Publications

- Education
Corrections to Fiscal Note for Taxpayers’ Savings Grants Program

Published June 7, 2011

By Joseph Bast

Publication -

Policy Briefs -
Texas Representative Sid Miller introduced HB 33, the Taxpayers’ Savings Grant (TSG) program, at the start of the legislature’s 2011 Special Session. The Texas Legislative Budget Board (LBB) released its fiscal note on the bill on June 6.
- Education
The Indiana School Scholarship Act (House Bill 1003): Commentary and Analysis

Published June 7, 2011

By Joseph Bast

Publication -

Policy Briefs -
CLICK BELOW FOR FULL-TEXT PDFThe Indiana School Scholarship Act (ISSA), signed into law by Gov.
Research & Commentary: Contracting Out Prison Services

Published June 6, 2011

By Matthew Glans

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
The cost of incarceration, rehabilitation, and security in state, local, and federal prisons has become a serious budget problem.
- FIRE
- Economy
Research & Commentary: North Carolina Auto Insurance

Published June 2, 2011

By Matthew Glans

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
North Carolina is currently considering several types of changes to its auto insurance regulatory system.
- Health Care
An Unsustainable Path: The Past and Future of Kentucky Medicaid Spending

Published June 1, 2011

Publication -

Policy Studies -
John Garen, professor in economics at the University of Kentucky and adjunct scholar at the Bluegrass Institute, writes an extensive study on the expansion of Medicaid in his state.
- FIRE
- Economy
Research & Commentary: Federal Earthquake Insurance Backstop

Published June 1, 2011

By Matthew Glans

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
Legislation to create a new federal earthquake insurance backstop is currently being considered in Congress.
- FIRE
- Economy
Solving the Flood/Wind Problem After Hurricane Losses:

Published June 1, 2011

Publication -

Policy Briefs -
In the aftermath of a hurricane landfall, there often isn’t enough data or experience relating to the losses to make known for certain whether a given loss resulted from wind or water.
- FIRE
- Economy
Research & Commentary: Federal Earthquake Insurance Backstop

Published June 1, 2011

By Matthew Glans

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
Legislation to create a new federal earthquake insurance backstop is currently being considered in Congress.
- FIRE
- Economy
Research & Commentary: North Carolina Auto Insurance

Published May 31, 2011

By Matthew Glans

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
North Carolina is currently considering several types of changes to its auto insurance regulatory system.
- Education
Policy Tip Sheet No. 7 – Texas Taxpayers’ Savings Grants

Published May 25, 2011

Publication -

Policy Tip Sheets -
Texans face the daunting challenge of balancing the state’s biannual budget. The Republican-controlled legislature and Gov. Rick Perry have vowed not to increase taxes, seeking instead to control spending.
Policy Tip Sheet No. 6 – Alcohol Taxes

Published May 25, 2011

By John Nothdurft

Publication -

Policy Tip Sheets -
ProblemSome states are looking to balance their budgets by increasing taxes on specific products, such as alcohol. These taxes should be avoided: They distort the market, are highly regressive, and unsustainably prop-up spending.
- FIRE
- Economy
Research & Commentary: Workers’ Compensation Insurance in Illinois (Update)

Published May 24, 2011

By Matthew Glans

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
Illinois has the second highest workers’ compensation insurance rates of any state in the United States. Workers’ compensation insurance provides money for medical care and lost wages for employees who are injured as a result of their jobs.
Research & Commentary: Louisiana Shouldn’t Concede Its Tobacco Tax Advantage

Published May 13, 2011

By John Nothdurft

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
Louisiana is considering a proposal for a significant tax hike on cigarettes, smoking tobacco, and smokeless tobacco products.
- Government & Liberty
- Technology
Research & Commentary: State Video Franchise Reform in Texas

Published May 12, 2011

By John Nothdurft

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
Current cable television franchise laws in Texas favor new video service providers over existing ones by not allowing existing service providers to enter into statewide franchises.
A Constitutional Solution to Runaway Federal Spending

Published May 1, 2011

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
The protections for individual freedom in the Constitution of the United States have been significantly weakened since the 1930s.
- FIRE
- Economy
Research & Commentary: Internet Gaming Regulations

Published April 29, 2011

By Matthew Glans

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
The regulation of online gaming, including popular games such as poker, has reached a crossroads with the recent crackdown on poker Web sites in the United States.
Research & Commentary: Wireless Tax Fairness in the States

Published April 22, 2011

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
The Wireless Tax Fairness Act of 2011, currently pending in Congress, would put a moratorium on discriminatory state wireless phone and data service tax increases.
State Insurance Exchanges: The Case against Implementation

Published April 20, 2011

By Benjamin Domenech

Publication -

Policy Briefs -
State policymakers face a complex task as they decide whether to implement President Barack Obama’s health care law.
- Health Care
Research & Commentary: Comparative Effectiveness Research

Published April 19, 2011

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided $1.1 billion for comparative effectiveness research (CER).
- Education
Research & Commentary: Digital Learning

Published April 14, 2011

By Bruno Behrend

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
Government budget shortfalls and the proven success of digital learning are causing many states and school districts to consider using new technology to make K-12 education more efficient.
- Education
Public Education Is Being Redefined

Published April 8, 2011

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
On March 15 in Oklahoma City, the past met the future.
- Education
Research & Commentary: Higher Education Regulations and the Disadvantaged

Published April 7, 2011

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
Congress and the president stress the importance of providing higher education opportunities to traditionally disadvantaged groups. At odds with this agenda, however, are federal regulations that are being put in place affecting for-profit colleges.
- Government & Liberty
- Technology
Research & Commentary: FCC’s Data-Roaming Mandate

Published April 3, 2011

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
On April 7, 2011 the Federal Communications Commission is expected to vote on a data-roaming mandate that would force mobile operators to offer their data networks to smaller carriers on “commercially reasonable terms and conditions.
- Education
How Teachers in Texas Would Benefit from Expanding School Choice

Published April 1, 2011

By Joseph Bast, Herbert J. Walberg (1937 – 2023)

Publication -

Policy Briefs -
Teacher unions often lead the opposition to legislation that would expand the ability of parents to choose the schools – whether public or private – their children attend.

Publications

Heartland Newsletters