By: Keri Anderson

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

  • The Buckeye Institute‘s Robert Alt will be speaking at the Heritage Foundation‘s 2018 Bradley Symposium: The State of the Constitution.
  • Congratulations to the state think tanks recognized in the University of Pennsylvania’s 2018 Global Go-To Think Tank Index Report! Georgia Public Policy Foundation, the Pacific Research Institute, and the Texas Public Policy Foundation were named some of the world’s “Best Independent Think Tanks.” The Goldwater Institute, Mackinac Center, and Pacific Research Institute were recognized as some of the “Top Think Tanks in the United States.”
  • America is one of the top five…most congested countries in the world. Pioneer Institute knows we can do better, so it’s focusing Pioneer’s 2019 Better Government Competition on ideas that will get people and goods where they need to go conveniently and reliably. Learn more about the contest and how to enter. First place wins $10,000, and four runners-up will receive $1,000.  

Success Stories

  • The criminal justice reforms championed by the Commonwealth Foundation to help former non-violent prisoners re-enter society and have opportunities that will decrease their likelihood of returning to prison are already making a difference. The reforms have directly contributed to a historic drop in Pennsylvania’s prison population last year.

Research & Initiatives

  • The 1889 Institute has released “The Oklahoma Supreme Court’s Unchecked Abuse of Power in Attorney Regulation,” a major critique of attorney licensing in Oklahoma indicting all three branches of government.
  • The Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions introduced KentuckyPensionTruth.com, a new website to help Kentuckians understand the current state of Kentucky’s pension system and provide a one-stop shop for public pension research, analysis, and commentary from around the state and nation.
  • Regulated electric utilities across the US want to overcome falling electricity demand by investing in electric vehicle chargers, and they want customers to fund it. The Caesar Rodney Institute is intervening in Delaware and has reviewed the utility-sponsored Benefit Cost Analysis used to justify utilities’ case. The BCA is typical of what may be used in similar dockets across the country, and the Institute’s report could help fight similar utility efforts in other states. 
  • The Center of the American Experiment is the most recent state think tank to launch a new Capitol Watch project to monitor the radical bills and the people behind them at the Minnesota State Capitol.
  • The Garden State Initiative‘s latest report offers citizens clarity on the billions of dollars that flow through the New Jersey government. Adding It All Up, a difficult endeavor that involved analyzing over 1,000 government agency budgets, allows residents to understand just how much it costs to deliver government services in the state.
  • How can policymakers improve how their state funds K-12 education? EdChoice‘s recent report, The Future of K-12 Funding, offers practical approaches, as well as core values that should drive decision-making.
  • Education in Louisiana works for some families, but not others. The Pelican Institute found a humorous way to convey this simple but important message in its latest education reform video ad. The message is resonating with a broad range of audiences and was even picked up by an automotive website called The News Wheel. 
  • A recent phone poll by the Platte Institute discovered Nebraskan taxpayers’ thoughts on property taxes.
  • The Sutherland Institute published a new policy guide, Innovation in Education, to help educators and policymakers to find new ideas, to weigh the merits of policies found herein, and to decide how the ideas might apply to students in different regions or states. 
  • This week it was standing room only at a hearing where the Texas Public Policy Foundation testified on Texas’ property tax reform bill. TPPF’s research is helping Texans grasp just how profound their property tax burden is and why reform is needed. This week, a Dallas Morning News editorial cited TPPF’s research, saying, “The Texas Public Policy Foundation estimates property taxes have risen in Texas by 212 percent from 1998 to 2017, which is twice the rate the average homeowner can afford.” 
  • It’s time to bring legislative testimony into the 21st century, and Washington Policy Center has been among several organizations calling for the state legislature to offer remote video testimony as an option for citizens who can’t get to the Capital. This year, the Washington State Senate approved a bipartisan proposal to do so, and they have agreed to make it a permanent option for legislative hearings.

Think Tanks in the News

  • The Beacon Center‘s call for transparency with tax credits is gaining traction. A proposed bill in Tennessee’s General Assembly, would require the public release of information regarding state tax credits and grants once a final economic development incentive package had been negotiated.
  • Last week The Buckeye Institute’s case, Uradnik v. Inter Faculty Organization, was recognized as one of SCOTUSblog’s Petitions of the Week. The case calls for an immediate end to laws that force public-sector employees to accept a union’s exclusive representation.
  • Are those living in metro areas aware of how the policies they advocate impact those living in rural areas? The Center of the American Experiment points out that a proposed gas tax in Minnesota would hurt residents in rural areas.
  • Pennsylvania politicians are considering increasing the state’s film tax credit, but the Commonwealth Foundation points out the state gets back just 13 cents for every dollar it spends on the tax credit.
  • In an op-ed published on FoxNews.com, the Freedom Foundation explains how legislation proposed in Oregon would require taxpayers to fund government union operations. Unions are backing the bill to offset membership losses experienced since Janus v. AFSCME.
  • The Illinois Policy Institute reports the proposed $15 minimum wage hike will cost Illinois taxpayers $1.1 billion.
  • Eminent domain is stealing the American dream from families in Illinois and across the country. The Illinois Policy Institute shares the story of a family whose 60 year legacy is being wiped out in favor of special interests.
  • The James Madison Institute looks at how Florida’s “Moneyball” approach on education spending is paying off.
  • For some Utah tourists, their first “Utah experience” may be an encounter with the police. The Libertas Institute reports Utah is one of the few states to apply criminal charges to using peer-to-peer car sharing apps.
  • Corporate cronyism, as well as the Affordable Care Act, has contributed to the healthcare industry’s problems with cost and quality. And unlike the ACA, states can take action to eliminate favoritism. The Mackinac Center outlines how.
  • The Nevada Policy Research Institute offers an important reminder that government power is political power by another name.
  • According to the Pacific Research Institute‘s calculations, the LA teachers strike settlement may lead to an $11 billion tax hike for the community.
  • It may sound ridiculous, but under Medicare for all, the government might even micro-mange your pizza order. Pacific Research Institute has the scoop.
  • The Rio Grande Foundation points out Albuquerque’s proposed plastic bag ban will hurt more than it helps.

Events & Opportunities

  • US think tanks are now eligible to apply for Atlas Network‘s Liberating Enterprise to Advance Prosperity Grants. These grants range from $15,000 to $40,000 and support projects with ambitious and achievable plans to improve the public policy and regulatory environment in their communities. The first application deadline is February 15.
  • The Foundation for Economic Education‘s FEEcon 2019 will take place June 13-15 in Atlanta, GA
  • The Fund for American Studies invites journalists with less than five years of experience and recent college graduates to apply for The Joseph Rago Memorial Fellowship for Excellence in Journalism. The annual fellowship provides a nine-month internship with The Wall Street Journal’s editorial team, along with a salary of approximately $5,000 per month.
  • Talented nonprofit researchers interested in media exposure are encouraged to apply for Young Voices’ Contributor Program.