March 8, 2024
Week in Review: March 8, 2024
Alabama Policy Institute released a comprehensive report regarding Certificate of Need (CON) laws in Alabama. The report finds that CON laws function to aid in the formation of monopolies, especially in healthcare markets, and should be explicitly repealed.
The Buckeye Institute and Georgia Public Policy Foundation partnered to model four tax reform proposals and provide lawmakers with a better understanding of how each proposal will affect the state’s businesses, families, economy, and revenues. The modeling found that billions in economic growth is possible for Georgia.
Foundation for Government Accountability presented Texas State Representative Ellen Troxclair with its Legislative Champion Award. In particular, the Foundation applauded Troxclair for her proven leadership in Texas on sound budgeting, property tax cuts, limited government, and promoting the value of work. The Foundation also released a video explainer on ranked-choice voting.
Indiana Policy Review Foundation announced the launch of a book-signing campaign to raise awareness about the Foundation’s recently released book, Indiana Mandate: A Return to Founding Principles.
James Madison Institute released a new report on online gaming, Taking a Chance: Market Dominators Game the System, which lays out existing law as well as Supreme Court precedent related to the differences in gaming and gambling and explains the importance of competition in the marketplace.
John Locke Foundation introduced the 2024 Civitas Partisan Index. Modeled after the Cook Political Index, Locke’s Index helps both the public and pundits better understand the partisan leanings of state House and Senate districts.
Mountain States Policy Center launched a “Policy QuickTake” campaign raising awareness about Washington state’s income tax ban.
The Buckeye Institute filed Wos v. Cleveland, a class action lawsuit calling on the court to order the city of Cleveland to follow its own ordinances and pay Buckeye’s clients, and anyone else affected, the interest the city owes them for failing to issue tax refunds within 90 days.
Goldwater Institute filed a brief urging SCOTUS justices to overrule the Martin v. City of Boise decision and to restore sanity to discussions of addressing the problems of homelessness.
Liberty Justice Center filed a brief in Greenberg v. Lehocky urging the Supreme Court to protect Americans’ ability to challenge unconstitutional policies and actions. The Center also filed a brief on behalf of Illinois Policy advising the Appellate Court of Illinois of the harm that would be caused by adopting a proposed ballot referendum, which would accelerate Chicago’s economic decline by increasing businesses’ tax burden. Finally, the Center celebrated a California court’s recent decision to uphold parental rights against a special interest group’s attempted legal challenge, issuing an amicus brief in the case on behalf of the Chino Valley Unified School District, which the Center is representing in its own legal battle to defend parents’ rights.
Palmetto Promise submitted an amicus curiae brief in support of South Carolina’s Education Scholarship Trust Fund program which is under legal challenge by the National Education Association.
Alabama: The CHOOSE Act, the state’s first education scholarship account program, was signed into law, providing families with flexible-use scholarships – a remarkable step forward in Alabama’s journey towards educational freedom (Alabama Policy Institute).
Arizona: In a victory for free speech, the Flagstaff Unified School District was compelled to stop unconstitutionally blacklisting a local Arizona radio host for his conservative views (Goldwater Institute).
Idaho: The Legislature responded unanimously to close the state’s home equity theft loophole – a step that leads to greater fairness for Idaho taxpayers. In more good news, Governor Little signed the Accelerated Public Charter School Act into law, which cuts red tape around supporting charter schools in Idaho (Mountain States Policy Center).
Nebraska: Governor Jim Pillen signed a bill easing occupational licensing restrictions and paving the way for job mobility across states – great news for workers in the state (Platte Institute).
Utah: A bill that allows child entrepreneurs to open a lemonade stand, wash cars, or operate other occasional businesses without requiring them to get permits was passed near unanimously by the Legislature. In addition, both houses also passed a bill which would help keep Utah residents informed when their local governments are proposing a property tax increase. Also, the Legislature passed a bill which would make it easier for famers to obtain insurance for activities related to agritourism. Finally, lawmakers also passed a bill which will make it easier to start a microschool in the state (Libertas Institute).
Washington: Lawmakers passed three out of six citizen initiatives – including two banning state and local income taxes and establishing parents’ rights in education – a legislative victory for all who live in the state (Washington Policy Center).
Wisconsin: A federal judge declared unconstitutional the racially discriminatory federal laws creating the Minority Business Development Agency – a historic victory for equality in America (Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty).
Empire Center released a brief that examining New York state’s post pandemic Medicaid binge, showing how Medicaid spending has skyrocketed, surpassing school aid as the state’s costliest spending item. The Center also analyzed overtime pay policies that led to four psychiatric nurses in New York earning over $300,000 each in overtime pay, contributing to the state’s $1.2 billion overtime expenditure.
John Locke Foundation authored a brief rebutting claims that school choice ruins public schools’ financial stability and showed that demand for North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship Program continues to surge.
Mountain States Policy Center published a brief examining data that show that small farms are disappearing in the mountain states and policies that are driving this change.
Palmetto Promise, in light of several homeschool parents testifying against school choice expansion, posted a brief unpacking how and why education savings accounts policies are tailor-made for homeschooling.
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy authored a brief unpacking the problem with across-the-board salary increases for teachers, calling instead for a policy which will increase the compensation of quality teachers.
Washington Policy Center issued a brief contrasting two versions of the state’s transportation budget, highlighting how lawmakers may need to reevaluate their projections about light rail. The Center also released a brief reviewing how the $250,000 grant to offset overtime pay for farmers merely kicks the can down the road when it comes to the sustainability of farms in Washington.
Idaho: Two bills are moving through the legislature that would continue to reform the state’s occupational licensing laws – one allows for interstate licensing for professional counselors and the other directs licensing authorities to streamline the process of continuing education (Mountain States Policy Center).
Minnesota: A bill was introduced that offers a way to ease the costly process of applying for a barber license in the state – a step towards making this career more within reach for low-income Minnesotans (Center of the American Experiment).
Mississippi: The Mississippi House passed the INSPIRE bill, which would give every student in the state an individualized funding amount, using a weighted formula. This would be a major win for education freedom if it passes the Senate. Also, for the first time in over a decade, bills that would repeal the state’s Certificate of Need (CON) law (HB419 and HB848) passed out of committee for a vote of the whole House (Mississippi Center for Public Policy).
Utah: A proposed bill that would ensure fairness for those in the construction process by stipulating that cities and counties cannot change the permit requirements after a permit has been issued in beings considered by the legislature. There is also legislation moving that would make it easier than ever for students with special needs to get access to education choice programs and allow more students to get access to the Utah Fits All Scholarship (Libertas Institute).
South Carolina: Both the House and Senate have passed versions of legislation that would create a robust new cabinet-level health agency – a step towards a more efficient use of taxpayer dollars, better coordination and delivery of health services, and a central entity charged with working together to deliver better results for citizens (Palmetto Promise).
Topics:
Give Parents Educational Choice, Save K-12 Systems Millions
Bluegrass Institute
What Research Really Says About School Choice
Bluegrass Institute
Parents – The Ultimate Education Reform
California Policy Center
Damage Growing: $31 Trillion Predicted Economic Losses from Learning Disruptions
Center of the American Experiment
Beyond A Monopoly Mindset
Frontier Institute
An Eternal Education Conundrum
Indiana Policy Review Foundation
Florida Politics: All Hybrids Are Not the Same
James Madison Institute
With Anti-School-Choice Republicans Ousted, Texas Seeks to Catch Up to Oklahoma on School Choice
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Schools Should Teach Children the Success Sequence
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Deer Creek Incident Shows Need to Move School-Board Elections to November
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Lawsuit Settlement Forces Accountability on California’s Spending for Student Learning Loss
Pacific Research Institute
Dr. Adrian Mims on The Calculus Project & STEM
Pioneer Institute
Court-ordered March 15 Public Forum May Expose Pseudo-Science of RIDOH’s School Mask Mandate Blunder
Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity
Impacts of Curriculum Transparency on Education Choice
Sutherland Institute
TPPF: School Choice Remains a Top Priority for 89th Legislative Session
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Added Pay Won’t Make Teachers Want to Stay in Bad Teaching Environments
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
Offshore Wind is a Costly and Unreliable Electricity Source
Caesar Rodney Institute
Repowering Will Represent Nearly Half of All New Wind Capacity in 2024
Center of the American Experiment
“Green Deindustrialization” Hits Minnesota: Hibbing Foundry Closes Due to Soaring Electricity Costs
Center of the American Experiment
Leave Policy Making to Lawmakers
Frontier Institute
UN’s ‘Green’ Plans Will Widen the Energy Gap, Keeping the World’s Poor in Squalor
Texas Public Policy Foundation
TPPF Announces Energy Policy Priorities for the 89th Legislative Session
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Nurses Strike Shows Why Minnesota Should Join Nurse Licensure Compact
Center of the American Experiment
A Rare Disease and My Children’s Right to Try
Goldwater Institute
Catching up on Telemedicine
Show-Me Institute
TPPF Applauds Passage of Legislation to Expand Patients’ Access to Primary Care
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Michigan Housing Reform: It’s All About Supply
Mackinac Center
The Last Thing Michigan Needs Is Rent Control for Mobile Home Parks
Mackinac Center
Why For-Profit Housing Succeeds When Subsidized Housing Fails
Pacific Research Institute
Another Housing Package Destined to Fail
Pacific Research Institute
Food Choice In Bureautopia
Cardinal Institute
Day-Labor Chaos on West Lake Street
Center of the American Experiment
Lyft Fight Shows DFL Confusion Over Transport
Center of the American Experiment
First in Nation: Relief on Ballot for Arizonans Paying the Price for Homeless Crisis
Goldwater Institute
Your Cost of Living Just Went Up
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
The James Madison Institute Opposes New Biden Administration Price Control Scheme on Credit Card Late Fees
James Madison Institute
Banning ‘Scalping’ Won’t Fix Ticket Resale Market
Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy
Credit Card Debt: Price Controls, Delinquency and Inflation
MacIver Institute
In Minimum-Wage Case, Oklahoma Supreme Court Defies Judicial Norms
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
New Paper Highlights the Troubles with One-Size-Fits-All Ag Solutions
Pacific Research Institute
Throwing Down (the Red Carpet for Workers)
Platte Institute
Killing the Digital Goose for its Golden Egg
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
We Need to Talk About Minnesota’s Growing Welfare System
Center of the American Experiment
Skepticism Spreads About $2 Billion Streetcar that Will Run Slower than the Bus Already Covering Its Route
Center of the American Experiment
Cost of Blue Line Extension Jumps 45%
Center of the American Experiment
Capitol Watch: Walz Pettiness Over Budget Surplus
Center of the American Experiment
Corporate Welfare in the 2024–25 Budget
Commonwealth Foundation
HB 1893: A Trojan Horse for Taxpayer-Funded Labor Strikes
Freedom Foundation
Gwinnett County Offers Latest Transportation Tax Plan
Georgia Public Policy Foundation
Lawmakers Avoid Making Long-Term Obligations with Temporary Surpluses
Georgia Public Policy Foundation
How You Tax Almost as Important as How Much You Tax
Mackinac Center
Q&A with Nevada Policy’s Lawrence on State Checkbook
Nevada Policy
With Grocery Tax Behind Us, It’s Time to Cut the State Income Tax
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
The Ads in Favor of the New Royals/Chiefs Sales Tax Are Misleading
Show-Me Institute
Arguments for a New Stadium Fall Apart Like Bad Concrete
Show-Me Institute
The Money Train Rolls On: Gov. Strikes Deal with SEBAC For Yet Another Pay Raise
Yankee Institute
Virginia Enacts Emergency Ordinance after Union Pickets Target Councilor Homes
Center of the American Experiment
Chicago Teachers Union Wants Housing Assistance for Teachers Making Nearly $100K
Illinois Policy
Why Georgia Policies Matter
Georgia Center for Opportunity
The Dawn of Artificial Intelligence
Indiana Policy Review Foundation
Privacy in Association is the Free Speech Issue of Our Time
James Madison Institute
The Critical Importance of Fatherhood
MacIver Institute
As the Family Goes, So Goes the State. Utah Gets This
Sutherland Institute
In The Gazette, The Buckeye Institute‘s Robert Alt and Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation‘s Chris Ingstad highlight the dire economic consequences for Iowa farmers and families if the Biden administration’s climate-control policies are implemented.
In The Columbus Dispatch, John Ream, who The Buckeye Institute represents in Ream v. U.S. Department of Treasury, explains why he is suing the federal government to overturn the ban on home distilling.
In her column for The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Commonwealth Foundation‘s Jennifer Stefano encourages Governor Shapiro to remove barriers to entry into the workforce.
In the New York Daily News, the Empire Center‘s Bill Hammond notes we need a real review of how New York handled COVID.
In the Washington Examiner, The Free State Foundation’s Randy May calls for extending the Affordable Connectivity Program, but only if it is reformed to make it more fiscally sustainable and free from fraud.
In the Star Tribune, the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota‘s Annette Meeks encouraged policymakers in Minnesota to ensure competition in the healthcare insurance market.
In the Chicago Tribune, the Illinois Policy Institute‘s Paul Vallas notes the first report on Invest in Kids scholarship program has major flaws.
In the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the Independent Institute’s Benjamin Ginsberg points out that it might be time for the Jewish community in the U.S. to rethink their Democratic loyalties.
At Florida Politics, The James Madison Institute‘s William Mattox notes the Florida Legislature should make it possible for families to use their Family Empowerment Scholarship at hybrid schools .
In The Detroit News, the Pacific Research Institute‘s Sally Pipes highlights how the Biden administration may soon finalize rules that would deprive many Americans of affordable insurance coverage.
In her column for Newsmax, the Pacific Research Institute‘s Sally Pipes notes the bane of high healthcare costs can be traced to Obamacare.
At the Washington Examiner, People United for Privacy Foundation’s Heather Lauer notes the importance of protecting nonprofit donors from antisemitic attacks.
At National Review, the Rio Grande Foundation‘s Paul Gessing highlights how New Mexico, one of the poorest states in the nation, has had massive budget surpluses in recent years.
In the Deseret News, Sutherland Institute‘s Rick Larsen and Brad Wilcox encourage Utah policymakers and voters to look to the next steps toward maintaining a strong family culture in the state.
In the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Thomas Jefferson Institute’s Derrick Max notes union-boosting rail legislation will hurt Virginia.
In the Hartford Courant, the Yankee Institute‘s Carol Platt Liebau and David Flemming note Connecticut still has a way to go to become ‘open for business.’
