January 10, 2025
Week in Review: January 10, 2025
Alabama Policy Institute unveiled its 2025 BluePrint for Alabama, a comprehensive 30-point agenda designed to promote free markets, limited government, and strong families in the state in the upcoming 2025 state legislative session.
Beacon Center of Tennessee released its latest installment of the Beacon Poll, a statewide survey of 1,200 registered Tennessee voters comprised of questions about the 2024 election results, policy issues, and more.
Center of the American Experiment revamped its American Experiment Podcast, which asks tough questions relevant to the most pressing issues in Minnesota and beyond.
Empower Mississippi released its 2025 Legislative Session Guide, a resource for navigating this critical time in shaping Mississippi’s future.
Kansas Policy Institute and the Kansas School Board Resource Center launched a recruiting effort for school board candidates with a new book entitled 8 Things to Know about Running for School Board.
Liberty Justice Center’s Jacob Huebert discussed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s recent censorship admission and announcement that Meta will begin “restor[ing] free expression” across its platforms.
Opportunity Arkansas announced the release of its 2025 Roadmap to Opportunity. This comprehensive blueprint presents Arkansas-specific solutions tailored to address the unique challenges facing the state.
Palmetto Promise released its 2025-26 edition of the Palmetto Freedom Agenda, which contains twenty thoroughly-researched policies that will build a better South Carolina and secure freedom and opportunity for generations to come.
Platte Institute released the results of a poll that sought to reveal the opinions of Nebraskans on regulatory modernization and reform.
Washington Policy Center released its latest magazine publication, which includes analysis on the past election, a look ahead to the legislative session, a review of monopiles, and more.
Yankee Institute released its policy goals for the 2025 legislative session — goals that are designed to ensure Connecticut is a place where families can stay, grow, and thrive together.
Goldwater Institute sued the city of Gilbert, Arizona, on behalf of the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona and a local property owner, for brushing aside the Arizona Constitution to take more of taxpayers’ hard-earned money by in a range of ways, including raising the sales tax for all goods and services sold in Gilbert; hiking the bed tax for all hotel, motel, and short-term rental properties; and adding a brand-new use tax for online vendors who do less than $100,000 of sales in Arizona each year.
Liberty Justice Center’s Jacob Huebert is set to be before the U.S. Supreme Court, challenging the proposed federal TikTok ban as an unjustifiable violation of Americans’ free speech rights. In addition, the Liberty Justice Center launched a lawsuit to defend truckers’ Second Amendment right to bear arms in public and carry them in their trucks across state borders.
Massachusetts: The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that a state law requiring communities to have at least one zoning district that permits multi-family housing is constitutional and that the Attorney General Andrea Campbell may enforce the letter of the law by litigating against noncompliant municipalities — a major victory for the state’s economy and environment which paves the way for more housing to be built in some of the most transit-accessible, amenity-rich parts of the state (Pioneer Institute).
New York: The Empire State celebrated a turning point for freedom in 2024, when more than 1,500 New Yorkers walked away from their unions — a data point that comes with a message to union leaders: the era of controlling workers’ paychecks is over (Freedom Foundation).
The Buckeye Institute issued a new policy memo reminding lawmakers, as they convene for Ohio’s 136th General Assembly, of the promise they made to Ohio’s families and students in “making school choice universally available” and offered six recommendations lawmakers can pursue to fulfill that promise fully.
Idaho Freedom Foundation released briefs that highlight the concerning parallel between Idaho’s state spending and the federal government’s out-of-control budget and point out that the argument against repealing the grocery tax by citing the need to also eliminate the “food tax credit” is a deceptive tactic.
Institute for Reforming Government published a brief with five groundbreaking reforms aimed at transforming Wisconsin’s child welfare system: Building Brighter Futures: Reforming Child Welfare in Wisconsin.
Kansas Policy Institute issued a brief examining the policies that lead to Kansas becoming the 45th state in the nation for real GDP growth in the third quarter of 2024.
MacIver Institute released a brief revealing how basically every individual in the US has had their medical information exposed due to security breaches in the past four years and providing tools to check on the status of your health records.
Mountain States Policy Center published briefs that refute claims that every cent of a state budget belongs to public schools, examine the current status of Artificial Intelligence (AI) use in Idaho, call for states to implement safeguard that avoid duplicate Medicaid payments, show how the implementation of “shot clock” policies would accelerate broadband deployment, and analyze how Idaho lawmakers can make it easier for citizens to participate in their state government.
South Carolina Policy Council released a brief, the 2026 South Carolina Responsible Budget: A Blueprint for Fiscal Discipline and Economic Growth, which points out the risk of overshadowing recent economic success with excessive government spending.
Washington Policy Center posted briefs that highlight how emission levels have increased since before Governor Inslee took office, analyze outgoing Governor Inslee’s radical wealth tax proposal, celebrate a court decision that brings an end to net neutrality, comment on Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s recent plans to implement pro-free speech policies on his platform, provide key policy suggestions to the incoming governor on how they can improve where the past one failed, and inform public employees of their rights to not join a public sector union.
Idaho: Representative Wendy Horman proposed a new bill that would enable families to take a credit worth $5,000 to help cover the cost of education expenses outside of the public school system — a move which would be a giant step forward for education choice in the state (Mountain States Policy Center).
Kentucky: State Budget Director John Hicks informed state lawmakers that budget reserves have swelled to more than $5 billion — an amount that more than meets the condition to trigger a further half-percent reduction in the commonwealth’s individual income tax rate. With a final approval by lawmakers this session, the rate can be lowered to 3.5% in 2026 — a move which would continue to fuel Kentucky’s economic revival (Bluegrass Institute).
Washington: Lawmakers introduced an education choice bill that would create new “empowerED scholarships” for low income students, special needs families and students who are trapped in failing schools — an exciting proposal for many families in the state (Mountain States Policy Center).
Nationwide: A panel for the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit adopted arguments outlined in an amicus brief filed by The Buckeye Institute and reinstated a preliminary injunction on the Orwellian Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) — a federal surveillance program of small businesses. This was followed up with more good news when a United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas also issued a preliminary injunction and nationwide stay halting the enforcement of the CTA. The Texas Public Policy Foundation represents two property owners challenging this example of federal overreach. Buckeye is to file yet another amicus brief calling on the US Supreme Court to reject the Biden administration’s attempt to enforce this draconian law. These events are yet another example of the Network in action, working to protect individual rights and economic freedom.
Topics:
Testimony for Portland Public Schools Meeting on January 7, Agenda Item #9, Resolution 7038
Cascade Policy Institute
Legislature Has Number of Education Issues to Tackle in 2025
Georgia Public Policy Foundation
Use the Promise Scholarship to Homeschool, If You Want
Georgia Public Policy Foundation
What Is the Georgia Promise Scholarship?
Georgia Public Policy Foundation
5 Solutions for Illinois Schools to Fight Literacy Crisis
Illinois Policy
Reimagining Public Schools Through Innovation
Libertas Institute
Microschools: Small Schools, Big Impact
Libertas Institute
Assembly Speaker: Fixing Wisconsin’s School Tests Scores a Top Priority
MacIver Institute
Oklahoma Public School Revenue Hits $13,736 Per Student
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
John Papola, Dad Saves America
Texas Public Policy Foundation
What’s the Plan, Coppell ISD?
Texas Public Policy Foundation
New Poll Shows Near Unanimous Support for Greater School Accountability
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
Rescuing California Requires Challenging Crony Environmentalism
California Policy Center
Trump Says, ‘No New Windmills’?
Center of the American Experiment
MN GOP Adds Repeal of Nuclear Ban to Priority List
Center of the American Experiment
Biden Bans Offshore Oil and Gas on 625 Million Acres
Center of the American Experiment
More Dead Whales Off the North Carolina Coast
John Locke Foundation
Government Mismanagement, Not Climate Change, Is to Blame for California’s Destructive Wildfires
Texas Public Policy Foundation
New Poll Finds Republicans and Independents United in Support of Using Natural Gas for Electricity
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
How AI is Fueling the Rise of Nuclear Energy – Why Wyoming Should Care
Wyoming Liberty Group
Environmentalists Fight to Keep Public Benefits Charge on Electric Bills
Yankee Institute
Townhall: Why the American Healthcare System Has Been Broken for Years
James Madison Institute
What Improvements Are Needed for South Carolina Telehealth Policy?
Palmetto Promise Institute
STOP High Property Taxes: CAP Local Government Spending
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation
Los Angeles’ Rezoning Plan Is Too Little, Too Late
Pacific Research Institute
The Last Thing Missouri Needs Is More Urban Planning
Show-Me Institute
Minneapolis Hotel Sells for a Third of Its 2018 Price
Center of the American Experiment
‘Guns, Hostages, Arrests’ Don’t Happen with Domestic US Mines
Center of the American Experiment
Residents Continue to Flee Massachusetts (Primarily to NH)
Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy
Policy Solutions to Future-proof Workforces Against AI Displacement
Libertas Institute
How Outdated Zoning Laws Are Stifling Agritourism Innovation
Libertas Institute
Breaking the College-as-Salvation Mindset
Libertas Institute
Oklahoma Attracts Movers, But Income Tax Still a Deterrent
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Restaurant Minimum Wage Hurting Businesses and the Workers Proponents Seek to Help
Pacific Research Institute
Palmetto State Leads U-Haul Report for First Time Ever
Palmetto Promise Institute
Where Does Louisiana Rank in Economic Freedom?
Pelican Institute
Mapping Mass Migration: Massachusetts Remains a Top Destination for Immigrants
Pioneer Institute
No, California’s Minimum Wage Hike Did Not Create Jobs
Show-Me Institute
Helping Utah’s Upward Mobility Go from Good to Great
Sutherland Institute
The Costs of Chance: Evaluating the Economic and Social Implications of Casino Gambling Expansion in Texas
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Yankee Institute Supports Emphasis on Opportunity, Affordability in Gov. Ned Lamont’s State of the State Address
Yankee Institute
Modernizing Municipal Reporting Conference
California Policy Center
Newsom Doubles Down on Hopeless High-Speed Rail Project
California Policy Center
PPS Bond Request Is Too Big and Too Vague
Cascade Policy Institute
‘Stop The Fraud’ Named No. 1 Priority for House GOP in 2025 Legislature
Center of the American Experiment
Mankato Not on Board with State Passenger Train Plan
Center of the American Experiment
Unions Reprogram NYS to Do Less with More
Empire Center
Governor Little Is Dodging Doge in Idaho
Idaho Freedom Foundation
The Ancient Myth of Idaho’s Food Tax Credit
Idaho Freedom Foundation
Where Do Iowa’s Property Taxes Go?
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation
Michigan’s $50 Million Copper Mine Deal Looks Hard to Justify
Mackinac Center
Pension Funding in Worse Shape After Michigan’s Democratic Party Trifecta
Mackinac Center
Here’s How Maine Can Permanently Close Its Transportation Funding Shortfall
Maine Policy Institute
States Continue Cutting Income Tax, Beating Oklahoma
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Can California Find Other Uses for Bullet Train Infrastructure If Project Is Canceled?
Pacific Research Institute
Achieving Prosperity, Stability, & Fairness – Essential South Carolina Tax Reforms
Palmetto Promise Institute
Establishing a Missouri Office of Government Efficiency (MOGE)
Show-Me Institute
Six Ways to Hold Government Unions Accountable
Foundation for Government Accountability
New Year Begins with Flurry of Sleazy Union Activity
Freedom Foundation
How Government Unions Work Against Interests of Private-Sector Unions, Taxpayers
Illinois Policy
Preparing for the 2025 Georgia Legislative Session
Georgia Public Policy Foundation
Is Another Great Year Too Much to Ask?
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Socrates Is on Your Side
Indiana Policy Review Foundation
North Carolina Legislature Calls for an “Article V Convention”
John Locke Foundation
State AI Policy in 2024: What Happened, What Didn’t, and Where Do We Go from Here?
Libertas Institute
5 Things to Watch for as the CA Legislature Reconvenes
Pacific Research Institute
Some South Carolina Schoolhouse Rock: How a Bill Becomes Law
Palmetto Promise Institute
Harvard’s Leo Damrosch on Alexis de Tocqueville & Democracy in America
Pioneer Institute
The 2025 Missouri Legislative Session Begins
Show-Me Institute
When NGOs Make the Rules: Safeguarding State Sovereignty
Show-Me Institute
In the Washington Examiner, The Buckeye Institute’s Andrew Grossman encourages the incoming Trump administration to tame the administrative state.
In the Yale Journal of Regulation, the Free State Foundation’s Randy May commends the end of the long-running net neutrality saga.
In the Chicago Tribune, the Illinois Policy Institute’s Paul Vallas considers what Illinois’ population exodus tells us about the state and Chicago.
In his column for The Denver Gazette, the Independence Institute’s Jon Caldara criticizes the lack of transparency in Colorado’s open meetings.
At Complete Colorado, the Independence Institute’s Rob Natelson notes there is constitutional trouble for Colorado’s National Popular Vote scheme.
In The American Spectator, the Independent Institute’s Lloyd Billingsley points out the statist aims of climate change alarmists.
In the Washington Times, the Liberty Justice Center’s Jacob Huebert argues that the Supreme Court has the opportunity to strike down the last gasp of the Biden Administration’s censorship regime by rejecting the proposed TikTok ban. In an interview on the Michael Patrick Leahy Show, Huebert argues that the ban is an unprecedented violation of the First Amendment.
In The Center Square, the Mountain States Policy Center’s Sebastian Griffin notes the introduction of a “shot clock” law would be a promising step toward bridging the digital divide.
In The Center Square, the Mountain States Policy Center’s Dr. Roger Stark considers if Montana should continue to expand Medicaid.
In The Center Square, the Mountain States Policy Center’s Chris Cargill highlighted MSPC’s recent education choice event at the Idaho capitol.
In her column for Newsmax, the Pacific Research Institute’s Sally Pipes notes America should make hospitals competitive again by reining in spending.
In the Albuquerque Journal, the Rio Grande Policy Foundation’s Paul Gessing points out New Mexico children continue to suffer despite the governor’s claim to the contrary.
At Townhall, the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s David Dunmoyer highlights how self-driving cars threaten autonomy.
In the Hartford Courant, the Yankee Institute’s Carol Platt Liebau considers how Connecticut legislators can help rid Hartford of its ‘ghost town’ image.
In the Seattle Times, Washington Policy Center’s Charles Prestrud and Donald Kimball argue that driverless cars can be a boon to transit agencies and Washington’s general transportation atmosphere.
In his recent column, John Hood highlights how student performance in North Carolina significantly dropped post-COVID.
