Announcements 

• Americans for Fair Treatment announced that Chief Executive Officer, David Osborne, will step down from his position for health reasons. Effective immediately, Elisabeth Messenger, the organization’s current National Executive Director, will serve as AFFT’s Interim Chief Executive Officer.

• The Buckeye Institute filed its amicus brief in Texas v. Yellen with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Buckeye previously filed briefs in similar cases (Ohio v. Yellen, West Virginia v. Yellen, and Arizona v. Yellen), which urged those respective courts to rule that the Biden Administration’s tax mandate—included in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)—is ambiguous and therefore unenforceable and that the treasury secretary cannot fix Congress’s error through regulatory action.

• The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) filed a cross-motion in federal court as part of an ongoing case 2:22-cv-00252 against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) asking the court to order DOJ to immediately produce its Strategic Plan to carry out President Biden’s Executive Order 14019, titled ‘Promoting Access to Voting’ as well as other documents that it is withholding.

• Institute for Reforming Government released the last of its Wisconsin State Agency 101 Briefings, highlighting everything you need to know about the Department of Transportation, the Department of Children and Families, and the Wisconsin Technical College System. This concludes their Agency 101 series, explaining the basics of the 20 largest state agencies in Wisconsin.

• In the latest episode of the John Locke Foundation’s Policy Pizza video series, the Foundation considers the root causes of inflation.

• The Mississippi Center for Public Policy launched the Mississippi Leadership Academy, a six-part program designed to equip young people with the skills necessary to be effective change agents in Mississippi. 

• On the Hubwonk podcast, Pioneer Institute talked with the Cato Institute’s Chris Edwards about the new report he co-authored entitled, “Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors 2022.” 

• Todd Myers, the Director of the Center for the Environment at the Washington Policy Center, released a new book today, Time to Think Small: How Nimble Environmental Technologies Can Solve the Planet’s Biggest Problems. 

Solutions from the states: This week’s policy briefs

• A new report written by national social studies expert Wilfred McClay and released today from Center of the American Experiment details how the draft social studies standards developed in 2021 focus on divisive topics, favor radical political activism over academic knowledge and are now among the worst social studies standards in the nation.

• The Alaska Policy Forum released a policy brief on cleaning up Alaska’s voter rolls.

• The Beacon Center released a regulatory reform agenda for Tennessee lawmakers.

• The Georgia Public Policy Foundation released a study of one contributor to housing costs that has a varying but often significant effect throughout Georgia: development impact fees.

• The John Locke Foundation released a research brief on what North Carolina parents think about education and their schools.

• A new study from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy analyzes every emergency power in state law and identifies reforms that would safeguard the public from their abuse.

• The Pacific Research Institute released healthcare priorities for the next Congress.

• The Pelican Institute published a primer on Louisiana’s new licensing laws.

Policy News from the States

Education

BIPPS At The Table: ‘There Are Much Better Models For Social Studies Standards’
Bluegrass Institute

Effectiveness over Urgency is Key to Improving Student Performance in Wilmington
Caesar Rodney Institute

Catholic School Achievement Fares Better Than Public School Counterparts
Center of the American Experiment

National Expert: Minnesota’s Academic Standards Among The Nation’s Worst
Center of the American Experiment

School Closures, Learning Loss, And Economic Impacts
Center of the American Experiment

Poll Of North Carolina Parents Finds More Concerns About Teachers And What’s Going On In The Classroom
John Locke Foundation

Five Things To Know About K-12 Education In Kansas
Kansas Policy Institute

Florida Is Revamping Civics Education—And OCPA Is Playing A Role
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

As Student Enrollment Drops, the Number of Teachers Rises
Show-Me Institute

Pandemic Slide In Test Scores Shows Why We Need Multiple Approaches To Education
Sutherland Institute

Election 2022

Voting For The Kids
California Policy Center

Midterms Are Approaching—And DOJ Is Still Hiding Election Plans
Foundation for Government Accountability

3 Things To Watch On Election Day
Frontier Institute

Prop 129 Empowers Arizonans to Make Informed Decisions at the Ballot
Goldwater Institute

5 News Outlets Say Voters Should Reject Amendment 1
Illinois Policy Institute

Amendment 1 Could Lock In $4B Statewide Property Tax Hike
Illinois Policy Institute

Question 2: Minimum Wage Hurts Those It’s Designed to Help
Nevada Policy Research Institute

Energy and the Environment

The End of Representative Government and Freedom in Delaware
Caesar Rodney Institute

Rising Natural Gas Prices Mean Minnesotans Could Pay An Extra $385 This Year To Heat Their Homes Compared To 2021
Center of the American Experiment

Government Accountability

Hochul’s Pandemic Study Is Off to an Underwhelming Start
Empire Center

Madigan Pleads Not Guilty To Corruption Charges
Illinois Policy Institute

State Of Emergency Ends, But Many Workers Remain Fired
Washington Policy Center

Emergency Powers Reform Still Needed; State Supreme Court Agrees To Review Governor’s Authority
Washington Policy Center

Healthcare

Simple Solutions That Boost Neighborhood Healthcare
Pacific Research Institute

WA Cares Suddenly Solvent? Hopefully, But It Depends — And The Long-Term-Care Law Still Isn’t Good
Washington Policy Center

Housing

Short-Term Rental Ban Deserves Short Life
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

Jobs And State Economies

Real Incomes Are Falling Further And Faster In Minnesota Than Nationally
Center of the American Experiment

18,500 Fewer Minnesotans Were Employed In September Than In June
Center of the American Experiment

Minnesota’s Economic Growth Is Below Average
Center of the American Experiment

C’MON MAN: Are Our Costs Really Going Down?
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation

Ohio Jobs Head For Right-To-Work States
Mackinac Center

State Budgets and Spending

A Flat Tax in Wisconsin Can Deliver Tax Relief for Everyone
Badger Institute

Montana’s Two Different Tax Realities
Frontier Institute

Property Taxes Rise Nearly $4B Under Pritzker
Illinois Policy Institute

Iowa’s October Revenue Continues to Surpass Estimates
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation

Inaccurate Revenue Estimates Aren’t A Sign For More Spending
Kansas Policy Institute

Budget Surplus For Now, Not Forever
Pelican Institute

Saving Federalism: How Federal Policy Affects Missouri Spending
Show-Me Institute

Workplace Freedom

Teachers Unions’ Illegal Strikes In Massachusetts Test State Law
Americans for Fair Treatment

Support Your Local
Americans for Fair Treatment

Government Union Money Dwarfs Corporate Influence In California Elections
California Policy Center

Virginia Drops From A+ To C In Worker Freedom Largest Decrease In The Country
Thomas Jefferson Institute

Other

High Costs and Low Earnings
Beacon Center

Hochul Cryptic on Crypto
Empire Center

West Virginia Isn’t Family Friendly
Cardinal Institute

Mayor Wheeler Offers a Mixed Bag of Homelessness Solutions
Cascade Policy Institute

Seven Principles Of Sound Public Policy
Frontier Institute

Look at Licensing Reform To Ease Utah’s Mental Health Crisis
Libertas Institute

Think Tanks in the News

Alaska Reads Act Is Up For The Challenge Shown By National Reading Assessment Scores
Alaska Policy Forum in Must Read Alaska

Teachers Unions Spend Big On Democrats Ahead Of Midterm Elections
Americans for Fair Treatment cited at Fox News Online

Unions Dues Being Used to Back PA Democrats
Americans for Fair Treatment on the Rich Zeoli Show

Beating Back The Jungle of Red Tape
Beacon Center at RealClearPolicy

Amendment 1: Balancing Power Or Legislative Shenanigans?
Bluegrass Institute in the Richmond Register

The Forgotten Local Elections With Unforgettable Consequences
California Policy Center in The Epoch Times

Why Oregon Residents May Elect The First Non-Democratic Governor In 40 Years
Cascade Policy Institute op-ed in the Washington Examiner

Government Unions, Progressive Donors Finance Assault on Pennsylvania’s Charter Schools
Commonwealth Foundation at The Daily Signal

Democracy Requires an Informed Electorate
Ethan Allen Institute in the Bennington Banner

Florida Teachers’ Union Bleeding Members
Freedom Foundation at RedState

Good Luck Finding Price Tag On Amendment 1
Illinois Policy Institute in The Center Square

Tiny Steps To Socialism On The Ballot
Independence Institute in The Gazette

Look At Licensing Reform To Ease Utah’s Mental Health Crisis
Libertas Institute in The Salt Lake Tribune

Candidates For The Legislature: Please Champion Legislation
Mackinac Center in the Alpena News

Nevada Ranks Where in K-12 Education?
Nevada Policy Research Institute in Nevada Business

Veteran Suicides Testify To A Healthcare Travesty
Pacific Research Institute at the Washington Examiner

Ensure Telehealth Stays Alive And Well
Pacific Research Institute in The New York Daily News

Denial Is A Dangerous State When It Comes To Public Education And Test Scores
Show-Me Institute in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Politicians’ Backstabbing Family Members Are The Worst
State Policy Network’s Tony Woodlief in Spectator World: 

America’s School Choice Moment Can’t Be Missed At Midterm Elections
Texas Public Policy Foundation at Fox News Online

Time To Engage In Serious Policy Discussions
Washington Policy Center in The Spokesman-Review

Events and Opportunities

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