Research and Commentaries
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Research & Commentary: State Universal Service Fund Reform
Publication -Research and Commentaries -First established as part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the Federal Universal Service Fund was designed to provide telephone service to underserved areas of the country. -
Research & Commentary: The Medicaid "Cure"
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has told the states there will be no flexibility in implementing Medicaid expansion: either expand fully or don’t expand at all. -
Research & Commentary: High Frequency Trading
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Increasing computerization of financial trading has had a profound effect on financial markets by introducing a new element: high frequency trading (HFT). -
Research & Commentary: Internet Access Taxes
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Internet Tax Freedom Act of 1998 was designed to promote the growth of the Internet by placing a moratorium on state and local taxation of Internet access and the creation of discriminatory taxes on emails and other data. -
Research & Commentary: Oklahoma Parent Trigger
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Oklahoma legislators will soon consider an education reform that has garnered significant national attention: the Parent Trigger. -
Research & Commentary: Cybersecurity
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Cyber-terrorism, hackers, identity theft, and viruses threaten to disrupt digital networks. -
Research & Commentary: UTOPIA and the Problems Facing Municipal Broadband
Publication -Research and Commentaries -One of Utah’s most ambitious municipal broadband programs is facing serious subscribership and funding problems. -
Research & Commentary: The Nevada Parent Trigger
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Nevada legislators are considering an education reform that has garnered significant national attention: the Parent Trigger. -
Research & Commentary: “Use it or Lose it” Proposals
Publication -Research and Commentaries -With gasoline prices reaching all-time highs, some activists and politicians are attacking oil and gas companies for not fully developing the federal leases for energy production they hold, and they’re using that as a reason to advocate a moratorium on -
Research & Commentary: Efforts to Improve Teacher Quality
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The United States has increased its teaching force 250 percent since 1950, reducing teacher-student ratios from 1:22 to 1:15, but the expansion has not brought higher teacher quality. -
Research & Commentary: Georgia Parent Trigger
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A Georgia legislator plans to propose an education reform that has garnered significant national attention: the Parent Trigger. -
Research & Commentary: Franchise Taxes
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Several states either have begun transitioning away from franchise taxes or are considering repeal. A franchise tax is a state tax levied on businesses and partnerships chartered within a state. -
Research & Commentary: Extension Deadlines for Health Insurance Exchanges
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Now that President Barack Obama has won reelection, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has extended the deadlines for states to implement health insurance exchanges. -
Research & Commentary: Taxing Cloud Computing
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Cloud computing has fundamentally changed how consumers purchase and use software and computing services, by moving many of the functions online. -
Research & Commentary: Taxing Cloud Computing
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Cloud computing has fundamentally changed how consumers purchase and use software and computing services, by moving many of the functions online. -
Research & Commentary: South Carolina Medicaid Expansion
Publication -Research and Commentaries -South Carolina will soon have to decide whether to expand its Medicaid programs by accepting additional federal funding. -
Research & Commentary: Objective Teacher Evaluations
Publication -Research and Commentaries -In the past three years, more than 20 states have passed legislation modifying teacher evaluation systems, and more have committed to do the same in Race to the Top or No Child Left Behind waiver applications. -
Research & Commentary: Commodities Position Limits
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Since the 2008 financial crisis, the effect of speculation on commodities pricing has been hotly debated. -
Research & Commentary: The Fiscal Cliff and Taxmageddon
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Absent action from Congress and the president, the United States will face what many are calling a “fiscal cliff” at the beginning of 2013. -
Research & Commentary: Education Savings Accounts
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A new report pinpoints education savings accounts as the next-generation school voucher system for states committed to real education reform. -
Research & Commentary: Wind Power Subsidies
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Wind power generation has been generously subsidized since the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978. -
Research & Commentary: Education Spending and Student Achievement
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Polls consistently show voters generally think public schools need more money – but they estimate school spending is at most half of what it really is. -
Research & Commentary: State Capital Gains Taxes
Publication -Research and Commentaries -As Congress decides whether to allow the national capital gains tax rate to increase at the beginning of next year, states across the country are debating whether to change their own capital gains taxes. -
Research & Commentary: Worldwide vs. Territorial Taxation
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The United States has the highest corporate tax rate among the 34 nations in the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) in addition to being one of the few nations still using a “worldwide system.
