May 9, 2025
Week in Review: May 9, 2025
Writing for The James Martin Center for Academic Renewal, The Buckeye Institute looks at Ohio’s recent success with higher education reform and what more can be done.
Sutherland unveiled weekly policy-specific newsletters to help enhance its reach, impact, and influence on key issues facing Utah and the nation.
TPPF released a video that breaks down myth vs. fact regarding housing affordability legislation making its way through the Texas Capitol.
Independent Institute Senior Fellow Richard Vedder, author of Let Colleges Fail: The Power of Creative Destruction in Higher Education was featured on C-SPAN’s Book TV.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) is calling on the Trump Administration to investigate a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) librarians conference organized by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and funded by Wisconsin taxpayers.
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy has filed a lawsuit against Flint Community Schools for repeatedly violating Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act. The legal action filed April 30 follows more than 50 business days of silence and evasion from the school district regarding a request for public records related to administrative travel and business expenses.
Colorado: Independence Institute’s efforts to kill SB-086, a social media regulation bill aimed at policing speech online, were vetoed by Governor Polis. In his veto letter, the Governor cited the work of the Institute.
Hawaii: The Aloha State passed several bills that will help mitigate the state’s housing crisis (Grassroot Institute of Hawaii).
Indiana: The state enacted Right to Try for Individualized Treatments, giving hope to desperate patients (Goldwater Institute).
South Carolina: Governor McMastersigned the Education Scholarship Trust Fund Act—a law that will bring school choice back to the Palmetto State (Palmetto Promise Institute).
Texas: The Lone Star State officially passed school choice (Texas Public Policy Foundation).
Nationwide: On May 1, the Liberty Justice Center celebrated a significant victory for equal opportunity in Glennon v. Johnson after Bally’s Corporation announced a revised public offering for its Chicago casino project that no longer illegally discriminates on the basis of race or gender.
A new Beacon Center poll finds a majority of Tennesseans support eliminating the Department of Education, even though a plurality of voters actually approve of the agency.
The Institute for Reforming Government (IRG) released a new report detailing Wisconsin’s lack of progress on an effective solution to the teacher shortage: teacher apprenticeships.
The Josiah Bartlett Center outlined how New Hampshire’s Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs) work.
A new Pioneer Institute study finds that while rent control can lower rental housing costs and help vulnerable tenants remain in their homes, it also carries steep long-term consequences—including reduced housing quality, lower property values, fewer new housing units, and higher rents for non-controlled apartments.
The James Madison Institute unveiled the latest installment of the JMI Poll, two comprehensive surveys of 1,200 registered Florida voters, offering a revealing look at voter priorities and preferences across key policy and political issues.
Reforming local land-use planning is critical to meeting Florida housing needs—according to a new James Madison Institute study.
Illinois: The Illinois Senate passed a bipartisan bill out of the Licensed Activities Committee that could help alleviate Illinois’ shortage of healthcare workers.
South Carolina: South Carolina: The state House passed a reform that would set South Carolina’s individual income tax—currently at 6.2%—on a path to 0% (Palmetto Promise Institute and South Carolina Policy Council).
South Carolina: The Palmetto State is also considering a bill that would require public and charter schools across the state to record school board meetings and post them within two business days of the event (Palmetto Promise Institute).
Pennsylvania: Lawmakers advanced Lifeline Scholarships—a program that would provide scholarships to tens of thousands of Pennsylvania students attending one of the state’s lowest-performing schools (Commonwealth Foundation).
Topics:
School Choice is Bigger in Texas
Cascade Policy Institute
Stop Saying Low Test Scores Are Because of Opt-Outs
Center of the American Experiment
Feds Cite New Priorities in Revoking $1.9 Million Grant to Rochester Schools
Center of the American Experiment
Highest MN Graduation Rate on Record, Paired with Lowest Proficiency
Center of the American Experiment
Nearly 3/4 of Public School Teachers Support ESAs
Center of the American Experiment
Big Week for School Choice
Commonwealth Foundation
Lawmakers Seek to Strengthen Student Literacy through Teacher Training
Illinois Policy Institute
Chicago Teachers Union Contract Will Create Nearly $1B Fiscal Cliff for Schools
Illinois Policy Institute
Kansas: $36 Bang for the Education Buck
Kansas Policy Institute
A Change in K-12 Leadership
Kansas Policy Institute
Green Light for Teacher Strikes and Red Light for Nevada Students
Nevada Policy
Leadership Change in CCSD, But Will Anything Else Change?
Nevada Policy
Thousands Shift to Private School Thanks to Oklahoma Program
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Texas Joins School Choice Surge, Raising the Bar for Oklahoma
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Michigan Needs Better Teachers, Not Smaller Classes
Mackinac Center for Public Policy
Pioneer Institute Testimony Concerning VTE Admissions to the Massachusetts Board of Education
Pioneer Institute
MO Scholars Program Remains a Worthwhile Investment
Show-Me Institute
Phones Down: The Negative Effects of the Internet on Student Learning
Show-Me Institute
Considering Copyright Law and Sharing Curriculum
Sutherland Institute
Schools Notifying Parents About the Kinds of Care Kids Can Decide on Their Own Didn’t Make It
Washington Policy Center
Saving California’s Rural Water Users
California Policy Center
Going Lights Out for Lights On
Center of the American Experiment
Forcing Homes to Switch to Electric Heat Is Not a Good Policy
Empire Center
Blackouts: The Pain in Spain is Mainly Renewables’ Blame
John Locke Foundation
Youngkin Acts to Prevent Energy Price Hikes, Labels Virginia Clean Economy Act Failed
Thomas Jefferson Institute
Lawsuit Challenges the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Over-Regulation of Small Reactors
Thomas Jefferson Institute
Medicaid Fraud in the Spotlight
Center of the American Experiment
Illinois Fixing Shortage by Changing Foreign-Trained Doctor Licensing
Illinois Policy Institute
Illinois House Helping Health Care Shortage by Easing Volunteer Requirements
Illinois Policy Institute
How to Minimize the Fiscal Impact of Federal Cuts to Medicaid Expansion
John Locke Foundation
Wisconsin Republicans on Capitol Hill Push for Medicaid Reforms
MacIver Institute
Medicaid’s Check-Up, Part 5
Show-Me Institute
What Congress Is Saying About Medicaid Reform
The Foundation for Government Accountability
Local government regulations push price of a Wisconsin roof skyward
Badger Institute
Delaware Slipping, Mississippi Rising: A Tale of Two States Changing Places
Caesar Rodney Institute
Minnesota’s Rankings for Health Care and Economy Plummet
Center of the American Experiment
Untangling the Web: SC Needs Small Business Regulatory Freedom
Goldwater Institute
Corporate Income Taxes Have Stifled Illinois Pandemic Recovery
Illinois Policy Institute
Key Things to Know About the South Carolina Tax Cut Plan
Palmetto Promise Institute
Economic Impact Analysis: House Republicans’ Income Tax Plan Will Boost SC Economy
Palmetto Promise Institute
Seven FAQs About South Carolina Republicans’ Tax Cut Plan
Palmetto Promise Institute
New Report Warns Massachusetts Facing Alarming Decline in Private Sector Employment Growth
Pioneer Institute
Washington’s Best States Ranking: A Misleading Narrative Ignoring the Cost of Living Crisis and Education Failures
Washington Policy Center
New Gas Tax, But No Road Repair
Washington Policy Center
Testimony Before the Multnomah County Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission Regarding the PPS General Obligation Bond Budget
Cascade Policy Institute
DFL Deficit: A Cautious Welcome for the House Tax Bill
Center of the American Experiment
MN Budget Faces Numerous Long-Term Risks, Spending Reform Can’t Wait
Center of the American Experiment
Addressing Rising Welfare Spending Is Key to Fixing the Budget Deficit
Center of the American Experiment
The Empire Center Comments on the Budget Deal in Albany
Empire Center
The Schultz Doctrine: You Can’t Cut Taxes Without Controlling Spending
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation
States, Not DC, Should Make Spending Decisions
Mackinac Center for Public Policy
Closing Nebraska’s $262 Million Biennial Budget Gap
Platte Institute
Lamont’s Crisis Reporting Tool Exposes Basically Nothing
Yankee Institute
SEIU 721’s Strike Impacts County Services While Union Pushes for Bigger Payouts
California Policy Center
Report: Fringe Benefits Boost Average Kentucky Teacher’s Compensation to Nearly $100,000
Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions
School Bus Driver Brandishes Belt, Mom Gets Banned
Goldwater Institute
End Federal Funding for Public Broadcasting
Independence Institute
Time to Strengthen the Wyoming Public Records Act
Mountain States Policy Center
Troubling New Lawsuit Trend Calls for Transparency
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Pritzker and Shapiro Are Two Progressive Peas in a Pod
Commonwealth Foundation
Kyle Jackson: A Father’s Footsteps
Empower Mississippi
2025 End of Session Wrap-Up
Frontier Institute
Teacher Akina Gives Legislature a ‘B’ During Ride with Perry the Posse
Grassroot Institute
Illinois Food Assistance Dips in January But Still Leads Region
Illinois Policy Institute
The Protectionist Illusion and America’s Nihilist Decay
John Locke Foundation
Wisconsin AG Joins Another Lawsuit Against Trump Administration
MacIver Institute
Correcting Misconceptions Surrounding Maine’s Win Against the USDA
Maine Policy Institute
Tariffs: Why You Should Fear Them
Mississippi Center for Public Policy
The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same: The Antitrust Crusade Rolls On
Pelican Institute for Public Policy
Why Profit Is Good and Why Free Markets Let People Prosper
Pelican Institute for Public Policy
Statehouse Update May 6-8
South Carolina Policy Council
Parents and Religious Freedom
Sutherland Institute
What the 2025 Legislature Tells Us About Why Washington’s Government Keeps Failing
Washington Policy Center
Washington State Legislature 2025: That’s a Wrap
Washington Policy Center
Beef Month: Cattle are Firefighters, Not Just Delicious Beef Bites
Washington Policy Center
Women Farmers Experience Farm Stress Differently
Washington Policy Center
In The New York Sun, the Empire Center’s Bill Hammond highlights New York’s swollen Medicaid rolls.
In his recent column, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation‘s Kyle Wingfield highlights a significant infrastructure achievement in Georgia.
In the Dalton Daily Citizen, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation’s Brett Kittredge explains why Georgia is celebrating microschool week.
At Townhall, Goldwater Institute’s Victor Riches notes price controls for medicine have a devastating cost.
In the Chicago Tribune, the Illinois Policy Institute’s Paul Vallas argues the Department of Education should stop the CPS probe and reform education in ways that matter.
In his recent column, John Hood considers how we can meet the challenges of housing affordability.
In his column for The Detroit News, Mackinac’s Mike Reitz notes the country needs skilled trade workers.
In a piece for the Washington Examiner (placed by SPN), the Mississippi Center for Public Policy’s Douglas Carswell considers what immigration reform should look like.
In The Center Square, the Mountain States Policy Center’s Amber Gunn highlights the dangers of unchecked executive power.
In The Center Square, the Mountain States Policy Center’s Jason Mercier praises Montana’s recent tax reforms.
In his recent column, OCPA’s Jonathan Small encourages Oklahoma to pass the REINS Act.
In the Washington Examiner, the Pacific Research Institute’s Sally Pipes points out Medicaid isn’t a federal entitlement.
In her column for Newsmax, the Pacific Research Institute’s Sally Pipes highlights how Trump is moving the healthcare debate away from heavy handed government.
In the Tribune-Review, the Pacific Research Institute’s Sally Pipes points out that insurers and bureaucrats shouldn’t deprive patients of lifesaving treatments.
At Fox News, the Pacific Research Institute’s Wayne Winegarden and Kerry Jackson point out California’s green new scam could cost you $20,000.
In the Albuquerque Journal, the Rio Grande Foundation’s Paul Gessing notes prohibiting housing market technology won’t resolve New Mexico housing shortage.
In the Columbia Daily Tribune, the Show-Me Institute’s Cody Koedel points out that statewide standardized tests remain our best tool for understanding how much students are learning.
In The Denver Gazette, SPN’s Amy O. Cooke criticizes Colorado’s aggressive renewable push, warning of rising costs, reliability risks, and economic impacts.
In the Washington Examiner, SPN’s Jennifer Butler notes Trump’s golden age of building starts with the states.
At Florida Politics, The James Madison Institute’s William Mattox encourages lawmakers to abandon the ‘cruel summer’ proposal.
At National Review, the Washington Policy Center’s Todd Myers notes Trump’s energy revolution is great—but it’s also fragile.
