Research and Commentaries
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Research & Commentary: Florida Municipal Pensions
Publication -Research and Commentaries -State pension issues have received much attention from lawmakers and the media, but many municipalities also face pension liabilities leading them toward bankruptcy. -
Research & Commentary: Requiring Legislative Approval for Carbon Dioxide Regulations
Publication -Research and Commentaries -On June 2, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the authority of Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act, proposed a plan to mandate a 30 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from U.S. power plants’ 2005 levels by 2030. -
Research & Commentary: Nevada Pension Reform
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The fiscal health of Nevada’s pension system may be far worse than most people recognize. -
Research & Commentary: New Jersey Motor Fuel Tax Increase
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislators in New Jersey are considering a major gas tax hike, which would move the state from having one of the lowest gas taxes in the country to one of the highest. -
Research & Commentary: Medical Device Tax Update
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has had many disruptive effects on both the health care industry and the economy as a whole. One area receiving less attention that is raising health care costs and costing jobs is the ACA tax on medical devices. -
Research & Commentary: Municipal Broadband in Connecticut
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Municipal broadband systems remain a popular idea in many cities, despite their failing track record. -
Research & Commentary: Experimental Drugs and the Right to Try
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Utah is one of several states expected to consider legislation allowing terminally ill patients to obtain experimental drugs without getting federal approval, known as “Right to Try. -
Research & Commentary: Kentucky Schools’ Administrative Bloat
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The number of administrative staff in Kentucky schools grew by 43 percent between 1992 and 2009, despite just a 4 percent increase in students. -
Research & Commentary: Kentucky Schools’ Administrative Bloat
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The number of administrative staff in Kentucky schools grew by 43 percent between 1992 and 2009, despite just a 4 percent increase in students. -
Research & Commentary: Bloomington’s Vaping Ban
Publication -Research and Commentaries -As electronic cigarettes grow in popularity, state and local governments are debating whether and how the products should be regulated and taxed. -
Research & Commentary: Certificate of Need Reform
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Thirty-six states currently use certificate of need (CON) laws to slow the growth of health care prices, promote consolidation of health care providers, and limit duplication of services. -
Research & Commentary: Michigan Renewable Portfolio Standard Repeal
Publication -Research and Commentaries -In 2008, then-governor Jennifer Granholm signed into law Michigan’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS), requiring all state utilities to generate 10 percent of all retail electricity sales from renewable sources by 2015. Recently, state Rep. -
Research & Commentary: Vermont Wind and Solar Development
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Vermont has several interventionist policies designed to encourage the development of wind and solar power. These include a 7. -
Research & Commentary: New Mexico Right-To-Work
Publication -Research and Commentaries -In both 1979 and 1981, the New Mexico Legislature passed right-to-work laws, but both bills were vetoed by then-Gov. Bruce King (D). -
Research & Commentary: Vermont Single-Payer Health Care
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Vermont is the first state to attempt to establish a completely government-run health care system, financing and administering health care services and health insurance coverage. -
Research & Commentary: New Mexico Right-To-Work
Publication -Research and Commentaries -In both 1979 and 1981, the New Mexico Legislature passed right-to-work laws, but both bills were vetoed by then-Gov. Bruce King (D). -
Research & Commentary: Preschool Expansion and Development Grants
Publication -Research and Commentaries -In 2014, Congress appropriated $250 million for a program offering preschool grants for states that apply for them. -
Research & Commentary: E-Cigarette ‘Smoking’ Bans
Publication -Research and Commentaries -As electronic cigarettes grow in popularity, state and local governments are finding ways to regulate and tax them. Some jurisdictions have decided e-cigarettes and other vapor products should be covered by city or statewide smoking bans. -
Research & Commentary: New Study on EPA CO2 Regulations
Publication -Research and Commentaries -This summer, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new regulations on carbon-dioxide emissions from existing power plants that require these facilities to reduce their CO2 emissions by 30 percent of the 2005 base year by the year 2030. -
Research & Commentary: South Carolina Common Core
Publication -Research and Commentaries -South Carolina became the second state in the nation to repeal Common Core State Standards, a set of requirements for what elementary and secondary school children should know in each grade in math and English, when Gov. -
Research & Commentary: Tax Reform in Wisconsin Is Not Yet Complete
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Since 2011, Gov. Scott Walker (R) and the General Assembly have cut taxes by nearly $2 billion. Prior to Wisconsin’s tax reforms, the state had five income tax brackets, with rates ranging from 4.6 percent to 7.75 percent. -
Research & Commentary: Tennessee Medicaid Expansion
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Recent moves by Pennsylvania and Indiana to expand their Medicaid programs under the false mantle of being a “free-market alternative” to Obamacare have emboldened some Republican governors to reconsider their opposition to Medicaid expansion. -
Research & Commentary: Nuclear Power
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Almost 20 percent of the United States’ electricity is generated by nuclear power, with more than 100 nuclear power units in 31 states. -
Research & Commentary: Oregon Carbon Tax
Publication -Research and Commentaries -On August 14, 2013, Oregon passed a bill authorizing a study of the feasibility of a statewide carbon tax. The study is expected to be presented to legislators on November 15, 2014.
