Week in Review: August 2, 2024 (2024)

Announcements

Center of the American Experiment released an analysis of its poll of young people ages 18-34 in Minnesota—the results reveal that youth are overwhelmingly pessimistic about the prospects of living a nice, Minnesota life.

Idaho Freedom Foundation announced changes to its Idaho Freedom Index and Idaho Spending Index for the 2025 legislative session and beyond to include in its metrics positive scoring for legislation protecting traditional family values and the virtues of Western culture.

Kansas Policy Institute exposed theCity of Edgertonfor claiming property tax declined 20%, while the data shows an 80% increase.

Liberty Justice Center’s Senior Fellow Mark Janus appeared on theGood Morning Liberty podcastto discuss the six-year anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court victory inJanus v. AFSCME.

Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Better Tech for Tomorrow campaign released new research on giving Texans the right to repair their own property. Giving consumers true ownership and control over how to use, modify, and fix their personal property is a crucial step toward unraveling this reality—best accomplished through a right to repair.

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

The Buckeye Institute called on the US Supreme Court to tell Alaska that the state has no authority to redraw federally established property boundaries, arguing that “[r]eliance on unwavering and enforceable property boundaries is a cornerstone of western civilization” in its amicus briefinFiehler v. Mecklenburg. InLittlejohn v. AFSCME,The Buckeye Institutecalled on the court to tell the government and its unions to stop illegally taking money out of the paychecks of employees who have quit the union,arguingthat Ohio law does not allow this unethical sleight-of-hand.

Goldwater Institute and the Texas Public Policy Foundation filed a briefin federal court arguing that a new Title IX set of rules which cut parents out of decisions involving their children while usurping the power of Congress to make the law should not take effect nationwide.

Liberty Justice Center filed aFirst Amendment lawsuiton behalf of John Parks, an Oregon track and field coach whose school district fired him for proposing an open division in which all student athletes could participate. The case has drawn significant media attention both locally and nationally, including coverage byFox News,OutKick, theDaily Caller, theWashington Times,KATU, and theLake Oswego Review.

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Success Stories

Arizona: A unanimous state Supreme Court struck down a type of subsidy to public-sector unions known as “release time” — a practice where government workers are released from the jobs they were hired to perform to work full-time for the union instead yet are still paid their taxpayer-funded salaries and benefits. In finding this practice unconstitutional, the decision is a watershed decision that ensures taxpayer dollars will be spent to advancepublic— not special private — interests (Goldwater Institute).

Arkansas: The For AR Families initiative was overwhelmingly successful in educating Arkansans about the dangers of the so-called “education rights” amendment, which fell short by over 20,000 signatures, despite having more time to gather signatures than other initiatives. The radical proposal would have ended education freedom in all forms — including scholarship programs for kids with disabilities — created multiple new universal welfare programs,cemented a blank check in the state constitution, and infringed on religious freedom, just to name a few. Once again, it’s clear that Arkansans have sent a clear message that they support education freedom (Opportunity Arkansas).

Michigan: The state Supreme Court unanimously ruled that its2020 decision in Rafaeli v. Oakland County, which limits government seizure of home equity during tax foreclosures, will be applied retroactively. Homeowners who had their properties foreclosed before the Rafaeli decision will now have the opportunity to seek legal redress if the government retained excess equity from their homes— a significant victory for property owners seeking justice and restitution (Mackinac Center).

Nationwide: After more than a year, the Biden administration finallyabandonedits appeal of an ill-advised rule that would have destroyed the franchise business model in America, which is one of the country’s most successful small business ownership models—a significant nationwide victoryfor small business owners and the workers they employ (The Buckeye Institute).

New York: In a record-breaking achievement, 54 individuals chose to reclaim their financial freedom by canceling their union dues on the same day— a groundbreaking victory for public employees across the state (Freedom Foundation).

Virginia: The legal challenge to the expansion of the Joint Employer Rule by the National Labor Relations Board has led to its complete reversal, a reversal that was upheld on appeal— a big win for a growing state economy which would have been buffeted by increasing liability risks and costs to employers, increased efforts to unionize, and altered use of labor subcontractors (The Thomas Jefferson Institute).

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Solutions from the States: This Week’s Policy Briefs

Empire Center published a brief that highlights potential risks for New York’s new offshore wind megaproject, Sunrise Wind, which is a larger and more ambitious project than Vineyard Wind—a recent project that ended due to turbine blade failure, which resulted in significant debris on Nantucket’s shores.

Mountain States Policy Center released briefs that expose the messiness of currently proposed online safety policies, point out how grocery tax rebates offer low incomes households in Idaho better savings that repealing the state portion of the tax, break down the latest in Idaho’s initiative to bring open primaries and ranked choice voting to the state, argue for more transparency for pharmaceutical benefit managers, and call for policy makers to protect teen jobs by avoiding costly minimum wage increases.

Pioneer Institute posted a brief that examines the trends in Massachusetts’ sin tax revenues, which may prove to become a crucial source given the state’s recent revenue shortfalls.

Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy released a brief that charts the path for jumpstarting the creation of independent public charter schools in Virginia—an move that would help provide students additional high quality educational options that is long overdue in the state.

Washington Policy Center issued briefs that examine a recently released assessment showing the effects of a CO2 tax repeal in Washington state and point out how the Office of the Insurance Commissioner warning against joining programs that promise coverage without providing it reflects poorly on the WA Cares program.

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Tracking Positive Reforms: Updates from Network Affiliates

Colorado: Voters will have the opportunity to approve initiatives that would address rising property taxes in the state (Independence Institute).

Washington: The Seattle Times reported on the positions on public education of all major gubernatorial candidates in Washington state—their answers give reason for encouragement and hope for an exciting new direction in education reform in the state (Washington Policy Center).

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Policy News from the States

Topics:

K-12 Education

School Boards: Governing or Managing Body?
Center of the American Experiment

8th Graders Will Start High School a Full Year Behind
Center of the American Experiment

Minnesota Falls to 19th Place in National Education Ranking
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota

Back to School Looks Different These Days
Georgia Public Policy Foundation

NC Parents Plan Show of Support for Popular Opportunity Scholarship Program
John Locke Foundation

Splitting Alpine School District Will Give Parents More of a Say and Will Help Students Succeed
Libertas Institute

Despite Massive Spending, Study Finds Covid Learning Loss Persists
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

Chicken Little Rhetoric from Education Special Interests Was Wrong (Again)
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs

2024 LEAP Scores Announced, Disappointing Reactions from School Leaders
Pelican Institute

Whistleblower Reveals Strategy to Weaponize Teacher Pay to Play Politics
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Houston ISD Hiding Financial Dealings from the Public
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Texas School Board Members Told, ‘Utilize Compensation as a Weapon’
Texas Public Policy Foundation

Time to Give Charter Schools a Chance in Virginia
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy

WILL, UMLC, Urge Rochester School District to Avoid Implementing Policy That Violates Parental Rights
Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty

MIT’s Nobel Winner Joshua Angrist on the Economics of Education & Charter Public Schools
Pioneer Institute

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Energy and Environment

Turbine Blade Collapses and May Take Industry Down
Caesar Rodney Institute

Offshore Wind is Killing Whales
Caesar Rodney Institute

Quantifying California’s Brave EV Future
California Policy Center

Liability, Not Reliability: Solar Panels in Oregon Schools
Cascade Policy Institute

GridWatch 2024: Fossil Fuels Rule
Center of the American Experiment

Pennsylvania’s Energy Future Is Alarming — And the Governor Isn’t Helping
Commonwealth Foundation

Lawfare Threatens Clean, Healthful Environment
Frontier Institute

Data Centers Face an Uncertain Future
James Madison Institute

Wildfires Need More than Money Thrown at Them to Put the Flames Out
Pacific Research Institute

July 31: That Humiliating Anniversary
Palmetto Promise Institute

A Policy That Could Help Lower Missouri Electric Bills
Show-Me Institute

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Healthcare

CON-sanity
Show-Me Institute

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Housing Affordability

Eliminate Specter of Tax Hike for Homeowners Who Rent Out Rooms
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

Average Illinois Property Tax Bill Rises $756 in 5 Years
Illinois Policy

Illinois Housing Least Affordable in Midwest
Illinois Policy

Rent Control’s Flaws Remain Even When New Construction Is Exempted
Mackinac Center

Don’t Expect Housing Fixes from the Federal Government
Pacific Research Institute

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Jobs and State Economies

A Right-to-Work State Forever—An Excerpt from “Modern Davids”
Beacon Center of Tennessee

Regulations Gone Wrong
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

Innovation Means Bulldozing Places Like Steeplegate Mall
Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy

Kansas: Navigating National Economic Headwinds with Free-Market Principles
Kansas Policy Institute

The Case Against College
Libertas Institute

The GOP’s Risky Flirtation with Big Labor
Mackinac Center

Boom Town or Bust? Developers Postpone New-City Plan
Pacific Research Institute

Free Markets, Not a New “Link Tax” Best Way to Preserve California Journalism
Pacific Research Institute

Louisiana Continues to Ease Government Restrictions on Work
Pelican Institute

Massachusetts Affordability and Competitiveness Ranking is in Freefall
Pioneer Institute

The Largest Groups Driving Massachusetts’s Migration
Pioneer Institute

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State Budgets

Taxpayers and Students Lose with Pennsylvania’s New Budget
Commonwealth Foundation

Illinois Property Taxes at $5K Are Higher Than 5 States Combined
Illinois Policy

Chicago Teachers Union Demands $543K Property Tax Break on Union HQ
Illinois Policy

More Eco-Devo, a Citizen’s Lament
Indiana Policy Review Foundation

Revitalize Louisiana: Addressing Long-standing Fiscal Challenges
Pelican Institute

Highest Paid State Employees in Massachusetts
Pioneer Institute

Understanding the Trends in Massachusetts’ Sin Tax Revenues
Pioneer Institute

Property Tax Reassessment: Beleaguered Buildings Bear Burden of Boston’s Burgeoning Budget
Pioneer Institute

Increasing Number of Retirees Driving Pension Expenditures
Pioneer Institute

Where Does Massachusetts’ Pension Money Go?
Pioneer Institute

Exempting Childcare Facilities from Taxes Is a Bad Idea
Show-Me Institute

Wisconsin Taxpayers Fund Far Left Education Conference
Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty

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Workplace Freedom

Pioneer Institute Statement on the Project Labor Agreement Provision in the Massachusetts Economic Development Bill
Pioneer Institute

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Other

Overcoming the Tragedy of Pessimism
California Policy Center

J.D. Vance & Appalachia
Cardinal Institute

Venezuela Shows There Is Nothing ‘Neighborly’ About Socialism
Center of the American Experiment

What’s Behind the Fight Over Whether Nonprofits Can Be Forced to Disclose Donors’ Names
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota

What Is the True Meaning of “Freedom”?
John Locke Foundation

America Was Built on an Idea
Mackinac Center

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The Network in the News

InThe Lima News,The Buckeye Instituteoutlined specific reforms lawmakers should adopt to meet the growing demand for EdChoice scholarships.

InThe Sun, Andrew Davenport ofCalifornia Policy Centerlaments the loss of a dashboard that used to track the financial health of high-risk California cities.

In his recent column forThe Denver Gazette, theIndependence Institute‘s Jon Caldara highlights how Colorado is trying to opt out of a federal, pro-competition law.

AtTownhall, theIndependence Institute‘s Rob Natelson considers why Democrats are holding on to Kamala Harris.

In theCarolina Journal, theJohn Locke Foundation‘s Mitch Kokaiargues a court case is turning off the ‘spigot’ to a so-called slush fund long used for environmental grants instead of—as intended—North Carolina public schools.

In hisrecent column, John Hood points out constitutions are human creations—and are therefore imperfect.

In theDaily Herald, theLibertas Institute‘s Sophia Dalton makes the case against college.

In Free the People, the Maine Policy Institute’s Harris Van Pete questions if libertarians should really be excited about Chevron’s demise.

AtTownhall, theMississippi Center for Public Policy‘s Douglas Carswell highlights why some Mississippi ‘conservatives’ oppose Trump on school choice.

In Newsmax, Pacific Research Institute‘s Sally Pipessays JD Vance is flirting with price controls and that he should move right on the issue.

In theTimes of San Diego, the Pacific Research Institute‘s Kerry Jacksonargues Californians will be forced to use less water under new rules.

In theAlbuquerque Journal, theRio Grande Foundation‘s Gabriel Higbiesaysschool choice is taking root despite powerful teachers’ unions.

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