Opinion
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Arizona Considers Dental Therapy Bill
Opinion -health-care-news -A bill that would authorize dental therapists in Arizona is under consideration in the state’s Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. -
Entitlement Reform Unlikely in 2018, Ryan Says
Opinion -budget-tax-news -Congress will probably not enact entitlement reforms in 2018, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) says. -
Bill Would Prevent Future FCC Net Neutrality Intervention
Opinion -budget-tax-news -In the wake of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) vote to undo a 2015 decision by former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler classifying the internet as a public utility, U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is sponsoring a bill. -
CMS Issues Work Requirement Waiver Guidelines
Opinion -budget-tax-news, health-care-news -The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued new benchmarks for states seeking permission for Medicaid work requirements. -
End Stadium Subsidies, Virginia Delegate Proposes
Opinion -budget-tax-news -The Virginia House of Delegates’ Appropriations Committee is considering a bill to ban government financing for professional sports stadiums. -
CBO: Treasury May Hit Debt Ceiling in March
Opinion -budget-tax-news -A report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) warns the federal government may hit the debt ceiling earlier than previously projected. -
Wisconsin Repeals Mining Ban
Opinion -environment-climate-news -Gov. Scott Walker signed a law repealing a virtual ban on nonferrous mining that had been in place in Wisconsin for nearly 20 years. -
ESA Bill Passes New Hampshire House, Awaits Finance Review
Opinion -school-reform-news -A bill to establish education savings accounts (ESAs) in New Hampshire passed the House and is headed to the House Finance Committee for review, having already passed in the state Senate. -
DoE Plans More Federal Regulatory Reform in 2018
Opinion -school-reform-news -The U.S. Department of Education (DoE), led by Secretary Betsy DeVos, plans to review and reform regulations, requirements, and guidelines set during previous administrations, The Washington Examiner reports. -
FDA Approves First Biosimilar for Breast Cancer
Opinion -health-care-news, budget-tax-news -After eleven months of testing, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Ogiviri, the first “biosimilar” drug for patients suffering from breast or metastatic stomach cancer. -
Pennsylvania Legislator Proposes Income Tax Relief
Opinion -budget-tax-news -Pennsylvania state Rep. Jason Ortitay (R-South Fayette) introduced a bill to reduce the state’s personal income tax by 0.25 percentage points, from 3.07 percent to 2.82 percent. -
Indiana Legislator Proposes Repealing ‘Smokers’ Bill of Rights’
Opinion -budget-tax-news -A bill pending in the Indiana state Senate Committee on Pensions and Labor would allow private employers to terminate employees for using cigarettes and tobacco products during their free time. -
West Virginia Delegate Bets on Online Gambling Bill
Opinion -budget-tax-news -As new Pennsylvania legislation allowing online gambling takes effect, West Virginia state Del. Shawn Fluharty (D-Ohio County) is introducing House Bill 3067 (H.B. 3067), legislation to allow casinos to offer online poker games. -
Congressional Committee Hears Earmark Ban Testimony
Opinion -budget-tax-news -Ahead of a U.S. House Committee on Rules hearing on whether to retain the ban on earmarks, President Donald Trump suggested Congress might increase bipartisan comity by “thinking about going back to a form of earmarks.” -
Worker-Freedom Bill Offered in New Jersey
Opinion -budget-tax-news -New Jersey state Assembly members Robert Auth (R-Bergen) and Amy Handlin (R-Monmouth) introduced a bill to allow workers to opt out of union membership. -
Supreme Court Hears Case on Forced Union Dues
Opinion -budget-tax-news -The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case to determine whether governments can deduct union fees from public sector employees’ paychecks without their permission. -
Tax Reform Law Kicks Off Wave of Paycheck Bonuses
Opinion -budget-tax-news -Since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act took effect on January 1, 2018, more than 300 companies have publicly announced plans to give employees bonuses, pay raises, or pension contribution increases. -
Trump Recounts Cuts in Taxes, Regulations in First ‘State of the Union’ Speech
Opinion -budget-tax-news -At the first State of the Union address of his presidency, President Donald Trump reviewed his administration’s 2017 accomplishments. -
California Enacts Limits on CO2 Emissions Produced in Supply Chain
Opinion -environment-climate-news -A new California law could substantially increase the cost of building or rehabilitating infrastructure in the state by requiring state agencies to account for the carbon emissions from supplies used in infrastructure projects. -
Congress Delays Federal Funding Fight After Brief Shutdown
Opinion -budget-tax-news -The U.S. Congress approved a resolution extending a deadline to set new spending levels after Democratic Party members tried to use the temporary lapse of funding to secure changes to immigration law. -
Trump Administration Begins Rolling Back Obama-Era Lunch Mandates
Opinion -school-reform-news -For years after then-First Lady Michelle Obama’s ironically named Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, students at Penn-Trafford High School in Harrison City, Pennsylvania staged an unintentional trash can rebellion. -
Judge Gives Investigative Group OK to Make Michigan Union Info Public
Opinion -school-reform-news -A federal judge ruled an investigative organization has the right to release to the public documents it obtained from the Michigan chapter of one of the nation’s largest teachers unions. -
Wisconsin Budget Makes More Families Eligible for Vouchers
Opinion -school-reform-news -Wisconsin Budget Makes More Families Eligible for Vouchers -
Clever Propaganda Masquerading as Teacher’s Guide Should Stay Out of Classroom
Opinion -school-reform-news -Review of The Teacher-Friendly Guide to Climate Change, by Ingrid H. H. Zabel, Don Duggan-Haas, and Robert M. Ross