Announcements 

  • Respondents in Center of the American Experiment’s latest Thinking Minnesota poll have traded their normally sunny disposition for feelings of uncertainty and concern about the future of Minnesota and the nation. 
  • The James Madison Institute released the 2022 edition of The JournalJMI’s annual publication of articles from all policy areas that align with JMI’s efforts. As the title suggests, the latest edition of The Journal focuses on the “Collision Course” between Florida and Washington DC.
  • Sutherland Institute announced the addition of Christine Cooke Fairbanks as its new Education Policy Fellow. Her research will focus on how increased support for a variety of school types impacts students, parents, and educators.
  • The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty added Cara Tolliver, Associate Counsel, to expand WILL’s capacity for litigation. The growing WILL team continues its work to defend constitutional rights, advance the rule of law, promote education choice, and advocate for limited government.

This Week on SPN.org

5 Ballot Measures To Watch This November

Solutions from the states: This week’s policy briefs

  • A new Foundation for Government Accountability paper outlines how states can transition people from Medicaid to private health insurance.
  • The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty issued a new report, Empowering Patients: How Price Transparency Will Lower Healthcare Costs. The report explains how healthcare price transparency works, and how research has found that it can lower costs for consumers.

Policy News from the States

Crime

Crime Spike Not Due To Prison Reforms
Empower Mississippi

Proper Police Funding Is Needed To Reduce Violent Crime
Pelican Institute

Education

Report: Don’t shoot the messenger! Heed NAEP’s message about Kentucky’s education performance
Bluegrass Institute

Surprise in the new Kentucky Grade 11 ACT test results
Bluegrass Institute

The Education Exodus Advances
California Policy Center

Sweden Kept Schools Open During COVID. The Result? No Learning Loss.
Center of the American Experiment

A Big Win for the Entrepreneurial Educator
Goldwater Institute

Pritzker Flips On School Choice Scholarships He Tried To Cut
Illinois Policy Institute

Bipartisan School Reopenings? No. Progressive Leaders Fought to Keep Schools Closed
John Locke Foundation

FAQs about ESAs
Kansas Policy Institute

School Funding Should Focus On Learning, Not Attendance
Libertas Institute

State Figures Underreport School Spending by Billions
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

Parents’ Rights Are Fundamental
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

How Congress Can Improve Education
Pacific Research Institute

Elections

The Undue Voter Burden of RCV
Alaska Policy Forum

Proposal 2 Would Further Curtail Legislative Control of Election Procedures
Mackinac Center

Other States Say Ranked-Choice Voting is Confusing
Nevada Policy Research Institute

Energy and the Environment

Can New York Afford the “Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022”?
Empire Center

The Biden Administration’s Radical Climate Agenda—And How States Can Fight Back
Foundation for Government Accountability

New England Enters This Winter ‘Basically Crossing Our Fingers And Hoping’ For No Blackouts
Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy

Big Increases In 2022 Snake River Chinook Returns
Washington Policy Center

Government Accountability

The Dog Ate NYSED’s Homework 
Empire Center

The Cost of Lockdowns And Shutdowns Shows Why We Need To Reign In Executive Power
Center of the American Experiment

Rampant COVID-19 Fraud Points to A Bigger Problem With Government Spending
Center of the American Experiment

Report Card: How’s Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker Done In 4 Years?
Illinois Policy Institute

Governor Kelly Ranked “C” in Fiscal Policy: ranked below nearby governors
Kansas Policy Institute

Whitmer supported $4.5 billion in corporate subsidies
Mackinac Center

Healthcare

Viewpoint: Addressing Montana’s Healthcare Shortage Should Begin With Occupational Licensing
Frontier Institute

Housing

Experts Inform Georgia Legislators on State’s Affordable Housing Problem
Georgia Public Policy Foundation

Do The Right Thing For Maui Housing, Not Just ‘Something’
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

As Medicaid Costs Swell, Lawmakers Should Prioritize Expansion Repeal
Idaho Freedom Foundation

Inflation/Gas Prices

Inflation Rate Rises Again In September
Center of the American Experiment

Despite The Fanfare, Inflation Is Not Conquered
Georgia Center for Opportunity

Economy and Inflation Remain Key Concerns for Voters in 2022
John Locke Foundation

More Inflation Fallout: Social Security Insolvency
John Locke Foundation

Jobs And State Economies

Minnesota’s Economy Isn’t Doing Well
Center of the American Experiment

GSI Analysis: September ’22 Jobs Report – New Jersey Job Numbers Soft Despite Plunge in Unemployment Rate
Garden State Initiative

A Report Card for Governors’ Fiscal Policy
Georgia Public Policy Foundation

Biden Admits Country May Face a ‘Very Slight Recession’
John Locke Foundation

How Occupational Licensing Might Boost Utah’s GDP and Employment Outcomes
Libertas Institute

Most Workers Will Pay A New Payroll Tax In July: Here’s An Update On Who Won’t
Washington Policy Center

State Budgets and Spending

Alabamians Deserve Permanent Tax Relief, Not Just A One-Time Check
Alabama Policy Institute

Spending Millions To Spend Billions
Badger Institute

What Would A Recession Mean For Our State Budget?
Center of the American Experiment

Property Tax Protection Through Local Government Limits
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation

State Budget Update: Newsom’s Vetoes Foreshadow Tough Budget Year Ahead
Pacific Research Institute

Nebraska’s Property Tax Relief Needs To Deliver For All Taxpayers
Platte Institute

Workplace Freedom

California’s Government Unions Continue Steady Decline
California Policy Center

5 News Outlets Say Voters Should Reject Amendment 1
Illinois Policy Institute

SBA Officials Plead Ignorance of Union Related Covid Relief Fraud
Freedom Foundation

Other

As States Divest From ESG, Alabama Is Not Leading, But Will It Follow?
Alabama Policy Institute

FGA Praises Missouri Policymakers for Taking Steps To Combat ESG ‘Woke’ Investing
Foundation for Government Accountability

Eddie’s Story: Moving From Homelessness To A Housing And A Stable Job
Georgia Center for Opportunity

Goldwater to AZ Supreme Court: Don’t Let Bureaucrats Shield Invalid Decisions from Courts
Goldwater Institute

Iowans Against Cancelling Student Debt
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation

How To Break the Cycle of Poverty
The James Madison Institute

ESG…OMG!
Palmetto Promise Institute

Think Tanks in the News

Working Out Of The Housing Crisis
Ethan Allen Institute in the Vermont Daily Chronicle

School Choice And Legacies
Bluegrass Institute in the Commonwealth Journal

PA Is the Epicenter of Democrats’ Political Spending
Commonwealth Foundation at RealClearPennsylvania

Grading The Governors
Georgia Public Policy Foundation in the Dalton Daily Citizen

Free Enterprise Is The American Way
John Locke Foundation in The Enterprise

Illinois Government Unions Seek More Strike Power To Get More Political
Illinois Policy Institute at The Center Square

Ganahl’s Bull Feces Vs. Polis’ Unicorn Feces
Independence Institute in The Colorado Gazette

Macomb Mom Fights for Parents’ Rights
Mackinac Center in The Alpena News (Steve Delie):

Why Do Many People Prefer Florida To California? The Vital Economic Freedom
Mackinac Center in The Hill 

Market-based Principles Bring Us Quality Healthcare
Pacific Research Institute in Newsmax

Hospitals Are Still Hiding Costs
Pacific Research Institute in the Washington Examiner

Louisiana Pushes To Reduce ‘Unnecessary’ Barriers To Employment
Pelican Institute featured at PBS Newshour Online

Opposing visions of ‘We, the People’ for our nation and Missouri
Show-Me Institute in the Columbia Daily Tribune

Biden Shamelessly Depletes Our Strategic Petroleum Reserve To Buy Midterm Votes For Democrats
Texas Public Policy Foundation at The Federalist

California’s Homelessness Crisis Hamstrung By Expensive Lack Of Accountability
Texas Public Policy Foundation at Fox News Online

U.S. Supreme Court Anti-Discrimination Ruling Means The End Of Washington State’s Notorious Blaine Amendment
Washington Policy Center in The Spokesman-Review

Events and Opportunities

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