Announcements

• The Buckeye Institute filed a motion with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on behalf of its clients, Phillips Manufacturing & Tower Company and Sixarp LLC, demanding that the White House produce all communications and records regarding the initiation and development of President Biden’s vaccine mandate. The White House has been perfectly clear that it imposed the vaccine mandate through OSHA in order to circumvent limits on federal power, and that its true intent is not related to genuine concern for workplace safety, but is rather to increase individual vaccination rates writ large. 

• Pelican Institute‘s new Louisiana Education Dashboard lets users look at finances, enrollment options, achievement scores, and more for their local school system.

This Week on SPN.org

• America Needs a Great Decentralization
• Citizen participation is a sign of a healthy democracy, not a dysfunctional one
• Divergent Thinking: Party polarization with Morris Fiorina
• Americans Believe in the Benefits of Local Engagement

Success Stories

• The John Locke Foundation’s government affairs team shared the 2021 North Carolina victories this week in a livestreamed forum, and Locke’s legal analyst showcased a major win on reining in the governor’s unilateral emergency powers, the source of much debate during the pandemic.

Solutions from the states: This week’s policy briefs

What Comes Up Must Go Down: Property Taxes and Tennessee’s Truth in Taxation Law
A new study by the Beacon Center of Tennessee encourages Tennessee policymakers should consider updating the Truth in Taxation law’s disclosure clause to require the local governments to send mailers to property owners, similar to Utah’s law, and implement a levy referendum trigger on the growth of property tax revenues.

Green Scheme: The Climate Action Council’s Climate Transition Cost Analysis
A new report by the Empire Center for Public Policy finds a 2019 climate change law adopted by the New York Legislature could result in a net cost to New Yorkers of $205-$300 billion, despite an analysis projecting a net benefit of $80-$150 billion.

How Tennessee Supercharged Its Economic Recovery by Ending Expanded Unemployment Benefits
A new report from the Foundation for Government Accountability finds Tennessee leaders accelerated the economic recovery by ending federal unemployment bonuses and expansions.

Axe the Tax: The Case for Abolishing the Income Tax in Mississippi
A new report from the Mississippi Center for Public Policy argues repealing the state’s income tax would be both a moral and economic good, leading to higher incomes, competitiveness, and prosperity for all Mississippians

Study ranks every state highway system’s road conditions, safety and cost-effectiveness
North Dakota, Virginia, Missouri, Kentucky, and North Carolina have the most cost-effective highway systems, according to the Annual Highway Report published by Reason Foundation. New Jersey, Rhode Island, Alaska, Hawaii, and New York have the worst combination of highway performance and cost-effectiveness, the study finds.

Policy News From The States

Build Back Better

Salt’s On The Table 
Empire Center for Public Policy

Federal ‘Build Back Better’ Bill Would Increase The Federal Deficit, Give Huge Tax Loophole To Wealthy Homeowners 
Mackinac Center for Public Policy

‘Build Back Better’ Would Sink The Labor Market 
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Judge Policies By Their Results—Progressive Policies Are Crushing Low-Income Americans
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Criminal Justice Reform

A Plea For Copping
California Policy Center

Let’s Help Those Leaving Prison Re-Enter Society
Empower Mississippi

Criminals Respond To Incentives Just As Consumers Do
Pacific Research Institute

Education

Parents “Don’t Know How Teaching Works”
California Policy Center

Public School Closures Are Hurting Oregon Students
Cascade Policy Institute

Enrollment Plunges At Minneapolis And St. Paul Public Schools 
Center Of The American Experiment

Third Draft Social Studies Standards Represent Radical Change
Center Of The American Experiment

Ensuring Students Are Prepared For Life
Empower Mississippi

A $900k Price Tag For Parents’ Rights?!? 
Goldwater Institute

Poll: Nc Voters Want Choice And Like Opportunity Scholarship Program
John Locke Foundation

Critics Say School Choice Is Privatizing Our Schools And Decimating Budgets. The Evidence Says Otherwise. 
John Locke Foundation

During Covid, Student Performance Has Been Worse In Districts That Spent More Time Online
Josiah Bartlett Center For Public Policy

Flint’s Schools Are A Mess 
Mackinac Center For Public Policy

Fixing Baltimore’s Schools: A Model
Maryland Public Policy Institute

There Is A Growing Dissatisfaction With The Centralized Education Systems
Mississippi Center For Public Policy

Parents’ Children, Parents’ Choice
Oklahoma Council Of Public Affairs

Louisiana Education Dashboard
Pelican Institute For Public Policy

New Teacher Guidelines Would Strengthen Their Standings
Sutherland Institute

Sutherland Institute Statement In Support Of Improved Curriculum Transparency 
Sutherland Institute 

The Problem With Action Civics
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Wisconsin’s State Report Card In Urgent Need Of Reform
Wisconsin Institute For Law And Liberty

Energy And Environment

Despite Rising Prices, Dfl Lawmaker Wants To Boost Gasoline Taxes
Center Of The American Experiment

Good Neighbor Authority
Frontier Institute

Government Accountability

Breaking: Tech Mistake Leads Lausd Parents To Receive Names Of Students Who Had Tested Positive For Covid-19
California Policy Center

How Pa. Governments Use Tax Dollars To Pay Associations To Lobby
Commonwealth Foundation

The Government Is Making Business Throw Away Thousands Of Bottles Of Hand Sanitizer
Washington Policy Center

Annie Lamont’s Firm Was An Early Investor In Digital Currency Group, Which Recently Announced Its Relocation To Connecticut 
Yankee Institute

Healthcare

Unleashing Technology To Maximize Telehealth’s Potential 
Goldwater Institute

Covid’s Unintended Victims: Traditional Diseases Overlooked At The Public’s Peril
Pioneer Institute

Housing Affordability

Biden’s Lumber Tariffs Will Make Housing Less Affordable
Center Of The American Experiment

The Conservative Case For Affordable Housing
Frontier Institute

Inflation

Due To The Dc Spending Spree, Your Waistline And The Prices Are Going Up This Thanksgiving
Beacon Center Of Tennessee

Who’s Really To Blame For Inflation? 
Maine Policy Institute

Left And Right: Both Mistaken On Inflation
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Jobs And State Economies

Holidays Arrive Early In Ohio With A Strong Jobs Report 
The Buckeye Institute

The Story Behind Thanksgiving That Every Elected Official Should Know 
Cascade Policy Institute

Upper Midwest Boasts Some Of America’s Lowest Unemployment Rates 
Center Of The American Experiment

Ny’s October Job Harvest Was Bountiful (But Labor Force Still Shrinking) 
Empire Center For Public Policy

Better Work Network Is Growing In Columbus 
Georgia Center For Opportunity

Testimony: Honolulu County’s ‘Tourism Tax’ Will Negatively Affect Hawaii’s Economic Recovery
Grassroot Institute Of Hawaii

Two Black Women Small Business Owners Thrive Despite Pandemic In Illinois 
Illinois Policy Institute

New Hampshire Ranks First In Freedom In New Cato Report
Josiah Bartlett Center For Public Policy

Cutting Red Tape In Kansas 
Kansas Policy Institute 

Finally Food Truck Freedom
Libertas Institute

When Lansing Picks Business Winners, Taxpayers And The Public Lose 
Mackinac Center For Public Policy

Job Announcements Fail To Drive Job Growth
Mackinac Center For Public Policy

An Active Labor Force Comes From Individual Responsibility
Mississippi Center For Public Policy

Absent State Leadership, California Cities Continue To Lead On Parking Deregulation
Pacific Research Institute

Louisiana Needs Occupational Licensure Reform
Pelican Institute For Public Policy

How Does New Mexico Stack Up With Big Red And Blue States?
Rio Grande Foundation

The Latest Film Study (Again) Shows Nm’s Subsidies Are A Dud 
Rio Grande Foundation

Springfield Should Reject Subsidies For Sports Town
Show-Me Institute

Call For Music Production Tax Credits Sounds Familiar
Show-Me Institute

State Budgets And Spending

Alabama Lawmakers Must Choose The People Over Bigger Government
Alabama Policy Institute

Higher Gas Taxes Endorsed In New Report From The Tax Foundation 
Bluegrass Institute

Illinois Drivers Pay $1,119 Extra A Year Thanks To Bad Roads, Bridges 
Illinois Policy Institute

In Spite Of Positives, Budget Loaded With Pork 
John Locke Foundation

Don’t Expand Government Through November Tax Revenue Surplus
Kansas Policy Institute

New Revenue Surplus Should Prompt Real Tax Reform
Maine Policy Institute

The Grotesque And Immoral Income Tax
Mississippi Center For Public Policy

Excessive Regulation Has A History Of Absurdity 
Mississippi Center For Public Policy

North Carolina Cuts Taxes…Again
Palmetto Promise Institute

Local Governments Deeply In Debt, New Fy 2021 Data Shows
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Workplace Freedom

Video: Shouldn’t Unions Be Paying Their Own Employees?
Alaska Policy Forum

Public Employees Flee Union Bondage In Record Numbers 
Freedom Foundation

Other

Studies Find Correlation Between Good Oral Health And Lower Risk Of Severe Covid Infection 
Badger Institute

Pritzker Again Breaks Veto Promise, Signs Gerrymandered Congressional Maps
Illinois Policy Institute

Peoria Mayor On Pensions: “We’ll Never Catch Up, Not In Our Lifetimes” 
Illinois Policy Institute

True Morality Is Not Found In A Government Program 
John Locke Foundation

What Is The Intended Role Of Government?
John Locke Foundation

New Federal Spending Will Hurt Entrepreneurs More Than It Helps
Pacific Research Institute

How States Should Think About Anti-Trust
Pelican Institute For Public Policy

Coming To Grips With America’s Deadly Drug Crisis
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Officials Expect “Onslaught” Of Paid Family And Medical Leave Applicants Starting This Week 
Yankee Institute For Public Policy

Think Tanks In The News

Tax Cuts Seem To Be Everywhere – Except In Alabama’s Future
Alabama Policy Institute in Alabama Today

COVID’s Unearthing Of Kentucky’s Parents
Bluegrass Institute in McLean County News

Making A Case For Carbon Capture At Existing Power Plants
Caesar Rodney Institute in the Bay to Bay News

Minnesota Must Lift Its Hospital Moratorium
Center of the American Experiment in SC Times

Pennsylvania Unions Ignore SCOTUS Ruling, Keep Forcing Teachers to Pay Dues
Commonwealth Foundation at The Federalist

School Choice Is the Fix for Pennsylvania’s Broken Education System
Commonwealth Foundation at RealClearEducation

How The Taxpayer Protection Act Would Help Pennsylvania’s Families And Businesses
Commonwealth in the Williamsport Sun-Gazette

TCI Is Bad Concept
Ethan Allen Institute in the Times Argus

Welfare Is Delaying Workers’ Return — And Build Back Better Would Make It Worse
Foundation for Government Accountability in The New York Post

States Shouldn’t Push Americans Off The Telehealth Cliff
Goldwater Institute in The Hill

Does Biden’s OSHA Vaccination Mandate Exceed Federal Authority?
Independence Institute in The Epoch Times

Iowa Should Enact New Legal Limits On State Spending
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation in the Des Moines Register

New Budget Applies Constructive Conservatism
John Locke Foundation in the Laurinburg Exchange

Problems With Unions
Mackinac Center for Public Policy on BBC’s Business Daily Radio Show

Blaine Fights Back
EducationNext features the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation’s lawsuit helping families challenge Michigan’s bigoted Blaine Amendment.  

Fixing Baltimore’s Schools: A Model
Maryland Public Policy Institute in The Washington Post

The ‘Experts’ Are Wrong: The American Health-Care System Is World-Beating
Pacific Research Institute in National Review

Charging The Unvaccinated More For Health Care Is A Slippery Slope
Pacific Research Institute in the Orlando Sentinel

Lujan Grisham’s GRT Cut Fails To Address Issues
Rio Grande Foundation in the Las Cruces Sun News

America Needs a Great Decentralization
State Policy Network in National Review

Biden’s Border Crisis – Preventable, Predictable And Deadly
Texas Public Policy Foundation at Fox News Online

DOT Slammed Over Infrastructure Meme With Some Saying It Violates The Law
Texas Public Policy Foundation featured at Fox News Online

State Is Painting Lipstick on Its One-of-a-Kind, Long-Term-Care Law
Washington Policy Center in the Nisqually Valley News

Reform The Emergency Powers Used By Gov. Inslee
Washington Policy Center in the Seattle Times

Learning from Tribal Knowledge to Protect the Environment
Washington Policy Center at RealClearPolicy

Events and Opportunities

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