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 state think tank 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

  • Cascade Policy Institute’s founder and senior policy analyst Steve Buckstein retired November 30. Steve was a 2001 recipient of State Policy Network’s prestigious Roe Award recognizing exceptional leadership, innovation, and accomplishment in public policy. We congratulate and thank Steve for his many years of service and leadership in the network!

Success Stories

  • The 1889 Institute shifted the conversation in Oklahoma away from the idea of consolidating small school districts as a way to save money and began building interest in dividing the state’s largest school districts in order to save money. The larger districts were spending more per student on average and spending the largest percentage of funding on non-instruction.
  • The Center of the American Experiment‘s multi-faceted efforts to raise support for environmentally responsible mining in northern Minnesota were successful. In early November, the state’s regulators announced that Minnesota’s first copper-nickel mine would receive approval after 14 years under review.
  • Two years after the Freedom Foundation first broached the idea with Spokane county officials, the Spokane County Commission voted to make collective bargaining negotiations with labor unions open to the public — supposedly to increase government transparency, and in spite of union opposition.
  • The Georgia Center for Opportunity successfully advocated for a near doubling of Georgia’s Tax Credit Scholarship Program, from $58 million to $100 million. This means up to 25,000 total scholarships will be available for Georgia students beginning in 2019. The Center is also well-positioned to champion Education Savings Accounts next year, teeing Georgia up to be the seventh state to adopt this solution for expanding education choice. 
  • The Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy shifted the debate on several big issues in New Hampshire, helping to advance efforts to reduce occupational licensing regulations, block renewable energy subsidies, and promote school choice. The Center’s work on educational choice was cited in legislative debate many times and was critical to the first-ever House passage of a full educational choice bill. It was also instrumental in the House passage of occupational licensing reform.
  • In March, President Trump signed the Right to Try Act into federal law, a victory for terminally ill Americans and a victory for federalism. Thanks to efforts led by the Goldwater Institute, 41 states passed Right to Try laws, which prompted the federal government to finally take action.

State Think Tanks in the News

  • Several SPN member organizations are quoted in a Modern Health article about the benefits of repealing certificate-of-need laws (CON), which require healthcare providers get their state’s permission in order to expand practices or adopt new technologies that may improve the quality of or access to care. 
  • Boards representing three of Alabama’s largest public school systems passed resolutions calling for a repeal of the state’s landmark tax credit scholarships for low income families claiming it has “caused harm to the financial wellbeing” of their school systems. The Alabama Policy Institute debunks the claims they are making.
  • The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) is looking for a private entity to take over part of their rail project as a public-private partnership in a plan that leave taxpayers bearing most of the risks. The Grassroot Institute‘s editorial in Civil Beat first exposed this burden.
  • Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom for North America 2018 report has some valuable insights for Mississippi, says the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, including which states Mississippi could emulate to improve prosperity and quality of life. 
  • The Pacific Research Institute reports that enrollment in 2019 healthcare plans is down from previous years as users seek more affordable options.

Research & Initiatives

  • The Georgia Center for Opportunity worked with the Alabama Policy Institute and the Beacon Center of Tennessee to expand their successful Hiring Well, Doing Good (HWDG) program to new states. HWDG is a community-driven solution that addresses local underemployment. The program connects job seekers with training opportunities through nonprofit partners, then loops in willing employers who provide jobs and further workforce training.
  • Voters in Maui County, Hawaii, approved increasing fines for illegal short-term vacation rentals (from $1,000 a day to $20,000 for the first day), a move the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii points out is in violation of citizens’ rights to be protected from “excessive fines.” Grassroot has become the only critic and watchdog of these unconstitutional fines, which other counties are considering emulating.
  • The Wisconsin state legislature approved critical administrative rulemaking, oversight and transparency, and tax reforms during their extraordinary session in December. Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty scored and analyzed the reform proposals ahead of the session. If approved by the Governor, Wisconsin will have made significant progress in advancing oversight and control over the administrative state.