Week in Review: March 27, 2026

Announcements
Success Stories
Freedom Through the Courts
This Week’s Policy Briefs
Tracking Positive Reforms

Jobs in the Network
Tracking Positive Reforms
Policy News from the States
The Network in the News

Announcements

American Experiment released IRS migration data revealing Minnesota lost $1.5 billion in income and a net 7,561 residents to other U.S. states during 2022-2023.

The Badger Institute issued an agenda outlining the 2026 Mandate for Madison, aiming to preserve Wisconsin’s economic gains over the past 15 years.

The Kansas Policy Institute released 2023 IRS domestic migration data showing Kansas lost $361 million in adjusted gross income, continuing a multi-year trend of net losses.

Morton Blackwell’s Leadership Institute is now officially accredited to train school board members in Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Arkansas, with more states to come.

The MacIver Institute highlighted how county governments unknowingly endorse higher taxes through vague resolutions, exposing a taxpayer-funded lobbying scheme.

The Mountain States Policy Center warned there’s likely to be a waitlist for Idaho’s new parental choice tax credit unless funding adjustments are made.

The Pioneer Institute highlighted a poll showing that nine out of ten residents in Hampden County support expanding access to vocational-technical high schools.

The Institute for Reforming Government released a study outlining strategies for winning Wisconsin’s 2026 gubernatorial race.

The Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy noted New Hampshire’s ranking as the top state for taxpayer return on investment for the 11th consecutive year.

Success Stories

Tennessee: Thanks to the Institute for Justice and Beacon Center, two Nashville home-based business owners won a nearly decade-long legal battle securing equal treatment for all home businesses under city zoning rules.

Mississippi: Governor Reeves signed HB1622 into law marking Mississippi’s first real steps toward dismantling its Certificate of Need regime, with the Mississippi Center for Public Policy publishing a research paper on the significance of both HB1622 and the earlier HB3.(Mississippi Center for Public Policy)

Freedom through the Courts: The Latest Litigation Efforts across the Network

The Buckeye Institute, along with the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy and the Competitive Enterprise Institute, joined the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives in filing a public comment with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, urging the commission to reject PJM Interconnection’s one-size-fits-all energy pricing proposal.

The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Pheasant v. United States, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to revive the nondelegation doctrine and tell Congress it cannot abdicate its lawmaking responsibilities—particularly its role in creating criminal statutes—to the executive branch.

In The Babylon Bee v. Bonta, the Liberty Justice Center filed an amicus brief urging the Ninth Circuit to reject California’s attempt to police satire—warning that the government cannot be put in charge of deciding what counts as a joke.

Solutions from the States: This Week’s Policy Briefs

The California Policy Center released an analysis calling for a reevaluation of California’s safety net, emphasizing the need for sustainable support systems.

The Empire Center highlighted Governor Hochul’s recent shift toward reconsidering New York’s climate law, urging a more pragmatic approach in their detailed opinion column.

The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii is calling for permanent Jones Act reform after President Trump issued a 60-day waiver of the century-old maritime law for energy and fertilizer shipments.

The Mackinac Center released a report recommending Michigan adopt strategies from Mississippi’s successful reading reforms to improve literacy rates across the state.

The Pacific Research Institute challenged claims about patent manipulation by drugmakers.

The Show-Me Institute warned that Missouri’s delay in modernizing its safety-net IT systems is increasing costs and complicating service delivery.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty criticized Governor Evers’ veto of the “Red Tape Reset,” calling it an irresponsible rejection of bipartisan regulatory reform.

Stanley Black & Decker’s plant closure reflects broader economic challenges, the Yankee Institute found, highlighting concerns about Connecticut’s manufacturing future.

Policy Watch

Alabama: Lawmakers passed SB 167, which would end judicial deference to state agencies and require courts to independently interpret the law (Alabama Policy Institute).

Louisiana: The Louisiana Regular Legislative Session introduced over 20 bills addressing artificial intelligence, reflecting a growing state focus on AI legislation consistent with national regulatory trends (Pelican Institute).

Colorado: Independence Institute filed an initiative for the November 2026 ballot seeking to reduce the state income tax rate from 4.4% to 3.7%. This is part of their “Path to Zero” plan to gradually eliminate the state income tax.

Colorado: The Independence Institute filed a counter to the legislature’s plan to raise taxes and destroy the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), running SB135, the legislature’s latest tax hike, through the Title Board.

Georgia: The legislature passed HB 987, which would allow portable benefit accounts for self-employed workers covering health insurance, paid time off, and retirement savings (Americans for Prosperity).

New Hampshire: Gov. Ayotte issued an executive order directing the state Department of Energy to develop a nuclear energy roadmap and identify barriers to advanced nuclear development (Josiah Bartlett Center).

Jobs in the Network

Director of Government Affairs — John Locke Foundation (Hybrid in Raleigh, North Carolina)

Director of Labor Policy / Staff Attorney — Mackinac Center (MI)

Content Creator — Young Voices (District of Columbia)

SEE ALL JOBS

The Network in the News

In the Lexington Herald-Leader, the Bluegrass Institute‘s Caleb O. Brown notes that Kentucky can boost prosperity by cutting taxes, repealing the inheritance tax, and reducing regulatory burdens.

In the New York Post, the Empire Center’s Zilvinas Silenas notes it’s time to rethink New York’s Climate Act.

In The Hill, the Georgia Center for Opportunity’s Eric Cochling considers how states can fix welfare fraud.

In the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation’s Kyle Wingfield notes Georgia won’t lower the cost of housing until the state tackles the regulatory tax.

In the Chicago Tribune, the Illinois Policy Institute‘s Paul Vallas argues that both parties are failing national security workers by using them as pawns in a shutdown standoff.

In a letter to the editor for TheWall Street Journal, the Independence Institute’s Jake Fogleman highlights a growing trend of “tax-the-rich” proposals in Colorado.

In The American Spectator, Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation‘s John Hendrickson argues that Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has built a landmark record of fiscal conservatism through sweeping tax cuts and spending restraint.

In The Washington Post, the Mackinac Center’s Molly Macek discussed the failed literacy policies of Governor Whitmer.

In the Spokesman-Review, the Mountain States Policy Center‘s Chris Cargill warns that IRS data shows wealth steadily fleeing high-tax states—and Washington’s new income tax will only accelerate the trend.

In The Washington Times, the Pacific Research Institute’s Sally Pipes points out Republicans did not cut Medicaid—they slowed its growth.