Announcements
The Empire Center noted that New York State’s population growth has stalled, adding only 1,008 residents in 2025 due to a significant slowdown inimmigration.
The Frontier Institute highlighted hidden economic factors influencing drug prices in the United States during their recentFrontier Briefing podcast featuring expert Antonio Ciaccia.
The Goldwater Institute reported that Arizona’s future as a leader in data centers is at risk fromexcessive regulations.
Polling data from the John Locke Foundation found that many Americans support energy policies linked to the Trump administration’s actions.
The MacIver Institute for Public Policy applauded Congressman Bryan Steil’s MEGA election reform agenda, noting its potential to enhanceelection integrity and voter confidence.
The Maine Policy Institute pointed out that a federal audit revealed significant mismanagement in Maine’s Medicaid-funded autism services.
A recent statewide poll found that Pioneer Institute reported overwhelming support among Massachusetts residents for expanding vocational schools and school choice options.
The Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity launched a petition calling for a shift in state energy policies to avoid high electricity prices and potentialblackouts.
Freedom through the Courts: The Latest Litigation Efforts across the Network
The Buckeye Institute unveiled a proposed amendment that takes a crucial step toward addressing Ohio’s legal deserts by licensing legal paraprofessionals to help the more than 6.5 million Ohioans living in areas with an insufficient number of attorneys gain access to legal assistance and advice.
The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Relentless v. U.S. Department of Commerce, urging the First Circuit to overturn a rule forcing commercial fishermen to pay for government-mandated monitors and to apply the Supreme Court’s recent decision ending Chevron deference.
The Liberty Justice Center filed an amicus brief in Mirabelli v. Bonta, challenging California’s policy that withholds students’ preferred names and pronouns from parents and defending parental rights in education.
The Liberty Justice Center joined an amicus brief in Janssen v. Kennedy, arguing that the federal government’s coercive drug pricing scheme violates the Fifth Amendment’s Takings Clause.
People United for Privacy Foundationanalyzed how Buckley v. Valeo became a key precedent protecting the First Amendment rights of nonprofits and donors.
Solutions from the States: This Week’s Policy Briefs
The Badger Institute noted that proposed estate tax legislation in Wisconsin could impose a top rate of 20 percent, potentially making the state’s rate among the highest in the nation.
Testimony submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii urged lawmakers not to impose income requirements for living in farm dwellings.
The Independence Institute noted that Colorado’s proposed HB 1030 could deter data center investments by imposing burdensome requirements forrenewable energy sources.
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy issued its 2026 policy priorities, emphasizing government transparency, reliable electricity, and reduced regulatory burdens.
Pioneer Institute released a report detailing ten reasons to question the validity of ITEP’s analysis on the proposed income tax cut.
The Platte Institute released a framework for evaluating tax policy, emphasizing principles such as transparency and simplicity.
The Show-Me Institute highlighted that implementing open enrollment policies would enhance Missouri’s charter schools.
Analysis from the Texas Public Policy Foundation projected that by 2030, Texas’s grid could face nearly 24 hours of outages from winter storms.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation announced a $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support a program aimed at enhancing civic literacy.
Jobs in the Network
Executive Assistant — State Policy Network (Remote)
Development Associate — Illinois Policy Institute (Chicago, IL)
Manager of Alumni Engagement & Programs — The Fund for American Studies (Washington, DC)
Policy News from the States
Topics:
K-12 Education
Pastoral Perspective on School Choice
Alabama Policy Institute
It’s Time for Accountability and Fair Play at the AHSAA
Alabama Policy Institute
Stephanie Smith: Alabama lawmakers can curb Big Tech’s grip on kids by passing HB161
Alabama Policy Institute
North Dakota to participate in new tax-credit scholarship program — and that’s a win for families
American Experiment
SB 2300: Special Purpose Schools
Empower Mississippi
SB 2487: Expanding the Literacy Based Promotion Act
Empower Mississippi
IEA’s “May Matters” campaign roils Twin Falls School District
Freedom Foundation
100,000 Reasons to Celebrate National School Choice Week
Goldwater Institute
Senate Bill 1225 — President search, higher education (+1)
Idaho Freedom Foundation
Cook County property tax delays hit Evanston, other schools
Illinois Policy Institute
Donation tax credits can boost Illinois public school foundations
Illinois Policy Institute
Iowa Earns Top Ranking for Educational Freedom
ITR Foundation
The Hill: School Choice in Florida Offers Wild and Imaginative Learning Options
James Madison Institute
School funding almost $19,000 per student, cash reserves hit $1.33 billion, enrollment declines, and employment increases
Kansas Policy Institute
If You Want Parent Power, Only HB2 Will Do
Minnesota Policy
Idaho parents are shocking the nation – education choice numbers surge again
Mountain States Policy Center
Montana chooses opportunity by adopting the new federal education choice tax credit
Mountain States Policy Center
Constitutional discrimination: Why voters must get chance to repeal the Blaine Amendment
Mountain States Policy Center
IRG: Wisconsin School Choice Soars During National School Choice Week
Reforming Government
Decoupling vote has IRG talking about property taxes, again
Reforming Government
Matthew McCormick’s Testimony to the Texas State Board of Education
Texas Public Policy Foundation
A Decade of Soft Power: How Foreign Adversaries Quietly Entered Texas’s Classrooms
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Open enrollment: Know the basics
The Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy
Governor Landry Pushes to Expand Education Opportunities through LA GATOR
The Pelican Institute for Public Policy
When the Negotiating Table and Town Hall Start to Look the Same
Yankee Institute
Energy and Environment
California’s Drought is Over, But We Still Must Invest in Water Supply Projects
California Policy Center
Study Finds U.S. Drought Monitor Has Overstated Drought Conditions in California for 25 Years
California Policy Center
A Trillion Dollar Energy Law – HB2021: Watch John Charles on PDX Real
Cascade Policy Institute
Testimony on FY 2027 New York state executive budget Article VII legislation, parts N, O, P
Empire Center
Reject proposed tax increase on petroleum
Grassroot Institute
Franke: Avoiding Another ‘Oil War’
Indiana Policy
Advancing ‘appliance freedom’ for Americans
John Locke Foundation
Taxpayers fund environmentalist group that teaches kids wacky ideas
John Locke Foundation
Solar companies scramble to hide Chinese ties
John Locke Foundation
Energy Markets Still Punish Policy Weakness
Pacific Research Institute
New paper on predator management looks at wolves in the western U.S.
Pacific Research Institute
Consumer-Regulated Electricity (CRE) and Data Centers
Show-Me Institute
Protected: Unlocking Louisiana’s Energy Abundance: Pelican Institute Releases Roadmap to Reform
The Pelican Institute for Public Policy
Healthcare
Cops alone can’t stop government fraud scandals
John Locke Foundation
North Carolina designed a Medicaid program that it can’t afford
John Locke Foundation
How NC legislators can provide relief for unaffordable health care costs
John Locke Foundation
Combatting rising American health care costs
John Locke Foundation
The continued push for government run health care in Washington state
Mountain States Policy Center
The ‘Medicare-For-All’ Delusion
Pacific Research Institute
Housing Affordability
The war on high housing prices is targeting the wrong villain
American Experiment
Improve city staffing by expanding civil service exemptions
Grassroot Institute
Don’t stall homebuilding plans while waiting for water access
Grassroot Institute
Looking forward to the 2026 legislative session
Grassroot Institute
Vallas: Record-high property tax increase is Preckwinkle’s reelection baggage
Illinois Policy Institute
A Prudent Approach to Property Tax Reform
ITR Foundation
San Francisco spent millions on booze for homeless alcoholics
John Locke Foundation
The state of housing in Michigan
Mackinac Center
Jobs and State Economies
Minnesota sees positive net domestic migration for first time since 2018
American Experiment
Why has Minnesota’s human capital growth rate lagged that of the United States since 2014?
American Experiment
SB 2771: Expanding Fresh Start
Empower Mississippi
44K international migrants offset 40K Illinoisans leaving last year
Illinois Policy Institute
Chicago metro area is 4th-hottest tech hub
Illinois Policy Institute
Illinois is No. 3 for workforce development
Illinois Policy Institute
Session Preview: Regulatory Reform
ITR Foundation
Orlando Sentinel: Will the Legislature Keep Its Eye on the Ball?
James Madison Institute
Mackinac Center Announces 2026 Policy Priorities
Mackinac Center
Does Michigan Reconnect get people better paying jobs?
Mackinac Center
Let interest rates find their market rate
Mackinac Center
California’s urban-mobility plan: more of what’s not working
Pacific Research Institute
Tough Times Ahead for California in 2026
Pacific Research Institute
On Minnesota, Davos and California’s Growing Outmigration Trend
Pacific Research Institute
Proposed patent tax offers a dangerous ‘solution’ to a non-existent problem
Pacific Research Institute
Extraordinary Economic Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence—Sports Edition
Show-Me Institute
Mass immigration is economic warfare and few Americans understand why
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Connecticut’s Census Numbers: Impressively Average
Yankee Institute
State Budgets
Use of fiscal notes would benefit both taxpayers and lawmakers
Grassroot Institute
Senate Bill 1230 — Alcohol, permits, licenses, fees (-3)
Idaho Freedom Foundation
Waste watch: Illinois spends $700K on decolonization activism
Illinois Policy Institute
Chicago delaying pension payment, running low on cash
Illinois Policy Institute
Waste watch: Illinois funnels $4.6M to children’s sports camp
Illinois Policy Institute
Waste watch: Illinois spends $2.6M on tennis, pickleball
Illinois Policy Institute
Understanding Iowa’s Property Tax “Rollback”: What It Is, Why It Exists, and How It Affects Your Tax Bill
ITR Foundation
Sound tax policy begins with spending restraint
ITR Foundation
Kansas Is Relearning a Hard Lesson About Spending
Kansas Policy Institute
The Auditor Confirms Missouri’s Budget Problem
Show-Me Institute
Texas Local Government Debt Soars to $552 Billion
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Revenue-Hungry Democrats Give Themselves a Buffet of Tax Increase Choices for 2026
Thomas Jefferson Institute
Workplace Freedom
California shatters another record, momentum keeps building
Freedom Foundation
Freedom Foundation, union trade volleys in Jewish teacher’s damage suit
Freedom Foundation
Goldwater Petitions AZ Supreme Court to Reform Licensing for Lawyers
Goldwater Institute
Senate Bill 1228 — Sexual orientation, gender identity (-7)
Idaho Freedom Foundation
Anti-ICE protests stir up same anger as BLM
John Locke Foundation
Other
Trump Wrong on Rescheduling Marijuana
Alabama Policy Institute
500 habeas cases
American Experiment
Homan outlines three strategic changes to Operation Metro Surge
American Experiment
Our new podcast will cover cutting edge legal issues, with an edge
American Experiment
Lawfare-industrial complex
American Experiment
Preliminary report on Pretti shooting provided to Congress
American Experiment
Elected Democrats Help Direct Anti-ICE CHAOS
American Experiment
Lawfare and habeas corpus
American Experiment
Habeas Corpus Case No. 666
American Experiment
Reducing the temperature
American Experiment
Lawfare rages, 24/7
American Experiment
SB 2792: Expungement for those who weren’t convicted
Empower Mississippi
SB 2796 & 2797: Mississippi Violent Crime Task Force
Empower Mississippi
GET exemptions make healthcare more affordable
Grassroot Institute
House Bill 522 — Unmanned aircraft, dept of correction (-1)
Idaho Freedom Foundation
House Bill 520 — Agency notice, contested case (+1)
Idaho Freedom Foundation
Senate Bill 1229 — Highway districts, elections (+1)
Idaho Freedom Foundation
Senate Bill 1225 — President search, higher education (+1)
Idaho Freedom Foundation
McGowan: Marx and the Mayor
Indiana Policy
The Outstater
Indiana Policy
Order vs. Chaos in Immigration Enforcement
ITR Foundation
Trump deal likely to inspire more protests nationwide
John Locke Foundation
Palestinian leaders promised $200M in ‘pay-to-slay’ funds for terrorists
John Locke Foundation
Democrats still support anti-Trump lawfare
John Locke Foundation
Grand Rapids should publish its 311 data
Mackinac Center
The Montana Constitution’s authoritarian mandates
Mountain States Policy Center
New legislation requires Idaho government to show its work
Mountain States Policy Center
Lincoln’s Line: Immigration and the Moral Limits of Federalism
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Surrogacy and the Dignity of Women and Children
Texas Public Policy Foundation
The Network in the News
In The Courier Journal, the Bluegrass Institute’s Caleb O. Brown points out Kentucky’s flawed property tax system allows for silent increases.
In the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Commonwealth Foundation’s Jay Stooksberry examines why support for school vouchers may be more widespread than people think.
In the New York Post, the Empire Center’s E.J. McMahon highlights how Zohran Mamdani’s ignorance could drive New York to ruin.
In his recent column for The Denver Gazette, the Independence Institute’s Jon Caldara considers Colorado’s shrinking population and what policymakers can do about it.
In the Salisbury Post, the John Locke Foundation’s Donald Bryson argues North Carolina’s razor-thin elections have made it a perpetual political battleground.
In The Washington Post, the Mackinac Center’s Michael LaFaive and Ball State University professor Todd Nesbit discuss how higher cigarette taxes drive illicit markets instead of reducing smoking.
At City Journal, the Maine Policy Institute’s Jonah Davids considers how AI can empower school choice.
In the Tri-City Herald, the Mountain States Policy Center’s Sam Cardwell highlights a Washington bill to integrate advanced nuclear power into the state’s energy strategy.
In The St. Louis Dispatch, the Show-Me Institute’s Susan Pendergrass considers why lower crime numbers haven’t made Missourians feel safer.
In the Orlando Sentinel, The James Madison Institute’s J. Robert McClure III warns that Florida’s conservative gains are at risk in 2026 unless lawmakers stay focused on affordability, school choice, and limiting government overreach.
