Announcements
Cascade Policy Institute submitted public comments on the Oregon State Urban Mobility Strategy Finance plan, urging that it be downsized to focus on auxiliary lanes and improved shoulders.
Georgia Public Policy Foundation profiled a brewery that recently closed in Atlanta, partly due to century-old state laws that raise costs and hamper competition in the industry.
John Locke Foundation released its monthly Citivas Poll, showing North Carolinian voters clearly favor capitalism over socialism.
Maine Policy Institute released a statement encouraging lawmakers to reject the proposed supplemental budget deal, stating that it does not go far enough in providing tax relief for Maine taxpayers.
Mississippi Center for Public Policy released a video outlining four ways that good public policy is having a positive impact on Mississippi.
Mountain States Policy Center released a compilation of data examining the effects of educational choice, showing how of the 187 studies conducted, 84% of them show a positive effect.
Pioneer Institute released the findings of its study that showed how Massachusetts’ “Every Student Succeeds Act” is not meeting the needs of all students.
Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity announced it will hold its annual freedom banquet this November, resuming the event after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
Texas Public Policy Foundation released videos breaking down their victories in the 88th Texas Legislature session, which included legislation that enacted market reforms to the Texas grid, ensured businesses and industries were not unjustly penalized for foreign air contaminants or based on ESG factors, and more.
Washington Policy Center’s Todd Myers submitted testimony to Washington state lawmakers stating that frustration at the slow pace of salmon recovery should not be the basis for spending $35 billion to destroy the four Lower Snake River dams.
Freedom through the Courts: The Latest Litigation Efforts across the Network
The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Montana Medical Association v. Knudsen, calling on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth District to protect states from the expansion of federal regulations without congressional approval.
Success Stories
Wisconsin: The Senate passed legislation that will overhaul the way Wisconsin’s children learn how to read. With a heavy focus on phonics, the major components of the bill reflect the policies that the Institute for Reforming Government’s Action Fund has advocated for this year.
Wisconsin: The Supreme Court of Wisconsin repealed the Town of Buchanan’s transportation utility fee, creating a strong precedent to protect property taxpayers across the state of Wisconsin (Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty).
Solutions from the States: This Week’s Policy Briefs
The Buckeye Institute details how a well-designed system of state-based visas can attract more talent to Ohio, as the country remains locked into an international fight to attract the world’s best and brightest.
Frontier Institute published a white paper showing how to build a vibrant school choice ecosystem in Montana.
Goldwater Institute released a new report outlining how to save civic literacy for Arizona students.
Institute for Reforming Government issued a new report that exposed how the United Nations Foundation, the multi-billion dollar UN partner chaired by media tycoon Ty Turner, is funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Wisconsin Governor’s Administration to fund jobs created by executive order aimed at combating climate change.
John Locke Foundation examined the level of impact a recently passed Senate Elections Bill would have on voters. The brief also covered some changes and protections this bill will offer.
MacIver Institute released a brief which outlined ten ideas how to improve the Wisconsin state budget before it heads to the Governor.
Mackinac Center made a strong case for making higher standards for expenditures, stating that taxpayers should demand programs do what they claim to do.
Pelican Institute examined Louisiana’s economic situation and broke down the state’s “big budget blowout”, showing how it was a missed opportunity to save for the future, pay down debt, and put Louisiana on a path toward a comeback.
People United for Privacy reviewed recent progress in the states on nonprofit donor privacy since the Supreme Court’s 2021 decision in Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta.
Washington Policy Center published a brief which unpacked how a high-speed rail proposal has run into high-cost problems in Washington state.
Tracking Positive Reforms in the States: Updates from Network Affiliates
Wisconsin: The Legislature announced a plan to enact the largest income tax cut ever in Wisconsin’s history. Institute for Reforming Government released its analysis of the plan and its partner organization IRG Action is working to educate lawmakers, organize supporters across the state, and advance the legislation to hopefully be signed into law next week.
Policy News from the States
Topics:
K-12 Education
AFT’s Weingarten Speaks at Launch Event of New Progressive Group
American for Fair Treatment – Spencer Irvine
“Alarming” Assessment Data Shows Biggest Declines Ever Recorded for 13-Year-Olds
Mountain States Policy Center – Chris Cargill
Wow! Catholic Schools Outperforming
Bluegrass Institute – Richard Innes
Despite ‘Imminent Financial Crisis,’ Minneapolis School District Says It Can Avoid State Intervention
Center of the American Experiment – Catrin Wigfall
Students Lost Decades of Academic Progress
Georgia Public Policy Foundation – Kyle Wingfield
The Beauty of Micro Schools
Libertas Institute – Jon England
One in Four Voters Say Oklahoma Education Providing a Good Return on Investment
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs – Brandon Dutcher
The Science of Reading in Missouri
Show-Me Institute – Avery Frank
American Heritage School’s Lifted Platform for Home-Schoolers
Sutherland Institute
New Study Reveals the Long-Term Harm to Children of COVID-Era School Closures
Washington Policy Center – Liv Finne
New Study: Students’ Scores Show ‘Steep Declines’ in Math, Reading
Yankee Institute – Andrew Fowler
Energy and Environment
Washington State’s Snake River Dams Debate Set to Flow at Local Congressional Field Hearing
Mountain States Policy Center – Jason Mercier
Commentary: Putting Aside the Science
Ethan Allen Institute – John McClaughry
Solving the Wildfire Crisis Through Good Business
Frontier Institute – Hannah Downey
Protecting the Right to a Clean & Healthful Environment with Better Forest Management
Frontier Institute – Kendall Cotton
Don’t Panic Over the Reefs
Mackinac Center – Valerie Check
Assembly Bills Would Upend Century of California Water Rights Management
Pacific Research Institute – Paw Lewison
Is It a War on Traffic … Or a War on Cars?
Pacific Research Institute – Kerry Jackson
As the Tax on CO2 Increases Gas Prices, Supporters Scramble to Blame Others
Washington Policy Center – Todd Myers
Life is Getting Better
Mississippi Center for Public Policy – Douglas Carswell
Destroying the Commonwealth in Order to Save It
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy – Barbara Hollingsworth
Healthcare
Alaska Should Hasten Medicaid Eligibility Checks
Alaska Policy Forum – Quinn Townsend
Mental Health in the Mountain State
Cardinal Institute – Nate Phipps
An Idaho Without Medicaid
Idaho Freedom Foundation – Ronald M. Nate, Ph.D.
Don’t Put the Screws to Insurers
Mackinac Center – Michael Van Beek
Housing Affordability
Minneapolis’ Rent Control Proposal Should Have Died a Long Time Ago
Center of the American Experiment – Martha Njolomole
Regulations Make Stable Housing Prices Unsustainable
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Kauai Homeowner Exemption Not Keeping Up with Assessed Values
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Jobs and State Economies
Mankato to Crack Down on Growing Homeless Problem Downtown
Center of the American Experiment – Tom Steward
Don’t Fear the Robots
Pelican Institute for Public Policy – Bartlett D. Cleland
Fourth of July Cookouts Are Less Expensive Than Last Year
Washington Policy Center – Pam Lewison
Cleaning Up Safety Nets, Preserving Dollars for People in Need, Is Welcome
Washington Policy Center – Elizabeth Hovde
State Budgets
Portland Needs More Than a Small Tax Break
Cascade Policy Institute – Sam Herrin
State Government Puts Taxpayers on the Hook for College Tuition Fees, Tuition Fees Go Up
Center of the American Experiment – John Phelan
Blue State Progressive Budgets
Ethan Allen Institute – John McClaughry
Buying from Amazon, Minnesota Consumers? There’s a Tax for That
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
Illinois Lawmakers Get $4,250 Raise Just Months after $12,000 Raise
Illinois Policy Institute – Justin Carlson
$6.6B Gap in Illinois Reserve Funds Far From ‘Fiscal Responsibility’
Illinois Policy Institute – Justin Carlson
Illinois Again Taxing Your Groceries Starting July 1
Illinois Policy Institute – Dylan Sharkey
Blue State Budget Woes: States Cannot Tax and Spend Their Way to Prosperity
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation
Michigan Budget Based on False Revenue Assumption
Mackinac Center
Oklahoma Needs to Get Moving on Tax Cuts
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs – Curtis Shelton
Transit Bailout with Only Delay the Day of Reckoning
Pacific Research Institute – Steven Greenhut
Southeast Community College Board Votes to Raise Property Taxes by 40%
Platte Institute – Michael Lucci
Let My People Know: Curbing Local Government Spending Through Transparency
Texas Public Policy Foundation – John Bonura
The $3.6 Billion Decision – Give it Back
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy – Derrick A. Max
Income Tax on Capital Gains Drives Increase in State Revenue Forecast
Washington Policy Center – Chris Corry
Workplace Freedom
Janus vs. AFSCME Turns Five: Empowering Individual Choice
Alaska Policy Forum – Sarah Montalbano
How Unions and Employers Dodge Accountability
Americans for Fair Treatment – Isabel Blank
A Happy Anniversary for Workers’ Rights
California Policy Center – Houston Reese
Celebrating the 5-Year Anniversary of Restored Freedom of Association
Center of the American Experiment – Catrin Wigfall
Florida Public Employee Unions on Judicial Losing Streak
Freedom Foundation
How One Holiday Mailer Turned into a Battle
Freedom Foundation – Christina Lewis
Help Get Word Out that Public Employees Have First Amendment Rights
Washington Policy Center – Elizabeth Hovde
Five Years After Janus
Yankee Institute – Frank Ricci
Other
Virtually All Wisconsinites Already Have Internet Access. Are Fastest Speeds Now a Right?
Badger Institute – Mark Lisheron
Politicians Should Stick to Politics and Leave Technology Alone
Cascade Policy Institute – John A. Charles, Jr.
How the Administrative State Works
Ethan Allen Institute – John McClaughry
Governor DeSantis and Attorney General Moody Sue Biden Administration to Break Up College Accreditation Monopoly, Restore Education Freedom
Foundation for Government Accountability
Lack of Emphasis on Civics, Government and Political History Is Astonishing
Georgia Public Policy Foundation – Steve Anthony
A Declaration of Self-Governance Heard Around the World
Mountain States Policy Center – Jason Mercier
Six Years After the End of “Net Neutrality” – The Sky Didn’t Fall
Mountain States Policy Center – Chris Cargill
State Attorneys General Remind the Federal Government about Importance of Federalism
Mountain States Policy Center – Jason Mercier
Supreme Court Confirms Rule that when State Legislatures Act in the Amendment Process, They Do So Independently
Independence Institute – Rob Natelson
Legislature Seeks to Change How NV Elects President
Nevada Policy Research Institute – Kevin Dietrich
Why We Celebrate Carolina Day
Palmetto Promise Institute
‘We Can Not Consecrate’: Connecticut at Gettysburg
Yankee Institute – Andrew Fowler
The Network in the News
In The Carolina Journal, The Buckeye Institute’s Rea S. Hederman, Jr., urges North Carolina’s General Assembly to avoid Ohio’s mistakes as it considers funding a private nonprofit organization to invest taxpayer dollars in risky for-profit startups.
In The Center Square, The Buckeye Institute’s Trevor Lewis examines rules proposed by the Biden Administration will hit families at the grocery store and increase the cost of our summer cookouts by 77%.
At RealClearPolicy, The Buckeye Institute’s Robert Alt considers the future of commuter taxes.
In The American Spectator, the Commonwealth Foundation’s Kevin Mooney highlights how Pennsylvania is about to advance school choice.
In her column for The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Commonwealth Foundation’s Jennifer Stefano notes Governor Shapiro and Pennsylvania lawmakers can address absenteeism and violence by giving kids a lifeline.
At Penn Live, the Commonwealth Foundation’s Nathan Benefield notes educational choice is on the rise, and the data supports it.
At the New York Post, the Empire Center’s Tim Hoefer examines why NYC schools should worry less about “mindful breathing” and more about reading.
In his recent column for the Vermont Daily Chronicle, the Ethan Allen Institute’s John McClaughry notes the Administrative State feels “little need to comply” with the law.
In his column for the Vermont Daily Chronicle, the Ethan Allen Institute’s John McClaughry highlights a recent Wall Street Journal article on state budgets.
In The New York Post, the Foundation for Government Accountability’s Nick Stehle notes Congress needs to retake control of federal regulations and return power to the people.
At the Daily Wire, the Freedom Foundation’s Juliana Rubio examines the New York State Education Department’s agenda for public schools.
At RealClearPolicy, the Freedom Foundation’s Aaron Withe highlights the problems with government employee unions.
In the Green Valley News, the Goldwater Institute’s Matt Beienburg considers if Arizona can save civics instruction in schools.
In The OC Register, the Goldwater Institute’s Dr. Murray Feldstein notes ‘Implicit bias’ training is dangerous.
In the Hawaii Reporter, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii’s Keli’i Akina notes the state’s new licensure law major step toward better healthcare access in Hawaii.
At National Review, the Illinois Policy Institute’s Mailee Smith notes government unions are weaker and more desperate five years after Janus.
In The Daily Caller, the Illinois Policy Institute’s Mailee Smith notes that despite being knocked down by SCOTUS nearly five years ago, unions keep digging in their heels.
In The Washington Times, the Independence Institute’s Linda Gorman and John C. Goodman point out Texas was right to reject Medicaid expansion.
In his column for Colorado Politics, the Independence Institute’s Jon Caldara notes we’re experiencing rainbow exhaustion.
In his recent column, the John Locke Foundation’s John Hood notes to boost downtowns, make them safer.
In his recent column, the John Locke Foundation’s John Hood encouraged North Carolina lawmakers to implement additional tax relief in 2023.
At RealClearMarkets, the Kansas Policy Institute’s Ganon Evans points out pending patent reforms threaten American innovation.
In the Standard-Examiner, the Libertas Institute’s Jon England highlights the unintended consequences of giving the government power.
At RealClearPolitics, the Mackinac Center’s Jarrett Skorup highlights how the Janus decision is decimating government unions.
At Yahoo News, the Mountain States Policy Center’s Jason Mercier showed how you can analyze government policies based on facts and not emotion.
At RealClearEducation, the Pacific Research Institute’s Lance Izumi considers why the reading abilities of America’s children are plummeting.
In The Washington Times, the Pacific Research Institute’s Kerry Jackson highlights how crime has driven away businesses, shoppers and tourists in San Francisco.
In The Daily Caller, the Pacific Research Institute’s Kerry Jackson highlights how California is considering a proposal that would make housing a right.
At Greenville Online, the Palmetto Promise Institute’s Oran Smith notes that, in order for hospitals to thrive, healthcare policies must change.
In The Dallas Morning News, the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Ron Simmons outlines why state government has to help out taxpayers.
In The Federalist, the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Chuck DeVore considers Gavin Newsom’s rise to power.
In The Federalist, the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Robert Henneke argues impeachment is the only way to check Biden’s abuse of power.
At Fox News Online, the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Chuck DeVore notes what China is doing in Cuba is a big threat to all of us.
At Spectator World, the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Chuck DeVore notes Russian failure is a lesson for America.
