October 20, 2023
Week in Review: October 20, 2023
Independence Institute released its 2023 Handbook on K-12 Policy Issues for Colorado School Board Members, a resource for board members and parents alike which provides historical and current information from a common-sense perspective on over two dozen topics.
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation launched its revised ITR Local website, which is an effort to help educate Iowans on property taxes and encourage them to be more involved in their local governments, especially when it comes to property taxes.
Kansas Policy Institute released an investigative report which refuted the Governor’s claim that a rural hospital closed because the state didn’t expand Medicaid.
Mackinac Center announced an upcoming event, “Good Manners and Good Policy;” scheduled for November 2, the event is geared to show how civility can help renew Michigan’s political culture. The Center also hosted an event that discussed healthcare policy, including changes to Certificate-of-Need, scope-of-practice, and hospital monopoly laws.
Mississippi Center for Public Policy hosted a packed public meeting in Jackson on green energy policy, with Mark Mills, Fellow of the Manhattan Institute.
Mountain States Policy Center was hailed as a “brain trust for Idaho conservatives” in an article published on the Idaho State Journal.
Pacific Legal Foundation released a report, Public Service Denied, which shows how discriminatory mandates are preventing qualified individuals from serving on public boards.
People United for Privacy Foundation debuted the National Privacy Advisory Council, a bipartisan panel of privacy experts who will advise PUFPF on its policy priorities.
Texas Public Policy Foundation announced that Greg Sindelar, the Foundation’s CEO, has been appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Texas 1836 Project Advisory Committee, which promotes patriotic education and sharing the values that make Texas the best state in the country.
Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty and it’s Restoring American Education initiative—alongside award-winning Wisconsin educator and Thomas B. Fordham Institute Policy Associate, Daniel Buck—released a new roadmap for educators to help achieve strong educational outcomes for Wisconsin students, Out of the Echo Chamber: Alternative Prep Materials for the American Educator.
Yes. every kid. foundation. released the results of a national poll that surveyed support for several education freedom policies, including ending residential assignment, ESAs and education tax credits. Additionally, this poll is the first-in-the-nation to question respondents on their beliefs about how these policies will impact our nation’s education system.
Liberty Justice Center announced that Senior Counsel Emily Rae will defend Chino Valley’s parental notification policy against the Attorney General’s lawsuit. The upcoming oral arguments in California v. Chino Valley Unified School District continue to attract media attention, including pieces this week by the California Family Council and the Christian Science Monitor.
Mackinac Center filed a response brief as a part of the Center’s lawsuit which defends a permanent tax cut for state residents. The brief argues that the Michigan Department of Treasury’s misinterpretation of a 2015 law stands in the way of a tax cut for 4.9 million taxpayers throughout the state.
Mountain States Policy Center announced that it is teaming up with tax experts from across the country to ask the United States Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of the capital gains tax recently imposed in Washington state.
Washington Policy Center and Opportunity for All Coalition filed an amicus brief supporting the petition to the United States Supreme Court to review the Washington State Supreme Court ruling upholding the capital gains excise tax.
Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty announced that it is preparing to file a motion to intervene in the case recently filed by the Minocqua Brewing Super PAC challenging Wisconsin’s choice program.
Alaska Policy Forum’s Sarah Montalbano penned a brief pointing out that charter schools in Alaska are subject to the same laws and regulations that govern public education, including standards for curriculum, student testing, and accountability–thus may aptly be described as public schools.
The Buckeye Institute released a new policy report detailing a free-market approach states should take in passing data privacy laws. By adopting a free-market approach and following The Buckeye Institute’s principles, states can strike a better balance between consumer protections, market needs, and regulatory burdens.
California Policy Center’s Sheridan Swanson authored a brief examining the disastrous insurance landscape in California, where average premiums are artificially kept among the lowest in the nation, but as a result insurance companies are pulling out of servicing the state, leaving home owners unable to buy coverage.
Empire Center’s Bill Hammond wrote a brief uncovering how New York’s Medicaid spending is running billions over budget, adding to signs of a brewing fiscal crisis in Albany.
Illinois Policy’s Hannah Schmid issued a brief showing why Springfield should save the Invest in Kids Act, a policy which grants over 9,600 low-income students a scholarship so they can attend a private school that better fits their needs when public schools don’t work for them.
John Locke Foundation’s Donald Bryson published a research brief discussing the expanded powers of the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations and the importance it brings in providing transparency in the allocation of public funds, while Locke’s Kelly Lester discussed hog farming and the integral part it plays in North Carolina’s agriculture industry, contributing $10 billion in economic output annually. Finally, Locke’s Bethany Torstenson highlighted the need for community policing in an effort to best protect the public in response to recent polling showing that a majority of North Carolinians are concerned about crime in their neighborhoods.
Kansas Policy Institute’s Dave Trabert penned a brief showing why the Department of Education should abandon its “Kansans Can” program in light of steady declines in student achievement.
Mississippi Center for Public Policy’s Douglas Carswell published a brief examining whether universal school choice would be permissible under Mississippi’s state constitution.
Mountain States Policy Center’s Jason Mercier issued a brief showing the need for tax transparency websites in each of the Mountain States.
Washington Policy Center’s Elizabeth Hovde wrote a brief unpacking how government inflation continues to hammer workers’ paychecks, while Mark Harmsworth examined how Washington State is planning to significantly increase the price for those who opt to drive on the toll roads.
Arizona: The State Supreme Court agreed to hear the Goldwater Institute’s lawsuit on behalf of taxpayers challenging the constitutionality of government subsidies to public-sector labor unions.
Illinois: Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced that he will extend school choice scholarships for Illinois students if lawmakers pass the bill to his desk (Illinois Policy).
Maine: As the state legislators reconvene for their second session, there is a bill being considered which would require the Public Utilities Commission to annually issue a request for informational bids for the creation a small modular nuclear reactor. By requesting informational bids, Maine would have more concrete data on the feasibility of new nuclear technology in Maine–a step towards relieving pressure on energy costs for state residents (Maine Policy Institute).
Topics:
School Choice Programs Don’t Cause Tuition Inflation
Cascade Policy Institute
Is Montana’s Open Enrollment Policy ‘Good Enough’?
Frontier Institute
Another Poll Finds Illinoisans Strongly Back School Choice Scholarships
Illinois Policy
Cheat Sheet: New Lawsuit Against School Choice
Institute for Reforming Government
Mandy Drogin Parental Empowerment and School Choice in Texas Podcast Interview
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Some Parental Empowerment Opponents Have a Lot to Lose
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Texas Coal Plant Owners Reject Plea to Restart the Plant Ahead of Winter
Center of the American Experiment
Unplugged: Ford Lost $72,762 for Every Electric Vehicle It Sold in Q2
Center of the American Experiment
Packed Public Meeting Protests Green Energy
Mississippi Center for Public Policy
Anticompetitive Certificate of Need Laws: Wrong Prescription with Serious Side Effects
Bluegrass Institute
A Simple Way to Improve Hawaii Healthcare
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
A New Jersey Catholic Considers Moving to Utah, But is Housing Within Reach?
Libertas Institute
Michigan Cities Ban Short-Term Rentals — A Black Market Sure to Follow
Mackinac Center
Midland Housing Provider Says ‘Renters Bill of Rights’ Would Raise Costs and Worsen Housing Crisis
Mackinac Center
Will New California Laws Finally Ease the Housing Shortage?
Pacific Research Institute
Data Show that Minnesota’s Employment Has Declined Most Among 20- to 24-Year-Olds — Fifth Biggest Fall in the US
Center of the American Experiment
Time For Oklahoma Workforce Scholarships
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Autonomous Vehicles Continue to Drive in California Fast Lane Despite Union Opposition
Pacific Research Institute
The Future of Missouri’s Workforce with Susan Pendergrass
Show-Me Institute
San Francisco Finds a New Way to Break the Bank
California Policy Center
Kit Kat, Twix Cost Less Because Halloween Treat Taxes Are Tricky in Illinois
Illinois Policy
Just the Facts: Government Debt in Texas’ Most Populous Cities, Counties, and School Districts, 2nd Edition
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Virginia Tax Collections and Spending Just Keep Climbing
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
Coming Soon: Higher Prices in the Form of Taxes
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
Teachers Can Request PAC Refund by Halloween
Center of the American Experiment
If Unions Didn’t Have Double Standards, They’d Have No Standards at All
Freedom Foundation
Clark County Teachers Union in Clear Violation of State Law
Nevada Policy
Staff Unionization Effort Won’t Help GOP Staff
Pacific Research Institute
Looking For Bureaucratic Efficiencies in All the Wrong Places
Show-Me Institute
California: An AB 5 Update
California Policy Center
Foster Kids Should Be Supported by Stronger Communities
Cardinal Institute
Troubled World Economy Points to Global Catastrophe
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
It’s True: Freedom Is Never More than One Generation Away from Extinction
Georgia Public Policy Foundation
Federal Power Outside the Constitution?
Independence Institute
Prof. Jeff Broadwater on George Mason, Federalism, & the Bill of Rights
Pioneer Institute
Recent Antisemitism Prompts Needed Reminder of America’s Culture of Religious Freedom
Sutherland Institute
In The Hill, The Buckeye Institute’s Logan Kolas offers a free-market approach to data privacy laws.
At RealClearPolicy, The Buckeye Institute’s Trevor Lewis exposes California’s hostility to an oil and gas industry that Californians rely on for more than 70 percent of their energy needs.
In the Portland Tribune, the Cascade Policy Institute‘s John A. Charles considers the impact of an Oregon law that prohibits the construction of any electricity generating facilities using fossil fuels.
At Townhall, the Commonwealth Foundation‘s David Osborne points out the impact of UAW’s strike is nothing compared to the economic damage government union executives are doing with public sector unions.
At RealClearMarkets, the Free State Foundation’s Randolph May shows how the recent battle over net neutrality is a fight over first principles.
In the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation explains why Georgia should follow North Carolina, and other border states, in adopting an expansive school choice program for Georgia students.
In his recent column for The Denver Gazette, the Independence Institute‘s Jon Caldara notes Prop HH is a tax increase, not a tax cut.
In The Oklahoma City Sentinel, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs‘ Jonathan Small notes A-F grades provide transparency.
In the Daily Mail, Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Chuck Devore points out that the United Nations shames Israelis for evacuating Palestinians while Hamas uses the innocent as human shields.
In his recent column, John Hood points out family structure shapes economic outcomes.
