Announcements
The Foundation for Government Accountability noted that states should end funding for dead-end degrees to protect taxpayers and ensure financial returns for students.
The Independent Institute awarded its California Golden Fleece® Award to LA Mayor Karen Bass and various agencies complicit in the 2025 LA Firestorm.
In its new report, The Mississippi Center for Public Policy shared an ambitious plan for 2026, focusing on further free market reforms to build on recent state successes.
Kansas Policy Institute noted that the deal to bring the Kansas City Chiefs across the state line could lead to a lengthy financial commitment that undermines good economics.
The Institute for Reforming Government released findings from their Listening Tour that reveal what issues matter most to Wisconsinites.
The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs noted that Oklahoma remains a top destination for movers, ranking 14th nationally in domestic migration according to the U-Haul Growth Index.
TheRio Grande Foundation noted that Railrunner ridership has leveled off at a lower level than before COVID, generating more carbon emissions than it reduces.
Success Stories
Governor Mike DeWine signed a trio of bills championed by The Buckeye Institute, giving Ohio taxpayers the largest property tax relief in half a century.
The Empower Mississippi reported that the Senate Education Committee passed Senate Bill 2002, marking a significant step toward expanding educational opportunities.
Solutions from the States: This Week’s Policy Briefs
The Grassroot Institute outlined strategies to enhance farmworker housing in Hawaii, noting that actions at state and county levels could benefit both employees and farmers.
The Independence Institute highlighted that broad-based Colorado income tax relief could enhance economic freedom for all taxpayers.
The Independent Institute highlighted key lessons and recommendations from the devastating 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.
Declining enrollment in Iowa’s K–12 schools prompted the ITR Foundation to highlight the need for understanding broader demographic trends.
The Mackinac Center argued that Michigan should prioritize nuclear energy over solar power, emphasizing the need for low-emission sources to meet the state’s energy demands.
The Mountain States Policy Center noted that teacher compensation needs reform, advocating for a shift away from outdated salary schedules towards rewarding student outcomes.
Following recent developments in AI legislation, the Platte Institute examined potential conflicts between state and federal approaches, emphasizing the implications for Nebraska.
Jobs in the Network
President — Institute for Free Speech (District of Columbia)
Chief Operating Officer — Steamboat Institute (Remote)
Director of Donor Experiences — Competitive Enterprise Institute (Washington, DC or Virtual)
Policy News from the States
Topics:
K-12 Education
Under The Dome: House Introduces the Education Freedom Act
Empower Mississippi
Wisconsin Republicans Key-up Child Grooming, Gender Legislation
MacIver Institute
Wisconsin’s School Cellphone Ban Begins in 2026, Kinda
MacIver Institute
The Presidential AI Challenge: Igniting a new era for the next generation
Mountain States Policy Center
Judge grants stay in ongoing Montana ESA case
Mountain States Policy Center
Montana Constitution’s school terms fail the test
Mountain States Policy Center
Oklahoma school spending and staffing up, but ACT scores fall
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
As Trump seeks higher-ed transparency on foreign influence, an…
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Pioneer Institute Statement on Mayor Wu’s Decision to Add $100 Million to the Cost of Building a New Madison Park Technical Vocational High School
Pioneer Institute
MLG: When in doubt, spend more money – Errors of Enchantment
Rio Grande Foundation
The Link Between Balanced Literacy and Critical Literacy
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Energy and Environment
Climate warriors should offer more incentives, fewer lectures
Pacific Research Institute
Rick Caruso – One Year After the Wildfires, Are We Rebuilding a Stronger LA?
Pacific Research Institute
The Explosion of Transmission Costs in ERCOT: Causes, Forecasts, and Policy Solutions
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Dominion Describes Efforts to Limit Turbine Radar Interference
Thomas Jefferson Institute
State CO2 report shows 86% of Washington’s claimed climate benefits are probably fake
Washington Policy Center
Healthcare
Plan to Expand Wisconsin PTSD Coverage Clears Statehouse Committee
MacIver Institute
Sen. Bradley Hopeful After Medical Price Transparency Hearing
MacIver Institute
Proposed Ballot Questions for 2026: What Mainers Should Know
Maine Policy Institute
Liberal Group Spends Seven Figures in Western Wisconsin Congressional Race
Opportunity Wisconsin
ACA Subsidies, Parks Policy, and Open Enrollment in Missouri
Show-Me Institute
Housing Affordability
Expand height-limit exemption to all buildings destroyed in Lahaina fires
Grassroot Institute
Include single-family dwellings as by-right use in commercial zones
Grassroot Institute
Fewer homes on market, higher prices for Illinois buyers
Illinois Policy Institute
The Outstater
Indiana Policy
Watch PRI’s interview with Rick Caruso – one year after the wildfires
Pacific Research Institute
Jobs and State Economies
Montana Entrepreneur Wins Right to Challenge Anti-Competitive Licensing Law
Goldwater Institute
Walz implosion marks end of ‘faux-masculinity superhero’
John Locke Foundation
Montana’s inflation-indexed minimum wage squeezes small businesses
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Oklahoma restaurant owner warns SQ 832 will kill jobs, businesses
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Statement of Jim Stergios on New Economic Modeling of Proposed Income Tax Reduction
Pioneer Institute
Nebraska’s Tax Code Lets It Compete for Data Center Investment
Platte Institute
The American Dream: Still a Reality?
The Pelican Institute for Public Policy
Statewide Coalition of Free Market Groups Calls for Action on “Red Tape Reset” Package
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty
State Budgets
Mr. Glahn goes to Washington
American Experiment
How the Left and Right Can Unite to Restore Opportunity in America
California Policy Center
“Oregon System” Sends Governor Back to Square One
Cascade Policy Institute
Waste watch: Illinois gives $12M to NASCAR
Illinois Policy Institute
How Illinois has changed under Pritzker
Illinois Policy Institute
Inflation: The Role of a Mistaken Supreme Court – Independence Institute
Independence Institute
Putting the Brakes on Government’s Spending Joyride
ITR Foundation
“Putting the Brakes on Government Spending”
ITR Foundation
Key figure in $250M Minnesota fraud must forfeit Porsche, luxury goods
John Locke Foundation
Government makes a bad Santa Claus
Mackinac Center
A few positives (relative to MLG’s) in the LFC budget – Errors of Enchantment
Rio Grande Foundation
Is the Chiefs Move to Kansas Really a Done Deal?
Show-Me Institute
Kansas’s Coming STAR Bond Tax
Show-Me Institute
What happens when you build a state budget on the most volatile tax sources?
Washington Policy Center
Workplace Freedom
Freedom Foundation Sues to Block Oregon Law Silencing Worker Rights Speech
Freedom Foundation
Hartford Lawmakers Step Into a Local Labor Dispute — and Leave City Hall With the Bill
Yankee Institute
Other
Tim Walz Threatens Civil War
American Experiment
ICE agent fatally shoots woman in Minneapolis
American Experiment
House Bill 500 — Placeholder (0)
Idaho Freedom Foundation
Parents’ Rights: Why a Judge Stopped California From Concealing Children’s ‘Gender Transition’ From Parents – Independence Institute
Independence Institute
The Outstater
Indiana Policy
Set the Floor, Not the Ceiling: Lessons From Florida’s AI Week
James Madison Institute
What is the role of a think tank?
John Locke Foundation
Brown DEI leader to oversee campus ‘healing’
John Locke Foundation
3 ways to rebuild Americans’ trust in government
Mackinac Center
Tipping Point NM episode 774 – New Mexico Land Commissioner candidate Michael Perry – Errors of Enchantment
Rio Grande Foundation
Crime and Public Safety in St. Louis: Upcoming Events
Show-Me Institute
In Venezuela, the Era of Escaping Consequences Is Over
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Mexico Is Acting Like an Adversary to the U.S.
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Minnesota’s Fraud Is Blowing the Lid Off a Broken Election System
Texas Public Policy Foundation
The Network in the News
In the San Diego Union-Tribune, the California Policy Center’s Marc Joffe argues that California’s high-speed rail project is too costly and risky to attract private investment without government backing.
In The Denver Gazette, the Independence Institute’s Jake Fogleman highlights the high cost of Colorado’s ‘clean heat.’
In The American Spectator, the Independent Institute’s Lloyd Billingsly points out the fraud in California will dwarf the fraud in Minnesota.
In a Letter to the Editor for The Wall Street Journal, the Liberty Justice Center’s Mark Janus points out a new Oregon law blocks groups from informing workers of their Janus rights while letting unions send unlimited recruitment mail.
The Wall Street Journal wrote a profile of Douglas Carswell and his work at the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.
In The Center Square, the Mountain States Policy Center’s Chris Cargill highlights the hidden costs of Washington’s minimum wage hike.
