Harris’ history as an overzealous prosecutor into a positive.’
Ken Girardin, research director at the Empire Center, in an op-ed for the New York Post says that the ‘Court’s mail-in voting decision is a slap in the face to NY’s voters.’
Patrick V. Bailey, director of healthcare policy at the Goldwater Institute, in an op-ed for the Post and Courier says ‘To save lives, we must modernize our drug approval process.’
In Reason Magazine, Idaho Freedom Foundation’s Niklas Kleinworth discusses issues in the Idaho state budget and agencies sidestepping the legislature to work with the federal government.
Ravi Mishra, policy researcher at Illinois Policy Institute, in an op-ed for Illinois Business Journal, says ‘Grocery bills have increased by nearly $3,000 in just four years.’
John Caldara, president of the Independence Institute, in an op-ed for the Colorado Springs Gazette says that it looks like he’s ‘voting Trump.’
Lloyd Billingsley, Independent Institute policy fellow, notes in The American Spectator that California has made theft a crime again.
Richard Vedder, Independent Institute senior policy fellow, comments in Minding the Campus that academics are too important to be left solely to academicians.
John Hendrickson, policy director for Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation, in an op-ed for The Gazette says the Republican Party ‘is becoming a more pro-worker party.’
David R. Iglesias, government affairs associate at the Libertas Institute, in an op-ed for Inside Sources says the word ‘automobile’ is outdated and that cars should be known as ‘data mobiles.’
In the Wall Street Journal, the Liberty Justice Center’s Dean McGee and Corey DeAngelis discuss the legally dubious campaign against school choice in Kentucky.
Jason Hayes, director of energy and environmental policy at the Mackinac Center, co-authored an op-ed for American Greatness titled “American Natural Gas is America’s Clean Energy Standard.”
Mike Reitz, executive vice president of the Mackinac Center, penned a column in the Detroit News commenting on the Center for Practical Federalism’s Federalism Scorecard.
At National Review, the Mackinac Center’s Steve Delie points out that a district court’s ruling could affect the administrative state as a whole.
Daniel Oliver, a director at Pacific Research Institute, in an op-ed for American Greatness says this is the time for JD Vance to ‘go for broke’ and tell Trump to ‘Stay focused or I’m outta here.’
In The Federalist, People United for Privacy Foundation’s Brian Hawkins explains why the left’s biggest “dark money” groups are pushing for donor disclosure.
Paul Gessing, president of the Rio Grande Foundation, in an op-ed for the Los Alamos Daily Post says giving New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham a primetime speaking spot at the Democratic National Convention is enough to disqualify Harris from her presidential bid.
Patrick Tuohey, senior fellow at the Show-Me Institute, in an op-ed for the Kansas City Star (picked up by Yahoo) says Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas ‘has nobody but himself to blame for Kansas City police funding failure.’
Mark Harmsworth, director of the Center for Small Business at the Washington Policy Center, in an op-ed for the Lynnwood Times says unemployment in Washington is 4.9%—‘which sounds good until compared to everywhere else.’
Carol Platt Liebau, president of Yankee Institute, in an op-ed for the CT Examiner says ‘Connecticut’s Green Grandstanding Costs Electric Ratepayers Dearly.’
