Announcements

• The Alaska Policy Forum, Nevada Policy Research Institute, and Washington Policy Center sent a letter to members of Congress, urging them to protect US employers by passing the Save Local Business Act.
• The Sutherland Institute announced Jon Ammons will join Sutherland’s new stable of contributing scholars, with a focus on civic institutions. Ammons currently serves as the associate director of the New York Office of Public and International Affairs for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where he performs outreach at the United Nations and to the broader diplomatic and religious communities in New York.

This Week on SPN.org

State Policy Network Presents The 2021 Thomas A. Roe Award to Justin Owen Of The Beacon Center

State Policy Network presents the 2021 Overton Award to Michael J. Reitz of the Mackinac Center

2021 Bob Williams Awards celebrate solutions empowering entrepreneurs, taxpayers, students, and coronavirus patients

State Policy Network recognizes innovate education solutions through 2021 Ed-Prize Awards

The 2021 Communications Excellence Awards recognize innovative radio campaign, powerful school choice stories, and bipartisan effort to curb executive overreach

Success Stories

• North Carolina made another significant step in reforming its Emergency Management Act. The North Carolina Senate voted to restrict a governor’s emergency powers, requiring he or she receive concurrence from their Council of State in order to enact emergency measures that last longer than one week. The John Locke Foundation has been working to curb executive overreach in North Carolina and noted the Senate’s endorsement of the measure returns the issue to the state House.
• The North Carolina Legislature is considering a bill designed to fight collusive lawsuit settlements. The John Locke Foundation said this bill would go a long way in shoring up the state’s election integrity as it would prohibit collusive settlements among certain state actors that only serve to undermine the constitutional separation of powers. Locke’s Dr. Andy Jackson, head of the Civitas Center for Public Integrity, has served a critical role in helping legislators understand the nuances of this law and how it stands to impact elections going forward. 

Solutions from the states: This week’s policy briefs

Consequences of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a controversial compact designed to tax electricity producers for emitting carbon. The Pennsylvania governor’s administration is attempting to join the initiative through regulation in order to bypass the state legislature. A new fact sheet from the Commonwealth Foundation explains the estimated impact of RGGI on individual Pennsylvanians, the environment, and the economy.

Locked-In: How Congress’s Handcuffs Have Caused Medicaid To Spiral Out Of Control
A new paper by the Foundation for Government Accountability argues states should opt out of the Medicaid handcuffs and restore the integrity of their Medicaid programs.

The Lawmaker’s Manual for Legislative Oversight
The Institute for Reforming Government released a comprehensive, first of its kind oversight manual that prescribes best practices for the state legislature when conducting oversight of the executive branch and municipalities.

Test Scores Show Learning Loss Is Real
A new report from the John Locke Foundation highlights North Carolina’s dismal and depressing proficiency scores for the 2020-21 school year. The Foundation argues learning loss is not a “false construct” as the head of the North Carolina teachers union claims. Learning loss represents real academic peril for many children across the state.

Election Reform 2022: 20 Changes SC Needs Now
The Palmetto Promise Institute reviewed proposals from top national election lawyers, constitutional scholars, and many other states to develop a list of the top 20 most urgent and commonsense changes needed to restore voting integrity.

Policy news from the states

Criminal Justice Reform

Addiction. Incarceration. Redemption.
Empower Mississippi

Together, We Can Make Mississippi Safer and Reentry-Ready
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Education

COVID-19 Learning Lags Are Real, And Serious
Bluegrass Institute

Yes, Teacher Union Dues Fund Politics
Center of the American Experiment

MN Test Results Show Academic Declines Continue
Center of the American Experiment

Checking Predictions on How COVID Would Change K-12 Education
Goldwater Institute

Capping Education Freedom Accounts Would Cap Opportunities For Students
Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy

Special Education Funding Serves Districts—Not Students
Mackinac Center for Public Policy

Masks in School and Misplaced Priorities
Mackinac Center for Public Policy

Cool the Schools
Maryland Public Policy Institute  

To Increase Funding In Oklahoma’s Public Schools, Give Families A Universal ESA
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

CAPITAL IDEAS: The Education Landscape: Where We Are and What the Future Holds
Pacific Research Institute

It’s Not About The ABC’s—It’s About The K
Show-Me Institute

Civics Can Help Solve The Problems Of Surging COVID Cases, Hospitalizations
Sutherland Institute

Back To School 2021; Parents Feel Ignored, And Denied Good Options
Washington Policy Center

Election Integrity

One State Supreme Court Case Could Destroy The Court For Years To Come
John Locke Foundation

WILL Poll: Broad Support For Election Integrity Reforms In Wisconsin
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty

Energy and Environment

Biden’s 45 Percent Solar Energy Ambitions Would Cost At Least A Trillion Dollars
Center of the American Experiment

Another Major Leak In The TCI Boat
Ethan Allen Institute

Why Climate Activists And Environmentalists Should Support Nuclear Power
Georgia Public Policy Foundation

Proposed Offshore Wind Farm Project Risks Serious Ecological, Environmental, and Economic Harms
John Locke Foundation

Healthcare

WHO Says That COVID-19 Is Likely Here To Stay
Center of the American Experiment

New York’s Health Benefits Remain The Second-Costliest In The U.S.
Empire Center for Public Policy

NJ’s Government Is Squandering Industry Settlements Meant To Help The Addicted
Garden State Initiative

Housing Affordability

Blame Regulations For The High Cost Of Housing, Not People
Frontier Institute

Government Accountability

The Real Reasons Newsom Has Failed All Californians
California Policy Center

Newsom Is Right- There’s Much His Replacement Can Do If He’s Recalled
California Policy Center

After 10 Weeks, All But Five Of The Empire Center’s 63 Requests For Pandemic Data Remain Unfulfilled
Empire Center for Public Policy

COVID Mandates Lead To Crisis Of Aloha
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

Testimony: Digital Vaccine Passports Pose Threat To Equity, Civil Liberties
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

Dept. Of Correction Employees Were Paid $2.3 Million While On Union Business Leave
Yankee Institute for Public Policy

Jobs and State Economies

California is Four Months Behind on Reopening
California Policy Center

An Agenda To Fix California
California Policy Center

As Unemployment Benefit ‘Enhancements’ End In MN, What’s Next For The Labor Market?
Center of the American Experiment

Providing A Fresh Start
Empower Mississippi

Our Covid-Era Guaranteed Income
Ethan Allen Institute

The Human Impact Of Red Tape
Frontier Institute

Inflation’s Growing Problem: A Warning Shot For Congress
Georgia Center for Opportunity

We Must Free Americans to Work
Goldwater Institute

Could Labor Day Push for Higher Minimum Wage Lead to More Work Being Done by Robots?
Pacific Research Institute

California Continues Its Assault On Allowing Workers To Decide When And How They Work
Washington Policy Center

State Budgets and Spending

Wisconsin Mayors Embrace Emerging Local Welfare Plan
Badger Institute

Lawmakers Should Reject Attempts To Raid Bolstered Rainy Day Fund For Secret Project
Bluegrass Institute

What They Make
Empire Center for Public Policy

Empower Testifies on Income Tax Elimination
Empower Mississippi

The Problem With Property Taxes In The Chicago Suburbs
Illinois Policy Institute

Chicago Ranks No. 2 In The Nation For Combined State And Local Sales Tax
Illinois Policy Institute

Tax Ideas for the 2022 Kansas Legislative Session
Kansas Policy Institute

What Are The Constitutional Amendments On The October Ballot?
Pelican Institute for Public Policy

Other

Where Nevada Ranks and Other Statistical Details
Nevada Policy Research Institute

Support, Skills, Networking – All Are Ways That Churches Help Unemployed
Sutherland Institute

Think tanks in the news

Keep Alaska Working By Pushing Back Against The PRO Act
Alaska Policy Forum in the Anchorage Daily News

Special Session Should Focus On Less – And Better – Government
Bluegrass Institute in The Times Leader

West Virginia Should Welcome Home-Based Entrepreneurs
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy in The Register-Herald

When Schools Teach ‘Equity,’ Kids Learn Fear And Anger
Center of the American Experiment in the Star Tribune

Back-to-School Season in Pennsylvania Defined by Conflict
Commonwealth Foundation at RealClearEducation

Biden’s Food Stamp Increase Is Harmful, Misguided, And Illegal
Foundation for Government Accountability at Townhall

California School Board Members Flee Meeting Regarding ‘Antifa’ Teacher
Freedom Foundation in the California Globe

Workers Deserve A Day In Their Honor. The Unions That Exploit Them Don’t
Freedom Foundation in the Washington Examiner

The Federal Unemployment Bonus Holds the Recovery Back
Foundation for Government Accountability in The Wall Street Journal

Labor Day Reality: Government Undermining Value Of Everyday Work
Georgia Public Policy Foundation in the Savannah Morning News

Taking Lessons From The Changing Game Of College Football
Georgia Public Policy Foundation in the Daily Citizen-News

North Carolina Schools Are Flush With COVID-19 Cash. Will They Use It Wisely?
John Locke Foundation in EdNC

N.C.’S Excessive Licensing Bad For Providers, Buyers
John Locke Foundation in The Daily Advance

Expungement Reform Can Promote Safety And Personal Responsibility
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs in the Skiatook Journal

Budget Reconciliation Bill’s Healthcare Provisions Are Disastrous
Pacific Research Institute at Forbes

Why Are Health Care Costs Rising Every Year In Massachusetts?
Pioneer Institute in The Boston Globe

Newsom’s Recall Desperation – Whopper On California Taxes Shows He’s In Big Trouble
Texas Public Policy Foundation and California Policy Center at Fox News

To Fix the Climate, We Need a Million Norman Borlaugs
Washington Policy Center at The Dispatch

Events and Opportunities

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