Announcements

• Americans for Fair Treatment reported on unionization pushes by state legislative staff.

• TheCaesar Rodney Institute highlighted the problems with Delaware’s Climate Solutions Act.

• California Policy Center filed an amicus brief to defend the people’s right to a ballot initiative in California.

• The Ruthless Podcast will produce their show in front of a live audience on Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota, on June 29, 2022, at an event sponsored by Center of the American Experiment. 

• Empower Mississippi hosted the second-annual Unleash Mississippi last week as state leaders and policy experts shared ideas on the most pressing issues in Mississippi.

• The Illinois Policy Institute released gas tax calculator to see how the Illinois Governor’s gas tax hikes are costing residents.

• The Mississippi Public Policy Center’s “Drain the Swamp” report has received much traction from news sources across the state, such as Y’all Politics, the Northside Sun, and several local papers. MCPP has been continuously updating their social media platforms with videos, pictures, and posts to spread awareness of the Drain the Swamp campaign. 

• Mississippi Public Policy Center’s President Douglas Carswell spoke at the annual Heritage Foundation Resource Bank, discussing the successes MCPP has had over the past year.

• Massachusetts vocational-technical schools—boasting minuscule dropout rates, strong academic performance, and graduates prepared for careers or higher education—should be expanded to meet growing demand, according to a new book published by Pioneer Institute.

This Week on SPN.org

• What states passed school choice policies in 2022?
• American voters consider root causes of poverty and its remedies
• Americans’ Surprising Agreement on Teaching Race in the Classroom
• The DNA of Strategy: A Guide to Understanding the Elements of Strategy and How to Use Them to Win
• As Biden dithers, states are enacting meaningful inflation policy

Success Stories

• The Ohio Supreme Court announced that it will hear Schaad v. Alder, one of The Buckeye Institute’s five municipal income tax cases challenging Ohio’s emergency-based system. “The Ohio Supreme Court finally has the opportunity to correct this Orwellian system in which the state forced people to work from home under threat of criminal penalties, but then also absurdly deemed that same work to have been performed where it wasn’t—often in higher-taxed office locations.”
• Leaders of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Ohio Council 8 have instructed their attorneys to settle a lawsuit filed earlier this year by the Freedom Foundation that accuses the city of Cincinnati and union of stealing vacation time from Cincinnati public employees.
• The Pennsylvania House Liquor Control Committee passed a bill that would end state control of liquor sales. The Commonwealth Foundation noted the state’s monopoly on liquor is an unpopular relic of the prohibition era.
• Missouri’s Legislature has taken a strong stand in support of small businesses by approving the Goldwater Institute’s Home-Based Business Fairness Act. This reform allows no-impact home-based businesses to operate without having to first seek permission from local government, eliminating unnecessary barriers to entrepreneurship. 
• The Louisiana legislature passed HB1062, the Right to Earn a Living Act, which will ensure anti-competitive and arbitrary government roadblocks do not stop entrepreneurs in Louisiana from pursuing their chosen careers.
• The Louisiana Legislature passed a bill that creates ESAs for kids with disabilities. The Pelican Institute noted parents of children with disabilities know their child’s needs best, and an ESA will allow them to create a customized educational program in consultation with their doctor. 

Solutions from the states: This week’s policy briefs

• In a new policy memo, The Buckeye Institute recommends that Ohio lawmakers use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) tax dollars to help Ohio cities modernize their tax systems to be less reliant on “dwindling commuter taxes.” This memo is the third in a series that counsels state policymakers to “resist the temptation to spend taxpayer dollars foolishly and instead spend wisely on areas that need genuine financial assistance.”
• The Commonwealth Foundation released 23 policies that will help Pennsylvanians prosper in 2023.
• The Commonwealth Foundation highlighted how Pennsylvania’s education funding soared to an all-time high.
• The Empire Center for Public Policy encouraged the New York Governor to veto the crypto-mining moratorium.
• New research from the Foundation for Government Accountability highlights the importance of states’ ability to conduct Medicaid redeterminations. The report outlines why states should begin performing redeterminations as soon as possible after the Medicaid handcuffs are removed.
• The Show-Me Institute released the 2022 Missouri Tax Landscape—an updated booklet that looks at state and local taxes found in Missouri, and includes definitions, the latest data, and comparisons with other states.

Policy News from the States

Education

Why both ‘Choice’ and Charter Schools Really Matter in Delaware
Caesar Rodney Institute

Minnesota Private School Enrollment Highest In 10 Years
Center of the American Experiment

A Bipartisan, Bicameral Idea to Educate Our Students on Finances and Government
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota

Idaho Republican Primary Shows That Supporting Education Choice Pays Off
Idaho Freedom Foundation

Blaine Amendments and Unintended Consequences
Libertas Institute

Modern Education Is Ruining Our Children
Nevada Policy Research Institute

More On KUOW’s Hit Pieces Against Charter School Families
Washington Policy Center

Energy

Rising Gas Prices Are The Result Of Bad Energy Policy
Cardinal Institute

Healthcare        

Federal Government Issues First Two Fines On Hospitals For Violating Price Transparency Rules
Center of the American Experiment

Solutions: Solving The Long-Term-Care Crisis Requires More Than Compassion
Washington Policy Center

Housing

The Only Way To Reduce Housing Prices Is To Improve Supply; Look At The Hamptons
Center of the American Experiment

Want More Housing? Try Economic Freedom
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

In Last Half Century, Manchester Limited Its Own Growth By Limiting New Housing
Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy

Jobs And State Economies

Stephanie and Todd Schaible: How Licensing Puts Tennesseans Out of Work
Beacon Center

Minnesotans’ Incomes Are Falling
Center of the American Experiment

Out Of Four Neighboring States, MN Beat Only Iowa In Recovering Jobs Lost During The Pandemic
Center of the American Experiment

IRS Data Show That Minnesota Lost 11,370 Residents To Other States In 2019-2020
Center of the American Experiment

Chicago Gas Prices Surpass $6 A Gallon
Illinois Policy Institute

Income Tax Increases from Inflation Lose Kansans Wealth
Kansas Policy Institute

Why Do Michigan Flower Growers Need a State License?
Mackinac Center

State Budgets and Spending

Will California Voters Approve More Taxes And Borrowing?
California Policy Center

Hawaii Counties Squander Opportunity To Lower Taxes
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

Poll: Bipartisan Supermajorities Of Illinois Voters Support Constitutional Pension Reform
Illinois Policy Institute

Chicago’s Combined State And Local Taxpayer Debt Burden Worst In The Nation
Illinois Policy Institute

“It’s Easy” To Spend Taxpayer Dollars
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation

Lawmakers Differ On Reining In Inflated Tax Bills
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

Provide Tax Cuts (Not Rebates) To Combat Inflation
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

Workplace Freedom

Union Pressures New Jersey to Dissolve Corruption-Fighting Commission
Americans for Fair Treatment

For Whom Does the Union Speak?
Americans for Fair Treatment

Unexpected Consequences Of Amendment 1: It May Allow Prisoners To Unionize
Illinois Policy Institute

Other

The Best and the Worst of the 2022 Legislative Session
Alaska Policy Forum

‘Progressive’ Prosecutor Ousted
Center of the American Experiment

Call For Jones Act Reform Gaining Momentum
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

The People Of San Francisco Got What They Wanted … Good And Hard
John Locke Foundation

Lockdowners Still Unwilling To Recognize Harms They Brought To Youth
Maine Policy Institute

Think Tanks in the News

What to Expect – 4 More Years of Ivey
Alabama Policy Institute in the Courier Journal 

Why Utah Leads The U.S. In Economic Growth
Arkansas Policy Foundation and Libertas op-ed in The Salt Lake Tribune

The Best Practices For A Better Kentucky? Managing Debt
Bluegrass Institute in the Northern Kentucky Tribune

Hoarse Race: California Voters Are About To Lose Their Voice
California Policy Center in The OC Register

It’s Time To Get Progressive About Education
Commonwealth Foundation in The Philadelphia Inquirer 

Weingarten and the AFT Doom Another Batch of Candidates
Freedom Foundation at RedState

How NIMBYISM Chokes Off Affordable Housing Even In Big Sky Country
Frontier Institute in The Washington Post

Getting To The Root Of Rising Home Prices
Georgia Public Policy Foundation in The Brunswick News

Stop Imposing Mandates For Women’s ‘Own Good’
Goldwater Institute in The OC Register 

The State Built on Fiscal Conservatism – Not Federal Handouts
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation and Texas Public Policy Foundation at RealClearPolicy

Renting Vehicles Through Car-Sharing Apps Can Cut Prices — If Politicians Allow It
Mackinac Center in The Hill

How George Soros’ Billions Are Remaking America’s Justice System
Maryland Public Policy Institute in The New York Post

Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Can’t Come Soon Enough
Pacific Research Institute at InsideSources

Teachers Unions Causing Schools And Students To Fail
Pacific Research Institute in the Washington Times

As Biden Dithers, States Are Enacting Meaningful Inflation Policy
State Policy Network in The Hill

Americans’ Surprising Agreement on Teaching Race in the Classroom
State Policy Network in Governing  

Tone-Deaf Politics, Taxes And Regulation Are Driving WA’s High Gas Prices Even Higher
Washington Policy Center in the Tri-City Herald

Who Will Defend The Taxpayers? Not The City Of Spokane Or Its Unions
Washington Policy Center in the Spokesman-Review

Events and Opportunities

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