December 15, 2023
Week in Review: December 15, 2023
Alabama Policy Institute announced that its research and analysis was used in a John Tillman opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal on the negative influence of teacher unions on school choice legislation.
Commonwealth Foundation’s research was sited in a recent article in Governing which revealed how more than 95 percent of political spending from the four biggest public-sector unions went to Democrats.
Frontier Institute released a report, The Dawn of Education Freedom in Montana, which analyzes Montana’s public charter school proposals and draws a stark contrast between what is happening in Montana right now compared to the national experience of what it takes to establish a high-quality charter school sector.
Independence Institute’s Ben Murrey published a white paper, Sustainable Colorado Budget to Help Eliminate State Income Taxes, which shows how to reduce Colorado’s income tax rate to zero.
Indiana Policy Review Foundation held its annual winter seminar in Wabash. The seminar focused on the practical and that which is needed to promote liberty and happiness among the citizenry.
James Madison Institute’s Sal Nuzzo was pictured in a Time Magazine’s Person of the Year article on Taylor Swift as he prepared to submit testimony in front of the United States Senate Judiciary Committee on Ticketmaster being a monopoly.
Mountain States Policy Center released a policy wish list for Santa and lawmakers – legislation which would bring taxpayers joy in 2024. Jason Mercier also sat down with Melissa Davlin of Idaho Reports to unpack the Center’s tax and legislative transparency recommendations for lawmakers.
Opportunity Arkansas sat down with the Libeling-Barlow family to discuss their enrollment in the state’s new education freedom program and how they can now fully provide their dyslexic daughters with the therapy and educational resources they need to thrive.
People United for Privacy issued a statement to members of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee’s Oversight Subcommittee about the importance of preserving donor privacy rights as the Subcommittee investigates the role of nonprofits in American politics.
Platte Institute released a tax report, Nebraska’s Path to the Top Ten, commending lawmakers for their past two years of unprecedented tax relief and calling for four more years of thoughtful, pro-growth tax reform that will modernize the state’s tax code while allowing the recent reforms to securely go into effect.
Show-Me Institute hosted a virtual town hall, Beyond Reagan and Thatcher: The Future of Supply Side Economics. Speakers Patrick Minford and Aaron Hedlund shared their insights and perspectives on the past, present, and future of supply-side economics, and answered audience questions.
Sutherland Institute announced the results of a survey of likely voters in Utah which revealed that most agree with the concepts of their “success sequence” and support teaching them in school.
Texas Public Policy Foundation published a new research paper unpacking the Federal Communications Commission’s push to revive net neutrality. After a thorough historical review of the issue, a brief quantitative analysis, and an examination of proponent’s justifications of net neutrality, the paper concludes that the internet service provider market continues to make internet more accessible, affordable, and non-discriminatory without such regulations.
Liberty Justice Center filed an amicus brief in the Arizona Supreme Court, challenging a union “release time” scheme that forces non-union employees to subsidize union lobbying and political speech. The Center also filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court to defend free speech, arguing that the use of state power to suppress dissenting views online violates the First Amendment.
Mountain States Policy Center teamed up with public policy experts from across the country in submitting amicus briefs in NetChoice v. Paxton and Moody v. NetChoice to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to prevent the national free-speech marketplace from being balkanized into 50+ regimes with varying and conflicting government regulation of online speech.
Freedom Foundation announced they have helped more than 33,000 people (about twice the seating capacity of Madison Square Garden) leave their unions in 2023, and four state governments have dropped additional hundreds of thousands of public employees from paycheck union dues deductions.
Wisconsin: In a major win for educational freedom, the Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously rejected a petition to dismantle the state’s school choice programs. The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) and the Liberty Justice Center filed amicus briefs in the case in November. WILL President Rick Esenberg released a statement commending the decision and stating that “if choice opponents try again, WILL stands ready to defend these critical programs for Wisconsin children and their families.”
The Buckeye Institute and Kansas Policy Institute partnered on a policy brief which offers solutions as the Kansas legislature considers economic and tax reforms that will increase growth in the state. Using Buckeye’s dynamic scoring model—STELA—Buckeye’s economic experts found that cutting taxes in Kansas could lead to hundreds of millions in economic growth and business investment. Buckeye also published a brief showing how Ohio has become a model for regulatory reform, winning victory after victory against outdated, bureaucratic red tape that makes it harder for businesses to operate and workers to find jobs, but also pointing out ways to sustain the state’s success.
Caesar Rodney Institute released a brief pointing that despite hybrid vehicles advantages in popularity and carbon reduction when compared to electric vehicles (EVs), lawmakers continue to provide subsidies to EVs.
Cascade Policy Institute issued a brief presenting student-focused solutions to address pandemic learning losses, in contrast to a recent New York Times’ editorial calling for indiscriminate spending increases.
Empire Center published briefs examining the complicated question of what policy makers should do about ongoing labor shortages reported by some healthcare providers in the state and pointing out that supporters of high taxes rely heavily on an almost microscopic sample size of self-reported income data.
Frontier Institute released a brief thoughtfully redefining public schools in the light of Montana’s introduction of education freedom laws.
Georgia Public Policy Foundation published a brief praising and unpacking the findings the Georgia Senate’s Study Committee on Certificate of Need (CON) Reform which called for the repeal of CON Laws in the state.
James Madison Institute released a new policy brief on insurance reform, Hold the Line: Florida’s Insurance Reforms and the Path Ahead, encouraging lawmakers to resist any pressure to dilute any of the reforms that are already having a positive impact.
John Locke Foundation’s Bethany Torstenson shed light on how surging inflation and unchecked government spending have led to this season being labeled as the “costliest” Christmas in history, compelling families to scale back their holiday budgets significantly, and Locke’s Dr. Andy Jackson provided a detailed analysis of a recent North Carolina State Board of Elections hearing, focusing on the proposed voter ID rules. He critiques these rules as being “so easily exploitable that they effectively render North Carolina a voter ID state in name only.”
Mountain States Policy Center released a brief calling for free and open internet policies to foster innovation, competition, and economic growth. Also, the Center issued a brief making the case for the states to finally end the unconstitutional scheme of home equity theft.
Washington Policy Center published a brief noting how California lawmakers are relaxing permitting and zoning laws to remove the hurdles for building housing more cost effectively and examining how similar legislation could be enacted in Washington state. Meanwhile, the Center also examined how the state’s 2024 Legislature will have a chance to build on expanding worker rights and Washingtonians’ access to caregivers.
Nebraska: As state lawmakers are set to reconvene on January 3, 2024, the Platte Institute noted carryover bills primed to enact reform by removing workforce barriers and promoting entrepreneurship, giving continued tax relief for economic competitiveness, and maximizing individual liberty by bringing a balance of in 2024.
Topics:
Why It’s Wrong to Deny Kentucky’s Students the Benefit of Public Charter Schools
Bluegrass Institute
Elk River School Board Tries to Bully New Members
Center of the American Experiment
The GOP Should Be the Party of Parents
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
7 Steps to Homeschool
Libertas Institute
Blaming Homeschoolers for Foster Abuse a Dodge
Mackinac Center
Robust Demand Fuels Call for Oklahoma School-Choice Expansion
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Better Civics Education Is the Massachusetts Way
Pioneer Institute
Emily Hanford on Reading Science & K-12 Literacy
Pioneer Institute
School Choice is Good – Part 1 and Part 2
Show-Me Institute
A Quick Note on Electric Grid Reliability This Winter
Center of the American Experiment
Why Biden’s Dam Destruction Won’t Save the Salmon
Center of the American Experiment
Gov. Shapiro Wants Unilateral Power to Commit the State to Climate Agreements
Commonwealth Foundation
Nearly 50% of EV owners chose ICE (Internal Combustible Engine) for Subsequent Purchase
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
DC’s ‘Green’ Mandates Come to Arizona Cities
Goldwater Institute
Country’s First ‘Enhanced’ Geothermal Plant Comes Online
Independence Institute
Government Shouldn’t Limit Americans’ Vehicle Options
Nevada Policy
The Wreck of the Electric Vehicles
Pacific Research Institute
How Philanthropy is Preserving the Environment
Philanthropy Roundtable
U.S. House Passes Landmark Health Care Price Transparency Bill
Center of the American Experiment
End The Property Tax Blame Game
Frontier Institute
Housing Affordability Is Dinging the State Budget
Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy
The Hard Work of Conservative Policy Reform in West Virginia Begins Now
Cardinal Institute
Minnesota 8th Highest in Lifetime Income Loss from Interrupted Learning
Center of the American Experiment
Government Monopolies Require Regulation
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Louisiana Lost Jobs in October: Louisiana Economic Situation November 2023
Pelican Institute for Public Policy
$2.3 Billion Deficit Likely the Beginning of Minnesota’s Budget Troubles
Center of the American Experiment
Are Food Stamp Benefits Too Little?
Georgia Center for Opportunity
The Easiest Way to Increase Tax Revenues
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Illinois Still Hasn’t Finalized Contract with State Workers
Illinois Policy
Baseball Star’s Contract Could Save Fortune in Taxes
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
How Homelessness, Taxes Impacted Deal for Baseball’s Top Free Agent
Pacific Research Institute
Growing, Growing, Gone
Show-Me Institute
The Case for WMATA ‘Bankruptcy’
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
SCOTUS Wealth Tax: Are Appreciated Assets Income?
Pioneer Institute
The Role of Unions in a Perfect World
California Policy Center
Connecticut: Teacher Union Boss Fails in Fear Campaign
Freedom Foundation
Grading Gavin Newsom’s Big Debate
Pacific Research Institute
Reason for Hope or Despair? Part 1
Pacific Research Institute
Wyoming Supreme Court Decision Should Prompt the End of Civil Forfeiture
Wyoming Liberty Group
At Broad + Liberty, the Commonwealth Foundation‘s Guy Ciarrocchi notes Penn president Magill’s resignation changes nothing.
At PennLive, the Commonwealth Foundation‘s Andrew Holman notes Pennsylvania is great to retire but bad for workers.
At RealClearEducation, the Freedom Foundation’s Ben Straka notes how union bosses have struck out yet again with the latest Portland teacher’s strike.
In the Washington Examiner, the Freedom Foundation’s Aaron With comments on the Washington state capital gains tax that the Supreme Court still hasn’t decided whether to hear on appeal.
In his recent column, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation‘s Kyle Wingfield highlights the problems with certificate-of-need laws.
At Fox News Online, the Goldwater Institute‘s Jon Riches and Matt Beienburg highlight how the Biden Administration targeted Grand Canyon University with an unprecedented $37.7 million fine.
In The Daily Caller, the Illinois Policy Institute‘s Brad Weisenstein highlights the hypocrisy of the president of the Chicago Teachers Union.
In The Hill, the Independent Institute’s Christopher Calton notes that solving homelessness requires more than housing.
In his recent column, the John Locke Foundation‘s John Hood considers how psychology helps explain the political divide.
At InsideSources, Libertas Institute‘s Jon England notes entrepreneurship, coupled with self-directed learning, has the potential to provide a better path to success than attending a traditional college.
In The Alpena News, the Mackinac Center‘s Michael Lafaive explains why Lansing politicians and state officials should not be in the corporate handout business.
In the Detroit News, the Mackinac Center’s James David Dickson discusses the impact of California energy policy on Michigan jobs.
In the Grand Haven Tribune, the Mackinac Center’s James M. Homan examines how the Michigan population growth council looks for growth in all the wrong places.
In The Center Square, the Pacific Research Institute‘s Kerry Jackson notes that while Newsom travels the globe, California’s problems grow worse.
In The Daily Caller, the Pelican Institute‘s Vance Ginn debunks Biden’s claim of adding 14 million jobs since taking office.
In The Federalist, the Texas Public Policy Foundation‘s Chuck DeVore points out Wisconsin’s vote-by-mail reform bill tackles a problem that’s here to stay.
In the Spokesman-Review, the Washington Policy Center’s Todd Myers highlights the mess that’s been going on with Washington state’s climate policy.
