State Policy Network
Week in Review: January 31, 2025

Announcements

Institute for Reforming Government released the first “Court Watch” primer of its new weekly occurring series focused on why state courts matter. In recognition of National School Choice Week, the primer outlined how previous decisions made by a conservative majority have protected education freedom, and how future litigation could put School Choice in jeopardy.

John Locke Foundation, expanding on the many wins from the previous session, released a “wish list” of reforms for the 2025-26 North Carolina General Assembly.

Palmetto Promise Institute President Wendy Damron announced that new support from three additional donors has pushed the “Palmetto Promise ESTF Families Rescue fund” to $2.2 million. This fund was established by Palmetto to support families impacted by the SC Supreme Court Eidson decision, which enjoined use of the Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) for students in private schools. The Rescue Fund goal, which represents the funds needed to cover all existing ESTF students for the remainder of the 2024-25 school year, is $3 million. 

Pioneer Institute released a new report which examines the Massachusetts workforce development system to determine what operational changes would better maximize results, and it compares the system to those in peer states. 

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

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Jake’s Fireworks Inc. v. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case and tell the government that businesses threatened with civil and criminal penalties by regulatory agencies are entitled to have their day in court. Americans for Prosperity, the Manhattan Institute, and National Federation of Independent Business joined Buckeye’s brief.  In addition, Buckeye joined the Common Sense Ohio podcast for some serious talk about Ohio’s energy policy, reforms needed to ensure Ohio has enough classroom space to keep the promise of universal school choice, Buckeye’s new case—Sheldon v. OAPSE—and Buckeye’s recent call for the US Supreme Court to overturn its infamous decision in Kelo v. New London

Goldwater Institute announced that it was suing the Hobbs administration on behalf of the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona to halt one of the most significant bureaucratic overreaches in Arizona’s history — an illegally imposed “water rule” that blocks new housing developments in some of Maricopa County’s fastest-growing areas. 

Liberty Justice Center Senior Counsel Buck Dougherty urged a federal court to force the National Labor Relations Board’s General Counsel to retract a coercive memo that threatens employers’ First Amendment rights. In addition, in an interview with iHeart Radio’s Scott Sloan on Demand Podcast, the Center Senior Counsel Loren Seehase discussed President Trump’s executive order overturning the Biden-era ban on the export of liquified natural gas.

Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty filed a Title VI civil rights complaint with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights against the Green Bay Area Public School District and specifically, King Elementary, for discriminating against a dyslexic student based on race.  

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Success Stories

California: In an important win for government transparency, a Superior Court judge ruled that the Los Angeles Unified School District must produce union membership and dues records under the California Public Records Act and that the Act’s collective bargaining exemption does not apply to such records — a crucial step that promises to shine a light in public unions’ relationship with school districts (California Policy Center). In more good news from the state, teachers of the Blochman Union School District in Santa Maria sent the California Teachers Association (CTA) an unmistakable message by voting to replace their old, CTA-affiliated union with the Blochman Teachers Group — a new independent, local union created by the teachers themselves (Freedom Foundation).

Washington: In a win for government transparency, state lawmakers in the House of Representatives, the final holdouts resisting this change, banned the practice of introducing title-only bills to avoid House rules on bill introductions. This practice was used in the past, especially for budget bills, to introduce legislation to avoid session cutoff dates or avoid stating the full intent of the bill until the last minute (Washington Policy Center).

Wisconsin: A judge ordered the Milwaukee Public School District to comply with Wisconsin law and provide the legally required number of School Resource Officers in all public schools no later than February 17th (Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty). 

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Solutions from the States: This Week’s Policy Briefs  

The Buckeye Institute, in a piece for School Choice Week, praised the advancements Ohio has made in adopting universal school choice and highlighted its recommendations that state leaders should adopt to ensure that every child in every family in every community can attend their school of choice.

Caesar Rodney Institute highlighted serious flaws in Delaware’s Climate Action Plan, urging legislators to return to the drawing board to avoid dangerous consequences.

Idaho Freedom Foundation posted a brief that makes the case that a property tax is a form of government extortion and unbecoming of conversative Idaho.

Kansas Policy Institute published a new report showing that school districts are hiring over 1,000 new non-teaching positions despite an enrollment decline.

Mountain States Policy Center issued briefs that “fact check” the claim that education choice broke Arizona’s budget (fact check: false), call for removing barriers to American leadership in Artificial Intelligence (AI), point out what comes next for the Mountain States now that they lead the way on regulatory reform, and sound the alarm on a massive tax increase for single payer healthcare in Washington state.

Sutherland Institute released a brief evaluating how well Utah’s governance lives up to the principle of federalism and shows ways the state could improve. 

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Tracking Positive Reforms: Updates from Network Affiliates  

Idaho: Representative Jason Monks introduced a bill that would increase the Gem State’s grocery tax credit from $120 per Idaho resident to $155. In introducing the bill, Monks asserted that, after claiming the increased tax credit, a family of four would be able to purchase approximately $10,000 worth of food-related groceries tax-free during the year. In addition, House Speaker Mike Moyle announced that a series of tax cut bills would be coming soon — welcome news for state residents (Mountain States Policy Center).

Minnesota: Bills introduced both in the Senate and House propose to soften requirements for licensed daycare centers, paving the way for needed childcare licensing reform (Center of the American Experiment). 

Mississippi: In a flurry of action, legislators introduced bills proposing the implementation of the “success sequence” in public school curriculum, the mandate for evidence-based interventions among middle-grade students to improve literacy outcomes, the release of easily accessible incarceration information to the public and to legislators, the creation of a user-friendly dashboard that provides key data about schools, and a form of education freedom that would allow students to transfer to public schools outside of their residentially assigned school district without having to get approval from the student’s home district (Empower Mississippi). In addition, the House passed a bill which offers to eliminate the state income tax over the next decade (Mississippi Center for Public Policy).

Montana: Support is growing for a bill that creates a tax credit program to pay for education expenses as directed by parents in the state. In addition, lawmakers introduced a bill which would secure greater legal protections for the rights of Montana property owners who are subject to onerous land use regulations (Frontier Institute).

Nebraska: Six state senators rolled out a package of bills aimed at modernizing and streamlining Nebraska’s regulatory environment to be as efficient and accountable as possible. Named “the GOAT” (an acronym for Government Oversight Accountability and Transparency), the effort is a bipartisan effort of senators representing urban and rural districts around the state (Platte Institute).

Oklahoma: Governor Kevin Stitt announced he will seek to cut Oklahoma’s personal income tax from the current rate of 4.75 percent to 4.25 percent this year (Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs).

South Carolina: Senator Harvey Peeler introduced a bill which would restructure the state’s health agency — a crucial step towards modernizing South Carolina healthcare in order to better serve “the least of these” among us (Palmetto Promise).

Tennessee: In a monumental victory for education freedom, the Legislature passed the Education Freedom Act, which empowers all families by giving them the freedom to choose the best learning environment for their children no matter their background or zip code. The bill now heads to Governor Bill Lee’s desk, where he is ready to sign (Beacon Center of Tennessee).

Texas: Lawmakers introduced and heard testimony on a bill that creates a universal education savings account that would give parents the opportunity to have real educational choices for their kids regardless of where they live (Texas Public Policy Foundation).

Utah: In another surge of action, lawmakers proposed making it easier to homeschool by removing the requirement for parents to reaffirm homeschooling after moving, reforming zoning laws to better accommodate new and innovative businesses, separating the management of the statewide online education program into two separate programs in recognition that public schools have different needs than private and homeschool students, putting a stop to tax dollars being used to grow government through labor union activity, and eliminating higher ed inefficiencies (Libertas Institute).

Wisconsin: County Executive Paul Farrow told Waukesha County leaders on Tuesday that he is pulling the plan to create a half-a-percent sales tax to pay for emergency services and municipal aid, meaning that the county remains as one of just two Wisconsin counties without a sales tax (MacIver Institute).

Wyoming: Senator Evie Brennan introduced a bill which would allow for some open-enrollment in the state — good news for families who would be allowed to pick the public school best suited for their children (Mountain States Policy Center).

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Policy News from the States

Topics:

K-12 Education

Survey Says: Parents Are Interested in New School Options, Few Follow Through
Center of the American Experiment

Gov. Walz’s Budget Draft Takes Aim at Private Schools
Center of the American Experiment

Report Details Hyper-Partisan Politics of Missouri Teachers Union
Freedom Foundation

Celebrating School Choice Week and Landmark School Choice Advances in Georgia
Georgia Public Policy Foundation

Despair vs. Hope: The Struggle to Define America’s Story in Schools
Goldwater Institute

Media Recycles Teachers Union Rhetoric to Attack School Choice. Here’s the Truth.
Goldwater Institute

Teachers Unions to Fight Nationwide School Choice Bill After Killing Option in Illinois
Illinois Policy

Illinois School Boards Should Provide Opportunities to All Kids in Their Districts
Illinois Policy

School Choice Week: How the Courts Saved Education Freedom in Wisconsin
Institute for Reforming Government

The Real Test Scores: National Test Scores Show Only 31% of Wisconsin Students Proficient in Reading
Institute for Reforming Government

2025 NC School Choice Snapshot: Much to Celebrate, More to Do
John Locke Foundation

What North Carolina Could Learn from Indiana About School Finance
John Locke Foundation

Let’s Celebrate School Choice!
John Locke Foundation

Enrollment Declines but Schools Hire More Managers and Other Non-Teachers
Kansas Policy Institute

Wisconsin Reading Scores Fall Again
MacIver Institute

Maine’s Dismal NAEP Results
Maine Policy Institute

Test Results Show No Academic Improvement After Oklahoma’s School Spending Spree
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

Senate Education Committee Leaders Seek Longer School Year, Other Reforms
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

Stitt, Paxton, Hilbert Laud Oklahoma Education-Freedom Ranking
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

South Carolina Advocate Wins ‘Doer’ Award for Efforts to Fund School Choice
Palmetto Promise Institute

Notre Dame Law Assoc. Dean Nicole Stelle Garnett on Catholic Schools & School Choice
Pioneer Institute

Celebrate Educational Freedom: A Lesson from Florida
Show-Me Institute

Missouri Public Schools Have a Very Serious Reading Problem
Show-Me Institute

Eternal Vigilance in the Fight for Educational Freedom
Show-Me Institute

Is School Choice “Rooted in Segregation?”
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Welcome to National School Choice Week: Here are Four Common Myths
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy

New NAEP Results Highlight How DPI Has Cooked the Books on Accountability
Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty

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Energy and Environment

Fire Prevention and Resilience in California
California Policy Center

MN Senate Energy Committee Kills Repeal of Nuclear Power, Hydro Bans
Center of the American Experiment

Opponents Pack Cong. Tiffany’s Town Hall on St. Croix County Solar Project
Center of the American Experiment

Shapiro’s Role in Rising Energy Prices
Commonwealth Foundation

Wind And Solar at Odds with Growth
Mackinac Center

Moss Landing Fire Shows Renewable Energy Exacts a Price, Too
Pacific Research Institute

Electric Vehicle Rebate Program Failed, But Will It Be Expanded Anyway?
Washington Policy Center

WA Legislators Want Every Cow Burp Counted
Washington Policy Center

Reprocessing Spent Nuclear Fuel – What Would It Mean if Wyoming Stores Nuclear Waste?
Wyoming Liberty Group

‘I Need More Power’: Connecticut’s Current Energy Policies Explained & Solutions
Yankee Institute

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Healthcare

New York’s Medicaid Spiral Worse Than Hochul Admitted
Empire Center

Hochul’s Mad Medicaid Spending Woos Health Honchos
Empire Center

Medicaid Expansion: Fiscally Irresponsible and Morally Questionable
John Locke Foundation

Michigan Shouldn’t Turbocharge Hospital Slush Fund Bills
Mackinac Center

Conference Offers Escape from Excessive Healthcare Prices
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

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Housing Affordability

‘Residential’ Redefined? Goldwater Defends Michigan Homeowners’ Right to Rent
Goldwater Institute

Property Taxes Are Extortion
Idaho Freedom Foundation

5 Ways to Revamp the Property Tax System
Texas Public Policy Foundation

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Jobs and State Economies

The Government Should Try to Do a Few Things Well in 2025
Cascade Policy Institute

Where Is Josh Shapiro on U.S. Steel?
Commonwealth Foundation

Killing DEI Means the American Dream Is Available to Everyone
Foundation for Government Accountability

Freedom and the 70/30 Rule
Frontier Institute

5 Issues That Will Impact Opportunities and Hope for Georgians in 2025
Georgia Center for Opportunity

Lowering Our Cost of Living Worth Cheering
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

Illinois Unemployment Still 3rd Highest in US
Illinois Policy

Illinois’ Low Social Mobility: Causes and Cures
Illinois Policy

Course Correction Needed for Colorado’s Economic Outlook
Independence Institute

Florida’s Digital Tax Trap: How the Communications Services Tax Stifles Innovation
James Madison Institute

The Right-to-Work Freeloader Fallacy
Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy

AI Here to Work with Us, Not Against Us
Libertas Institute

Michigan’s Path to Prosperity Requires a Plan
Mackinac Center

An Obscure Washington State Salary Law Still Causing Employers to Lay Employees Off
Washington Policy Center

Its Back – House Bill 1517 Puts $2 Tax on Every Internet Connected Device Sold Over $250
Washington Policy Center

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State Budgets

California Government Breaks its Social Contract with Rich Liberals
California Policy Center

NY’s Road to Electric School Buses Gets Bumpy
Empire Center

Madigan Collects $158K While Facing Federal Corruption Trial in Chicago
Illinois Policy

Colorado Legislature’s Over-Spending Problem Explained
Independence Institute

Who is Responsible for Iowa’s Fiscal Foundation?
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation

Overlapping Broadband Programs Waste State and Federal Money
Mackinac Center

Michigan Has Authorized $4.7 Billion in Taxpayer-Funded Business Subsidies
Mackinac Center

Unpacking Mills’ Tax and Spending Plans
Maine Policy Institute

Rail Runner Ridership Rises Slightly to 601,417
Rio Grande Foundation

Pruning Missouri’s Bureaucracy: Lessons from FGA’s Report
Show-Me Institute

Missouri Must Do Better at Controlling Spending
Show-Me Institute

Road Maintenance Solutions Every SC Resident Deserves
South Carolina Policy Council

Reining in Nonvoter Approved Debt
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Senate Democrats Threatening $633 Tax Hike on Millions of Virginians
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy

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Workplace Freedom

Teachers In California’s Blochman District Oust CTA
Freedom Foundation

Unions Take Comfort in Battling Efficiency
Freedom Foundation

Washington: One Record-Breaking Year Down, Another Just Beginning
Freedom Foundation

Union Membership Remains Near Record Low Despite Big Boost in Taxpayer-Supported Jobs
Illinois Policy

SEBAC Pushing for Robust Benefits Years Before Contract Expires
Yankee Institute

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Other

Some Reasons to Be Skeptical of Chinese AI Hype
Center of the American Experiment

Constitutional Crisis Day 15: House Held Hostage
Center of the American Experiment

The Partisan Chaos Unfolding in Minnesota
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota

Personal Responsibility Drives Public Policy
Georgia Public Policy Foundation

Franke: Cultural Change and the Decline of the Family
Indiana Policy Review Foundation

Alexandra Popoff on Vasily Grossman & Holocaust Remembrance
Pioneer Institute

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The Network in the News

At City Journal, the California Policy Center’s Edward Ring highlights how Governor Newsom is deflecting blame for the California wildfires.

In The OC Register, the California Policy Center’s Edward Ring notes we can rebuild Los Angeles by liberating people and markets.

In his recent column, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation’s Kyle Wingfield points out good public policy can point the way, but personal responsibility has to take it from there.

In The Arizona Republic, the Goldwater Institute’s Matt Beienburg argues Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs’ budget is mismanagement at its worst.

At Maui Now, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii’s Jonathan Helton highlights how Maui County is updating its plumbing regulations for the first time since 1995.

At Minding the Campus, the Independent Institute’s Richard Vedder shows how Ohio’s SB1 which would effectively end DEI in higher education in Ohio.

At Florida Politics, the James Madison Institute’s Robert McClure argues that Florida is uniquely positioned to continue driving momentum for conservative reforms in the U.S.

In the Washington Examiner, the John Locke Foundation’s Brenée Goforth Swanzy highlights how nearly half of our states do not trust our most advanced nurses to practice to the full extent of their training.

In the Los Angeles Daily News, the Libertas Institute’s Devin McCormick argues AI is here to work with us, not against us.

In his column for The Detroit News, the Mackinac Center’s Mike Reitz outlines 5 principles lawmakers should consider for funding roads.

In The Telegraph, the Mississippi Center for Public Policy’s Douglas Carswell notes Trump can save Brexit—if we let him.

In The Center Square, the Mountain States Policy Center’s Jason Mercier highlights Idaho’s upcoming tax cut bills.

In The Center Square, the Mountain States Policy Center’s Chris Cargill points out education choice didn’t break Arizona’s budget, and it won’t break Idaho’s either.

In his recent column, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs’ Jonathan Small notes Oklahoma’s judicial-appointment process deserves scrutiny.

In the Washington Examiner, the Pacific Research Institute’s Sally Pipes encourages Republicans to not give up on healthcare reform.

In her column for Newsmax, the Pacific Research Institute’s Sally Pipes criticizes the Biden administration’s drug pricing policies.

In the Nebraska Examiner, the Platte Institute’s Jim Vokal encourages Nebraska leaders to modernize the state’s regulatory framework.

In the Deseret NewsSutherland Institute’s William C. Duncan considers a Utah bill that would require parental consent for minors to download apps.

In his recent columnJohn Hood considers how North Carolina can keep fostering growth.

In his recent columnJohn Hood considers how North Carolina can reduce healthcare costs.

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Organization: State Policy Network