July 7, 2023
Week in Review: July 7, 2023
Beacon Center of Tennessee released the Beacon Poll, the first of a newly launched quarterly survey asking Tennessee voters how they feel about a variety of issues.
Commonwealth Foundation released a rebuff to PA Governor Shapiro’s justification of his promise to line-item veto sections of the state budget which contain the education reforms he formerly championed by comparing Lifeline Scholarships for children in failing schools to “small ball.”
Empower Mississippi released an analysis of its polling which found that a majority of Mississippi Republicans support reducing the state’s prison population.
Frontier Institute launched The Center for New Frontiers, a policy center dedicated to opening new frontiers for freedom so Montanans can build and create an abundant future.
Following the spring announcement of Amy O. Cooke’s retirement, the John Locke Foundation announced that Donald Bryson officially assumed the role of the Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer and Publisher of the Carolina Journal as of July 1st.
Kansas Policy Institute released its A-F Grading for Kansas Schools, which includes grades for 1,269 total public and private schools, based on the most recently available state assessments.
Mackinac Center announced that it will continue its student loan payment deferment challenge.
Mississippi Center for Public Policy continued its campaign to highlight good policies in Mississippi by releasing a video bringing attention to many ways in which Mississippi is thriving.
Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity announced that it has launched a public awareness campaign to educate and encourage independent and conservative voters to cross over and vote in the upcoming Democrat primary.
The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Culley v. Marshall, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to protect the due process rights of Americans against unconstitutional civil asset forfeiture laws.
Texas Public Policy Foundation’s litigation center, the Center for the American Future, sued the city of San Marcos for violating the Constitution by forcing homeowners to keep unwanted objects on their property under the guise of a historic preservation ordinance.
Alaska: The annual state budget was delivered, reviewed, and signed, and for the first time meets the Alaska Policy Forum’s criteria for a responsible Alaska budget.
The Buckeye Institute celebrated a win in the student loan case after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled President Biden’s plan unconstitutional, agreeing with arguments Buckeye made in its amicus brief and its case Latta v. U.S. Department of Education.
Louisiana: The Supreme Court’s decision striking down the Biden Administration’s unconstitutional public debt cancellation program delivered a victory for Pelican Institute Center for Justice client Tommy Badeaux, a Louisiana small businessman.
New Hampshire: Gov. Chris Sununu signed two bills to make it easier for licensed professionals from other states to work in the state, and the Legislature removed the sales cap for home-based food operations (Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy).
Ohio: The state budget was signed into law giving Ohioans more to celebrate on July 4th. In addition to other measures, the budget included The Buckeye Institute–championed universal school choice, tax cuts, and reforms that move Ohio closer to a single flat tax.
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty won a legal victory when the Public Health of Madison and Dane County dropped their case seeking $24,000 in fines from a family-owned dance studio for alleged infractions to health orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Empire Center released an analysis of the rising cost of offshore wind and the policies that have promoted this form of renewable energy.
John Locke Foundation published a research brief digging deeper into North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s recent declaration of a “state of emergency for public education” and what it means for students and parents across the Tar Heel State.
Libertas Institute released a model policy for responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in K-12 classrooms which aims to enhance students’ understanding of AI, encourage critical thinking, and ensure that AI is used as a tool for improvement rather than a substitute for their own work.
MacIver Institute detailed Wisconsin Gov. Evers’ 51 vetoes made to the state budget which will shape state spending for the next two years or four centuries in the case of his 400-year veto.
Mackinac Center examined how policies aimed at protecting or enriching special interests have some features not present in laws developed by and for the broader public and how these features cause additional problems, such as obscurity to the public, difficulty in reforming or repealing once in place, and higher costs.
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs released a policy analysis of Oklahoma’s tax credits for private-school tuition.
Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty analyzed Wisconsin Gov. Evers’ 400-year veto and the fiscal responsibility that comes with it.
North Carolina: Legislators have proposed a bill which would give much-needed clarity on election observers and what they may or may not do at election sites (John Locke Foundation).
Topics:
Tennessee’s Wake-Up Call for Education Reform
Beacon Center of Tennessee – Olivia Michiels
Kentucky’s Education System: Is it Time to Declare a State of Emergency?
Bluegrass Institute – Jim Waters
Redirect Education Funding
Commonwealth Foundation – Kevin Kane
Let Education Freedom Ring
Empower Mississippi – Wil Ervin
Education Freedom In Montana: Next Steps
Frontier Institute – Tanner Avery
Cooper’s State of Emergency for Public Education: Just Throwing More Against the Wall
John Locke Foundation – Dr. Robert Luebke
Louisiana’s Top Education Board Proposes High School Diplomas for Students Failing State Tests
Pelican Institute – Erin Bendily
20 Missouri Districts Seek Exemption from the Missouri Assessment Program: Part 1 and Part 2
Show-Me Institute – Avery Frank
Study Finds Students Living in States with Greater School Choice Are Receiving a Better Education
Washington Policy Center – Liv Finne
Where has the Wind Gone?
Center of the American Experiment – Isaac Orr
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission Is Killing Nuclear Energy
Mackinac Center – Matthew Wright
Washington State Workers’ Pay Decreases Tomorrow for a Benefit They May Never See
Washington Policy Center – Elizabeth Hovde
Hidden Healthcare: Disturbing Evidence the Biden Administration Is Enabling Hospitals to Violate Price Transparency Rules
Foundation for Government Accountability
Managed Care Is Not the Answer to Medicaid’s Problems
Idaho Freedom Foundation – Fred Birnbaum
Still Waiting on Price Transparency
Show-Me Institute – Elias Tsapelas
Sticker Shock as Tiny House in Duluth Affordable Housing Program Lists for 195k
Center of the American Experiment – Tom Steward
Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?
Yankee Institute – Meghan Portfolio
Minnesotans Beware, New Business Rules Will Be Costly
Center of the American Experiment – Martha Njolomole
Ready for Retirement? Better Check Twice
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
At the Intersection of Homelessness and Minimum-Wage Hikes
Pacific Research Institute – Kerry Jackson
Evers Vetoes Historic Reforms to Wisconsin Income Tax Rates
Badger Institute – Mike Nichols and Patrick McIlheran
The Best Way to Cut Government Waste Is to Cut Government Spending
Center of the American Experiment – John Phelan
Let’s Call This Budget What It Is: A Fiscal Calamity
Garden State Initiative – Regina M. Egea
First Analysis: Historic Middle-Class Tax Relief Vetoed
Institute for Reforming Government
The Worst Budget in 402 Years
MacIver Institute
Michigan Spending Is Unsustainable
Mackinac Center – James M Hohman
Tensions Simmer as Jackson County Property Taxes Explode
Show-Me Institute – Patrick Ishmael
New Tax Reform Plan? Explain It and Sell It!
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy – Stephan D. Haner
CA Lawmakers Move to Constitutionalize Union Power
Freedom Foundation – Brennan Carter
Ameren Monopoly Over Illinois Transmission Lines Heads to Pritzker
Illinois Policy Institute – Patrick Andriesen
Educators Can Act Now to Quit Partisan Unions
Nevada Policy Research Institute – Kevin Dietrich
Heroines During the American Revolution
Center of the American Experiment – Catrin Wigfall
Abraham Lincoln on the Meaning of July 4th
Center of the American Experiment – John Phelan
The Government’s Ultimatum: Give Up Your Property or Go to Jail
Goldwater Institute – Cameron Teel
Happy Fourth of July!
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii – Keli’i Akina
Call It Independence Day – The Meaning Matters
Illinois Policy Institute – John Tillman
July 4 — Freedom Is a Risky Business
Indiana Policy Review Foundation – Mark Franke
The Supreme Court Case that Could Hold Congress More Accountable
Mountain States Policy Center
Light Those Fireworks in your Front Yard! (No, Not You.)
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs – Jonathan Small
In the Bay to Bay News, the Caeser Rodney Institute’s Tanya Hettler commented on the need for solutions to chronic school absenteeism.
In The OC Register, the California Policy Center’s Will Swaim highlights how state lawmakers are considering handing even more power to government-union leaders.
In the Star Tribune, the Center of the American Experiment’s John Phelan highlights the problems with the Northern Lights Express.
In the Duluth News Tribune, Center of the American Experiment’s John Hinderaker points out most Minnesotans do not support 2023 legislative results.
In the DV Journal, the Commonwealth Foundation’s Charles Mitchell discusses PA Gov. Shapiro’s backtracking on his repeated promises and threatening a line-item veto of Lifeline Scholarships of his own bipartisan budget agreement.
In VermontBiz, the Ethan Allen Institute’s John McCaughry considers Vermont’s Community Resilience and Biodiversity Protection Act.
In The Center Square, the Illinois Policy Institute’s Brad Weisenstein highlights how Illinois bans fireworks.
In the Chicago Tribune, the Illinois Policy Institute’s Paul Vallas notes to achieve reform at the Chicago Police Department, take politics out of promotions.
In his recent column in The Denver Gazette, the Independence Institute’s Jon Caldara highlights how the Legislature can mislead voters on ballot initiative summaries.
In The Gazette, Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation’s John Hendrickson explains how progressive states can learn from Iowa.
In his recent column, the John Locke Foundation’s John Hood considers the Supreme Court’s recent affirmative action case.
In The County Press, the Mackinac Center’s James Hohman notes Michigan’s budget could use more restraint.
In the Detroit Free Press, the Mackinac Center’s Jarrett Skorup and James Hohman note there is no good reason to bring Michigan’s film incentive program back.
In The Dispatch, the Mississippi Center for Public Policy’s Douglas Carswell considers the future of affirmative action.
At RealClearPolicy, the Mississippi Center for Public Policy’s Douglas Carswell points out life is getting better.
In the Idaho Capital Sun, Mountain States Policy Center’s Jason Mercier warns that our republic’s future depends on all of us working together.
At Nevada Business, the Nevada Policy Research Institute’s Ron Knecht notes excessive government spending, proceduralism and overreach diminish the economic growth of our society.
In the City Sentinel, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs’ Curtis Shelton notes Oklahoma needs to get moving on tax cuts.
In the Washington Examiner, the Pacific Research Institute’s Sally Pipes urges to ensure Medicaid covers only the truly eligible.
In the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Show-Me Institute’s David Stokes points out privatization would ensure better operation of St. Louis’ water system.
In The Spokesman-Review, Washington Policy Center’s Sean O’Brien argues for courtroom oversight to deter tearing down the state’s lower Snake River dams.
In the Connecticut Post, the Yankee Institute’s Carol Platt Liebau notes that, in abolishing affirmative action, SCOTUS reminded us that every college applicant is entitled to be evaluated as an individual, rather than as a member of a racial group.
