Announcements
Goldwater Institute released the results of an investigation that uncovers that five Texas universities require students to take courses that instruct them in politically activist Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) concepts and practices.
Idaho Freedom Foundation unveiled a new web page, The Chairman’s Drawer, where the public can view how many good bills are being held up in committee.
Independence Institute celebrated its founder John Andrews’ legacy by renaming the Institute’s main meeting space from Liberty Hall to Andrews Hall. The renaming ceremony was a fitting tribute, attended by many of his esteemed colleagues and contemporaries. In addition, the Institute’s Director of Policy, Jake Fogleman, provided insights for a recent Denver Gazette article on nuclear energy — a policy solution Independence Institute has championed for nearly 15 years.
Institute for Reforming Government continued its public polling project with Napolitan and Scott Rasmussen by releasing its latest poll that shows that there is a real opportunity to remake education in Wisconsin.
James Madison Institute announced that Brian Hickey is joining the Institute as its Vice President of Advancement. With over 23 years of diverse experiences in events, marketing, nonprofits and fundraising, Hickey previously served as the Director of Partner Relations at the Florida Bankers Association, where he drove significant non-dues revenue. The Institute also announced the addition of former Florida Speaker of the House Paul Renner to its team as a Scholar in Residence.
John Locke Foundation’s Jon Sanders was quoted in one of North Carolina’s largest newspapers, The Charlotte Observer, with a critique of renewable energy.
Pacific Research Institute’s Sally Pipes plans to join CSPAN2’s Book TV on Sunday to discuss her new book, The Worlds Medicine Chest, which warns about the rise of the American pharmaceutical industry and warns against enacting European-style prescription drug controls.
Opportunity Arkansas submitted public comments on the proposed ‘Pathway to Prosperity’ from Arkansas’ Department of Human Services (DHS). In the comments, the organization called for real Medicaid work requirements and warns that the current proposal from the Arkansas DHS falls far short of delivering meaningful reform.
Sutherland Institute partnered with Y2 Analytics to release new survey data that provides insight into the current awareness of and desire for open enrollment data reform at the district level.
Freedom through the Courts: The Latest Litigation Efforts across the Network
The Buckeye Institute was praised in Kim Strassel’s Wall Steet Journal newsletter for its amicus brief calling on the courts to end the Corporate Transparency Act. “…But business and state think tanks are simultaneously doing their part to kill the bill in courts. Worth a read is the Buckeye Institute’s latest brief against the law…”.
California Policy Center’s special counsel, the California Justice Center, joined with the Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies to file a federal civil rights complaint with the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights against the California Department of Education and several California school districts for alleged Title IX violations by forcing students to share sleeping quarters and intimate facilities with individuals, including adults, of the opposite sex.
Institute for Free Speech argued in an amicus brief for Center for Arizona Policy, Inc. v. Arizona Secretary of State that Arizona’s Proposition 211 imposed unprecedented and sweeping disclosure rules that expanded on previous 501(c)3 donor privacy statutes in almost every way. The Institute warns that the effects of Prop 211 could be catastrophic for non-profits in the policy world across the nation. In addition, the Institute responded to a notice of proposed rulemaking and wrote comments to the Department of Justice on the implications of the proposed changes to the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 in relationship to Americans’ First Amendment rights.
Liberty Justice Center continued its work to defend parents’ rights across the country, stepping in to defend the Rocklin Unified School District’s parental notification policy in an appeal from a recent ruling by the Public Employees Relations Board. In addition, the Center filed two amicus briefs with the Fifth Circuit Court—one urging the Court to take up two animal rights activists’ free speech lawsuit against the city of Houston, and one arguing that the Court should uphold a lower court ruling that found the Corporate Transparency Act unconstitutional.
Success Stories
Arkansas: The state took a monumental step forward in patient advocacy and medical innovation by enacting the Right to Try for Individualized Treatments, joining a growing national movement to empower Americans facing rare and ultra-rare diseases to work with their physicians to seek highly specialized treatments that are as unique as they are (Goldwater Institute).
Montana: In a defensive victory for private property rights, a district court order denied challenges to legislation that gives landowners in cities more freedom to build homes (Frontier Institute).
Wisconsin: The Village of Slinger withdrew enforcement of its unconstitutional sign ordinances after receiving notice that legal action against these ordinances was imminent — a victory for free speech (Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty).
Wyoming: Governor Mark Gordon signed a bill that provides all parents with $7,000 to use towards choosing an education that best suits their child’s needs — a move that makes parents and children the two biggest victors of this year’s legislative session (Mountain States Policy Center).
Nationwide: The US Office of Personnel Management directed federal agencies to report the amount of union work performed by their employees at taxpayer expense in fiscal year 2024 — a key reform for proponents of government transparency (Freedom Foundation).
Solutions from the States: This Week’s Policy Briefs
The Buckeye Institute released a new policy memo recommending commonsense reforms state and local officials should adopt to help lower property taxes, the rise of which stems from Ohio’s complex local tax and government structures.
Mountain States Policy Center issued briefs that argue it is time to pull the plug on the Department of Education and point out how debanking needs a federal solution.
Pioneer Institute posted a brief that finds that inclusionary zoning policies help address urgent, short-term housing needs for a few families, but can also jeopardize long-term, broad-based affordability by discouraging new supply and necessitating higher market-rate prices.
Tracking Positive Reforms: Updates from Network Affiliates
Connecticut: Governor Lamont proposed ending occupational licensing fees — a move which would boost entrepreneurship and job creation, improve the state’s competitiveness, and lower consumer costs (Yankee Institute).
Idaho: With a veto-proof majority in the House and Senate, Idaho lawmakers sent the Governor a bill that continues the state’s impressive income tax reduction efforts by reducing the state’s income tax rate from 5.695% to 5.3% and exempting military pensions from tax liability (Mountain States Policy Center). In addition, the House passed a bill which protects free speech on college campuses while the Senate introduced a bill which seeks to strengthen existing barriers against official mischief in the name of public health (Idaho Freedom Foundation).
Michigan: Lawmakers proposed a new bill which would protect private property rights and food independence by allowing backyard hens. In addition, the House passed a bill which would ban lawmakers from signing nondisclosure agreements that cover their work as legislators (Mackinac Center).
Mississippi: Although many education reform bills died, two moved forward: one that clarifies school choice options for children of military personnel, particularly National Guard members and another that allows students to transfer to another public school district if the receiving district agrees. In addition, a bill which would establish a task force to explore streamlining government assistance programs and helping low-income individuals transition into employment also progressed (Empower Mississippi). Finally, lawmakers introduced a bill which eliminate the state income tax and lower the grocery tax (Mississippi Center for Public Policy).
Montana: Lawmakers in the Senate proposed a bill which would add a work requirement in Medicaid for those individuals who are physically able — a move that would provide the able-bodied enrolled in Medicaid an escape route from welfare entrapment (Mountain States Policy Center). In addition, the House passed legislation that would limit the state’s promotion of certain teachers’ union conferences and events (Freedom Foundation). Finally, lawmakers proposed a bill securing greater protections for home schoolers in Montana law (Frontier Institute).
Nevada: Lawmakers introduced a bill which could make it easier to get licensed and open the door for apprenticeships (Nevada Policy).
New Hampshire: Two bills in the Legislature would fix lot size inflation by prohibiting local governments from mandating large lot sizes that aren’t directly connected to public health or safety metrics — a move which would help allow for the construction of small or starter homes that are economically viable for more people (Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy).
North Carolina: Lawmakers filed a bill proposing to reclaim half a billion dollars of state taxpayer money given to a venture capital research fund, which should be earmarked for Hurricane Helene recovery efforts. In addition, lawmakers introduced a bill which would address the state’s teacher shortage (John Locke Foundation).
Ohio: Lawmakers proposed a praiseworthy K-12 education budget which puts students first, meaning it funds students rather than systems (The Buckeye Institute).
Oklahoma: Lawmakers pushed a special-needs scholarship reform bill to the Senate floor — welcome advancement for special-needs children who are currently excluded from the state’s scholarship program (Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs).
Oregon: Lawmakers heard testimony in favor of bills which would reform the state’s nuclear energy policies (Cascade Policy Institute).
South Carolina: The Senate took up a tort reform bill which would allow competitors to enter the marketplace in the state and drive down prices for consumers (Palmetto Promise and South Carolina Policy Council). In addition, the House passed the Small Business Regulatory Freedom Act which cuts red tape for businesses in the state (Palmetto Promise).
Texas: A bill which would ban taxpayer funded lobbying was moved out of committee and on to the Senate floor (Texas Public Policy Foundation).
Utah: Lawmakers proposed a bill which would make it easier to start a career and earn a living in cosmetology and related fields by lowering barriers to entry in the profession and allowing apprenticeships. Senator Weiler also introduced a bill which establishes a clear procedure for the return of non-contraband computer devices (Libertas Institute).
Wisconsin: Lawmakers heard testimony on a bill which secures the rights of Wisconsin parents to raise their children instead of being shut out of their child’s development by a school district (Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty).
Policy News from the States
Topics:
K-12 Education
Attendance Up, Skipping Declines as Grand Forks Schools Crack Down on Absences
Center of the American Experiment
Don’t Punish Cyber Charters for Being Fiscally Responsible
Commonwealth Foundation
Key School Choice Bills Die in Senate
Empower Mississippi
Maybe We Can Help Students by Increasing the Number of Required School Days
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
NAEP Testing Shows Record Number of Eighth Graders Lack Basic Reading Skills
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
Georgia Promise Scholarship Applications Open
Georgia Public Policy Foundation
This One’s for You, Maurice
Idaho Freedom Foundation
Parents Would See What Children Are Learning Under School Transparency Bills
Illinois Policy
IRG Response to DPI Report: Massive Teacher Turnover Shows Failure of Status Quo, Urgent Need for Teacher Apprenticeships
Institute for Reforming Government
Teacher Shortage? Solutions Needn’t Be Complex or Expensive
John Locke Foundation
Republican Lawmakers Question Gov. Evers’ “likely” Veto of Higher School Standards
MacIver Institute
New Audit to Look at “Origins and Implementation” of Lowered Wisconsin School Standards
MacIver Institute
Help Mississippi Advance Towards School Choice
Mississippi Center for Public Policy
Limit On School Virtual Days Advances
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Mississippi And Oklahoma: A Tale of Two States on Reading
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Oklahoma’s Reading Crisis Must Be Addressed
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Closing the Doors, Leaving a Legacy: Embark Microschool’s Story
Pioneer Institute
Missouri Pension System Pushes Out Another Great Educator
Show-Me Institute
The Right Idea | Episode 77: School Choice Is (Almost) Here with Jorge Borrego
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Hashmi Tries to Forget Her Role in Education Decline
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
Judge Holds City of Milwaukee in Contempt
Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty
Energy and Environment
Ohio Testimony: Prioritize Grid Reliability
Center of the American Experiment
Xcel Proposes $318M in Rebates from Nuclear Tax Credits
Center of the American Experiment
Fast Facts About Colorado’s Electricity Sector in 2024
Independence Institute
US House Pours Cold Water on Energy Dept’s Heater Ban
Mackinac Center
Renewables Aren’t Renewable
Mackinac Center
Burn Baby, Burn
Pacific Research Institute
A Free Market Solution for South Carolina’s Energy Future
Palmetto Promise Institute
What Did FERC Do Last Week? Only Change the Course of Energy Policy
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
Before the Reactor: Uranium Milling in Canyon City, CO
Wyoming Liberty Group
Lawmakers Revive Last Year’s ‘Green Monster’ Bill and Manage to Make It Worse
Yankee Institute
Healthcare
The Slippery Slope of Medical Mandates
Idaho Freedom Foundation
Medicaid Expansion Could Soon Blow a Hole in State Budget, Oklahoma Senate Leader Warns
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Let’s Unshackle South Carolina’s Physicians by Eliminating Non-Competes
Palmetto Promise Institute
The Outcome Is Split So Far on Four Bills Related to WA Cares
Washington Policy Center
Housing Affordability
Houses Have Taken a Sharp Turn Toward Unaffordable for Typical Wisconsin Household
Badger Institute
Franke: Property-Tax Misery
Indiana Policy Review Foundation
Listen: Maine’s Self-Imposed Housing Crisis on WVOM
Maine Policy Institute
The Controversial Solution to the Housing Crisis: Luxury Apartments
Nevada Policy
Office Conversions Can Help Address LA’s Housing Shortage
Pacific Research Institute
Rent Controls Will Slow Rebuilding LA from the Wildfires
Pacific Research Institute
Study: Inclusionary Zoning Helps Some, but Can Jeopardize Broad-Based Affordability
Pioneer Institute
Addressing Housing Shortages and Supporting Affordability with Rep. Cody Vasut
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Jobs and State Economies
‘Make Permitting Work Again’ for Domestic Mining, Infrastructure
Center of the American Experiment
There Is Little Freedom in Free Money
Frontier Institute
Kōloa Rum Challenge Could Be What Kills the Jones Act
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Every 9 Minutes, 21 Seconds, Illinois Loses Another Resident
Illinois Policy
Kansas at Risk: Tariffs Threaten Agriculture and Jobs
Kansas Policy Institute
The Truth About Barber Licensing: Protectionism in Disguise
Libertas Institute
Bills that Mean Business
Nevada Policy
Corporate Transparency Act Canceled for Small Businesses
Washington Policy Center
State Budgets
Minnesota’s Looming Budget Deficit Now at $6 Billion
Center of the American Experiment
The $7 Billion Climate United Scandal
Center of the American Experiment
DFL Deficit: Here Come the Tax Hikes
Center of the American Experiment
No More Funding for I-94 ‘Land Bridge’ Boondoggle
Center of the American Experiment
What Federal Spending Cuts Could Mean for Minnesota
Center of the American Experiment
Capitol Watch: Poll Shows Appetite for Spending Cuts
Center of the American Experiment
Illinois’ So-Called ‘Millionaire Tax’ Makes All Taxpayers a Target
Illinois Policy
Timmons: Shame on the Legislature
Indiana Policy Review Foundation
Cutting Ties with Costly Federal Dollars is Path to Lower Taxes
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation
Speaker Vos Says Gov. Evers’ Mother Changes Not the Worst of Gov. Evers’ Budget
MacIver Institute
Michigan’s Broadband Spending Program Day Late, Dollar Short
Mackinac Center
A Root Cause of Maryland’s Budget Crisis
The Maryland Public Policy Institute
WILL Identifies Billions in Illegal & Discriminatory “Diversity” Spending by Wisconsin and New York
Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty
Workplace Freedom
Video: LA Teachers Union’s Hatred for Jewish Teachers Exposed
Freedom Foundation
Chicago Teachers Union Can Strike After March 7
Illinois Policy
Union Contracts Should Not Protect Drunken Teachers
Mackinac Center
Oklahoma Republicans Join Democrats to Preserve Perk for Liberal Teacher Unions
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Other
The Invisible Guardian: How Encryption Protects Your Digital Life
James Madison Institute
SC’s Liability Laws Are Judicial Socialism, Plain and Simple
Palmetto Promise Institute
Is Public Policy About Effective Results or Appearing Righteous?
Washington Policy Center
The Network in the News
On RealClear Energy, The Buckeye Institute’s Rea S. Hederman looks at how states are rethinking failed energy policies as the demand for reliable, affordable energy grows.
In the Los Angeles Daily News, the California Policy Center’s Marc Joffe highlights a new bill that promises to accelerate California local government financial reporting.
In City Journal, the Empire Center’s Ken Girardin considers how New York can prevent another prison worker strike.
In his recent column, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation’s Kyle Wingfield makes the case for Gov. Brian Kemp’s push to rein in abusive lawsuits.
In the Los Angeles Daily News, the Pacific Research Institute’s Daniel M. Kolkey notes Newsom’s misguided climate priorities endanger Californians.
In her column for Newsmax, the Pacific Research Institute’s Sally Pipes notes we can’t afford timidity in revamping Medicaid.
In the Washington Times, People United for Privacy Foundation’s Brian Hawkins and National Taxpayers Union Foundation’s Tyler Martinez warn about threats to nonprofits and philanthropists in the Corporate Transparency Act.
In his recent column, John Hood points out that self-government is difficult to sustain when voters lack basic information about candidates, issues, and our constitutional system.
