Announcements

• The Beacon Center released their second quarterly Beacon Poll, a statewide poll of 1,181 registered Tennessee voters comprised of questions about political races, policy issues, sports questions and more.

• Just in time for Halloween, Georgia Public Policy Foundation released their list of 11 spooky policies ideas we need to run from like a man in a mask is chasing us.

• Georgia Public Policy Foundation recently held the 2023 Georgia Housing Summit, where more than 100 elected officials and stakeholders heard ideas on how we can explore new approaches that harness innovation and entrepreneurship to ensure housing is attainable for all Georgians

• The John Locke Foundation released their newest episode of “Policy Pizza,” where legal expert Jon Guze explains the critical role of intensive community policing in curbing crime, alleviating poverty, and fostering safer communities throughout North Carolina. Check out new episodes every Saturday this fall airing on Locke’s YouTube channel.

• After an allegedly “bipartisan” effort to overturn Arkansas’s universal school choice law fell short this summer, Opportunity Arkansas conducted an audit of all 54,000 petition signatures. To no one’s surprise, the effort wasn’t nearly as bipartisan as the public was led to believe. Read the full article here.

• Pioneer Institute released Restoring the City on a Hill: U.S. History and Civics in America’s Schools, a new book which details the decline of history and civics knowledge among students and offers a plan for how states and local school districts can foster understanding of and curiosity about our nation’s history.

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

• In a hearing on October 19, the Liberty Justice Center saw a partial victory for parents’ rights as a California judge rejected part of Attorney General Bonta’s request for an injunction against the Chino Valley Unified School District’s parental notification policy. The hearing garnered significant media attention, including coverage by FOX News, American Family News, the Associated Press, the Daily Caller, the Center Square, and Politico. As litigation continues, the Liberty Justice Center will continue to defend students’ well-being and parents’ rights.

• The Liberty Justice Center urged the Supreme Court to protect the right to a trial by jury, filing an amicus brief in SEC v. Jarkesy.

• The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) hired a new Paralegal, Stephanie Cerniglia, to aid the growing litigation team. 

Solutions from the States: This Week’s Policy Briefs

• The Buckeye Institute released a new policy brief highlighting the Buckeye State’s success in reducing the regulatory burden on families and businesses—a model that other states can and should follow. The brief details how Ohio approached cutting regulations and outlines several strategies other states can employ to implement an effective regulatory reform agenda.

• In a new analysis, the Frontier Institute considers what the Nation’s Report Card means for Montana students.

• The Institute for Reforming Government released the latest analysis on the most recent test scores for 2022-2023 in Wisconsin.

• The James Madison Institute released a pol⁠i⁠cy toolk⁠i⁠⁠t⁠ that highlights how states can embrace innova⁠t⁠⁠i⁠on ⁠i⁠n 2024.

• The John Locke Foundation’s Bethany Torstenson discussed the re-districting process and what North Carolina voters need to know going into 2024.

• Brian Balfour of The John Locke Foundation highlighted North Carolina’s rise to 9th in the 2025 State Business Tax Climate Index, up from 10th in 2024, showcasing the state’s improving business tax environment. This ranking is released annually by The Tax Foundation.

• Locke‘s Civitas Center for Public Integrity evaluated the partisan trends in North Carolina’s new legislative districts and introduces the 2024 Civitas Partisan Index (CPI) a tool used to compare each district’s political leanings to the state as a whole.

• As California regulators extend their trucking regulations to states like Pennsylvania and North Carolina, Locke’s Jon Sanders delves into how North Carolina safeguarded its transportation sector from Californian influence.

• The Texas Public Policy Foundation released a new study to analyze how regulatory credits, hidden costs, and subsidies disguise the real cost of electric vehicles (EVs). 

• The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) and it’s Restoring American Education initiative (RAE)—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.

Policy News from the States

K-12 Education

American Experiment’s Official Comments Opposing Proposed Social Studies Standards
Center of the American Experiment

Minnesota Public School Enrollment Projected To Be Down In 2031
Center of the American Experiment

AFT: Black Panther Lesson Plan Encourages Student Activism
Freedom Foundation

The Troubling Education Data—And The Overwhelming Support For Change
Mountain States Policy Center

Oklahoma School-Choice Tax Credit Implementation Advances
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

Energy and Environment

Time to Push Back on Offshore Wind on the Delaware and Maryland Coast
Caesar Rodney Institute

Finally, Some Good News: Home Heating Costs Should Be Lower This Winter Due To Lower Natural Gas Prices
Center of the American Experiment

Board of Environmental Protection Out of Touch with Maine Families
Maine Policy Institute

First LCFS Credit Prices Are Low, But Yield No New CO2 Reduction
Washington Policy Center

Healthcare

Anticompetitive Certificate Of Need Laws: Wrong Prescription With Serious Side Effects
Bluegrass Institute

Hochul’s Promised Health Care Commission Has Yet To Be Appointed
Empire Center

Four Ways Congress Can Help Lower Health Insurance Costs
Foundation for Government Accountability

Scottsdale Has the Opportunity to Promote Healthcare Freedom
Goldwater Institute

Nurse Licensure Compact Puts Washington State Patients In Safer Position
Washington Policy Center

Housing Affordability

Manchester Could Boost Its Housing Supply By Allowing More Duplexes
Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy

Michigan Bill Would Prevent Housing Providers From Checking Renters’ Criminal Records
Mackinac Center

Jobs and State Economies

It’s Time to End Home Equity Theft in Oregon
Cascade Policy Institute

Report Says That Minnesota Is In The Top 10 States Which Residents Are Fleeing
Center of the American Experiment

Why Doesn’t the Left Want Teenagers to Work?
Foundation for Government Accountability

Unlawful Food Stamp Increases Are Contributing to Inflation
Foundation for Government Accountability

GSI Analysis: Philadelphia Fed Index Reinforces Picture of Weakening New Jersey Economy
Garden State Initiative

Citizen Engagement Leads to Lower Property Tax Bills
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation

Utah’s Efforts to Reform Occupational Licensure
Libertas Institute

Tax Reform Is Still In The Air In Nebraska
Platte Institute

State Budgets

The Growing Budget Surplus Is Our Second Chance To Cut Taxes In Minnesota
Center of the American Experiment

Protect Taxpayers By Putting Supermajority For Tax Increase Requirements In State Constitution
Mountain States Policy Center

Case Builds For WA’s “Two-Faced Tax” To Be Decided By SCOTUS
Washington Policy Center

Other

DeRosa Is Still Hiding the Truth About Cuomo’s Pandemic Response
Empire Center

Voters Need to Reject Populism Unmoored from Conservative Principles
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota

Respect Property Rights, Remove Red Tape For Lahaina Rebuild
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

The Policies of Youngkin vs. The Policies of McAuliffe and Northam: A Closing Case for the Future of Virginia
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy

The Network in the News

• At RealClearPolicy, the Commonwealth Foundation‘s Nathan Benefield highlights some of the problems with the Railway Safety Act of 2023.

• At Penn Live, the Commonwealth Foundation‘s David Osborne points out unions are hurting taxpayers and the economy.

• In her column for The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Commonwealth Foundation‘s Jennifer Stefano highlights recent antisemitism and the moral rot in American higher education.

• In The Wall Street Journal, the Foundation for Government Accountability‘s Tarren Bragdon highlights how Democrats are peddling a ‘child labor’ deception.

• In his recent column, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation‘s Kyle Wingfield highlights the differences between the federal budget and state budgets and notes the problems with Washington’s runaway spending. 

• In the Chicago Tribune, the Illinois Policy Institute‘s Paul Vallas highlights Illinois looming school funding crisis. 

• In the Fort Myers News-Press, the James Madison Institute‘s Dr. Edward Longe argues Florida’s emerging tech sector will drive it into 21st Century.

• At National Review, the Independence Institute‘s Ben Murrey highlights how Governor Polis is pushing for the largest single tax increase in Colorado’s history. Forbes cited and CBS Colorado also cited the Independence Institute’s analysis on Prop HH.

• In his recent column for The Denver Gazette, the Independence Institute‘s Jon Caldara highlights the deviously written ballot language for Colorado’s proposed tax increase, Proposition HH.

• In The American Spectator, the Independent Institute’s K. Lloyd Billingsley notes Gavin Newsom’s trip to China is really about China’s leverage on climate policy. 

• In The Daily Caller, the Libertas Institute‘s Chase Merrill notes public schools shouldn’t be cultural battlefields.

• In The Center Square, the Mountain States Policy Center‘s Jason Mercier encourages lawmakers to protect taxpayers by putting supermajority for tax increase requirements in state constitution.

• In his recent column, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs‘ Jonathan Small points out A-F grades provide transparency.

• In his recent column for the Journal Record, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs‘ Jonathan Small points out Oklahoma’s anti-ESG law is having an impact.

• In the Washington Examiner, the Pacific Research Institute‘s Sally Pipes notes healthcare provider shortages are a symptom of government red tape.

• In her column for Newsmax, the Pacific Research Institute‘s Sally Pipes notes healthcare subsidies are a ticking time bomb. 

• In the Boston Herald, the Pacific Research Institute‘s Sally Pipes notes most Americans don’t want Medicare for All. 

• In the Rio Rancho Observer, the Rio Grande Foundation‘s Paul Gessing notes New Mexicans should choose the vehicles that work for them.

• In The American Spectator, the Show-Me Institute‘s Andrew B. Wilson and Aaron Hedlund argue EVs aren’t as popular or as effective as gas vehicles.

• In the Deseret News, Sutherland Institute‘s Brad Wilcox considers what liberals don’t understand about men and marriage. 

• At InsideSources, the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty‘s Ameillia Wedward and Miranda Spindt highlight how liberal policies are failing families.