Publications

- FIRE
- Economy
Research & Commentary: National Flood Insurance Program Reauthorization

Published February 14, 2012

By Matthew Glans

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Research and Commentaries -
Reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has been a political football in recent years, with Congress unwilling to commit to reform.
- Education
Research & Commentary: Digital Textbooks

Published February 13, 2012

By Joy Pullmann

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Research and Commentaries -
The Obama administration has announced it wants every child in the nation to have an e-textbook by 2017. Several states, including California and Utah, already have made their way towards that goal.
- Education
Research & Commentary: Louisiana Education Reforms

Published February 13, 2012

By Joy Pullmann

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Research and Commentaries -
In January 2012, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) proposed policies that would shift the state’s education system toward greater accountability, freedom, and choice.
- FIRE
- Economy
Research & Commentary: No-Fault Insurance and Personal Injury Protection Insurance Fraud

Published February 10, 2012

By Matthew Glans

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Research and Commentaries -
Auto insurance fraud is a serious problem in Florida.
Research & Commentary: Tobacco Harm Reduction

Published February 2, 2012

By Matthew Glans

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Research and Commentaries -
Nearly 50 million American adults—more than a fifth of the nation’s adult population—smoke cigarettes. After vigorous efforts aimed at reducing that figure, the percentage of Americans who smoke has fallen by almost half in the past four decades.
Texas’s Margins Tax: Principles for Reform

Published February 1, 2012

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Policy Briefs -
Texas’s franchise tax—better known as the “margins tax”—does not work as advertised. The tax has not achieved any of the goals its creators set out for it.
Research & Commentary: Idaho’s Tobacco Tax Advantage

Published February 1, 2012

By John Nothdurft

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Research and Commentaries -
Idaho House Revenue and Taxation Committee Chairman Dennis Lake (R-Blackfoot) says he wants to increase the state’s cigarette tax by $1.25 per pack, to help curb smoking and raise revenue.
Texas’s Margins Tax: Principles for Reform

Published February 1, 2012

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Policy Briefs -
Texas’s franchise tax—better known as the “margins tax”—does not work as advertised. The tax has not achieved any of the goals its creators set out for it.
Research & Commentary: Idaho’s Tobacco Tax Advantage

Published February 1, 2012

By John Nothdurft

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Research and Commentaries -
Idaho House Revenue and Taxation Committee Chairman Dennis Lake (R-Blackfoot) says he wants to increase the state’s cigarette tax by $1.25 per pack, to help curb smoking and raise revenue.
- Environment & Energy
Research & Commentary: Ohio Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard

Published January 31, 2012

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Research and Commentaries -
On Wednesday, Ohio Senate Bill 216 will be up for consideration in the Senate Energy & Public Utilities committee.
Research & Commentary: School Funding that Follows the Child

Published January 31, 2012

By Joy Pullmann

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Research and Commentaries -
The idea of education funding following the child has several names, such as weighted student funding, backpack funding, fair-student funding, student-based budgeting, and results-based budgeting.
Heartland Institute Review & Commentary: Chemicals of Concern

Published January 31, 2012

By Richard J. Trzupek

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Research and Commentaries -
Executive Summary Following the passage of “Chemicals of Concern” legislation in Maine, Washington, and California, several states are considering adopting similar statutes.
Research & Commentary: Civic Education

Published January 31, 2012

By Joy Pullmann

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Research and Commentaries -
Often lost in the attention rightly paid to students’ poor achievement in math and reading is that civic knowledge and participation have been sliding for decades in the United States. That undermines representative government.
- Education
Research & Commentary: Early Childhood Education

Published January 26, 2012

By Joy Pullmann

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Research and Commentaries -
In November 2011, President Barack Obama restructured Head Start funding to require competitive grants for the least effective providers, to forestall congressional Republicans seeking to limit or repeal the program.
The Leaflet – The State of the States

Published January 26, 2012

By John Nothdurft

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The Leaflet -
This week was President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, and in many states the governors’ State of the State addresses. The main focus remains rebooting the economy.
- FIRE
- Economy
Research & Commentary: Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund

Published January 25, 2012

By Matthew Glans

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Research and Commentaries -
As in all states with significant hurricane risks, windstorm coverage is expensive for people in Florida.
- Education
Research & Commentary: Race to the Top, Year One

Published January 24, 2012

By Joy Pullmann

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Research and Commentaries -
One-quarter of the states receiving part of the $4 billion in federal Race to the Top grants are in danger of losing those grants by failing to keep promises made to win them, said Education Secretary Arne Duncan while announcing the program’s first-year
Research & Commentary: Michigan Safe Products Act

Published January 24, 2012

By John Nothdurft

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Research and Commentaries -
The Safe Children’s Product Act, introduced by Michigan state Sen.
- Health Care
Research & Commentary: Health Insurance Exchange Sunset Clauses

Published January 24, 2012

By Kendall Antekeier

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Research and Commentaries -
States are becoming increasingly hesitant about complying with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) by implementing a health insurance exchange.
- Education
Research & Commentary: The College Bubble

Published January 23, 2012

By Joy Pullmann

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Research and Commentaries -
U.S. student loan debt has increased 500 percent since 1999, and the cost of college has risen 400 percent since the 1980s. Both have far outpaced overall inflation and price increases on such items as homes, new cars, and prescription drugs.
- Health Care
Policy Tip Sheet: Medicaid Expansion

Published January 22, 2012

By Kendall Antekeier

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Policy Tip Sheets -
In this policy tip from Heartland, the author notes that in the wake of the U.S.
Policy Tip Sheet No. 11 Illinois Renewable Energy Mandate

Published January 17, 2012

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Policy Tip Sheets -
Illinois cannot meet its renewable power mandate and should be honest with consumers about the bill of goods they are actually receiving.
- Education
Research & Commentary: Online and Blended Learning

Published January 12, 2012

By Joy Pullmann

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Research and Commentaries -
Two million K-12 students in the United States are enrolled in online classes this year, and full-time virtual enrollment has increased 40 percent in the past three years.
- Health Care
Research & Commentary: Colorado Health Insurance Exchange

Published January 9, 2012

By Kendall Antekeier

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Research and Commentaries -
Though several states have rejected federal funding for health insurance exchanges required by President Barack Obama’s health care law, the state of Colorado has accepted an $18 million federal grant to begin implementation of an exchange.

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