Announcements

• The Alaska Policy Forum is hosting a webinar on January 24 on how school choice helps rural areas.
  
• The Badger Institute sat down with the Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader to discuss the proposal to implement a flat tax in Wisconsin.
  
• Center of the American Experiment submitted written testimony on Minnesota’s 100 percent carbon-free by 2040 electricity mandate.
  
• Today, the US Supreme Court will consider whether to hear arguments in several lawsuits involving government employee unions committing forgery in order to continue deducting dues dollars from workers’ paychecks against their will. The Freedom Foundation released a primer on the appeals.
  
• The Frontier Institute released a video on why housing is so expensive in Montana.
  
• An Arizona trial judge issued an order barring the city of Phoenix from enforcing its Super Bowl censorship law—a city ordinance that forbids people from displaying signs without first getting permission from both government bureaucrats and the National Football League (NFL). Representing local business owner Bramley Paulin, the Goldwater Institute filed a lawsuit arguing that the ordinance violates the freedom of speech protected by both state and federal constitutions, and asking for an order blocking enforcement of the ordinance.
  
• Sutherland Institute highlighted key principles and institutions that should be part of the measuring stick for good public policy reforms.
  
• The Texas Public Policy Foundation announced former state representative Matt Krause would be joining the foundation as a senior fellow. TPPF also announced former Texas Sen. Larry Taylor will join the foundation as a senior fellow. 

Success Stories

• The Badger Institute commended a state lawmaker for introducing flat tax legislation that will produce long-term economic growth and opportunity. 
  
• The Pennsylvania Senate voted to advance a constitutional amendment that would empower the elected General Assembly to review and reject proposed state regulations. The Commonwealth Foundation noted the amendment would prevent excessive power grabs, while also protecting Pennsylvania from misguided regulations that crush opportunity.
  
• The Foundation for Government Accountability outlined their top three state-level wins in 2022.
  
• The Montana Legislature is considering a bill that would eliminate certificate of need (CON) requirements for garbage haulers which require government permission before an entrepreneur can start a garbage collection business. The Frontier Institute noted CON laws have been widely discredited as protectionist laws which stifle entrepreneurship and market competition.
  
• Montana is also considering a bill that will allow workers with a professional license in another state to work in Montana for up to 21 days each year without requiring any additional licensure red tape. Frontier noted the legislation will help expand healthcare access and grow Montana’s workforce by permanently adopting the pandemic model of Universal Licensure Recognition.”
  
• The Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives announced that the Florida House’s #1 legislative priority will be passage of a highly-innovative flexible scholarship program that will make every Florida student eligible for school choice assistance. The James Madison Institute said the initiative is notable because it closes some existing gaps in scholarship eligibility and gives greater flexibility to families participating in the Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) program.  
  
• The Nevada Governor issued an executive order addressing Nevada’s burdensome system of occupational licensing laws. The Nevada Policy Research Institute noted the order will create jobs, raise wages, and ultimately reduce prices paid by Nevada consumers.
  
• Oklahoma is considering legislation that, if passed, would provide the largest expansion of school-choice opportunity in state history. The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs provided an overview of the bills here.
  
• The Texas Legislature released their introduced budgets, providing an outline of the tax relief package that could be passed in the near future. The Texas Public Policy Foundation noted that if some version of it is passed, then Texas taxpayers are in for a historic measure of tax relief.

Solutions from the States: This Week’s Policy Briefs

• The Cardinal Institute released a public opinion survey that finds the issues West Virginians are most concerned with are the economy, education, and energy.
  
• The Commonwealth Foundation released a backgrounder on Voter ID requirements in Pennsylvania.
  
• A new paper by the Foundation for Government Accountability explains how President Biden’s massive increase in food stamps is fueling the worker shortage.
  
• Another paper by the Foundation for Government Accountability outlines how Congress and states can rein in Biden bureaucrats while protecting taxpayers’ money and Medicaid program integrity.
  
• The Frontier Institute released the Montana Zoning Atlas 2.0—an analysis that demonstrates how strict local zoning regulations exclude low and middle-income residents and worsen Montana’s housing shortage. 
  
• The James Madison Institute released Blueprint Florida—Sunshine State solutions for the other 49.
  
• The John Locke Foundation released six fiscal priorities for North Carolina in 2023.
  
• The John Locke Foundation published a research brief on how to move the parents’ rights movement forward.
  
• The Platte Institute shared four ways Nebraska can give itself the best competitive edge when it comes to getting a great job, starting a business, being a taxpayer, or welcoming innovators. 
  
• In a new policy brief, the Rio Grande Foundation explores the shortage of medical providers in the State of New Mexico.
  
• The Texas Public Policy Foundation published a roadmap for licensing reform in Texas.
  
• The Washington Policy Center released background resources for Washington’s capital gains income tax court hearing.

Policy News from the States

Checking in on Legislative Sessions

Wisconsin Voters Will Be Asked About Welfare Work Requirements
Badger Institute

Reflections On The 2023 State Of The State Address
Cardinal Institute

Realizing the West Virginia Miracle: 2023 Legislative Priorities
Cardinal Institute

Hochul’s Agenda Mostly Sidesteps Health Care
Empire Center

Frontier Institute Statement In Support Of HB 152
Frontier Institute

At the Capitol: Week of January 16
Georgia Public Policy Foundation

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Bill Requests Submitted By Lawmakers This Session
Maine Policy Institute

Stitt Touts ‘Big Ideas,’ More Access To ‘Education Choices’
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

Missouri’s State of the Bloating State
Show-Me Institute

House Bill Seeks to Preserve Your Right to Natural Gas
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy

Recycling Bill Undermines The Innovation It Relies On
Washington Policy Center

Municipal Recall with Rep. Shanda Yates
Mississippi Center for Public Policy

Education

Yes, The Achievement Gaps Continue Years After Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Raised Concerns About Education
Bluegrass Institute

How To Save Your School District From The Coming Financial Crisis
California Policy Center

The School Choice Battles Ahead
California Policy Center

Orange County Classical Academy Recognized As A California Distinguished School 
California Policy Center

3 Ways Oregon Legislators Can Expand Options for K-12 Students Today
Cascade Policy Institute

Myth: School Choice Has Little To Offer Rural Families
Center of the American Experiment

KSDE: School Spending To Exceed $17,000 Per Student This Year
Kansas Policy Institute

Who Uses School Choice Programs?
Libertas Institute

School Choice Week

Governor Reeves declares January 22-28 as “School Choice Week”
Empower Mississippi

The State Of School Choice In Georgia
Georgia Public Policy Foundation

Energy and the Environment

Oregon Environmental Policy Now Controlled by California
Cascade Policy Institute

Why Banning Gas Stoves Is A Dim Idea: A Thread
Center of the American Experiment

NYC Building Emissions Standard Infiltrating Vermont?
Ethan Allen Institute

Commentary: Clean Heat ‘Carbon Tax’ 2.0 Has A New Name And Number
Ethan Allen Institute

Is Virginia’s Push to Eliminate Gas Cars a Sign of North Carolina’s Future?
John Locke Foundation

Michigan Shouldn’t Worry About Becoming A ‘Climate Haven’
Mackinac Center

Bill to Ban EV Direct Sales is Anti-Free Market and Bad Policy
Mississippi Center for Public Policy

In Combative Hearing On CO2 Tax, Ecology Staff Told To “Keep It Factual”
Washington Policy Center

Government Accountability

The AG’s Nursing Home Lawsuits Are A Wake-Up Call For The Health Department
Empire Center

4 Steps To Rid Illinois Statehouse Of Madigan’s Corrupt Legacy
Illinois Policy Institute

Healthcare

Expanding Medicaid Would Harm, Not Help Rural Hospitals
Mississippi Center for Public Policy

Housing

Legalize Starter Homes: Dreaming Big with Small Lot Reforms
Libertas Institute

Transfer Taxes and Eviction Bans Cripple Housing Growth
Pacific Research Institute

Many Cities Are Zoning People Out Of Their Homes
Pacific Research Institute

Jobs and State Economies

Bidenflation is Wrecking Alaskans’ Wallets
Alaska Policy Forum

As Money Growth Slows, So Does Inflation
Center of the American Experiment

GSI Analysis: Dec. ’22 Jobs Report – Labor Market Closes 2022 on Good Note, Despite Losses in Some Sectors
Garden State Initiative

Occupational Licensing: A Threat to Free Speech and Economic Prosperity
Libertas Institute

Eliminating Barriers to Work for Utah’s Ex-Offenders
Libertas Institute

State Budgets and Spending

Alabama Lawmakers Should ‘Do More’ With Historic Surplus
Alabama Policy Institute

Georgia Should Reinforce Its Tax Reform Intentions
Georgia Public Policy Foundation

Slashing Tax Rates Best Way To Offset Higher Property Assessments
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

What Power Do Local Governments Have Over Taxes In Iowa?
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation

Key Tax Reform Bill Would Cost Nebraska Nothing
Platte Institute

Prepare To Make Less Money Than Expected: PFML Payroll Tax Doubles In 2023
Washington Policy Center

What To Do When the State Is Flush with Cash? Increase Taxes!
Yankee Institute

Workplace Freedom

Labor Unions Expand Into Legislator Offices
Americans for Fair Treatment

New York City Nurses Threaten Hospital Strike
Americans for Fair Treatment

Boston Vaccine Mandate Challenged In Massachusetts Court
Americans for Fair Treatment

Goldwater Demands Tucson Unified School District Stop Trapping Its Employees in Unions
Goldwater Institute

Illinois Saw 17,000 Fewer Workers In Unions In 2022
Illinois Policy Institute

Other

How Washington’s Looming Debt Limit Fight Could Impact You
Alabama Policy Institute

What Stetson Bennett Can Teach Us About Humility
Georgia Public Policy Foundation

Why Jennifer Smith Left Hawaii
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

Will the U.S. Default After Hitting Debt Ceiling?
John Locke Foundation

Think Tanks in the News

FLRA Authority Over State Militias Set For High Court Battle
Americans for Fair Treatment featured at Law360

National Teachers’ Unions Aren’t On Your Side
Americans for Fair Treatment in the Deseret News

Pennsylvania’s Teachers Unions Care About Lining Their Pockets — Not About Teachers Or Students
Americans for Fair Treatment at Broad + Liberty

Symphony Of Spending Off-Key, Full Of Wrong Notes
Bluegrass Institute in The Ledger Independent

Newsom’s Hollow Ring Of Freedom
California Policy Center in National Review

The Ballad of Tom Odom 
California Policy Center’s Will Swaim on Mike Rowe’s podcast

Harvesting The Deluge Is An Opportunity For Californians
California Policy Center in the Los Angeles Daily News

Why Are Democrats Doing Everything In Their Power To Stop Voter ID Laws?
Commonwealth Foundation in The Philadelphia Inquirer

PA Lawmakers Can Reverse the Population Exodus
Commonwealth Foundation at RealClearPennsylvania

Pennsylvania Can Lead The Nation In Energy Production, If The State Lets It
Commonwealth Foundation in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Why Does The MTA Bleed Money?
Empire Center in the New York Daily News

Hidden Milk Tax Will Make Dairy Farming A Public Utility
Ethan Allen Institute in VTDigger

Learning To Admit When We’re Wrong, Whether It’s Football Or Politics
Georgia Public Policy Foundation in the Dalton Daily Citizen

Mayoral Race Is A Good Time To Decide Whether CTU Has The Right Priorities
Illinois Policy Institute in the Chicago Tribune

Iowa Rising: Governor Kim Reynolds Continues to Champion Conservative Policies
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation at RealClearPolicy

Liberate Markets To Help Workers Succeed
John Locke Foundation in The Coastland Times

Expanding Medicaid Would Harm, Not Help, Rural Hospitals
Mississippi Center for Public Policy in The Center Square

Inauguration Sets Tone
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs in the Journal Record

Parents Revolted Against Critical Race Theory. Here’s How They Won
Pacific Research Institute at Fox News Online

Grave Mistake to Fix Drug Prices Without Esteem for Their Value
Pacific Research Institute in Newsmax

Rebates, Deferred Spending Ineffective Uses Of Windfall
Rio Grande Foundation op-ed in the Las Cruces Sun News

Homelessness Surges Across The Country. But Biden Is Sticking With Same Failed Strategy.
Texas Public Policy Foundation at USA Today

Teachers’ Unions Locked Kids Out Of Schools To Get More Of Your Money, Not For Safety
Texas Public Policy Foundation at Fox News Online

Why Biden’s Documents Mess Could Be One Of The Biggest Political Scandals In American History
Texas Public Policy Foundation at Fox News Online

White House Facing Ethics Complaint Over Biden Classified Docs Scandal
Texas Public Policy Foundation on Fox & Friends

Events and Opportunities

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