March 28, 2025
Week in Review: March 28, 2025
Center of the American Experiment released a dedicated website for a key growth accounting exercise it has been conducting. Although the Center’s John Phelan has published an extensive report using this analysis, Accounting for Growth, which measures the sources of per capita economic growth at the state level in Minnesota, he also has announced the he is looking for Network partners in other states so that he might apply this analysis specifically for states outside of Minnesota in a shorter, more reader friendly format.
Independence Institute’s Kathleen Chandler of the organization’s Citizen Involvement Project (CIP) hosted a class on how to serve on a local board or commission. To date, Kathleen and CIP have placed over 400 people on boards and commissions statewide.
Institute for Reforming Government’s IRG Action Fund released a series of ads as a part of its grassroots campaign to educate over 175,000 targeted Wisconsinites on issues pertaining to K-12 education and State Courts. The Institute also was cited in the Wall Street Journal discussing the upcoming state Supreme Court Election’s potential impact on Wisconsin’s tort law and local businesses and released another Court Watch primer that details how our supreme court is becoming more political under the current liberal majority.
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation hosted its annual Tax Day lunch, where Keynote Speaker Vance Ginn highlighted some of the great accomplishments that Iowa has achieved in tax and fiscal policy.
John Locke Foundation announced that it won this year’s Ultimate North Carolina Politics Showdown, an annual March Madness-style bracket for state politics. In addition, the Foundation’s Dr. Andy Jackson was on Spectrum News discussing Locke’s recent report on reforming the General Assembly.
Palmetto Promise Institute’s President & CEO Wendy Damron was appointed by the US Commission on Civil Rights to the advisory committee for the State of South Carolina.
Washington Policy Center released a series of videos that highlight areas where legislators could cut costs to decrease the budget shortfall, and another video that shows how lawmakers and bureaucrats are making decisions at odds with the data and the will of the citizens of Washington State.
The Buckeye Institute filed its latest union wage theft case against the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) for their refusal to stop taking money out of the paychecks of public employees who are not members of the government unions. The Buckeye Institute filed Chandler v. OAPSE on behalf of Kevin Chandler, Amy Clark, and Charles C. Perry, Jr. Buckeye also filed amicus briefs in two important cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. In Kennedy v. Braidwood Management, Buckeye called on the court to stop the federal government’s attempt to create an independent agency without complying with the U.S. Constitution, and in Lozman v. Riviera Beach, Florida, called on the court to hear the case and tell the government it cannot deny an owner any economically viable use of their land without compensation.
Goldwater Institute filed an amicus brief urging a federal appellate court to strike down a Tennessee law that requires government permission in order to work as an auctioneer. Goldwater also announced that it is going to the Arkansas Supreme Court, the seventh state high court where it’s defended constitutional rights, to defend a business owner’s right to earn a living. In addition, the Arizona Republic reported on Goldwater’s lawsuit on behalf of two homeschool moms, who are challenging a new burden that has blocked their purchases of everything from kids’ books to the Constitution under Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program. Finally, Goldwater called on SCOTUS’ to enforce the Janus decision in a case challenging an unconstitutional Oregon law.
Institute for Free Speech filed an amicus brief with the US Supreme Court, arguing that the 1954 precedent of United States v. Harriss no longer reflects modern First Amendment jurisprudence and fails to protect the right to speak anonymously about matters of public policy.
Liberty Justice Center’s Federal Complaint from March 18 compelled the Department of Education to launch an investigation into Title IX violations at Chicago Public Schools and the Illinois Department of Education. The Center also continued its fight for free speech on behalf of Dr. Eric Cubin, a Wyoming radiologist forced to resign after supporting a ban on “gender-affirming” care for minors, by filing an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty filed a Title IX complaint with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights and with US Attorney General Pam Bondi against Westosha Central High School for endangering the safety and privacy of multiple female students.
Arizona: A victory for taxpayers, the Arizona Supreme Court struck down Pinal County’s illegal transportation excise tax, whose burden primarily hurt lower- and middle-income taxpayers (Goldwater Institute).
Mississippi: Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed legislation that phases out the state’s income tax — a historic move that makes Mississippi the first of the lower 48 states to pass a law that does so (Empower Mississippi and the Mississippi Center for Public Policy).
Tennessee: Residents with rare diseases can now seek cutting-edge personalized treatments after the Volunteer State adopted the landmark Right to Try for Individualized Treatments (Goldwater Institute).
Wisconsin: Under threat of legal action after eight months of inaction, the Department of Public Instruction finally released records revealing key information about the extent and source of the ongoing finance crisis in Milwaukee Public Schools (Institute for Reforming Government and Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty).
Caesar Rodney Institute posted briefs that urge Delaware lawmakers to end the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, noting it raises energy costs while achieving only minimal carbon reductions which are offset globally in just seconds by countries like China, and to stop relying on flawed air quality data that exaggerates pollution levels and instead focus on the real public health threat—ensuring a reliable electric grid.
Common Sense Institute released a groundbreaking report on the economic impact of water in Arizona which found that the state’s water challenges aren’t about scarcity; they’re about infrastructure and ingenuity.
Goldwater Institute launched a new policy report, Removing Barriers for Associate Physicians to Expand Healthcare Access, in conjunction with the Beacon Center of Tennessee.
Mountain States Policy Center issued briefs that examine a recently released Idaho tax burden study, expose how Washington and Wyoming lawmakers have proposed billions in new tax increases, break down the rankings of Reason Foundation’s 28th Annual Highway Report, and suggest ways to improve tax transparency and competitiveness for Montanans.
Sutherland Institute released a brief containing research on parent-driven education across the country, finding that America has a long-history of parent-driven education, and its benefits for students are not new.
Washington Policy Center published briefs that question if one should fear the end of the Department of Education, highlight bad legislation moving forward which would give striking workers access to Washington state’s unemployment fund, and issue a challenge to opponents of cutting the carbon tax in the state.
Arizona: The Senate took a significant step toward improving healthcare accessibility, passing a bill which expands pharmacists’ scope of practice to more effectively address the healthcare needs of Arizonans with wide bipartisan support (Goldwater Institute).
Arkansas: Representative Lundstrum proposed a government transparency bill that would require public entities to post video of all meeting online. In addition, Representative Cavenaugh proposed a bill which would repeal the state’s franchise tax (Opportunity Arkansas).
Georgia: The House adopted legislation that addresses several aspects of tort reform. The Senate concurred with their changes and the bill is now headed to Governor Kemp for his signature. The legislature also approved two tax relief measures, sending them on to Gov. Kemp. (Georgia Public Policy Foundation).
Idaho: Representative Harris introduced a school budget transparency bill which requires money distributed to school districts or charter schools to be spent where they are supposed to be spent. In addition, lawmakers proposed a limited government bill which takes steps to ensure that bureaucrats in the state avoid unnecessary guidelines in the name of “falling sky” events (Mountains States Policy Center). Finally, the Senate passed a common sense bill which would expand the definition of indecent exposure to protect children (Idaho Freedom Foundation).
Kansas: Lawmakers in the Senate Committee on Government Efficiency (COGE) have an opportunity to fix the state’s broken budget process and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and heard powerful testimony that emphasized the need to stop excessive government growth, enforce strict spending limits, and hold agencies accountable (Kansas Policy Institute).
Minnesota: The Legislature is considering bill which repeals Minnesota’s K-12 liberated Ethnic Studies mandates enacted in 2023 and suspends implementation of the Minnesota Department of Education’s new Social Studies standards — which include Ethnic Studies (Center of the American Experiment).
Nevada: Lawmakers introduced several bills to make it easier for health care workers licensed in other states to work in Nevada (Nevada Policy).
New Hampshire: Lawmakers moved 15 housing bills in one day in effort to address the states housing shortage (Josiah Bartless Center for Public Policy).
Ohio: The General Assembly passed sweeping reforms to the state’s higher education system, which would increase the accountability of Ohio’s public universities. The Buckeye Institute-championed Senate Bill 1 bans DEI in recruiting, training, and scholarships; bans faculty strikes; requires annual reviews and post-tenure reviews for faculty; bans universities from taking positions on controversial beliefs or policies, such as climate policies, politics, foreign policy, DEI programs, immigration policy, marriage, abortion, etc.; requires professors to post their syllabi online for students, parents, and the public to review; requires students to complete a three-credit hour course on American civics literacy to graduate; and bans gifts and new partnerships with China.
Oklahoma: Members of the House voted to phase out the state’s personal income tax by a margin of more than three to one. The bill now proceeds to the Senate. In addition, members of the Senate passed legislation that would prevent “jackpot” awards in Oklahoma courts while still allowing victims to receive full payment for medical treatment and lost income when injured due to another’s neglect (Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs).
South Carolina: In a stunning move, Speaker Smith rolled out a bill which would bring about a tax cut ten years in the making. In addition, a bill to restructure South Carolina’s fragmented health agencies passed through subcommittee in the House (Palmetto Promise).
Texas: Lawmakers proposed a bill that would lift hurdles that cities put in place concerning housing occupancy (Texas Public Policy Foundation).
Virginia: Governor Youngkin vetoed outright a series of unwise energy bills and offered changes to others that remove the harm they would do (Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy).
Topics:
Trump’s Education Smackdown: Shutting Down the Department of Education
California Policy Center
New Letter to USDOE: Title IX Does Not Permit California’s Bait and Switch to Female Students
California Policy Center
Education Funding Should “Follow the Child” When Parents Choose Oregon Charter Schools
Cascade Policy Institute
Gov. Walz Doubles Down on Going After Private Schools
Center of the American Experiment
Aaron Withe Statement on President Trump’s Executive Order to Eliminate Education Department
Freedom Foundation
Block Grants Could Help Rural Areas That Welcome Education Choice
James Madison Institute
Statement on Dismantling the Department of Education
John Locke Foundation
Universal Open Enrollment Can Help Students and School Districts
Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy
Legislative Update: Key Public School Changes
Libertas Institute
Report: Charter Schools Outperform Public Schools
MacIver Institute
How Michigan Schools Can Thrive as US Department of Education Evolves
Mackinac Center
Study: School Choice Doesn’t Increase Homeschool Regulation
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
South Carolina Among Lowest in the Nation in Education Freedom – Come Learn Why
Palmetto Promise Institute
Preventing a De Facto Ban of Charter Schools
Show-Me Institute
How to Leverage Local School District Policy to Improve Education
Sutherland Institute
Grading the Graders: Unmasking Texas’ Accountability Crisis
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Virginia is Ready to Take Full Control of Education
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
Press Release – Education to the States
Virginia Institute for Public Policy
On ‘Apples to Apples’ Assessment, Private and Charter Schools Outperform Their Public Counterparts
Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty
Delaware Continues to Meet Federal Air Quality Standards
Caesar Rodney Institute
Ignoring Role of Bass in Salmon Decline is Negligence
California Policy Center
Revive Nuclear Energy in America
California Policy Center
EPA’s House Cleaning Scraps Unworkable GHG Emissions Standards
Center of the American Experiment
Minnesota Power for Sale
Center of the American Experiment
Hochul Pushes New Energy Tax Past Next Election
Empire Center
Sec. Bessent: ‘There is Not a Clean Energy Race. There is an Energy Race’
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
Colorado Utilities Signal Pain Ahead for Energy Transition
Independence Institute
Can We Recover from the ‘Most Significant Climate Change Law Ever’?
Mackinac Center
Oklahoma’s Anti-Energy-Discrimination Law Needs to Be Allowed to Work
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Commentary: Free Market Solutions for SC’s Energy Future
Palmetto Promise
Going Radioactive with Texas Nuclear Alliance President Reed Clay
Texas Public Policy Foundation
My 2020 Pandemic Predictions, 5 Years Later
Mackinac Center
Will Trump’s Anti-DEI Order Cure the Woke Flu Infecting U.S. Medical Schools?
Pacific Research Institute
Imposing Price Controls on U.S. Drugs Won’t Level the Playing Field
Pacific Research Institute
Bill Analysis: HB 4504/SB 1318
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Tanking Commercial Property Values in Downtown Minneapolis Push Up Residential Property Taxes
Center of the American Experiment
Reporting on Housing Fails to Ask Basic Question
Show-Me Institute
Ending Homelessness
California Policy Center
Quantifying the Variables that Determine Our Prosperity
California Policy Center
Lahaina Future Brighter, But Keep Pedal to the Metal
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Illinois Loses Jobs in January, Metro Areas Lag US Job Growth
Illinois Policy
Freedom V. Efficiency: Hangzhou’s City Brain Can Improve Efficiency, But Raises Many Questions
Pacific Research Institute
Proposed Constitutional Amendment 2: Driving Greater Economic Prosperity for Louisiana
Pelican Institute
New Report: Connecticut Lost People Due to High Taxes
Yankee Institute
We’re Living in Topsy Turvy World: A Comparison of Alabama Tax Plans
Alabama Policy Institute
Stopping the Fraud
Center of the American Experiment
Walz’s Budget Plan Ignores Minnesota’s Long-Term Fiscal Challenge
Center of the American Experiment
What They Make 2024
Empire Center
Conservatives Are Correct to DOGE and Vote Down Enhancement Budgets
Idaho Freedom Foundation
Bensenville Asking Voters About Grocery Tax; What’s Your Town’s Plan?
Illinois Policy
The Statehouse: Our House of Mirrors
Indiana Policy Review Foundation
Taxpayer Frustration Fuels Push to Rein in Local Government Budgets
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation
DOGE Exposes Waste and Constitutional Drift
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation
Click, Stream, Talk, Pay – Florida’s Communications Tax Reality
James Madison Institute
LFB Budget Report: Gov. Evers’ Budget Adds $2.7 Billion in Taxes, Fees
MacIver Institute
How Mississippi Eliminated the Income Tax
Mississippi Center for Public Policy
Mississippi Is Phasing Out Its Income Tax
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Fix Nebraska’s Truth in Taxation Timeline and Tax Rate Rollback
Platte Institute
Release: SCPC Strongly Supports Tax Reform Plan
South Carolina Policy Council
TPPF Releases a New Research Paper Shedding Light on Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Data Breach Exposes PSEA’s Incompetence
Freedom Foundation
New York: Choosing Freedom One Opt-Out at a Time
Freedom Foundation
Utah’s Public Labor Union Bill Should Be a Model for the Nation
Libertas Institute
Be Outraged at the Things You Control
Frontier Institute
Alien Enemies, Alien Friends, and the Concept of “Allegiance”
Independence Institute
Lawless: The Miseducation of America’s Elites with Ilya Shapiro on April 10
Show-Me Institute
In Crain’s Cleveland Business, The Buckeye Institute’s Rea S. Hederman Jr. urged Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio General Assembly to fix a faulty quirk in the state’s tax code.
In the Mercury News, the California Policy Center’s Will Swaim points out banning rent software won’t make housing more affordable.
In the Minnesota Star Tribune, Freedom Foundation of Minnesota’s Annette Meeks calls for Governor Walz to return to Minnesota and seek bipartisan solutions.
In City Journal, the Georgia Center for Opportunity’s Josh Crawford explains why kids join gangs—and how to stop them.
In his recent column, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation’s Kyle Wingfield notes the work is only halfway done on Georgia’s efforts to curb abusive lawsuits.
In the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii’s Ted Kefalas encourages policymakers to end school impact fees.
At Civitas Institute, the Independence Institute’sRob Natelson discusses the battle over Colorado’s ban on “conversion therapy.”
At Civitas Institute, the Independence Institute’s Rob Natelson opines on what the Founders meant by “high misdemeanor.”
In the American Spectator, the Independent Institute’s Lloyd Billingsley examines the ongoing exodus from California to states with more economic freedom.
In the American Spectator, Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation’s John Hendrickson points out DOGE is exposing constitutional drift.
At Florida Politics, The James Madison Institute’s William Mattox notes education block grants could help rural areas that welcome education choice.
At Florida Politics, The James Madison Institute’s Edward Longe highlights the problems with device filtering legislation.
In an op-ed for the Detroit Free Press, the Mackinac Center’s Jarrett Skorup highlights how Michigan businesses are using government power to block Sheetz from entering the state.
In his column for The Detroit News, the Mackinac Center’s Mike Reitz points out that crisis fatigue can deplete urgency.
In a piece for City Journal, the Mackinac Center’s Jarrett Skorup argues federal workers shouldn’t have collective-bargaining rights.
In The Detroit News, the Mackinac Center’s Jarrett Skorup argues Michigan’s flawed teacher certification system is hurting education.
In The Center Square, the Mountain States Policy Center’s Sam Cardwell considers the findings of the Idaho State Tax Commission’s latest annual tax burden study.
In The Center Square, the Mountain States Policy Center’s Jason Mercier highlights how Washington lawmakers are proposing billions in new taxes.
In the Washington Examiner, the Pacific Research Institute’s Sally Pipes points out big savings can be found in improper Medicare spending.
In her column for Newsmax, the Pacific Research Institute’s Sally Pipes notes Democrats in California are putting the healthcare of illegals first.
In the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Pacific Research Institute’s Kerry Jackson notes San Diego is still reeling from the CA Supreme Court’s block of pension reform.
In The Center Square, the Pelican Institute’s Jordan Richardson highlights his new study on improving public safety in Louisiana.
In The Hill, State Policy Network’s Jane McEnaney makes the case for transferring educational authority from the federal government to the states.
In Governing, Sutherland Institute’s William Duncan highlights Utah’s new app store law for minors.
In his recent column, John Hood considers the policies driving North Carolina’s population boom.
