Announcements
California Policy Center announced the details of its fourth annual Parents, Not Partisans Summit, which takes on the title and theme of California at the Crossroads of Education this year and will take place March 18-19, 2025, in Sacramento.
Center for Industry Self-Regulation extended an invitation to all Network groups to its upcoming Soft Law Summit. A place where self-regulatory conversation is dissected, this year’s Summit will include meaningful discussions about the regulation of AI, privacy and ethics, changes since Loper Bright, and more.
Idaho Freedom Foundation released its Freedom and Spending Indices, which reveal state legislator voting patterns to determine who values liberty — and who does not.
John Locke Foundation, in honor of America’s upcoming 250th anniversary, announced a call for submissions of papers written on North Carolina’s role in the American Revolution and founding of the United States. Locke’s Carolina Journal also interviewed state Senate leader Berger, who urged for reforms to the federal government’s approach to disaster aid.
Kansas Policy Institute released its Responsible Kansas Budget paper and A-F Grading for Kansas Schools. In addition, the Institute’s Kansas School Board Resource Center hosted a briefing for school board members on President Trump’s Executive Order eliminating DEI and the potential loss of federal revenue for those who don’t comply. The Center also hosted two public meetings to encourage people to run for school boards on a platform of improving student outcomes.
Liberty Justice Center’s Jeffrey Schwab appeared in-studio on PBS’s Chicago Tonight to discuss the Trump administration’s recent DEI executive order, potential changes to the Department of Education’s funding, and the importance of school choice. In National Review’s Radio Free California Podcast, Jeffrey Schwab also joined Will Swaim to discuss the Center’s new lawsuit on behalf of the California Policy Center, challenging an employer censorship law that violates free speech rights across California.
Sutherland Institute released new survey data highlighting Utah voters’ priorities for legislators as the 2025 session moves toward its close.
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty released it Act 10 Calculator, a tool that draws from extensive analysis to assess how getting rid of the state’s Act 10 law would impact school districts and property taxpayers.
Freedom through the Courts: The Latest Litigation Efforts across the Network
The Buckeye Institute filed its fourth amicus brief in Texas Top Cop Shop v. Bondi, calling upon the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to affirm the district court’s injunction against the Corporate Transparency Act, a sweeping, ill-advised, and misleadingly-named law that gives the government power to collect private information on small business owners. Buckeyealso filed an amicus brief urging the US Supreme Court to protect donor privacy, and the First Amendment by quashing a New Jersey attorney general’s subpoena served on First Choice Women’s Resource Centers in an effort to silence organizations with whom the state disagrees.
Success Stories
Idaho: Governor Little signed a law that provides a $5,000 tax credit for qualifying families for educational expenses, including private school tuition — a victory for Idaho families who need other educational options (Idaho Freedom Foundation and Mountain States Policy Center).
North Carolina: A new report from the state’s Department of Commerce now shows that the tax cuts of the past dozen years helped to lift hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians out of poverty and reduce poverty at one of the fastest rates in the country, proving once again that the best remedy to poverty is a growing economy (John Locke Foundation).
Wisconsin: In a significant victory for true equality, a new ruling from the Wisconsin Court of Appeals against the Evers Administration found that the state of Wisconsin can offer aid based on need, income level, or personal hardships—but not race (Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty).
Solutions from the States: This Week’s Policy Briefs
The Buckeye Institute issued a new policy memo that shows how a failure to index Ohio’s income tax brackets to inflation in 2023-2024 cost Ohio taxpayers $663 million. As Ohio’s 136th General Assembly continues its work on the state’s 2026-2027 budget, the memo urged lawmakers to resist the temptation to suspend indexing going forward and make inflation-indexing a permanent part of Ohio’s income tax policy.
California Policy Center posted a brief exploring a potential way to prevent uncontrolled wildfires, reversing policy decisions that impose strict limits on water use in the state so as to rehydrate the Los Angeles “heat island.”
Idaho Freedom Foundation issued briefs that consider the red flags from Idaho’s proposed K-12 social studies standards, call for legislators to watch the bottom line in state spending amidst the current pay raise fire hose, and question the legality and transparency of a $2.4 million loan from taxpayer funds for a new fuel site and car wash.
Mountain States Policy Center issued briefs that examine the calls from 20 Secretaries of State to repeal the reimposed Corporate Transparency Act, break down Washington state lawmakers’ moves towards a milage tax, tell the story of a Wyoming couple’s fights for property rights, and recount rent control’s record of ruin.
People United for Privacy Foundation released a brief with a state-by-state analysis of proposed laws and regulations that threaten to expose nonprofit donors and fuel political harassment.
Tracking Positive Reforms: Updates from Network Affiliates
Arkansas: A bill that would allow parents to make public comment at each school board meeting was heard before the House Education Committee. In addition, Senator Clark introduced a bill that would make technical corrections to an existing education choice bill to clarify that students are eligible for intradistrict transfers (Opportunity Arkansas).
Arizona: A new law empowering parents to safeguard their children’s private information passed an important first hurdle in the Arizona Legislature, as the House Education Committee advanced a bill that provides parents greater control over public school districts’ ability to release students’ personal information to third parties. In addition, a reform which allows citizens to sue city, county, or school district officials who violate the law by using public resources to influence elections passed the Senate (Goldwater Institute).
Colorado: The Protect Workers Rights’ constitutional amendment was awarded title from the Colorado Secretary of State. In addition, a bill to include nuclear energy in Colorado’s energy portfolio passed the state House and is on to the Senate. Lawmakers also heard testimony in support of bills that would create a Colorado DOGE to identify and eliminate government waste, fraud, and abuse and make income tax reductions permanent — a move which continues the work of recent successful campaigns that reduced income tax rates permanently (Independence Institute).
Georgia: The Senate unanimously advanced the Hope for Georgia Patients, a nonpartisan law that empowers patients with rare and ultra-rare diseases to work with their physicians to seek highly specialized treatments that are as unique as they are (Goldwater Institute). In addition, the Senate approved a comprehensive tort reform bill (Georgia Public Policy Foundation).
Idaho: Lawmakers proposed a bill that would prevent government bureaucracy from stunting the remarkable growth witnessed in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector (Mountain States Policy Center).
Montana: The Senate Energy Committee passed a bill which would help position Montana as a world-class destination for artificial intelligence (AI) and data center investment (Frontier Institute).
Mississippi: The Senate passed a $538 million tax cut package, setting up what could be contentious conference talks later this session. House leaders appear ready to battle for their $1.1 billion tax reform package that ultimately eliminates the income tax, something the Senate measure does not achieve, but both versions would equate to the largest tax cut in state history.
New Mexico: Lawmakers in the Senate Finance Committee voted to table a “net zero” bill (Rio Grande Foundation).
Oklahoma: The Senate passed legislation that would protect Christian couples from being required to set aside their religious beliefs in order to serve as foster or adoptive parents. The bill now moves for consideration to the House (Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs).
Oregon: Lawmakers introduced a bill which would raise the death tax exemption level to $7 million and decrease the tax rate to 7% — a move to combat the states reputation as the “worst place to die in the US” (Cascade Policy Institute).
South Carolina: The House Education Committee amended a bill that would restore Education Savings Accounts in the state to designate the general fund as the funding source and set an incremental elimination of income requirements while leaving enrollment numbers capped. On third reading, the House passed the bill, and it now returns to the Senate as amended for approval (South Carolina Policy Council).
Texas: House Speaker Dustin Burrows and House Public Education Committee Chairman Brad Buckley announced that the House’s school choice bill had received 76 coauthors. This is a historic achievement to receive such strong support in the Texas House, where the bill remains in committee (Texas Public Policy Foundation).
Utah: Lawmakers proposed bills that would strengthen the state’s psychotherapeutic therapy pilot program, reform its oversight and privacy protections for automatic license plate readers, and ease zoning restrictions to allow for more homes (Libertas Institute).
Wyoming: The House passed a universal school choice bill — it now moves to the Senate for final approval.
Policy News from the States
Topics:
K-12 Education
Pennsylvania Public Schools are Failing — and More Money Won’t Help
Commonwealth Foundation
Common Sense Emerges in the Education Culture War
Freedom Foundation
School List Available for Georgia Promise Scholarship Eligibility
Georgia Center for Opportunity
HB 455 Utah Fits All Updates: The Good and The Concerning
Libertas Institute
Wisconsin Legislative Audit Chiefs Want Learning Standards, Grant Reviews
MacIver Institute
Backfilling Lost Federal Education Funding Will Cost California Dearly
Pacific Research Institute
Open Enrollment Opportunity
Platte Institute
The Crime of Address Sharing: Why Open Enrollment Matters in Missouri
Show-Me Institute
Open Enrollment: Empowering Missouri Families
Show-Me Institute
Reversing the Chaos: A Method to Make Forward Exam Scores Comparable to the Past
Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty
Energy and Environment
Rehydrating the Los Angeles Heat Island
California Policy Center
PUC Considers 600 MW Amazon Diesel Proposal
Center of the American Experiment
Testimony: Utilities Should Only Profit from Reliable Electricity
Center of the American Experiment
Kent Shares Wildfire Recovery Lessons from Lahaina on California Podcast
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Put Up Your Nukes, California
Pacific Research Institute
The Future of Water in Texas
Texas Public Policy Foundation
There When You Need It: Is the Market Ensuring Grid Reliability?
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Energy Customers Deserve to Know What Clean Energy Mandate is Costing Them
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
Healthcare
Top-Down Healthcare: The Dangers of CON and Centralized Planning
Cardinal Institute
Even With Reconciliation Savings, Medicaid Spending Will Continue to Grow
Foundation for Government Accountability
Congressman Tiffany: Medicaid Changes not Cuts, but “Common Sense”
MacIver Institute
State Report Card on Telehealth Reform: Progress Slowed in 2024 Leaving Patients Without Access
Pioneer Institute
Medicaid Expansion Up in First Committee Monday Morning
Rio Grande Foundation
New Report: Medicaid Expansion Could Lead to Lower Quality at Higher Costs
Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty
Housing Affordability
Tiny House in a Land of Lakes and Giant Prices
Badger Institute
Solving Texas’s Housing Crisis: A Path to Homeownership
Goldwater Institute
Maui Realtors Get Upbeat News from Kent About Future of Hawaii Housing
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Everyone Hates Property Taxes, Which Is Why We Should Depend on Them More
Show-Me Institute
Jobs and State Economies
‘They’re Not Listening’: Lowertown Business Owners Put City Government on Blast
Center of the American Experiment
Rochester Employers: Delay Paid Family Leave or Expect Dire Consequences
Center of the American Experiment
Minnesota’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Payroll Tax Rises By 25% Even Before Implementation
Center of the American Experiment
Illinois Ranks 48th for People Moving Out, Loses Over 56K Residents
Illinois Policy
The Empty Promises of Industrial Policy
Mackinac Center
Should State Government Take Over Gasoline Production in California?
Pacific Research Institute
SB 5292 Promises Another Pay Decrease for Workers in the State
Washington Policy Center
Overtime Bills Get Swept Under Cutoff Rug
Washington Policy Center
State Budgets
ALDOGE with Alabama Policy Institute’s Stephanie Smith
Alabama Policy Institute
Stephanie Smith, Alabama Policy Institute on Fiscal policy in Alabama
Alabama Policy Institute
Restructuring Oregon’s Death Tax Would Benefit the State
Cascade Policy Institute
EIA: Minnesota #1 for Gas Tax Increase Since 2024
Center of the American Experiment
Met Council Finally Pulls Plug on Failed Northstar Rail Line
Center of the American Experiment
Annette Meeks – Municipal Broadband: A Zombie in Our Midst
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
With ‘No Customer Base,’ Northstar Commuter Rail ‘Boondoggle’ Could Be Shuttered
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
Pocatello Officials Spending Millions with Limited Oversight: Whatever Happened to Transparency in Government?
Idaho Freedom Foundation
Pritzker’s $1.5B in Wishful Thinking Might Leave Taxpayers Poorer
Illinois Policy
Update: Municipal Grocery Stores
Indiana Policy Review Foundation
Wong: Rethinking Amtrak Subsidies
Indiana Policy Review Foundation
March 4th, 2025, Special Election: What’s on the Ballot?
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation
Legislators Should Reclaim $500 Million in NCInnovation Funds Then Divert to Higher Priorities
John Locke Foundation
Michigan Can Rein in Reckless Spending
Mackinac Center
How to Sell Pork to Both Parties
Mackinac Center
How Many Millions Did We Spend on Paid-Leave Compliance?
Mackinac Center
Oklahoma Attracts Movers, But Income Tax Still a Problem
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Unfunded Mandates Harm Oklahoma Pension Systems
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
South Carolina’s State Retirement System: A Look Behind the Curtain
Palmetto Promise Institute
Federal Funds Inventory
Platte Institute
Yankee Institute Calls for Government to Reduce Illegal Immigration Costs, Rather Than Busting Fiscal Guardrails
Yankee Institute
Workplace Freedom
Government Unions are Losing Money and Members—but Not Power and Influence
Commonwealth Foundation
PERC Orders AFSCME Council 2 to Defend Its Abuse of Employee Rights
Freedom Foundation
Other
American Experiment Goes to College
Center of the American Experiment
Political Problems Not the Same as True Emergencies
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
What Policymakers Can Learn from Milton Friedman
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Director/Actor Samuel Lee Fudge on Marcus Garvey & Pan-Africanism
Pioneer Institute
The Network in the News
In the New York Post, the Empire Center’s Ken Girardin criticizes New York state’s decision to allocate $5.5 billion in incentives to Micron Technology.
In The Arizona Republic, the Goldwater Institute’s Jon Riches criticizes Arizona’s current water policies for exacerbating the state’s affordable housing crisis.
In the New York Post, Illinois Policy Institute’s Paul Vallas explains how USAID squandered billions in Haiti and around the globe.
In The American Spectator, the Independent Institute’s Lloyd Billingsley points out how Governor Newsom could slow the exodus of workers and businesses from California and perhaps prompt some to return.
In San Francisco Chronicle, the Independent Institute’s Kristian Fors shows how the best way to encourage homeowners to harden their homes against wildfires is to create robust incentives to do so.
In the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Institute for Reforming Government’s Quinton Klabon highlights how Milwaukee parents choose schools for their children.
In the Triad Business Journal, the John Locke Foundation’s Brian Balfour calls for North Carolina to ditch its harmful franchise tax.
In the Daily Signal, Liberty Justice Center President Jacob Huebert discussed the Center’s First Amendment lawsuit on behalf of John Parks, a high school track and field coach who was fired for suggested an open division for transgender athletes to compete in.
In Deseret News, the Mackinac Center’s Tony Durant point out how Utah is leading the nation by prioritizing worker freedom.
In USA Today, the Mackinac Center’s Jarrett Skorup criticizes Biden’s $42.5 billion broadband program for failing to connect new users.
In his column for The Detroit News, the Mackinac Center‘s Mike Reitz highlights how Michigan’s last-minute reforms to paid sick leave and minimum wage averted job losses but exposed political dysfunction and the need for stable governance.
In The Baltimore Sun, the Maryland Public Policy Institute’s Christopher Summers argues a proposed climate law could cripple Maryland’s economy.
In The Center Square, the Mountain States Policy Center’s Sam Cardwell highlights how Washington is considering a mileage tax.
In his recent column, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs’ Jonathan Small addresses the persistent issue of reading failures among Oklahoma students.
In the Washington Examiner, the Pacific Research Institute’s Sally Pipes encourages policymakers to stop the Medicaid provider tax grift.
In the Wall Street Journal, the Yankee Institute’s Bryce Chinault and Andy Fowler expose how the Jones Act has driven up prices and shriveled the US maritime industry.
In his recent column, John Hood discusses the structure of executive power in North Carolina, highlighting its deviation from the unitary executive theory.
