Publications

The Texas House of Representatives is considering House Bill 737, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Lone Star State from its current $7.25 per hour to $15 per hour, beginning September 1, 2023. Historically, some state lawmakers have advocated for quick “fixes” in response to perilous economic situations. However, minimum wage increases almost […]

For the full PDF of this policy tip sheet, click here. Quick Bullets: Hydraulic fracturing, aka “fracking,” is a method for recovering oil and gas from unconventional fossil fuel reservoirs. It involves creating fissures in a rock formation in order to stimulate oil or gas movement through a reservoir that may otherwise have been difficult […]

ESG has become one of the gravest threats facing the free societies of the world today.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2023 Draft Greenhouse Gas Inventory (GHGI) was released in early March, revealing total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States were 2 percent below their 1990 levels in 2021, falling from a high of 15.7 percent above 1990 levels in 2007. According to the GHGI, all GHG emissions […]

Energy prices have continued to rise under President Joe Biden’s radical energy and climate agenda.

In July 2022, the Uniform Law Commission and American Law Institute approved new amendments to the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). As the Uniform Law Commission states, “The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) is a comprehensive set of laws governing all commercial transactions in the United States. It is not a federal law, but a uniformly adopted […]

Geothermal plants produce 0.4 percent of the utility-scale electricity in the United States. The United States also produces the most electricity from geothermal plants in the world. Geothermal power is a renewable energy source that provides dispatchable, constant power, and is not dependent upon weather conditions. Expansion of geothermal energy use at the utility scale […]

Although geothermal power has a range of applications, this paper primarily focuses on utility-scale use for geothermal power plants, and does not address smaller scale geothermal heat pumps like those used to heat and cool buildings. Geothermal energy comes from deep earth heat that remains from the formation of the planet, as well as ongoing […]

The South Carolina General Assembly has introduced House Bill 3102, which would protect free speech on social media platforms for South Carolinians. This legislation provides citizens of the Palmetto State an avenue to seek a private cause of action and possible financial damages if their online free speech has been blocked, restricted, suspended, terminated, removed, or […]

The Kansas House of Representatives is considering House Bill 2368, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Sunflower State to $16 per hour by January 1, 2027. Also known as the Making Work Pay Act, this would be a substantial increase from Kansas’ current minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. HB 2368 works in […]

The Kansas Senate is considering Senate Bill 70, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Sunflower State to $16 per hour by January 1, 2027. Also known as the Making Work Pay Act, this would be a substantial increase from Kansas’ current minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. SB 70 works in tandem with House […]

The New Jersey General Assembly has introduced Assembly Bill 1416, which would protect free speech on social media platforms for New Jerseyans. This legislation provides citizens of the Garden State an avenue to seek a private cause of action and possible financial damages if their online free speech has been blocked, restricted, suspended, terminated, removed, […]

The Hawaii Legislature is attempting to elucidate the extent of gubernatorial powers during a state of emergency with House Bill 522. Under current law, during a state of emergency, the governor maintains the power to suspend electronic media transmission. HB 522 considers how broad and vague the verbiage is in the current statutes and would […]

Vladimir Putin and totalitarianism are old friends. The embattled Russian president began his career as a KGB operative in 1975, spending the next 16 years propagating total authoritarian control over his country until the Soviet Union finally collapsed in 1991.[1] Years after his country’s precipitous dissolution, Putin remarked in a 1996 interview, “However sad and […]

Legislation in the Iowa Senate would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring regimes by ensuring that taxpayer dollars do not fund commercial boycotts that reduce economic growth, cause job losses, and shrink Iowa’s tax base. ESG scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism increasingly being used by investment firms and financial institutions that forces […]

Legislation in the Nebraska Legislature would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure state pension funds are invested solely to achieve the maximum return on investment for pensioners, rather than advancing social or political causes that may likely lead to lower returns and / or underperformance. ESG scores are essentially a risk […]

Legislation in the Louisiana House of Representatives would establish the Education Scholarship Account Program, an education savings account (ESA) program open to low-income Louisiana children, as well as those with special educational needs.   These accounts would cover tuition, fees, and curricula for eligible children at private and parochial schools, as well as educational therapies, textbooks […]

Legislation in the Texas House of Representatives would establish the Texas Parental Empowerment Program, an education savings account (ESA) program open to all children in the state. These accounts would cover tuition, fees, and curricula for eligible children at private and parochial schools, as well as educational therapies, transportation costs, textbooks, supplemental course materials, supplemental technological […]

The Tennessee legislature is attempting to take a significant swing at gubernatorial emergency powers with House Bill 422, the House companion legislation to Senate Bill 590. If passed, HB 422 would ensure that a state of emergency issued by the governor cannot last longer than 45 days.  HB 422 and SB 590 safeguard Tennessee citizens from gubernatorial […]

The Tennessee legislature is attempting to take a significant swing at gubernatorial emergency powers with Senate Bill 590, the Senate companion legislation to House Bill 422. If passed, SB 590 would ensure that a state of emergency issued by the governor cannot last longer than 45 days.  SB 590 and HB 422 safeguard Tennessee citizens from gubernatorial […]

The Oregon legislature is attempting to take a significant swing at emergency powers granted to their governor and any future governors with Senate Bill 640. If passed, SB 640 would create stipulations on future states of emergency in the Beaver state.  HB 640 safeguards citizens from gubernatorial overreach by stating that an executive order terminates 31 […]

Legislation in the Indiana House of Representatives would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure state pension funds are invested solely to achieve the maximum return on investment for pensioners, rather than advancing social or political causes that may likely lead to lower returns and / or underperformance. ESG scores are essentially […]

The Rhode Island General Assembly is considering Senate Bill 37, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Ocean State to $20 per hour by January 1, 2025. This is a dramatic increase from the current minimum wage of $13 per hour. The bill would initially increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour on […]

The Tennessee legislature is attempting to take a significant swing at gubernatorial emergency powers with House Bill 189. If passed, HB 189 would establish legislative oversight over the continuation of gubernatorial powers during a state of emergency.  HB 189 stipulates that an executive order or proclamation issued by the governor expires no later than 45 days […]