Announcements

• The Buckeye Institute filed an appeal in its Columbus tax case—Buckeye v. Kilgore—with the Ohio Supreme Court asking the court to hear the case and recognize Ohio’s emergency-based local income tax system—where the state forced people to work from home, but nonetheless deemed their work to have been performed in a higher-taxed office location—as unconstitutional.
• The Commonwealth Foundation filed an amicus brief in an ongoing lawsuit over how Pennsylvania funds public schools. The brief argues, contrary to the plaintiffs’ depiction, that the commonwealth’s K–12 public school spending is more than enough to deliver the “thorough and efficient” system the state constitution requires, and more money alone will not improve educational quality.
• Randy Hicks, CEO of the Georgia Center for Opportunity, celebrated his 25^th Anniversary with the organization.
• Matt Nese recently joined the People United for Privacy Foundation as Vice President. He was previously the Director of External Relations at the Institute for Free Speech.

This Week on SPN.org

• Democrats Undermine Trust in Election System to an Already Skeptical American Public
• America At Its Best – Live at LaunchPad 2021: A New Approach to Criminal Justice and Police Reform
• Trust in Center for Disease Control down 50% since start of pandemic
• Latest Gallup Polling highlights fluidity in party identification

Success Stories

• The Mississippi Justice Institute, the legal arm of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, and their client, Butch Slaughter, claimed a first-round legal victory in Mr. Slaughter’s challenge to Mississippi laws that are preventing him from opening up a new home healthcare business in Jackson, Mississippi. Read more about the case here.
• The Mississippi Senate is considering legislation that would require public schools to make their educational material easily accessible to the general public. The Mississippi Center for Public Policy noted the bill is a step in the right direction and that parents and taxpayers have a right to know exactly what their children are being taught and what their money is being spent on.
• A Mississippi lawmaker introduced legislation to students instead of systems. The bill would create the Mississippi Scholarship Program, giving educational funds to send their kids wherever they deem fit. Douglas Carswell, president and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy noted this is one of the greatest bills placed before the Mississippi state legislature in years.
• The Mississippi Legislature is considering another bill that would create a pilot program to require certain agencies to develop a comprehensive regulatory catalog and to not introduce a new regulation without first getting rid of two or more regulations
• The Wisconsin Legislature announced a welfare reform package supported by the Institute for Reforming Government that makes improvements to Wisconsin’s failed welfare state by requiring bureaucrats to be more responsive to the needs of businesses. The reforms also incentivize Wisconsinites to get back into the workforce.
• The Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee approved a bill to expand Pennsylvania’s successful and popular tax credit scholarship programs. The Commonwealth Foundation noted the bill would allow the scholarship programs, which provide tuition assistance for qualifying students to attend private schools, to expand as more students seek to access them.

Solutions from the states: This week’s policy briefs

2023 Responsible Alaska Budget
Alaska Policy Forum released its second annual Responsible Alaska Budget (RAB), now for FY 2023, to help effectively limit state spending thereby restraining the ultimate burden of government.

Who Watches the Watchmen?
A new report by the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy examines the oversight of licensing boards in West Virginia.

How States Can Streamline The Hiring Process For Teenage Workers And Restore Decision-Making To Parents
A new study by the Foundation for Government Accountability argues states should restore decision-making to parents by eliminating youth work permits.

An Unsustainable Path: How Obamacare’s Medicaid Expansion Is Causing An Enrollment And Budget Crisis
A new study by the Foundation for Government Accountability asserts state policymakers should reject the broken promises of Medicaid expansion.

North Carolina Policy Solutions 2022 
The John Locke Foundation released a suite of solutions that are aimed at helping legislators and other policy-oriented individuals and groups think through what market-oriented can look like.

The Great Understatement: Far More Taxpayers And Businesses Than Previously Estimated Will Be Affected By The Proposed Surtax 
A new report by Pioneer Institute raises public awareness about the true impact of a proposed graduated income tax that Massachusetts residents will vote on in November, and challenges estimates by other groups that significantly undercount the total number of households and businesses likely to be affected

The MBTA’s Looming Bus and Green Line Fare Evasion Crisis 
In a new report, Pioneer Institute warns that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)’s new $900M fare collection system scheduled to be implemented in 2023 could increase annual fare evasion costs by over $30 million. Pioneer also raises concerns that insufficient fare enforcement could drive that figure even higher under the new system.

Policy News From The States

Checking in on Legislative Sessions

HB 814: Allow cottage food operators to sell products online
Empower Mississippi

HB 917 & SB 2630: Home-based business freedom
Empower Mississippi

SB 2162: Regulatory reduction pilot program
Empower Mississippi

2022 State of the State…With a Grain of Salt
Kansas Policy Institute

The Ultimate Guide to Utah’s 2022 Legislative Session
Libertas Institute

Under the Dome: Income Tax, Medical Marijuana, & More
Mississippi Center for Public Policy

Three Conservative Policies for 2022
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

Here are some early contenders for worst bills of the 2022 Legislature 
Rio Grande Foundation

Emergency powers bill scheduled for Senate public hearing
Washington Policy Center

Education

It’s time to adjust the way we fund education in Tennessee
Beacon Center of Tennessee

California is rolling in education money
California Policy Center

Cardinal Institute Condemns Attempt To Prevent Families From Accessing Education Choices 
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy

Oregon’s Century-Old Lesson in Public Education
Cascade Policy Institute

Study: MN saw a larger decline in test scores compared to states which offered more in-person learning 
Center of the American Experiment

Study: Parents reduced work hours in response to school and childcare closures 
Center of the American Experiment

The rights of Montana parents deserve protection
Frontier Institute

Georgia’s K-12 Students Fell Months Behind During Remote Learning. We Need Solutions Now.
Georgia Center for Opportunity

It’s Time to Shine a Light on Our Schools’ Curriculum 
Goldwater Institute

Myth-Educated: Debunking Common Education Choice Misconceptions in Idaho
Idaho Freedom Foundation

Education choice generates massive cost savings for taxpayers, according to new study
Idaho Freedom Foundation

With $1 billion in reserve, schools don’t need a $200 million gift
Kansas Policy Institute

Free to Offend Episode 45: The great educational awakening is happening
Nevada Policy Research Institute

Why Does School Choice Scare Nevada’s Education Establishment?
Nevada Policy Research Institute

Read how changing funding won’t lead to public school reforms
Pacific Research Institute

Podcast: Parents’ Role in Education with Dr. Matthew Spalding
Show-Me Institute

Energy And Environment

Virginia, your “green new deal” price tag is showing
Caesar Rodney Institute

Regular Americans are paying dearly for Biden’s mistakes on energy policy
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Municipal leaders in northwest CT concerned by warnings of potential electric blackouts
Yankee Institute

Government Accountability

A run on disinfection robots: CARES Act made possible what no county would have approved with its own money
Badger Institute

Mapping a more democratic New York State
Empire Center for Public Policy

MTLEG Viewpoint: To protect Montanans’ privacy, we must address facial recognition technology
Frontier Institute

When the next storm comes, the public should expect WSDOT to do better
Washington Policy Center

Healthcare

Massachusetts Telehealth Report Card: Are We Embracing Disruption for Better Quality of Care?
Pioneer Institute

What’s so bad about fee-for-service health care?
Texas Public Policy Foundation

WILL urges Midwest Heath System to Suspend Race Discrimination in COVID Treatment
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty

Housing Affordability

Evictions remain significantly down in Bridgeport, Hartford after end of eviction moratorium 
Yankee Institute

Inflation

How inflation takes a bite out of your Domino’s carryout 
Center of the American Experiment

Washington’s Payday From Inflation
John Locke Foundation

Jobs And State Economies

Analysis: Data shows LA and SF are hurting their restaurants through COVID restrictions
California Policy Center

To stem California’s population decline, we need fewer emergencies and more normality
California Policy Center

Unemployment insurance mess back to haunt us
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

Chicago’s COVID-19 rules hit minority neighborhood restaurants harder
Illinois Policy Institute

Getting Iowans Back to Work through Unemployment Reform
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation

Progressives have a point about Amazon’s special tax treatment
Libertas Institute

All Taxpayers Deserve to Soar, Not Just Politicians’ Favored Few
Mackinac Center for Public Policy

Michigan’s Constitution Demands Transparency, No Matter the Wishes of Corporate Welfare Bureaucrats
Mackinac Center for Public Policy

70% of Nebraskans say tax and workforce issues are linked
Platte Institute

State Budgets And Spending

Budget 2022: New revenue fuels spending surge
Empire Center for Public Policy

Leading Conservative and Business Organizations Call for Income Tax Elimination
Empower Mississippi

Income tax elimination would benefit Mississippi seniors 
Empower Mississippi

A ray of hope for taxpayers from Trenton’s lame duck session
Garden State Initiative

League of AZ Cities Lobbies Against Taxpayers’ Interests – On Taxpayers’ Dime
Goldwater Institute

Idahoans could do much better than Little’s tax plan
Idaho Freedom Foundation

Amendment 1 Would Lock Sky-high Property Taxes Into Illinois Constitution 
Illinois Policy Institute

Tax Reform Coalition: Eliminate State Income Tax for Massive Middle Class and Small Business Tax Relief
Institute for Reforming Government

Governor Kelly Proposes $2.3 Billion in Budget Changes
Kansas Policy Institute

Citizens of Superior Beware: Government Boondoggle Unnecessary and a Huge Risk for Property Taxpayers
MacIver Institute

Amid Inflation, Skyrocketing Prices, Will Sacramento Actually Cut Gas Taxes?
Pacific Research Institute

Nebraska tax receipts remain above projections in December 2021
Platte Institute

Vaccine Mandate

The Supreme Court Saves America from the Tyranny of the Bureaucracy
MacIver Institute

Expand Medicaid And Expand Federal Power? Vaccine Mandates Are A Cautionary Tale 
Mississippi Center for Public Policy

The basic civics principle at the heart of 2 vaccine mandate cases
Sutherland Institute

Workplace Freedom

Testimony in Opposition to LD 555: “An Act to Expand the. Rights of Public Sector Employees”
Maine Policy Institute

Other

Bitcoin: A Free-Market Monetary Solution
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy

The Late 20th Century Crime Wave Was a Disaster for Blacks and the Poor
John Locke Foundation

Georgia ranks high on freedom, but has room to improve
Georgia Public Policy Foundation

Learning from the example of Martin Luther King Jr.
Sutherland Institute

Think Tanks In The News

When Will School Closures End? Not Until We Empower Parents
Beacon Center of Tennessee in The Center Square

Legislation Brings Needed Balance To Governing Of Kentucky Schools
Bluegrass Institute in the Beechtree News

Remove Oregon’s Age Restriction On GED Tests
Cascade Policy Institute in The Oregonian

Ethnic Studies Will Turn Schools Into Extremist Boot Camps
Center of the American Experiment in the Star Tribune

Revisiting the Keystone XL Pipeline and Joe Biden’s False Promise of ‘Green Jobs’
Commonwealth Foundation at RealClearEnergy

Hail to the Chief … of the Teachers Union?
Freedom Foundation at RedState

When The Money Follows You
Georgia Public Policy Foundation in the Daily Citizen-News

Don’t Withhold Curriculum From Parents
Independence Institute at Colorado Politics

An Economist’s Advance Look At The ‘State Of The State’ Here In Illinois
Illinois Policy Institute in Crain’s Chicago Business

Tax Credit Extension Could Buoy NC’s Offshore Wind Projects
John Locke Foundation cited in the Triangle Business Journal

Exit Polls Offer Insight Into Voters’ Choices
John Locke Foundation in The Daily Advance

COVID Restrictions: Medical, Educational, Or Political Decisions?
Kansas Policy Institute in The Hays Daily News

How Politicians Determine How They Vote
Mackinac Center in The Hill

State Legislature Back in Session
Mississippi Center for Public Policy in The Northside Sun

California Heads For Single-Payer Havoc With Calcare
Pacific Research Institute in the Los Angeles Daily News

The Real Reasons for Americans’ Low Life Expectancy
Pacific Research Institute at Townhall

The Rise Of The Interloping Radicals
State Policy Network in Spectator World

Biden Must Act Fast To Avoid Repeat Of 1970s Inflation Woes
The James Madison Institute in the Orlando Sentinel

Events and Opportunities

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