Week in Review: November 19, 2021

Announcements

Following the announcement that all the cases filed against the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate would be consolidated and reviewed by the Ohio-based US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, The Buckeye Institute, which was the first to request an emergency stay of the mandate in the Sixth Circuit, filed a Petition for Initial Hearing En Banc to have Phillips v. U.S. Department of Labor—as well as all of the other cases—heard by the full court.
The Goldwater Institute, John Locke Foundation, Pacific Research Institute, Maine Policy Institute, and Roughrider Policy Center signed on to a coalition letter, led by Americans for Tax Reform, in opposition to Democrats’ plan to impose price controls, a 95 percent excise tax, and inflation penalties on American pharmaceutical manufacturers.
The Pacific Research Institute published a new book that profiles families from diverse communities and different backgrounds who have successfully transitioned to homeschooling.

Success Stories

The Buckeye Institute prevailed in another federal case protecting taxpayers from the Biden Administration’s tax mandate included in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). In West Virginia v. Yellen, the US District Court for the Northern District of Alabama agreed with the arguments presented by Buckeye in ruling that the tax mandate was impermissibly ambiguous and thus exceeded Congress’s constitutional authority to restrict how states spend federal grant money. The court further granted a permanent injunction preventing the Department of the Treasury from enforcing the tax mandate restrictions on states.
Two Virginia moms who were silenced by the Fairfax County school district won a resounding victory in court when a judge upheld their First Amendment rights and struck down the district’s unconstitutional attempts to shut down their speech. The Goldwater Institute represented the two moms and noted this is an important victory against the bullying tactics of school bureaucrats who have resorted to intimidation and harassment of parents who just want to do what’s best for their children.
The North Carolina Governor said he will sign the first budget from the General Assembly since he took office in 2017. The budget is full of hard-fought victories from the John Locke Foundation. It will phase out the corporate income tax over six years; reduce the personal income tax rate from 5.25% to 3.99% over six years; add to the state’s Rainy Day fund, bringing it to $4.25 billion; create a Joint Legislative Study Committee on Access to Healthcare; reform the Emergency Management Act; and expand North Carolina school choice programs.
The John Locke Foundation highlighted how three North Carolina election integrity-related bills were calendared in a House committee, signaling that they will be passed this week. First, Senate Bill 326 would require that, except for military and overseas voters, all completed applications and marked absentee ballots be returned to the county board by 5:00 P.M. on the day of the election, regardless of postmark. Second, Senate Bill 724 creates a mechanism for the State Board of Elections and the Division of Motor Vehicles to share information on state IDs, and establishes a mechanism for non-driving voters to obtain a free state ID. And finally, Senate Bill 725 prohibits the State Board of Elections, county boards of elections, and county boards of commissioners from accepting private monetary donations, either directly or indirectly, for either conducting elections or employing individuals temporarily.
The John Locke Foundation’s news site, Carolina Journal, continues to make impressive strides in commandeering elements of the North Carolina political news cycle by repeatedly breakings news, which in many cases, is being picked up by national outlets, such as WSJ and Politico.
The Yankee Institute highlighted how the Connecticut Governor said he is no longer pushing for Connecticut to implement the Transportation and Climate Initiative program. The TCI is a proposed multi-state agreement that seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by artificially increasing gas prices. YI has been working to encourage policymakers not to adopt the proposal—arguing it would hurt Connecticut residents and the economy.

Solutions from the states: This week’s policy briefs

Driving Change: The Promise of Per-Mile Charges for Georgia Transportation
In a new report, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation and Reason Foundation note that policymakers must investigate alternatives to fuel taxes for funding Georgia roadways.

Alaska: The Jones Act’s Original Victim
A new report from the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii details how Jones Act targeted Alaska from the start.

When the entrepreneurs go marching out: How Licensing Holds Back the Pelican State
A new report by the Pelican Institute for Public Policy argues occupational licensing laws are hindering Louisiana, limiting prosperity, hurting workers, would-be entrepreneurs, and consumers—all while often failing to achieve its purported goal.

The Far-Reaching Impact of a Massachusetts Surtax: Anecdotal Evidence and Data Analysis
A proposed graduated income tax that will appear on the statewide ballot in November 2022 will have much more far-reaching implications than most people realize because the surtax also extends to “pass-through” income from entities such as S and limited liability corporations, partnerships, and sole proprietorships that are taxed on individual tax returns, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute.

An Insider’s Insight On Today’s Economy
The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Vance Ginn gives an overview of the US economic situation.

Wisconsin Regulation in Focus
A new study from the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty finds that the Wisconsin Administrative Code contains more than 161,000 restrictions, making Wisconsin the most regulated state on a per-capita basis in the Great Lakes region.

Policy News From The States

Education

Bait & Switch: Does Anchorage School District Need 3 New Schools?
Alaska Policy Forum

Unhappy About Your Child’s Education? Give Yourself A Choice.
Beacon Center of Tennessee

The Basic Education Program: How The Volunteer State’s Education Funding Formula Doesn’t Make The Grade
Beacon Center of Tennessee

The National School Boards Association Fiasco: California Leans In
California Policy Center

The Dumbing Of America
California Policy Center

Charter Schools: A New Day Is Dawning In West Virginia
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy

Milwaukee Public Schools Approves Spending Plan For $500 Million In Federal Covid Aid
MacIver Institute

Can Yellow Buses Still Do It Alone?
Mackinac Center for Public Policy

Teacher-Pay System Needs Overhaul
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

General Assembly To Blame For Children Suffering Irreparable Harm?
Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity

How To Make School Boards More Responsive With Michael Hartney
Show-Me Institute

Missouri Parents’ Bill Of Rights
Show-Me Institute

Classical Education Changed My Life—And Formed My Children
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Wisconsin’s State Report Cards Mask Troubling Proficiency Rates
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty

Missoula: Overtaxed
Frontier Institute

Covid-19 Regulations Aren’t Cost-Free
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

Publicly Funded Stadiums
John Locke Foundation

New Hampshire Again Rated Most Economically Free State, But The Gap Is Closing
Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy

California’s Gig Work Saga Is A Cautionary Tale, Not A Guidebook
Libertas Institute

Utah Set To End Outrageous Permission Slip Requirements
Libertas Institute

Implementing A Model For Proactive Deregulation
Mississippi Center for Public Policy

Release: New Lawsuit Intends To End Louisiana’s Red Tape Nightmare For Small Businesses
Pelican Institute for Public Policy

New Mexico Falls Further Behind In Latest Economic Freedom Report
Rio Grande Foundation

State Budgets And Spending

Empower Responds To Reeves’ Recommendation To Eliminate Income Tax
Empower Mississippi

Thomas Jefferson And Public Debt
Ethan Allen Institute

Four Solid Ideas For The State’s Budget Surplus
Idaho Freedom Foundation

A Path To Zero Income Tax For Colorado
Independence Institute

Cooper Is Right To Sign The State Budget, But He Signs It For All The Wrong Reasons
John Locke Foundation

Make Sure Michigan Residents Benefit From State’s Cash Haul
Mackinac Center for Public Policy

Throwing Money And Public Policies At Issues Is A Recipe For Failure
Mississippi Center for Public Policy

A Fiscal Strategy For Conservative States To Push Against Washington
Mississippi Center for Public Policy

Nebraska Tax Revenues For October 2021 Show Continued Growth
Platte Institute

Transportation Fund Revenue Jumps $70 Million In New Estimates, Bolstered By Sales Tax And Oil Companies Tax
Yankee Institute for Public Policy

Vaccine Mandate

Lawmakers Fail To Protect Idahoans From Forced Vaccinations
Idaho Freedom Foundation

23 Chicago Labor Unions Sue To Block Lightfoot’s Vaccination Mandate
Illinois Policy Institute

Workplace Freedom

Biden Doubles Down On Illegal Medicaid Payments To Unions
Freedom Foundation

Connecticut Government Unions Seek To Unionize National Guard, Collect Dues During Times Of Crisis
Yankee Institute for Public Policy

Other

Milton Friedman: Everyone Is Greedy, No One’s An Angel, And That’s Ok
Cascade Policy Institute

The Cost Of Public Transit In New Jersey Is Being Paid By Those With The Least Access To It
Garden State Initiative

New Poll: Majority Of Nc Voters Think They’ll Be Worse Off After Biden’s Term
John Locke Foundation

Leandro Order: Creating A Constitutional Crisis To Benefit The Education Establishment
John Locke Foundation

Unclear Implications For New Digital Driver’s License Program
Mississippi Center for Public Policy

Virginia Shows Conservatives How To Win
Mississippi Center for Public Policy

Civic Commitments Are An Intrinsic Part Of American National Holidays
Sutherland Institute

TPP F Condemns Build Back Better Act
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Think Tanks In The News

Biden Vaccine Mandate Could Impact AU, UA
Alabama Policy Institute in The Southeast Sun

Alaskans are right to worry about ranked-choice voting
Alaska Policy Forum in the Washington Examiner

Building A ‘Regulatory Sandbox’ Would Help Ohio Join The Fintech Revolution
The Buckeye Institute in The Columbus Dispatch

How To Restore Ohio’s Leadership In Technology And Innovation
The Buckeye Institute in Crain’s Cleveland Business

Reform Current Pension Benefits, Ensure Systems’ Future Survival
Bluegrass Institute in the West Kentucky Star

Continuing Inflation
Commonwealth Foundation on Newsmax

New Data: Telehealth Parity Mandates Reduce Patient Uptake
Foundation for Government Accountability at Forbes

Does Stacey Abrams Know about the Cost of Expanding Medicaid?
Foundation for Government Accountability at RealClearPolicy

Build Back Better Act Steers Billions of Medicaid Dollars to Labor Unions
Freedom Foundation at RealClearPolicy

It’s Time to Reclaim American Federalism
Goldwater Institute at RealClearPublicAffairs

Making Employment Undesirable For Many
Independence Institute in The Gazette

Tax Reform Is On The Move
ITR Foundation at The Center Square

Democrats Threaten to Send Winter Shivers Through Michigan
Mackinac Center in The Wall Street Journal

Biden Energy Policy ‘Confusing And Backward
Mackinac Center on Fox Business

Democrats Double Down On Extreme: New Plans Could Kill Off Essential Energy Infrastructure
Mackinac Center in The Hill

Teacher Shortage Tied To Incentives
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs in the Skiatook Journal

Obamacare’s Marketplace Embarrassment Stretches on For Another Year
Pacific Research Institute in Newsmax

Federal Government Misses Opportunity With Unlawful Private Sector Vaccine Mandates
Pacific Research Institute in the Washington Examiner

If you have a record, look at the hundreds of good things you can’t do in Louisiana
Texas Public Policy Foundation in The Advocate

Wall Street’s Energy Discrimination Will Hurt America
Texas Public Policy Foundation in The Epoch Times

A Quarter Century of Conservative Florida Governance Points to This Moment
The James Madison Institute at RealClearPolicy

Events and Opportunities

Please see SPN’s Network Calendar for a full list of events.

Announcements

Success Stories

Solutions from the states: This week’s policy briefs

Policy News From The States

Education

Energy And Environment

Election 2021

Government Accountability

Healthcare

Inflation

Jobs And State Economies