Announcements

• The Buckeye Institute recently welcomed Zachary D. Cady as an associate economist to its Economic Research Center.
• The Georgia Center for Opportunity has partnered with a national nonprofit, RezilientKidz, to present the Raising Highly Capable Kids parenting program to adults across Georgia. The program is specially designed to equip parents to address common child issues in the Peach State.
• The Institute for Reforming Government announced the hiring of Anthony LoCoco, J.D., to join the team as Chief Legal Counsel & Director of Oversight.
• The Mackinac Center for Public Policy has announced the launch of Mackinac Center Action, a 501(c)(4). The creation of Mackinac Center Action will help further the Mackinac Center’s mission of a free and prosperous state. 
• Nevada Policy Research Institute launched the 2023 Nevada bill tracker—a tool that keeps watch on proposed legislation that Nevada Policy believes could significantly impact— positively or negatively—liberty and the free market process in the Silver State.
• On Saturday, March 11, 2023, The James Madison Institute will hold their 2023 Naples Dinner to champion the work of policy leaders and citizens alike who value free market principles and individual liberty.

Freedom through the Courts: The Latest Litigation Efforts across the Network

• The Empire Center and the Government Justice Center (GJC) filed an amicus brief yesterday with the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in Biden v. Nebraska, a case that will determine whether President Biden’s Student Debt Relief Plan is constitutional. The Foundation for Government Accountability also filed a brief.
• The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Biden v. Nebraska and U.S. Department of Education v. Brown with the US Supreme Court, arguing—as Buckeye does in its case Latta v. U.S. Department of Education—that the Biden Administration’s student debt cancellation program exceeds the legal authority of the secretary of education to forgive student loan debt without congressional approval, is arbitrary and capricious, and was adopted in a procedurally improper manner. 
• The Buckeye Institute has taken Columbus City Schools to court for their refusal to comply with Ohio’s Public Records Act. Buckeye’s lawsuit relates to two of Buckeye’s clients in Darling v. AFSCME, where Columbus City Schools refused to produce public records related to union dues deductions improperly withheld from paychecks. The lawsuit also demands that the school district turn over public records pertaining to staff training materials and curriculum.

Success Stories

• The Kentucky Senate passed a bill that reduces the state’s individual income tax rate from 4.5% to 4%, effective Jan. 1, 2024. The Bluegrass Institute noted this represents a big step forward in placing the Bluegrass State and its citizens on a path toward a more prosperous future.

Solutions from the States: This Week’s Policy Briefs

• Two new reports published by Cascade Policy Institute show that education savings account (ESA) programs do not reduce public school funding at the state level or for individual school districts.
• Center of the American Experiment released a report detailing the success of the Minnesota Premium Security Plan (MPSP) in reducing costs for Minnesota’s individual health insurance market and offering recommendations for other states and Congress. 
• Georgia Public Policy Foundation released their newest report on how arbitrary government regulations increase the cost of housing for Georgia residents. This is part of the Foundation’s housing affordability initiative.
• Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation released the 2024 Conservative Iowa Budget.
• The Mackinac Center encouraged lawmakers to pass a sustainable Michigan budget.
• As session begins, the Nevada Policy Research Institute published an agenda for the Nevada Legislature.
• The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs released the OCPA Legislative Scorecard, an effort to inform Oklahoma citizens how their state legislators vote at the state Capitol on issues related to free markets, limited government, individual initiative, and personal responsibility. 
• A new Pacific Research Institute report shows California is experiencing ‘mass victimization’ after decade of sweeping criminal justice policy changes.
• To provide direct, permanent property tax relief, the Platte Institute encouraged lawmakers to eliminate Nebraska’s community college property taxes altogether. 

• As local governments take steps towards permitting collective bargaining agreements with public employee unions, voters overwhelmingly want to make sure public employees are informed of their rights, their privacy is protected, and that those workers have a periodic say if the union should stay or go—according to a new poll commissioned by the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy.
• A new report from Reason Foundation includes policy recommendations that show other states how they can copy Wisconsin’s success in using open enrollment to increase school choice.

 Tracking Positive Reforms in the States: Updates from State Think Tanks

Arkansas: The Arkansas Governor unveiled an education plan for the state that includes an ESA program for families.

Iowa: The Iowa Senate is considering a bill that calls to speed up the individual income tax reductions and reduce the overall rate to 2.5 percent by 2028 while eventually eliminating the income tax altogether (Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation).

Mississippi: The Mississippi Senate passed the deficit prevention act, legislation that would require state agencies to report deficits in a timely manner (Mississippi Center for Public Policy).

Missouri: Missouri lawmakers introduced a bill that would strengthen prior licensing reciprocity legislation by reducing the maximum wait time for oversight bodies to waive requirements from six months to 45 days. This bill would also make it possible for Missouri licensing requirements to be waived for workers in states without such requirements provided they have at least three-years of applicable experience (Show-Me Institute).

Montana: Montana lawmakers are considering a bill that places a limit on the growth of local government budgets to protect taxpayers. The Montana Legislature also advanced a bill that would create Montana’s first Education Savings Account (ESA) for children who have a disability (Frontier Institute).

West Virginia: The West Virginia Senate passed a bill to reduce income taxes by 15% (Cardinal Institute).

Policy News from the States

K-12 Education

State Assessment: Alaska’s Students Struggling in Both Reading and Math
Alaska Policy Forum

Top Five Education Bills to Watch in 2023
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy

The Kids Are Not Alright
Center of the American Experiment

PA Court Rules on Education Funding Lawsuit
Commonwealth Foundation

What Are We Getting For All This Money?
Empire Center

You Want School Choice in Minnesota? Iowa Is Leading the Way
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota

AZ School Districts Now Pull $2,000 More Per Pupil Than Charter Schools
Goldwater Institute

Microschools Face Major Problems
Libertas Institute

Schools Get Rich, Deliver Poor Results
Mackinac Center

Nevada Lawmakers to Consider Vexing Education Bills
Nevada Policy Research Institute

Homeschooling a Popular Alternative to Public Schools
Nevada Policy Research Institute

Oklahoma Public Schools Spend $12,967 Per Student
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

School Choice Is Exploding Across America: What About Louisiana?
Pelican Institute

FACT CHECK: Is Washington Education Spending In Decline?
Washington Policy Center

HB 1744, Seeks To Repeal Washington’s Popular Public Charter School Law
Washington Policy Center

Energy and the Environment

Oregon Must Stop Outsourcing Policymaking to California’s Unelected Bureaucrats
Cascade Policy Institute

Governor Walz Signs The Blackout Bill Into Law. Now What?
Center of the American Experiment

How ESG Works (And Why It’s Bad News)
Foundation for Government Accountability

Everything That Needs Electricity Is Made With Oil
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota

Impact Of Washington’s CO2 Tax Stays At About 24 Cents Per Gallon
Washington Policy Center

Farm Internship Bill Is An Opportunity For People New To The Field
Washington Policy Center

Government Accountability

Too Many Lawmakers Would Rather Spend Money On Government Than Return It To The People
Alabama Policy Institute

State Fails To Document Billions In Federal Funds
Badger Institute

Analysis: Republicans Approve Audit To Address State Licensing Delays
Badger Institute

Pritzker Issues 39th Emergency Order As 43 States End Covid Policies
Illinois Policy Institute

HB 1011 And SB 5479, Which Attempt To Take Down State’s Long-Term-Care Law, Are Running Out Of Time
Washington Policy Center

Healthcare

Certificate Of Need Laws Are Standing In The Way Of Addiction Recovery
Mississippi Center for Public Policy

Housing

The Government Mandate Raising Housing Costs
Frontier Institute

Why California’s ‘Affordable’ Housing Costs $1 Million A Unit
Pacific Research Institute

Jobs and State Economies

Former Wisconsinites Bask in Florida’s Low-Tax Climate
Badger Institute

Voters Approve Over $3.0 Billion Per Year in New Local Taxes
California Policy Center

3 Three Ways the Biden Administration Could Ease Inflation
Foundation for Government Accountability

Consumer Spending Fell, What Does This Mean?
John Locke Foundation

Small Businesses Pay For Ineffective Megasubsidies
Kansas Policy Institute

Michigan Lawmakers Fail To Turn Business Subsidies Into Job Growth
Mackinac Center

As Conservative Policies Advance, People Are Moving to Oklahoma
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

State Budgets and Spending

Tax Cuts Would Benefit Alabama More Than A One-Time Rebate
Alabama Policy Institute

Alaska’s Unfunded Liabilities 
Alaska Policy Forum

Possible Salt Deduction Workaround
Cardinal Institute

Research Shows That High Taxes Harm Economic Growth
Center of the American Experiment

Tax Credits Are Fine, But Tax Cuts Are Better
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

Regressive Or Progressive: What Is Louisiana’s Income Tax Structure?
Pelican Institute

Deadlocked Again on Taxes vs. Spending
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy

Beware Of Property Tax Relief Trojan Horses
Washington Policy Center

Workplace Freedom

Member Spotlight: Jason Kohute
Americans for Fair Treatment

Law Favors Unions, Admits President Of U.S. Largest Union
Americans for Fair Treatment

Florida Teachers Unions Stall Pay Raise Efforts
Americans for Fair Treatment

Temple University Graduate Workers Strike Over ‘Living Wage’
Americans for Fair Treatment

Union Membership In The United States Is Smallest Ever Recorded
Mackinac Center

Other

Interviewing OpenAI’s ChatGPT About Certificate Of Need Laws
Cardinal Institute

Q&A: Going Her Own Way
Center of the American Experiment

Here’s A To-Do List For Chicago Mayoral Candidates
Illinois Policy Institute

Death of TikTok? Why NC Has Banned the Social Media App
John Locke Foundation

Religious Participation Seems To Help Guard Against ‘Deaths Of Despair’
Sutherland Institute

The Network in the News

• In The Wall Street Journal, the Alaska Policy Forum encouraged policymakers to let Alaska develop its natural resources.
• In The Center Square, Americans for Fair Treatment noted the Supreme Court should halt rogue labor board’s power grab in Ohio.
• In The OC Register, California Policy Center explains what’s really going on at the Orange Unified School District
• In the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Commonwealth Foundation notes too much regulation raises energy prices too high.
• In the Vermont Daily Chronicle, the Ethan Allen Institute praised Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ State of the Union response.
• The Ethan Allen Institute argues Vermont’sClean Heat Standard is an immoral policy in a piece for VTDigger.
• In The Daily Signal, the Freedom Foundation highlighted how unions are stealing dues through forgery.
• At RedState, the Freedom Foundation considered the Ohio speaker’s election.
• In the Savannah Morning News, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation considers Medicaid expansion in Georgia.
• At National Review, the Independence Institute notes Colorado is on track to eliminate its income tax.
• In the Denver Gazette, the Independence Institute considers what could happen to Colorado if Biden decides not to run in 2024.
• In USA Today, the James Madison Institute considers Ticketmaster’s handling of Taylor Swift tickets.
• In a recent column, the John Locke Foundation’s John Hood notes racial disparities aren’t proof of bias.
• The Maine Policy Institute argued requiring Voter ID could increase trust in Maine elections in the Bangor Daily News.
• In The Alpena News, the Mackinac Center encouraged lawmakers to change the way state government taxes business expansion.
• In Idaho Education News, the Mountain States Policy Center highlighted the elements that make education choice programs successful.
• In The Daily Caller, the Pacific Research Institute criticized President Biden’s State of the Union speech.
• In a piece for the Washington Times, the Pacific Research Institute notes it’s past time to end COVID-19 emergencies.
• In the Washington Examiner, the Pacific Research Institute highlights how states are turning to the public healthcare option.
• In the Washington Examiner, the Pelican Institute argues housing affordability helps explain why people move from California to Florida and Texas.
• In The Center Square, the Pelican Institute notes Louisiana’s success hinges on reforming state income taxes
• In a piece for Governing, State Policy Network highlights the coming from 50 state capitols.
• In The Federalist, the Texas Public Policy Foundation considers the gas stove debate.
• In The OC Register, the Washington Policy Center argues California farmers can reduce emissions and feed the world with regenerative farming.

Events and Opportunities

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