Publications
-
Research & Commentary: Examining the Arkansas Medicaid Expansion Model
Publication -Research and Commentaries -In several of the states that have chosen not to expand their Medicaid programs under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), lawmakers are offering proposals to expand Medicaid under new schemes designed to improve the flawed -
Research & Commentary: Iowa Minimum Wage Reform
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal and House Minority Leader Mark Smith have said members of their caucuses will introduce proposals this session to raise the state’s legal minimum wage. -
The Leaflet – Wireless Taxes for Water Skiing
Publication -The Leaflet -Wireless Taxes for Water Skiing For years state wireless and cell phone taxes have grown steadily without raising any significant alarm. This is surprising given that wireless taxes in many states are up to three times higher than the state sales tax. -
Research & Commentary: Should Illinois Move to a Progressive Tax System?
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Just a few years ago Illinois’ tax competitiveness compared well to its neighbors and other states. The Tax Foundation’s State Business Climate Index ranks states based on more than 100 variables, ranging from income taxes to property taxes. -
Research & Commentary: Connecticut Pension Reform
Publication -Research and Commentaries -According to the most recent available data (2011), Connecticut’s pension system is the second-most underfunded in the United States, trailing only Illinois, which passed minor reforms in late 2013. -
Research & Commentary: West Virginia Wireless Taxes for Tourism
Publication -Research and Commentaries -In January, West Virginia state Sen. H. Truman Chafin proposed a $10 million increase in the tax on wireless services to increase funding for the West Virginia Division of Tourism. -
Research & Commentary: Net Metering
Publication -Research and Commentaries -In 43 states and the District of Columbia, utility customers who purchase their own generation source (also called distributed generation, most often a rooftop solar panel) can sell any excess electricity they produce to a utility for resale to other -
The Leaflet – Obama Urges Governments To Raise Minimum Wage
Publication -The Leaflet -v:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} . -
Testimony of James Taylor – Washington State Senate Energy, Environment & Telecommunications Committee
Publication -Testimony -Heartland Senior Fellow for Environment Policy James Taylor testifies before the Washington Senate Energy, Environment, and Telecommunication committee during a January 2014 work session to discuss solar power. -
The Other Side of the Global Warming Story
Publication -Testimony -Dr. Jay Lehr, science director of The Heartland Institute and one of the authors of the Clean Air and Clean Water acts, delivered the testimony below to the Washington State Senate in January, 2014. -
Research & Commentary: Pennsylvania Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Pennsylvania state Rep. Tommy Sankey has introduced a proposal that would repeal the state’s alternative energy portfolio standard (AEPS), which mandates utilities obtain a specified percentage of their power from renewable sources by a certain date. -
Research & Commentary: Michigan Income Tax Reform
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Michigan is facing a budget surplus, and as a result several legislative leaders are now considering lowering the personal income tax. According to the Senate Fiscal Agency, this surplus totals around $1. -
Research & Commentary: Wyoming Medicaid Expansion
Publication -Research and Commentaries -After voting in 2013 not to expand Medicaid, the Wyoming Legislature is now considering three possible alternatives to simple Medicaid expansion in Wyoming. -
Tip Sheet: Hydraulic Fracturing
Publication -Policy Tip Sheets -ProblemHydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a decades-old well stimulation technique that recently has been combined with horizontal drilling and computer-assisted underground monitoring to make extracting from vast reserves of oil and natural gas more -
Research & Commentary: Wisconsin Income Tax Repeal
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A new report by the American Legislative Exchange Council’s Center for State Fiscal Reform found 18 states made a total of 25 meaningful tax cuts during the 2013 legislative session. -
The Leaflet – The Top State Policy Issues for 2014
Publication -The Leaflet -The Top State Policy Issues for 2014 As state lawmakers head back to their state capitols to begin their 2014 legislative sessions, states are expected to face many important issues this year. -
The Leaflet – The Top State Policy Issues for 2014
Publication -The Leaflet -The Top State Policy Issues for 2014 As state lawmakers head back to their state capitols to begin their 2014 legislative sessions, states are expected to face many important issues this year. -
Research & Commentary: Utah Medicaid Expansion
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Most states across the country already have decided whether to expand their Medicaid programs as part of Obamacare. Currently, 26 have chosen to expand their programs starting in 2014, and 22 states have refused to do so. -
Research & Commentary: Certificate of Need Laws
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Competition among health care providers improves the services they provide and gives consumers more options. -
Research & Commentary: Vermont Pension Reform
Publication -Research and Commentaries -As unfunded government liabilities have raced out of control, the high cost of traditional defined-benefit public pensions has become a big issue for Vermont. -
Research & Commentary: Nevada Margins Tax
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Nevada’s tax system, which has neither individual nor corporate income taxes, is well-designed and has allowed the state to enjoy significant increases in population, employment, and economic growth over the past few decades. -
Research & Commentary: Supreme Court Rejects Internet Tax Case
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A legal challenge to state “Amazon tax” laws was recently rejected for review by the United States Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court’s 1992 decision in Quill Corp. v. -
Research & Commentary: Reforming SNAP
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the food assistance program also known as food stamps, has received increased attention in recent months. -
Research & Commentary: Seat Time
Publication -Research and Commentaries -“Seat time” is an often-overlooked aspect of education policy. Seat time refers to the academic hours a student has spent in the classroom during a school year, not what students have learned or failed to learn.