Announcements

• Americans for Fair Treatment celebrated public employee recognition and teacher appreciation week.
• Americans for Fair Treatment launched a new database of all state and municipal collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) in Pennsylvania.
• The Center for Economic Accountability is sharing the stories of a variety of real-world failures, mirages, screw-ups, vanity projects, money pits, crime scenes and other disasters undertaken in the name of “economic development.” 
• The Pioneer Institute interviewed the California Policy Center about how the state’s ambitious policies have combined to stick its residents with the highest cost of living and a tax regime that discourages investment, innovation, and its vital entrepreneurial class.
• The Philanthropy Roundtable released a video on how to protect donor intent.
• On the Donors Trust Giving Ventures podcast, State Policy Network President and CEO Tracie Sharp outlines recent legislative and legal wins at the state level.

Success Stories

• The Frontier Institute highlighted that since reforming Montana’s CON laws in 2021, that two home health companies had already expanded service to at least 18 additional counties, something that would have required a CON approval before.

Solutions from the states: This week’s policy briefs

School Closures, School Choice, and Federal Funding: How the Pandemic Exposed Problems and Spurred Solutions in K-12 Education
Beacon Center of Tennessee

The Empire Center reviews the proposed budgets for school districts across New York State.

The Foundation for Government Accountability considers what’s driving inflation.

A Promise Not Kept: New Jersey’s Failure To Support Veteran Owned Businesses
A new report from the Garden State Initiative and New Jersey State Veterans Chamber of Commerce uncovers that the State of New Jersey is failing to meet the requirements of a 2015 state law that sets aside a percentage of state procurement contracts for veteran owned businesses.

Michigan Student Opportunity Scholarships: Overview and Fiscal Analysis
The Michigan Legislature passed legislation in October 2021 to create the Student Opportunity Scholarship Program, which would give thousands of families across the state more spending power to help meet their children’s educational needs. A new report by the Mackinac Center and EdChoice unpacks this proposed education savings account program and analyzes its potential fiscal impacts.

Missouri Condition of Education
Want to know how many teachers there are in Missouri? How much we spend per student? How test scores are changing over time? Check out the Show-Me Institute’s new booklet—the 2022 Missouri Condition of Education. This booklet contains 28 indicators with the latest data available on Missouri elementary and secondary education.

The Washington Policy Center outlined their victories in the 2022 legislative session.

Policy News from the States

Charter School Week

National Charter Schools Week
Alaska Policy Forum

Set Free New York’s Zombie Charters 
Empire Center

South Carolina Celebrates National Charter School Week
Palmetto Promise Institute

Criminal Justice Reform

A New Solution To Help Address Crime In Mississippi
Empower Mississippi

Education

Guide to COVID-19 School District Funding
Alaska Policy Forum

Hope Scholarship Has West Virginians Imagining A Brighter Future
Cardinal Institute

Biden’s New Charter School Rules Prioritize Teachers’ Unions Over Children
Center of the American Experiment

More Education Money Needed Already?
Center of the American Experiment

Districts That Stayed In Distance Learning Longer Lost More Students
Center of the American Experiment

Families Are Leaving the Public Schools in Droves
Libertas Institute

COVID-19 Lockdowns Devastating Impact on School Enrollment
Pegasus Institute

Election Integrity

Illinois Voter Suppression Rampant Thanks To Few Ballot Choices
Illinois Policy Institute

Energy and Environment

Renewable Energy, Open Space, and Agriculture – New York Can’t Have it All
Empire Center

Nuclear Power Is the Safe, Affordable, Clean Option
Mackinac Center

Government Accountability

Interested In Knowing How Your Legislators Voted On Their Own Pay Cut?
Alaska Policy Forum

State Legislators Created Their Own Pay Problem
Cascade Policy Institute

COVID Rules Being Lifted, But Don’t Cheer Yet
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

Pritzker Has Governed Using Emergency Powers For More Than 65% Of His Term
Illinois Policy Institute

‘Powers That No One Had Exercised Before’
Mackinac Center

Healthcare

Free Market Healthcare Is Flourishing In Montana
Frontier Institute

Missouri Missing Telemedicine Opportunity
Show-Me Institute

Housing Affordability

Portland’s Self-Inflicted Rental Housing Shortage
Cascade Policy Institute

Robbing Peter to Pay St. Paul’s Awful Rent Control Ordinance
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota

To Make California Dream a Reality for All, Remove Homebuilding Roadblocks
Pacific Research Institute

Pittsburgh, Poster Child for Sloppy Housing Policy
Show-Me Institute

Jobs And State Economies

Why Can’t You Find Formula For Your Baby? Lockdowns And The FDA
Center of the American Experiment

Inflation Eases Slightly, But Remains High
Center of the American Experiment

Illinois Marks 10th Month Of Job Gains, But Still Missing 1-In-5 Jobs
Illinois Policy Institute

Illinois Gas Taxes Help Push Prices Near All-Time High
Illinois Policy Institute

Inflation Still Running Hot; Food Price Hikes Highest Since 1981
John Locke Foundation

How N.H. Could Increase Access To Justice Through Occupational Licensing Reform
Josiah Bartlett Center

With Talk of Canceling Student Loan Debt, Could Occupational Licensing Reform Provide a Better Solution?
Libertas Institute

Michigan Should Not Bring Back Dietitian and Nutritionist Licensing
Mackinac Center

Inflation in America: The Role of the Fed and the Risk of Recession
Show-Me Institute

State Budgets and Spending

Costs & Risks of Alaska Pension Changes
Alaska Policy Forum

Higher Gas Taxes Not Needed For Unprecedented Investment In Kentucky’s Highways
Badger Institute

Senate Bill Isn’t A ‘Tax Cut For The Rich’
Center of the American Experiment

Who’s Getting The Biggest Slice Of Property Tax Pie?
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation

Cooper’s Recommended Budget: Leandro, Medicaid Expansion, and More
John Locke Foundation

Businesses Are Raining Cash On The State Budget
Josiah Bartlett Center

Time’s Not Yet Up for More Kansan Tax Relief
Kansas Policy Institute

Where Do Your Tax Dollars Go?
Mackinac Center

Other

Stock markets gyrations could make Albany dizzy
Empire Center

Century-Old Beer Laws Brew Trouble for Georgia Craft Industry
Georgia Public Policy Foundation

Embracing a Better Foster Care System in Kentucky
Pegasus Institute

What’s Driving the Increase in Carjackings in Louisville?
Pegasus Institute

Louisiana Driver’s License Suspensions Hurt The Poor Without Improving Safety
Pelican Institute

Think Tanks in the News

Politico covered news of Americans for Fair Treatment’s case against the US Postal Service with free legal representation from the Fairness Center.

Are Private Sector Unions Passé?
Americans for Fair Treatment cited by The Heartland Institute

Biden’s Political Hacks Won’t Stop Charter Schools’ Growth
Bluegrass Institute in the Richmond Register

Private Groups Shouldn’t Train Public Election Administrators
Foundation for Government Accountability in The Hill

How To Fix America’s Worker Shortage: Push Food Stamp Recipients To Get A Job
Foundation for Government Accountability in USA Today

America’s Academic Decline
Freedom Foundation on the Sean Hannity Show

AFT’s Weingarten in a Conundrum of Her Own Making
Freedom Foundation at RedState

Student Loan Debt Forgiveness Presents A Moral Hazard For Lawmakers
Georgia Public Policy Foundation in The Brunswick News

Goldwater Institute Accuses Phoenix Of ‘Property Tax Shell Game’ In Lawsuit Over Incentive Deal
Goldwater Institute featured on ABC 15 Arizona

The Fight To Preserve Iowa’s Voice
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation in The Iowa Torch

Telehealth Genie Has Escaped Its Bottle
John Locke Foundation in the Stanly News & Press

Let’s Elect Reasonable Adults This Time
John Locke Foundation in The Daily Advance

Progressive Prosecutors Have Unintended Impact On Crime
John Locke Foundation in the Richmond County Daily Journal

How Conservative States Are Cutting Taxes And Growing
Mississippi Center for Public Policy on the Ben Shapiro Show

America’s Conservative Revival
Mississippi Center for Public Policy in the Sunday Telegraph

A Bankrupt Argument For Single-Payer Health Care
Pacific Research Institute in The OC Register

Expanding Obamacare is a Costly Prescription
Pacific Research Institute at RealClearPolicy

Reducing Urban Violence Will Require Conservative Ideas
Pegasus Institute in InsideSources

Conservatives Who Promise To Stop Leftist Racism Win Texas School Board Seats
Texas Public Policy Foundation in The Federalist

Internal Ferry System Memos Show PR Image More Important Than Service
Washington Policy Center cited at KIRO Online

Oregon Passes OT Bill, And Its Better Than Washington’s
Washington Policy Center cited at RFD TV

Events and Opportunities

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