Announcements
State legislatures across the country are enacting the REINS Act, which reforms unchecked regulatory rules and agencies.
Alaska Policy Forum elected Ray Kreig as the President of the Board of Directors.
In legislative testimony, The Buckeye Institute argued that adopting House Bill 52 will increase the supply of medical providers in the Buckeye State by allowing certified registered nurse anesthesiologists (CRNAs) to practice to the full extent of their medical training and collaborate with physicians.
The Commonwealth Foundation opened its new headquarters, The Thomas E. Beach Center.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)’s payroll surpassed $8 billion in 2024 – a 2.6 percent increase since 2023, according to data posted today on SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s government transparency website.
The Freedom Foundation submitted formal comments in support of a proposed regulation by the Trump administration to hold career bureaucrats working for the federal government more accountable to the American public and the officials they democratically elect.
The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) applauded the Trump administration for renewing its commitment to healthcare price transparency by prioritizing the Transparency in Coverage rule.
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii joined with the Washington, D.C.-based Progressive Policy Institute last month to host a weeklong event in Honolulu that brought together senior congressional staff members to learn about the Jones Act.
The Mountain States Policy Center highlighted how Idaho scored the strongest regional credit rating.
The Pelican Institute for Public Policy expressed deep disappointment over the legislature’s decision to pass a $46 billion budget without adequately funding the LA GATOR K-12 education scholarship program.
On the Show-Me Institute podcast, Susan Pendergrass and Elias Tsapelas talked to Paragon Health Institute’s Brian Blase about the healthcare provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill.
Sutherland’s Defending Ideas podcast aired its 100th episode, featuring special guest Ramesh Ponnuru, editor of National Review and fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
Freedom through the Courts: The Latest Litigation Efforts across the Network
The Buckeye Institute is taking the National Education Association, Ohio Education Association, and Poland Education Association to court. In Queen v. NEA, The Buckeye Institute is demanding that the government union stop charging union dues to Buckeye’s client, who is no longer a union member.
The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief with the Ohio Supreme Court in Cincinnati ex rel. Miller v. Cincinnati, arguing that Ohio law allows citizens to bring cases on behalf of the government when they feel it is necessary to prevent an abuse of corporate power that the government refuses to address itself.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, representing the American Alliance for Equal Rights (AAER), announced a settlement in the lawsuit filed against the City of Chicago, the Illinois Gaming Board, and Bally’s Chicago Casino regarding a $250 million investment opportunity only offered to “people of color” and “women.”
Success Stories
California: The Freedom Foundation’s California outreach team extended its streak of record-breaking months by helping 2,500 public employees opt out of union membership and dues.
Tennessee: The Beacon Center reached a settlement agreement with the city of Nashville over their unconstitutional stormwater fees. If approved by the court, over $1.4 million in wrongfully collected fees will be refunded to hundreds of property owners.
Washington: President Trump signed a memorandum to protect the four lower Snake River dams by rescinding Biden Administration policies that put the dams on a path to being destroyed, which would have cost tens of billions of dollars and eliminated a reliable source of electricity the state will need to meet rapidly increasing demand (Washington Policy Center).
Wisconsin: Following a brief legal battle, the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty recouped over $30,000 in scholarships from the Special Needs Scholarship Program (SNSP), one of Wisconsin’s prominent school choice programs.
Solutions from the States: This Week’s Policy Briefs
A new report by the Common Sense Institute finds that Arizona’s budget has continued to grow since the 2.5% flat tax was adopted, and that rising state spending—not tax reform—was the main cause of last year’s fiscal challenges.
The Institute for Reforming Government (IRG) released groundbreaking reforms on Wednesday aimed at transforming Wisconsin’s child welfare system.
Opportunity Arkansas released the 2025 Opportunity Scorecard, evaluating how Arkansas legislators voted on key bills impacting opportunity and prosperity.
A new study by the Pacific Research Institute highlights how Medicare’s price controls are fueling America’s growing doctor shortage.
Tracking Positive Reforms: Updates from Network Affiliates
Louisiana: The Legislature sent the One Door legislation to the Governor’s desk, a bill that integrates the state’s workforce and social services programs (Pelican Institute).
Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania Senate passed a bill modeled after the federal Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act. The Senate also passed SB 444, which creates an automatic three-year review of “economically significant” regulations, ensuring that existing regulations remain beneficial (Commonwealth Foundation).
New Hampshire: The state is considering updating its Right to Try law (Josiah Bartlett Center).
Ohio: The Senate passed a pro-growth budget that includes tax reform, greater fiscal constraint, and the most robust local government reforms of any budget yet this century. While no budget is perfect, and there is more lawmakers can do to rein in the expansion of Medicaid and focus education funding on students first, this budget offers a positive blueprint for Ohio’s increasingly challenging economic times (The Buckeye Institute).
Texas: The Texas Legislature advanced Senate Bill 12, aka the “Parents Bill of Rights,” a monumental step toward solidifying parental rights and ensuring they have the tools to protect their kids (Texas Public Policy Foundation).
Policy News from the States
Topics:
K-12 Education
Assembly Bill 84 Fails Our Most Vulnerable Students
California Policy Center
Educational Choice for Children Act Would Expand Private Scholarship Options for American Children
Cascade Policy Institute
If School Spending Is Up, Why Aren’t Teacher Salaries?
Center of the American Experiment
School Choice Means More Than Just One Program
Georgia Public Policy Foundation
Homeschooling Support For Military Families: A New Opportunity For Georgia
Georgia Public Policy Foundation
Need Funding For Your Microschool?
John Locke Foundation
Per-Pupil Spending In NH Nearly Doubles From 2001-2024 As District Public Schools Spend $1.25 Billion More On 54,000 Fewer Students
Josiah Bartlett Center
Why More Money Won’t Fix Nevada’s Education System
Mississippi Center for Public Policy
The Child Is Not A Mere Creature Of The State
Mountain States Policy Center
School Choice Fuels Catholic School Growth
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Federal School Choice at a Crossroads: What the Senate Must Do Next
Palmetto Promise Institute
We Reviewed All Utah School Districts’ Curriculum Transparency Efforts. Here’s What We Found
Sutherland Institute
Energy and Environment
Real Answer To Siting Nuclear Plants: ‘Yes, Here.’
Badger Institute
The Economics of the Delta Tunnel
California Policy Center
Bay Area Transportation and Housing Policies Cannot Stop Climate Change
California Policy Center
To Save Ecosystems, Sometimes Hands-Off is Not Enough
California Policy Center
EPA Stands Up For Consumers And Repeals Power Plant Emissions Standards
Center of the American Experiment
Regardless Of What Powers Hawaii’s Energy Future, Red Tape Is In The Way
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Energy Policy: The Biggest Problem Facing Virginia’s Next Governor
Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
Washington EV Sales Have Stalled And Are Far Short Of State’s Arbitrary Targets
Washington Policy Center
Healthcare
Sponsors of a $10 Fee for Prescriptions Narrow Their Proposal
Empire Center
Even With Federal Cuts, New York’s Health Funding Would Remain High
Empire Center
State Lawmakers Need To Examine Their Role In Health Care Cost Increases
Washington Policy Center
Housing Affordability
Illinois Lawmakers Stall Housing Reforms, But Avoid Worst Bills
Illinois Policy Institute
Jobs and State Economies
From Gas Tank to Paycheck: Oregon’s Plan to Tax Everything That Moves
Cascade Policy Institute
Shapiro, Fetterman Talk Out of Both Sides of Their Mouths About U.S. Steel
Commonwealth Foundation
We Didn’t Get the Property Tax Relief We Need
Frontier Institute
Weighing The Costs And Benefits of Data Centers In Georgia
Georgia Public Policy Foundation
Maui Council Approves Tax-Rate Hikes Mostly Lower Than It First Proposed
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
“Property Taxes are the Worst” — But Bonds and Levies are Fine?
Idaho Freedom Foundation
Lawmakers Just Passed 2 Bills Making Illinois Even Worse For Business
Illinois Policy Institute
States Seek Jobs From An Industry That Delivers Few
Mackinac Center
How To Achieve Change in Mississippi (And How Not To)
Mississippi Center for Public Policy
A Policy Tale Of Two Cities… And Many More
Mountain States Policy Center
State Budgets
New State Mandates Like Paid Family And Medical Leave Are Squeezing Childcare Providers
Center of the American Experiment
Minnesota Legislators May Need To Do More To Avoid Big DOGE Fines
Center of the American Experiment
Health Provisions In One Big Beautiful Bill Could Impact Upcoming Budget Deal
Center of the American Experiment
Inside Illinois’ 2026 Budget: Spend Now, Squeeze More, Solve Later
Illinois Policy Institute
House Bill 1335: Colorado’s sweetheart tax credits breaking the bank
Independence Institute
Critics of Republican Budgeting are Wrong, but Warnings Exist
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation
Iowa’s DOGE Taskforce Identifies Property Taxes as the Elephant in the Room
Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation
State Budget Discussions Should Include CON Repeal
John Locke Foundation
Tax Debate Should Be A Budget Debate Instead
Mackinac Center
Lack Of Oversight, Late And Incomplete Reporting Plague Fremont County Sales Tax Grants
Mountain States Policy Center
Budget Gimmicks Will Not Solve the State’s Fiscal Crisis
Pacific Research Institute
You Want To Know How Much Washington State Now Taxes You? Here Is The Answer.
Washington Policy Center
Other
Don’t Overlook the Union Factor in California’s Chaos
California Policy Center
Discussing Some Overlooked Aspects of Trump’s Tariff Defeat
John Locke Foundation
The Challenge of Democratic Policing
Pacific Research Institute
FGA Applauds House Passage of the Rescissions Act of 2025 to Lock President Trump’s DOGE Saving Into Law
Foundation for Government Accountability
The Network in the News
In an op-ed for LootPress, the Cardinal Institute‘s Tiffany Hoben notes media outlets in West Virginia must take a more critical look at public education.
In the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Commonwealth Foundation’s Megan Martin encourages Governor Shapiro to pass school choice.
At RealClearPennsylvania, the Commonwealth Foundation’s Elizabeth Stelle points out energy costs and regulations threaten Pennsylvania’s tech boom.
In the New York Post, FGA’s Hayden Dublois notes Democrats are fighting too hard for an agenda that Americans reject, with a central demand of welfare for all.
At Townhall, FGA’s Nick Stehle debunks some of the lies about Medicaid work requirements—especially the myth of Arkansas’ experience.
In The Hill, the Freedom Foundation’s Aaron Withe notes we shouldn’t overlook the Big Labor funding behind the LA protests.
In the Costal Courier, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation’s Chris Denson notes tackling the affordable housing crisis begins in Georgia.
In the Chicago Tribune, the Illinois Policy Institute’s Paul Vallas notes wemust not allow a repeat of 2020 George Floyd protests in Chicago.
In his column for The Detroit News, the Mackinac Center’s Mike Reitz notes proponents of tax hike in Michigan incorrectly claim schools are underfunded.
In a Fox News op-ed, Mackinac Center Legal Foundation’s client, Sandra Hernden, seeks an apology from a Michigan school board for violating her free speech rights as her lawsuit heads to oral arguments this week.
In the Reno Gazette Journal, Nevada Policy’s Geoffrey Lawrence points out that political parties are private organizations—which is why independent voters have no say.
In his recent column, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs’ Jonathan Small highlights the benefits of work requirements.
In her column for Newsmax, the Pacific Research Institute’s Sally Pipes encourages the Senate to seize the opportunity to further expand access to HSAs.
In The American Spectator, the Pacific Research Institute’s Steven Greenhut points out the irony of California Democrats tackling the high cost of living.
In the Santa Fe New Mexican, the Rio Grande Foundation’s Carter Swanson underscores the importance of economic freedom in New Mexico.
In the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Show-Me Institute’s David Stokes explains why taxes should be broadly based.
In Forbes, State Policy Network’s Kerry McDonald highlights how microschooling is spreading in choice-friendly states.
In the Deseret News, Sutherland Institute’s William C. Duncan highlights another unanimous win for religious freedom at the Supreme Court.
