Research and Commentaries
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Research & Commentary: Pre- and Post-Election Health Care Decisions
Publication -Research and Commentaries -As President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney vie for the presidency, state elected officials are preparing to determine which health care policies they should pursue with the future of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act -
Research & Commentary: High-Speed Rail
Publication -Research and Commentaries -In 2009 in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), Congress allocated $8 billion to send to states for intercity rail projects, with “priority to projects that support the development of intercity high speed rail service. -
Research & Commentary: Multiple Charter School Authorizers
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Of the 41 states that allow charter schools, approximately 18 allow viable multiple authorizers to applicants hoping to open the schools, which are fully public but given freedom in matters such as curriculum, budget, and staffing in return for a higher -
Research & Commentary: Local Control in Education
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Parents and voters like the idea of local control in education, but they and politicians have differing definitions of it. -
Research & Commentary: Hydraulic Fracturing in Michigan
Publication -Research and Commentaries -On Wednesday, October 24, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources will auction off state-owned rights to several oil and gas leases affecting approximately 164,000 acres in the state. -
Research & Commentary: Silica (Frac) Sand Mining
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Activists recently have been pressing local and state governments in Wisconsin and Minnesota to ban silica sand mining. -
Research & Commentary: Illinois’ Pension Problem and How to Fix it
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The pension system in Illinois is broke, both literally and structurally. Funding Illinois’ pension system is becoming increasingly difficult. According to Bloomberg, the national median funding ratio for state pension systems is around 71. -
Research & Commentary: Chicago Municipal Wi-Fi
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The City of Chicago recently unveiled plans to create a municipal wi-fi system allowing free access to high-speed wireless Internet services. Initially, the system would serve only certain areas of the city, including downtown and the Loop. -
Research & Commentary: Chicago Municipal Wi-Fi
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The City of Chicago recently unveiled plans to create a municipal wi-fi system allowing free access to high-speed wireless Internet services. Initially, the system would serve only certain areas of the city, including downtown and the Loop. -
Research & Commentary: Zero Interest Rate Policy
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Since the 2006–07 financial crisis the Federal Reserve has taken several steps to stimulate the economy and unfreeze credit markets, which had ground to a halt after the bursting of the housing bubble. -
Research & Commentary: Idaho Medicaid Expansion
Publication -Research and Commentaries -In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (popularly known as Obamacare), Idaho, like other states, must now decide whether to expand its Medicaid program by accepting a larger federal subsidy. -
Research & Commentary: Uranium Mining
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Recent moratoria on uranium mining in states such as Virginia and Arizona have sparked debates about whether the benefits of uranium outweigh its costs. Currently, approximately 20 percent of U.S. -
Research & Commentary: Sequestration Impact on Education
Publication -Research and Commentaries -In the 2011 federal budget deal to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, Congress set up automatic cuts to federal spending that would kick in if they could not agree on how to cut each department specifically. -
Research & Commentary: Arkansas’ Mediocre Education Quality
Publication -Research and Commentaries -As significant education reforms sweep the country, Arkansas has made few consequential reforms in the past decade. The state offers practically no school choice and severely limits public charter schools. -
Research & Commentary: Voice over Internet Protocol Deregulation
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A product that is quickly changing the telecom industry and how people communicate is voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) calling, where voice and multimedia communication are conducted and transmitted over Internet protocol (IP) networks, such as the -
Research & Commentary: Texas Pension Reform
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Like many other states across the nation, Texas faces tough decisions about the pension benefits it provides its state employees. -
Research & Commentary: Wyoming Health Insurance Exchange and Medicaid Expansion
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Like most states after the Supreme Court decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), Wyoming continues to debate how best to maintain control over its health care system. -
Research & Commentary: Omaha Cigarette Occupation Tax
Publication -Research and Commentaries -In the past two years, Omaha restaurant customers have paid around $50 million in taxes, and the city is now considering levying a new occupation tax on smokers. -
Research & Commentary: Food Stamp Reform
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), previously known as the Food Stamp program, has become one of the fastest-growing welfare programs of the U.S. government. -
Research & Commentary: The Connect America Fund and Broadband Internet Taxes
Publication -Research and Commentaries -In 2011 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) created the Connect America Fund (CAF) by taking $4.5 billion from the Universal Service Fund (USF) designed to provide advanced telecommunications services. -
Research & Commentary: Idaho Unemployment Insurance and Overpayments
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Idaho, like most U.S. states, has struggled to keep its unemployment insurance fund solvent. The unemployment trust fund already faced insolvency once as a result of the 2008 recession. -
Research & Commentary: Democratic and Republican Party Education Platforms
Publication -Research and Commentaries -In 2012, the Republican and Democratic parties held their national conventions sandwiched around Labor Day weekend. As is customary, the two released revised party platforms, both including sections on education policy. -
Research & Commentary: Kansas Renewable Portfolio Standard
Publication -Research and Commentaries -In July, the Kansas Policy Institute and Beacon Hill Institute released a joint report assessing the expected economic results of the Kansas renewable energy mandate, signed into law by Gov. Mark Parkinson in May 2009. -
Research & Commentary: Hydraulic Fracturing and Air Quality
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Earlier this year, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson and President Barack Obama’s science advisor, John P.
