Announcements
The Badger Institute cautioned that Wisconsin’s expanded retirement income exclusion will shift tax burdens to working families, potentially increasing taxes or reducing services over time.
The California Policy Center criticized Orange County’s $649 million streetcar project as wasteful—projecting low ridership and diverting funds from more effective transportation solutions.
The Freedom Foundation of Minnesota honored the legacy of Grace-Marie Turner, a free-market healthcare reform advocate, following her passing in 2025.
The Illinois Policy Institute highlighted how Illinois’ $142 billion pension debt limits teacher pay, worsens recruitment challenges, and underscores the need for constitutional pension reform to prioritize education funding.
Rob Natelson, a senior fellow in constitutional studies with the Independence Institute, published a piece in Civitas Institute on implied powers in the Constitution.
The Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation announced Ashleigh Hackel as its new Executive Vice President.
Kansas Policy Institute reported on the state receiving an “F” on the Center for Education Reform’s Parent Power Index.
The Pacific Research Institute reported that California’s wildfire rebuild efforts are stalled, with only 3,000 of 18,000 destroyed structures rebuilt by July 2025, due to regulatory and bureaucratic delays.
The Sutherland Institute examined the declining college enrollment of men, who earn only two out of five U.S. degrees, calling for policies to address economic and cultural barriers.
Success Stories
Colorado: The Independence Institute showcased the success of its Citizen’s Guide to Civic Involvement class, where participant Samantha DeVito joined her HOA board and saved thousands by correcting a water billing error.
Hawaii: The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii praised Governor Josh Green and the legislature for 2025 bills that alleviate housing shortages, enhance healthcare freedom, and curb government overreach, including automatic building permits and restrictions on civil asset forfeiture.
New Jersey: The New Jersey Policy Institute helped stop a bill that would have imposed intrusive new requirements on homeschool families, protecting education freedom in New Jersey.
South Carolina: The state’s Education Scholarship Trust Fund, which was funded this year thanks to the Palmetto Promise Institute, reached its cap of 10,000 students for the year. Palmetto Promise also highlighted how the state passed a law that expands public school choice.
Nationwide: Thanks to the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, the USDA released a rule this week that eliminates race- and gender-based preferences in key farm assistance programs
Freedom through the Courts: The Latest Litigation Efforts across the Network
The Buckeye Institute sued the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees for wage theft on behalf of Cindy DuPuis and Tiffany Binder in Lucas County Court.
Five major policy groups, Americans for Prosperity Foundation, Cato Institute, Center for Individual Rights, Liberty Justice Center, and Southeastern Legal Foundation, filed amicus briefs supporting The Buckeye Institute’s challenge to the federal home distilling ban in Ream v. U.S. Department of Treasury at the Sixth Circuit.
The Buckeye Institute urged the U.S. Supreme Court to hear of Thomas v. County Humboldt, arguing the Seventh Amendment’s civil jury trial right applies to states via the Fourteenth Amendment.
The Liberty Justice Center won a First Amendment victory in Kentucky, defending educational advocate Corey DeAngelis’ free speech rights. DeAngelis detailed the win in a Blaze Media op-ed.
The Liberty Justice Center’s fight against “Liberation Day” tariffs presses on, with a recent filing in the Federal Circuit and oral arguments set for July 31.
The Liberty Justice Center, alongside the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty and Dr. Erica Anderson, filed an amicus brief defending parental rights.
New Jersey Policy Institute submitted an amicus brief in a major case challenging school district boundaries as drivers of segregation, urging the court to consider expanding Interdistrict School Choice.
Solutions from the States: This Week’s Policy Briefs
The Common Sense Institute Arizona’s (CSI) latest report finds that while home prices in Arizona have dipped slightly in recent months, that relief may be short-lived as slowing permit activity threatens to deepen the state’s long-term housing shortage.
The Independence Institute’s Energy and Environmental Policy Center published an issue paper on the history of nuclear energy in Colorado.
The Mississippi Center for Public Policy launched a strategic plan to sustain Mississippi’s growing economic momentum.
The Mountain States Policy Center highlighted important new details on Idaho’s new education choice tax credit.
Policy News from the States
Topics:
K-12 Education
What the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” Means for School Choice in Mississippi
Empower Mississippi
Why Third Grade Reading Matters More Than You Think
ITR Foundation
Duke Could Become Trump Administration Target
John Locke Foundation
New School Finance Formula Should Focus on Accountability
Kansas Policy Institute
KSDE Denies Lowering Standards Despite Implausible Proficiency Gains
Kansas Policy Institute
A Game-Changer for School Choice in Our State!
Mississippi Center for Public Policy
Massachusetts Families Urge Court to Reverse Ruling Over Unconstitutional Conditions for Special Education Services
Pioneer Institute
Education Provisions of OBBB
Pioneer Institute
What’s in a NAEP Score?
Show-Me Institute
Energy and Environment
A Critical Look at Nuclear Energy in Colorado: Overcoming Our Past to Secure Our Future
Independence Institute
Taming the ‘Green Frankenstein of Wall Street’
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Healthcare
Pervasive Medicaid Fraud Met with Milquetoast Response by Walz Regulators
Center of the American Experiment
Claims About Medicaid Work Requirements Ignore Facts, Fuel Fear
Mackinac Center for Public Policy
Let’s Get Real About the Medicaid Reform in the “Big Beautiful Bill”
Mountain States Policy Center
New Federal Law Requires Medicaid Recipients to Seek Work
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Housing Affordability
HB 2089 Brings Oregon into Compliance with the Supreme Court’s Tyler Ruling on Property Rights and Home Equity
Cascade Policy Institute
July Fourth Reminder: Freedom Should Include Your Choice of Doctor
Grass Root Institute of Hawaii
A Tax Revolt Then—and Now
ITR Foundation
Los Angeles Pursues Scarcity with Short-Term Rental Crackdown
Pacific Research Institute
Jobs and State Economies
97 NYSLRS Retirees Eligible for Pensions Over $200K in FY2025
Empire Center for Public Policy
Maui Council Doing Right Thing to Support ‘By Right’ Food Truck Bill
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Maine, Like New Hampshire, Should Kick Vehicle Inspections to the Curb
Maine Policy Institute
Massive Tobacco Tax Hike Will Hurt Poorest Mainers, Fuel Black Markets
Maine Policy Institute
Can You Hear the Cell Phone Taxes Now?
Mountain State Policy Center
Oklahoma Supreme Court Declares All Oklahomans Must Pay Income Tax
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Seattle’s Regulatory Overreach Drives Up DoorDash Fees, Hurting Consumers and Workers
Washington Policy Center
State Budgets
Tim Walz Leaves Minnesotans on the Hook for a $430,000 Legal Bill
Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
IRG Poll: Wisconsin Has a New State Budget; Voters Want Specific Solutions Next
Institute for Reforming Government
Iowa Property Tax Growth Continues in FY 2026
Iowans for Tax Relief
Florida Politics: The One Big Beautiful Bill — Common Sense for the Sunshine State
James Madison Institute
Washington’s Supreme Court Hides the Ball on State Employee Compensation Offers
Mountain States Policy Center
Big Beautiful Relief for Oklahoma’s State Budget
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
A Closer Look at Louisiana’s 2026 Budget: Pork Projects and Missed Priorities
Pelican Institute for Public Policy
Will the Texas Legislature Finally Ban Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying?
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Other
16 Missed Chances for State Lawmakers to Help Out Illinoisans
Illinois Policy Institute
Mackinac Ferry Regulatory Expansion Is Bad Policy
Mackinac Center for Public Policy
Saving America’s Family Farms: A Rural Revival
Platte Institute
Context for Congress’s Failed Moratorium on State Artificial Intelligence Regulations
Sutherland Institute
The Network in the News
In The Tennessean, the Beacon Center’s Scott Gilmer and Libertas’ Caden Rosenbaum highlight a new Tennessee law that’s a game changer for gig workers.
In the Billings Gazette, the Frontier Institute’s Kendall Cotton points out Montana is leading with free market healthcare.
In the Chicago Tribune, the Illinois Policy Institute’s Micky Horstman notes Illinois needs the nuclear option for its energy needs.
In his latest column, John Hood considers how American Conservatism came into existence.
In the Cape Gazette, the Caesar Rodney Institute’s Tanya Hettler considers legislation in Delaware that will allow teachers to choose their own evaluations.
In the Tallahassee Democrat, The James Madison Institute’s Doug Wheeler highlights reforms to Florida’s citizens’ initiative process.
In The Center Square, the Mountain States Policy Center’s Dr. Roger Stark highlights the changes to Medicaid in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
At City Journal, the Pacific Research Institute’s Kerry Jackson notes California shouldn’t set America’s environmental policy.
In a Washington Times op-ed, the Mackinac Center highlights the recent UPS layoffs and the Mercatus Center’s new report on unions, emphasizing the need for union reforms that empower workers without undermining businesses.
In the Washington Examiner, People United for Privacy Foundation‘s Heather Lauer notes how outdated laws are enabling political violence by exposing citizens’ home addresses and donation records.
