Research and Commentaries
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Research & Commentary: Arizona Convention of States
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Arizona is considering a proposed multiple-amendment application for an Article V convention. The application has already been passed in four other states. -
Research & Commentary: Oregon Cap-and-Trade Proposals and Renewable Power Mandates
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislators in Oregon are now proposing a new carbon dioxide cap-and-trade program. The legislature rejected a proposed cap-and-trade plan in 2015. -
Research & Commentary: Virginia Certificate of Public Need Reform
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Market competition in the health care industry improves services and provides consumers with additional and potentially life-saving options, yet the State of Virginia is hindering competition by imposing burdensome regulations. -
Research & Commentary: Louisiana Medicaid Expansion Bypasses Legislature
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Affordable Care Act (ACA) allows states to expand Medicaid to cover individuals making up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level. Thirty two states and the District of Columbia have chosen to expand their Medicaid programs. -
Research & Commentary: School Vouchers in Tennessee
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Proposed legislation in Tennessee would make vouchers available to children who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches and who currently attend or are zoned for a school ranking in the bottom 5 percent statewide. -
Research & Commentary: Federal Ownership of Public Lands Update
Publication -Research and Commentaries -According to the United States Geological Survey, nearly half the land in the Western United States is owned by the federal government. This includes 84.9 percent of land in Nevada, 64.9 percent of Utah, 61.6 percent of Idaho, 61.2 percent of Alaska, 52. -
Research & Commentary: Rolling Back South Carolina’s Certificate of Need Law
Publication -Research and Commentaries -South Carolina is one of 36 states that limits the ability of health care providers to expand their businesses through an approval process known as certificate of need (CON). -
Research & Commentary: Direct Primary Care
Publication -Research and Commentaries -One of the lesser known factors contributing to the rapid increase in the cost of health care is the shrinking number of primary care physicians available relative to the size of the population. -
Research & Commentary: Indiana Tobacco Taxes and Infrastructure Funding
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Lawmakers in Indiana are considering increasing the state’s tobacco tax to help fill a dwindling infrastructure fund. House Speaker Rep. Brian Bosma (R-Indianapolis) and House Roads and Transportation Committee Chairman Rep. -
Research & Commentary: Should Wisconsin Limit Transitional Care Facilities?
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The two mechanisms commonly used by states to limit health care competition are the approval process known as “certificate of need” (CON) and state-imposed caps limiting the construction of new health care facilities. -
Research & Commentary: Mississippi Welfare Reform
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, implemented in 1996, ended the national entitlement to welfare for families with dependent children and created Temporary Assistance for -
Research & Commentary: Idaho Lawmakers’ Doubts About the Climate ‘Consensus’
Publication -Research and Commentaries -On January 2, the Twin Falls Times-News released a highly deceptive story, “At Idaho Legislature, Many Doubt Scientific Consensus on Global Warming Cause,” containing many dubious assertions about the debate between scientists over the effects of climate -
Research & Commentary: Illinois PARCC Testing Results
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The inaugural Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) testing scores for the State of Illinois were made available in mid-December, and the results were discouraging. -
Research & Commentary: Should Alaska Reestablish an Income Tax?
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The falling price of oil has led to a $3.5 billion deficit for Alaska’s upcoming budget. According to U.S. News & World Report, Alaska has been using savings to balance its budget at an estimated rate of $10 million a day. -
Research & Commentary: COP21 and the Paris Climate Agreement
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Paris climate agreement, adopted on December 12 by 195 nations attending the United Nations’ 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21), was called a “turning point for the world” by President Obama and “the best chance to save the one planet that we’ve -
Research & Commentary: Virginia Pension Reform
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Virginia House Speaker William J. Howell recently announced a plan to create a new commission to study the possibility of shifting the state’s pension system from a traditional defined benefit pension model to a 401(k)-style defined-contribution model. -
Research & Commentary: North Carolina Retiree Health Care Reform
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Charlotte Observer recently reported the North Carolina legislature will soon be considering legislation to address the $25.5 billion unfunded liability in the state’s retiree health system. -
Research & Commentary: Tax Cut Triggers
Publication -Research and Commentaries -States across the country continue to struggle with balancing their annual budgets, plagued by bloated spending and a lagging economy. An increasing number of states have been addressing high taxes and limiting spending by using tax cut triggers. -
Research & Commentary: Kentucky Right-to-Work Reform
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Kentucky could soon become the nation’s 26th right-to-work state (RTW), and Kentuckians have demonstrated they may be ready to support this reform. -
Research & Commentary: Closing Failing New York City Schools Produces Gains for Students
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Research Alliance for New York City Schools, an initiative of New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, has released an important study on the effects of a reform plan that phased out and closed 29 -
Research & Commentary: Alabama Pension Reform Study Finds Dramatic Shortfall
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Unfunded state pension liabilities have become an increasingly troubling problem for states across the country, especially Alabama. In 2010, Alabama received a grade of “D” in The Heartland Institute’s 50-state public pension report card. -
Research & Commentary: West Virginia Right-to-Work Reform
Publication -Research and Commentaries -West Virginia is considering becoming the nation’s 26th right-to-work (RTW) state. Adopting RTW legislation would help create new jobs by improving the state’s business climate and economic competitiveness. -
Research & Commentary: Alabama Medicaid Expansion
Publication -Research and Commentaries -At a recent meeting, the Alabama Health Care Improvement Task Force recommended Gov. Robert Bentley and the legislature expand the state’s Medicaid program. -
Research & Commentary: Illinois’ Budget Problems
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Illinois has systematic problems with the way it spends tax dollars.
