By: Camille Walsh

This weekly round-up shares the latest news about what the Network is doing to promote state-based solutions that will improve the lives of families, workers, and local communities. If you are an SPN member and have an update you’d like us to include in next week’s round-up, please email us at updates@spn.org (all submissions are subject to SPN approval).

Announcements

Success Stories

  • The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation was awarded $6,000 in attorney’s fees for its lawsuit against Wayne State University. The lawsuit was launched on behalf of Virginia Tech professor, Dr. Marc Edwards, in response to Wayne State deliberately ignoring multiple Freedom of Information Act requests.
  • The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and National Mediation Board (NMB) recently implemented extra protections for workers thanks to the National Right to Work Foundation. The NLRB Counsel instructed regional directors to issue complaints when union officials failed to inform employees of the amount of reduced union fees they can pay by objecting to union membership. Union officials are required to do this thanks to the Foundation-won CWA v. Beck decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Research & Initiatives

  • The American Enterprise Institute launched a new docuseries, “Faces of Policy.” In the series, AEI scholars listen to the individuals whose lives are most affected by the research fields they study and the policies they advocate.
  • New Jersey has one of the most expensive road and bridge networks in the country. A new report from the Garden State Initiative outlines a path to saving $2 billion on the state’s infrastructure.
  • The Illinois Policy Institute found that corruption in Illinois costs taxpayers at least $550 million per year. Also in financial jeopardy: the state’s pension system. In July, Illinois Policy Institute found that at least 651 workers retired, averaging $1.3 million in lifetime pension benefits. The only way to solve Illinois’ pension problem, the report states, is constitutional pension reform.
  • Overly restrictive environments often prevent states from modernizing and updating their infrastructure. A new study by the Pioneer Institute argues the Massachusetts Legislature should free the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) from unnecessary restrictions to improve Boston’s subway system.
  • A new policy study from the Reason Foundation examines the effectiveness of “backpack funding” in school districts. John Hood, chairman of the John Locke Foundation, considers how state education funds are distributed in North Carolina, and recommends the program be reformed so dollars are tied to student needs.
  • The Texas Public Policy Foundation filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Dallas alleging the city’s paid sick leave ordinance violates the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights.
  • The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty is warning that Obama-era school discipline regulations that are set to go into effect soon may result in unconstitutional racial quotas. WILL has done prior research showing federal policies aimed at softer discipline policies have resulted in lower academic performance. WILL also partnered with other SPN groups to ask Secretary Betsy DeVos to rescind those regulations. DeVos did so in December 2018.

Think Tanks in the News