Publications
-
Research & Commentary: Massachusetts Considering Unreliable Millionaire Tax
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Massachusetts legislators recently voted to advance a change in the state’s constitution that would create a new 4 percent surtax on all incomes over $1 million. These tax dollars would be strictly allocated for public education and transportation. -
The Leaflet: National Mental Health Awareness Month Shines Light on Mental Health Service Shortage
Publication -The Leaflet -May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, a week which aims to shine a light on a major health care crisis in the United States, including the shortage of mental health facilities and services for the 62 million Americans who experience mental -
Research & Commentary: Gas and Vehicle Taxes Burden Drivers, Don’t Fix Roads
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Consistent declines in gas tax revenue have left many states scrambling to fund the maintenance of their critical infrastructure, especially roads and bridges. -
Research & Commentary: Gas Tax Increase is Not the Answer for Arkansas’ Roads
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Arkansas legislators are now considering a substantial increase in their state’s motor-fuel excise taxes. The plan would increase the gas and diesel taxes in order to pay for road and infrastructure improvements. -
Research & Commentary: Attack on Nexus Standard Will Hurt Online Economy
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The debate over internet sales taxes has reached a crucial crossroads. -
Research & Commentary: Ohio Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard Update
Publication -Research and Commentaries -In 2015, Ohio took a small but important first step for electricity consumers by voting to freeze the state’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (AEPS), also known as a renewable power mandate. -
Research & Commentary: Michigan Should Move Away from Maintenance of Certification
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Certification and licensing requirements can have a significant effect on the growth of any market, especially in the health care industry – where doctors face myriad licensing, certification, and education requirements to maintain their licenses and -
The Leaflet: States Impacted by Federal Regulations
Publication -The Leaflet -Patrick A. McLaughlin, senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center, and Oliver Sherouse, research analyst at Mercatus, recently released the 2016 edition of the Federal Regulation and State Enterprise (FRASE) Index. -
Research & Commentary: Higher State Support for Green Energy Increases Energy Costs for Consumers
Publication -Research and Commentaries -An analysis published in early May 2016 by the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) has found a “statistically significant correlation … between high electricity bills and states with numerous policies supporting green energy. -
Research & Commentary: Missouri Education Savings Account Bill
Publication -Research and Commentaries -On April 27, the Missouri House of Representatives passed a bill that would establish the Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program, which would provide children with special needs and disabilities with an education savings account (ESA) that -
Saving Chicago Students: Strike Vouchers and SOS Accounts
Publication -Policy Briefs -The Heartland Policy Brief examines why teachers are threatening to strike, the history of teacher strikes in Illinois, and the performance and financial challenges faced by students, their parents, and the taxpayers of Illinois. -
The Leaflet: States Reconsider Subsidies for Solar Power
Publication -The Leaflet -Across the country, states are considering making reforms to their net metering laws. Net metering grants people the opportunity to sell back to utilities companies the excess energy generated from their solar rooftop panels. -
Research & Commentary: Rhode Island Carbon Dioxide Tax Proposal
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Research & Commentary: Rhode Island Carbon Dioxide Tax ProposalA carbon dioxide tax proposal promoted by Energize Rhode Island was introduced in the Rhode Island House of Representatives on January 27. -
Research & Commentary: Oklahoma ‘Medicaid Rebalancing’ is Simply Medicaid Expansion
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Oklahoma legislators are now considering a Medicaid expansion proposal that has been pitched by its backers as an alternative to full Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. -
Research & Commentary: The Parent Petition in Michigan
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The education system in Michigan, especially in Detroit, is in dire need of reform. -
Research & Commentary: Don’t Burden Illinois Drivers with Nation-High Gas Tax
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Illinois legislators are now considering a bill that would hike the state’s gasoline excise tax by 30 cents per gallon. -
Research & Commentary: Ohio Medicaid Expansion Failures
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Few states demonstrate the failure of Medicaid expansion better than Ohio. Gov. John Kasich’s (R) expansion of Medicaid is already beginning to hemorrhage expenses the state’s budget may not be able to withstand. -
The Leaflet: Some States Still Await Tax Freedom
Publication -The Leaflet -Tax Freedom Day (TFD) fell on April 24 in 2016. As the Tax Foundation explains in its annual report on TFD, “Tax Freedom Day is the day when the nation as a whole has earned enough money to pay off its total tax bill for the year. -
Research & Commentary: Prescription Drug Price Controls
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The pharmaceutical industry spends billions of dollars each year on the research and development of new products. -
Research & Commentary: Pennsylvania Needs Pension Reform
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Pennsylvania faces a serious and growing problem with its public pension systems. According to Pennsylvania’s own estimates, the total unfunded pension liability is set to grow by 38 percent, to $65 billion, in 2018. -
Research & Commentary: Are Maintenance of Certification Programs a Money Grab?
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Certification and licensing can have a significant effect on the growth of any market, especially in the health care industry, where doctors face myriad licensing, certification, and education requirements to maintain their licenses and continue -
Research & Commentary: Return of the ‘Unfair’ Tax
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Illinois General Assembly is once again considering moving the state away from a flat tax system to a progressive tax system. -
The Leaflet: Heartland Announces Two Emerging Issues Forums for 2016
Publication -The Leaflet -The Heartland Institute is excited to announce that we are hosting two Emerging Issues Forums (EIF) for 2016 in Chicago on August 7-8 right before the National Conference of State Legislature’s (NCSL) Legislative Summit and Orlando on December 15-17 -
Research & Commentary: Exelon Renews LCPS Efforts
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Since 2014, the Exelon Corporation – which owns ComEd, the largest provider of electricity in Illinois – has been lobbying state legislators to create a “low carbon portfolio standard” (LCPS).
