Announcements

• The Buckeye Institute filed a lawsuit on behalf of ten hardworking Ohio public employees who have had money illegally taken out of their paychecks by their employers and given to a government union. Darling v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) calls on the court to put a stop to this unethical and illegal practice.

• The US Supreme Court will consider the Freedom Foundation’s union forgery case on January 20.

• The Goldwater Institute has filed suit against the city of Phoenix for a city action which transfers the free speech rights of its citizens to the NFL. Super Bowl LVII is set to be held in Glendale, Arizona, and yet the city of Phoenix has declared a two-mile advertising “clean zone” in which private property owners are required to obtain the approval of the National Football League before they can post signs on their own property. 

• The Goldwater Institute welcomed Brian Norman as Manager of Strategic Engagement. In this role, Brian will assist the Goldwater coalitions team with its national legislative efforts. Brian is a Louisiana native and former policy advisor to Governor Doug Ducey. 

• The Institute for Reforming Government announced the hiring of Courtney Mullen as IRG’s Director of Outreach and Rural Coalitions.

• The Institute for Reforming Government announced a new School Finder Tool designed to help parents find a school that fits the needs of their children.

• Mountain States Policy Center launched “Education Choice Improves Outcomes”—an effort that features seven short videos to help dispel myths regarding education choice and give parents more tools to learn about the reform.

• Mountain States Policy Center published the first edition of its Pinnacle magazine.

• Mountain States Policy Center launched a national search for its first Vice President.

• The Thomas Jefferson Institute released a video that highlights a new law that will force Virginians to purchase expensive electric cars and trucks and depend on unreliable and unavailable charging stations.

• Palmetto Promise Institute (PPI) announced the appointment of Wendy Damron as the organization’s new President and CEO.

• The Pelican Institute released a Louisiana education dashboard that provides insights and comparable data on student enrollment, finances, and academic performance. 

• Dr. James V. Shuls has been named the new director of research and senior fellow and Elias Tsapelas the director of state budget and fiscal policy at the Show-Me Institute. 

• The Texas Public Policy Foundation announced former Texas Sen. Larry Taylor will join the foundation as a senior fellow. 

Success Stories

• The Kentucky House passed legislation that reduces the state’s individual income tax rate from 4.5% to 4%. The Bluegrass Institute noted the legislation reflects a responsible approach toward removing barriers to Kentucky’s economic vitality and competitiveness.

• In Ohio, The Buckeye Institute-championed universal occupational license recognition bill was signed into law. The policies in this important legislation will help ease worker shortages and encourage skilled workers to pursue their careers and professions in the Buckeye State. The governor also signed The Buckeye Institute-championed Senate Bill 249 into law, creating a fintech regulatory sandbox that makes Ohio a more welcoming state to financial technology innovators who wish to provide Ohioans with new and better products and services. 

• The Buckeye Institute-inspired Ohio Afterschool Child Enrichment (ACE) education savings account program was expanded as Buckeye advised a will now offer eligible families $1,000 for each of the K-12 students. 

• The Pennsylvania Senate approved three amendments to the state constitution that would enact voter identification, regulatory, and statute of limitation reforms. The bill gives voters the final say on whether the constitutional amendments pass. The Commonwealth Foundation noted the proposed constitutional amendments protect and restore faith in our democratic institutions.

• The Montana Legislature is considering a bill that follows the Frontier Institute’s recommendations to expand education options for Montana students. The Legislature is also considering a bill to that authorizes pharmacists to independently prescribe routine medications to patients—another recommendation of Frontier.

• The Pentagon ended the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for troops on Tuesday after the Pelican Institute for Justice filed a lawsuit on behalf of Master Sergeant Robert W. Galey, Jr. 

• The Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy commended the Virginia Governor’s proposal to cut taxes on Virginians by a billion dollars.

• The Washington State House Speaker said workforce development is a top priority for the session, and specifically mentioned reducing the burden of occupational licenses. The Washington Policy Center noted advancing that legislation would provide historically disadvantaged communities with new opportunities.

Solutions from the States: This Week’s Policy Briefs

• The Alaska Policy Forum released a responsible Alaska budget for fiscal year 2024.

• The Badger Institute published an occupational licensing fact sheet on Wisconsin.

• A new report from the Beacon Center considers how to make Tennessee the innovation capital of America.

• The Commonwealth Foundation released a backgrounder on the Pennsylvania Governor’s tenure.

• The Empire Center released a policy guide and briefing book focused on the most important issues confronting New York—including healthcare, transportation, taxes, and crime.

• The Empire Center issued an analysis of the recently released results of Math and English Language Arts achievement exams taken statewide last spring by students in grades 3-8, revealing the nature and extent of learning loss during the pandemic among New York schoolchildren. 

• A new paper by the Foundation for Government Accountability finds food stamp boosts are bankrupting taxpayers.

• The Foundation for Government Accountability released a map that shows how many people are enrolled in Medicaid in each state.

• Goldwater Institute and the Beacon Center released a report that shows how Tennessee’s outdated certificate-of-need (CON) Laws limit healthcare access and threaten the state’s future.

• Maine Policy Institute released a new analysis, the Maine Policy Budget, a budget blueprint that builds a new foundation on which the state of Maine should craft its biennial budgets. 

• The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) issued a new policy report, The Mysterious TikTok-ing Noise. The report recaps the meteoric rise of the China-based social media app “TikTok,” and recounts the invasive ways that the software records data from its users. The report strongly recommends that Wisconsin take heed of federal warnings and follow some other states’ practices in prohibiting the app from government-owned devices.

Policy News from the States

Checking in on Legislative Sessions

Five Resolutions For Alabama’s Government In 2023
Alabama Policy Institute

Why Wisconsin Needs a Flat Tax and Education Reform
Badger Institute

Reflections on the 2023 State of the State Address
Cardinal Institute

Gov. Scott’s 2023 Inaugural Address
Ethan Allen Institute

A Georgia Center For Opportunity Agenda For 2023
Georgia Center for Opportunity

2023 Session Brings Plenty Of Unknowns
Georgia Public Policy Foundation

IFF To Lawmakers: Ignore Little’s Disastrous State of the State Address
Idaho Freedom Foundation

Will Pritzker’s 2nd Term Bring More Tax Hikes, Emergency Orders?
Illinois Policy Institute

2023 State of North Carolina Legislative Agenda
John Locke Foundation

The Ultimate Guide to Utah’s 2023 Legislative Session
Libertas Institute

A View From Behind The Glass: What To Expect In The 108th Legislature
Platte Institute

Yankee Institute Statement on Governor Lamont’s State of the State Address
Yankee Institute

The Circus Is Back in Town
Yankee Institute

Criminal Justice Reform

A State Without Convictions
Badger Institute

Will the Slaughter in Baltimore Ever Subside?
Maryland Public Policy Institute

Oklahoma Should Invest In Services, Not Prisons
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

Better Policies Can Bring Down New Orleans Crime Rates
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Education

Alaska’s Education Freedom Report Card: Spending
Alaska Policy Forum

Drop in Test Scores Now Met with Increased Educational Options
Beacon Center of Tennessee

Where’d That Teacher Salary Information Come From?
Bluegrass Institute

Bluegrass Institute Responds To Anti-Charter School Lawsuit
Bluegrass Institute

Increased Education Spending not producing Educated Students
Caesar Rodney Institute

Desantis Battles The Teachers Union
California Policy Center

Why Are So Many Families Switching Schools?
Georgia Center for Opportunity

Chicago Public Schools Spends 55% More On 20% Fewer Students Since 2010
Illinois Policy Institute

How Illinois Lawmakers Can Give School Choice To 9,000 Low-Income Students
Illinois Policy Institute

Five Surprising Facts About Microschooling
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation

COVID School Lockdowns Will Have Huge Impact on Students’ Future Earnings
John Locke Foundation

School Choice Is Not The Boogey Man of Your Local School
Libertas Institute

With Election Over, Nevada Must Address Education
Nevada Policy Research Institute

Stitt Makes Education Priority At Inauguration
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

Education Pluralism: Education Choice Legislation
Sutherland Institute

The Pandemic Changed The Way We View Education
Sutherland Institute

Election Integrity

Alameda County is the Unofficial Poster Child of Ranked-Choice Voting’s Failures
Foundation for Government Accountability

Energy and the Environment

Small Steps Toward the Stone Age: Biden’s Gas Stove Ban
Cascade Policy Institute

Proposed Energy Mandates Will Increase Costs And Risk Of Blackouts
Center of the American Experiment

Fossil Fuels Bail Out Colorado’s Grid Yet Again
Independence Institute

Complex Energy Bill Will Raise Costs to Customers
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy

Government Accountability

Brazen Acts Of Government Waste, Fraud, And Abuse Reported Throughout Georgia 
Georgia Public Policy Foundation

Pritzker Signs Bill Giving $12K Pay Raises To State Lawmakers
Illinois Policy Institute

Healthcare

FGA’s Countdown Clock Ticks Closer to 100 Million Enrolled in Medicaid
Foundation for Government Accountability

Jobs and State Economies

Making Tennessee the Most Innovation-Friendly State in the Country
Beacon Center of Tennessee

Data Show That Minnesota’s Fleeing Residents Aren’t Just Retirees
Center of the American Experiment

Minnesotans Are Fleeing The State, Where Are They Going? Florida
Center of the American Experiment

Accelerate Georgia’s Tax Cuts
Georgia Center for Opportunity

Illinois Among Worst-Prepared In Nation To Weather Next Recession
Illinois Policy Institute

Some Inflation Slows in December, Yet Real Wages are Down and Recession Looms
John Locke Foundation

NC Ranks in Top 10 for Best Business Tax Climate Index
John Locke Foundation

Time To Change Louisiana’s Business Tax Climate
Pelican Institute

4 Ways To Make Nebraska Compete With Anyone
Platte Institute

New Year, New Tax Reforms
Platte Institute

State Budgets and Spending

Even With A $17.6 Billion Budget Surplus Forecast, Gov. Walz Wants To Hike Your Taxes
Center of the American Experiment

Pennsylvania State Budget Outlook
Commonwealth Foundation

Accelerate Georgia’s Tax Cuts
Georgia Public Policy Foundation

Please Cut Taxes In 2023
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

Idaho’s Budget Process Is Nothing To Brag About, Needs People-Friendly Reforms
Idaho Freedom Foundation

Maine Policy’s Statement On Gov. Mills’ $10.3B Budget Proposal
Maine Policy Institute

A Responsible Budget for Mississippi 
Mississippi Center for Public Policy

Tax Cuts Are Better Than Rebates 
Mississippi Center for Public Policy

The Golden Opportunity To Lower Income Tax Rates, Boost Competitiveness In Idaho And Montana
Mountain States Policy Center

Abundant Tax Revenue Provides Opportunity For Reform
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

Should Fears of Recession get in the way of Property Tax Relief?
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Five Pressing Fiscal Questions (and Answers) for 2023
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Workplace Freedom

Illinois House Bill Would Give More Power To Chicago Public Schools Unions
Illinois Policy Institute

Michigan Right-to-Work Repeal Bills Are Unconstitutional
Mackinac Center

Michigan Voters Favor Right-to-work Law by a 2-1 Margin
Mackinac Center

Bipartisan Tax Transparency Website Bill Introduced
Washington Policy Center

Other

Poll: Many Wisconsinites Unclear On How State Taxes Compare To Neighbors
Badger Institute

What To Learn From The Baby Formula Tariffs Saga
Center of the American Experiment

New Year’s Resolutions for Washington, D.C.
Foundation for Government Accountability

Think Tanks in the News

Debating The Debate In Congress
Alabama Policy Institute in the Trussville Tribune

Solar Subsidies Will Incentivize Irrational Energy Decisions in Mississippi
American Experiment at RealClearPolicy 

State Of The Commonwealth: Getting Stronger Due To Free-Market Policies, Not Gubernatorial Politics
Bluegrass Institute the Ledger Independent

The NRA vs. the Censorship ‘Mob’
The Buckeye Institute in The Wall Street Journal

Key to PA’s Success Isn’t More Bureaucracy – It’s More Business Innovation
Commonwealth Foundation at RealClearPennsylvania

Well-Funded Opponents of School Choice Target Pennsylvania Cyber Charters
Commonwealth Foundation at Heartland Daily News

Cash Bail Costs Victims The Most
Commonwealth Foundation at The Philadelphia Inquirer

Big Labor’s Astroturfed Unionization of Starbucks
Freedom Foundation at National Review

The Nation’s Largest Teachers’ Union Is Bleeding Members With a Shady Investment Scheme
Freedom Foundation at RedState

Georgia Students Need More Schooling Choices
Georgia Center for Opportunity in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Who Will Emerge As Georgia’s School Choice Champion?
Georgia Public Policy Foundation in the Dalton Daily Citizen

New Lawmakers’ Top Priority Should Be Tax Relief For Illinoisans
Illinois Policy Institute in The Center Square

Educa⁠t⁠⁠i⁠on Pol⁠i⁠cymakers Need To Embrace Immers⁠i⁠ve, V⁠i⁠r⁠t⁠ual Learn⁠i⁠ng
The James Madison Institute in The Orlando Sentinel

New Law Properly Checks Governor’s Power
John Locke Foundation in the News & Record

How Do Utah’s Occupational Licensing Laws Stack Up Against The Rest Of The Country?
Libertas Institute in the Daily Herald

Michigan’s Gender Studies Secret
Mackinac Center cited a Wall Street Journal Editorial

Want To Renew Baltimore? Then Reform Its Tax Structure
Maryland Public Policy Institute in The Daily Record

Privatizing Law Enforcement Sets Dangerous Precedent
Maryland Public Policy Institute in Baltimore Banner

A Responsible Budget for 2024
Mississippi Center for Public Policy in the Northside Sun

The Republican Refuseniks Were Not ‘Extreme’ – They Were Defending Democracy
Mississippi Center for Public Policy featured in The Telegraph

On Brink Of Recession, Newsom And Lawmakers Must Budget Cautiously
Pacific Research Institute in The OC Register

Democrats’ Deceptive Rhetoric On Obamacare Prices
Pacific Research Institute in the Washington Examiner

The White House’s Nonsensical Cancer Policies
Pioneer Institute in the Washington Examiner

Educational Improvement Is Not about Spending More Money
Rio Grande Foundation at National Review

The Pandemic Changed The Way We View Education
Sutherland Institute in the Deseret News

5 Reasons Why Gavin Newsom’s California Isn’t The ‘True Freedom State’
Texas Public Policy Foundation at Fox News Online

Coming SCOTUS decision could be big for Eastern Washington
Washington Policy Center in The Spokesman-Review

Blame Universities for High Student Default Rates
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty at RealClearEducation

Events and Opportunities

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