Announcements

• Is home distilling commerce? That is the question Robert Alt, president and CEO of The Buckeye Institute, discussed at a recent Federalist Society forum on Ream v. U.S. Department of Treasury–Buckeye’s case asking the court to overturn the federal government’s ban on home distilling. 
• The Garden State Initiative announced the establishment of The Governor Thomas H. Kean Economic Leadership Award as a tribute for his pro-growth, pro-taxpayer record, and his contributions to New Jersey for over six decades.
• The Palmetto Promise Institute highlighted several bills moving through the South Carolina Legislature that would streamline licensing for healthcare professionals and ensure South Carolinians have more choices in healthcare.  
• Washington Policy Center announced long-time Center for the Environment Director Todd Myers will take over as WPC’s Vice President for Research.
• WILL is hosting a book signing event with Dr. Corey DeAngelis, author of the upcoming book ‘The Parent Revolution: Rescuing Your Kids From Radicals Ruining Our Schools.’

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

• The Liberty Justice Center filed an amicus brief in Project Veritas v. Schmidt, arguing that an Oregon law violates the First Amendment by prohibiting the recording of some conversations but not others—for example, allowing civilians to record on-duty police officers without informing them, but prohibiting such recording of politicians or other government officials.

Success Stories

• Institute for Reforming Government announced that it has grown its internal digital community to over 11,500 people. 
• Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed legislation that provides significant tax relief for residents of the Hawkeye State (Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation).
• More than 27,000 students applied for the Utah Fits All Scholarship (Libertas Institute).
• Research and persistent advocacy culminated in ground breaking legislative reform (HB 4130) with a new Mississippi Student Funding Formula. The bill is now on its way to the Governor. Every student will now be funded according to their individual needs—a key step towards having the funds follow the student (Mississippi Center for Public Policy and Empower Mississippi).
• The Mississippi Supreme Court issued a ruling in favor of educational freedom, rejecting a special interest group’s attempt to block private schools from accessing funding. The Liberty Justice Center represented the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools (MAIS), an association of private schools which the Court ruled may now access the federal relief funding that had been set aside for them by the state legislature.

Solutions from the States: This Week’s Policy Briefs 

• The Badger Institute released a report quantifying the cost of a potential ban on using fossil fuels to heat our homes.

• The California Policy Center released a report that considers how California ended up with the worst business climate in America—and what it will take to turn things around.
• The James Madison Institute released a new policy brief on artificial intelligence and state government operations.
• State policy makers should address an underlying access problem by expanding the number of seats in Massachusetts vocational-technical high schools rather than changing the schools’ admissions policies, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute. 
• The Platte Institute released an analysis of the cost of elections to Nebraska counties.
• The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) released a new report assessing the impact declining levels of social capital (the collection of interpersonal relationships that unite a heterogeneous society) has on Wisconsin communities.
• The Puerto Rico Institute for Economic Liberty published a policy paper on the dysfunctions of occupational licenses and the key elements for occupational regulation reform in Puerto Rico to enhance workforce participation and promote overcoming dependency.

Policy News from the States

K-12 Education

Will School Choice Be on Oregon Ballots Soon?
Cascade Policy Institute         

Free Pre-K Is Hurting The Childcare Industry
American Experiment

Does School Choice Increase Government Control Of Private Schools/Homeschooling?
American Experiment

NY School Spending Led All US By Record Margin In 2021-22
Empire Center

Empower Mississippi Praises Passage of New Education Funding Formula
Empower Mississippi

Hybrid Schools Look To The Future
Georgia Public Policy Foundation

What is the Georgia Promise Scholarship?
Georgia Public Policy Foundation

Violent Crime Surges 26% At Chicago Public Schools, Arrests Hit Record Low
Illinois Policy Institute

More States Give Parents Control Over Education Funds, So Why Not Illinois?
Illinois Policy Institute

North Carolina Senate Gets Quick Start on Addressing Opportunity Scholarship Waitlist
John Locke Foundation

States Should Increase The Availability Of Public Charter Schools
Mountain States Policy Center

Energy and Environment

Three Things To Know About EPA’s New Greenhouse Gas Regulations On Power Plants
American Experiment

Proof That Wind And Solar Are Disasters, Not The Energy America Really Needs
Mackinac Center

Gov. Inslee’s Latest Wasteful EV Subsidy Is The Equivalent Of Paying $1,125 For A Latte
Washington Policy Center

Healthcare

No Need for a ‘Hospital Review Board’ in Delaware
Caesar Rodney Institute

Budget Deal Slows Medicaid Growth But Plants Seeds for Future Spending
Empire Center

The Latest on Medicaid Expansion 
Foundation for Government Accountability

How Not To Fix Surprise Ambulance Bills
Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy

Health Care Needs Price Transparency
Mountain States Policy Center

Housing Affordability

If Not Preemption, Local Governments Need To Step Up And Take The Lead On Zoning Reform
American Experiment

Jobs and State Economies

CEOs Agree With The Data: Minnesota Isn’t A ‘Top State For Business’
American Experiment

Minnesotans Are Feeling The Economic Squeeze
American Experiment

Regulatory Reform Works in Florida—It Can Work in Washington, Too
Foundation for Government Accountability

Illinois State Gas Tax To Hit 47 Cents July 1
Illinois Policy Institute

Consumers, Not ‘Polluters’, Would Be Hard Hit by New Climate Tax Legislation
Pacific Research Institute

Losing Local Labor: Retaining Workers Remains a Massachusetts Challenge
Pioneer Institute

State Budgets

What Wisconsin’s Constitutional Amendment Means For Big Government Spending
Badger Institute

Cooper’s Budget Plan: An Unrealistic, Unserious Political Document
John Locke Foundation

Countdown To The Budget Deal: A Look At Education Spending
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

What Tax to Cut? Property or Income?
Palmetto Promise Institute

Other

A Squatters “Fix” That May Fix Squat
Empire Center

As Violent Crime Skyrockets, Pima County Plans To Set More Criminals Free
Goldwater Institute

AI Could Make FOIA Obsolete
Mackinac Center

Embracing AI for State Programs: A Conservative Approach to Efficiency and Innovation
Mountain States Policy Center

More Predators Headed To The North Cascades
Washington Policy Center

The Network in the News

In The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Buckeye Institute urged policymakers in Cincinnati to avoid recycled tax-and-spend policies to address the city’s nearly $500 million budget shortfall.

In USA Today, the Commonwealth Foundation‘s Guy Ciarrocchi notes victory for Republicans in Pennsylvania will require focus, unity — and turnout.

At RealClearMarkets, the Commonwealth Foundation‘s Nathan Benefield notes Pennsylvanians are not buying what Josh Shapiro is selling.

In the New York Post, the Foundation for Government Accountability‘s Tarren Bragdon highlights how President Biden is using the strength of the federal government to register and mobilize voters who are likely to support his re-election.

In his recent column, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation‘s Kyle Wingfield considers the state of election integrity in Georgia. 

In the New York Post, the Illinois Policy Institute‘s Paul Vallas notes fixing student debt in the US will take more than White House forgiveness.

In the Daily Caller, the Illinois Policy Institute‘s Mailee Smith highlights the recent contract demands of the Chicago’s Teachers Union. 

In the Des Moines Register, Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation‘s Chris Hagenow highlights how Iowa completed its legislative session with more than $1 billion in tax relief.

At RealClearEducation, the Kansas Policy Institute‘s Dave Trabert points out collective bargaining isn’t related to better student outcomes.

In the Times News, the Mountain States Policy Center‘sSebastian Griffin points out AI can save taxpayer money.

In his recent column, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs‘ Jonathan Small highlights the positive reforms in the Oklahoma House and Senate’s budget plans.

In her recent column for Newsmax, the Pacific Research Institute‘s Sally Pipes notes Senator Bernie Sanders views Canada’s healthcare through rose-colored glasses.