Publications
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Research and Commentary: Iowa Bill Would Allow Expanded Access to Birth Centers
Publication -Research and Commentaries -CON laws are intended to reduce costs and improve access to health care by controlling the availability of medical facilities through state-based regulation. Unfortunately, CON laws decrease health care access, raise costs, lower quality, and stifle innovation by giving competing health care providers veto power over the construction or improvement of facilities or other capital improvements such as advanced imaging devices. -
Research & Commentary: Minimum Wage Hikes Are Ill-Timed For Oklahoma
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Oklahoma Senate is considering Senate Bill 35, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in Oklahoma from $7.25 per hour to $15.00 per hour, to be effective November 1, 2025. It is not uncommon for some state lawmakers to advocate for quick “fixes” in response to perilous economic situations, such as minimum wage hikes. However, minimum […] -
Research & Commentary: Kansas Senate Legislation Would Protect Jayhawkers from ESG De-Banking Discrimination
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation in the Kansas Senate would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure Kansans are not discriminated against for ideological reasons by financial institutions based on their exercise of speech, political activity, religious views, or their occupation. ESG scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism increasingly being used by investment firms and financial […] -
Research & Commentary: Minimum Wage Hikes Are Ill-Timed For Oklahoma
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Oklahoma Senate is considering multiple minimum wage increase bills, one of which is Senate Bill 55. SB 55 would raise the minimum wage in Oklahoma from $7.25 per hour to $13.00 per hour, with an increase of $0.50 per year over a five-year period after the effective date of the bill. It is not uncommon for […] -
Research & Commentary: Arizona House Bill 2527 Focuses on Safeguarding Reliable Electric Power
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Arizona House Bill 2527 aims to safeguard reliable electric power in Arizona so that it is not subject to blackouts and brownouts. HB 2527 is straightforward. The bill stipulates that the Arizona Corporation Commission may not authorize the retirement of an electric generation facility unless there is a new generation facility with equal or greater power generation […] -
Research & Commentary: Tennessee Legislature Introduces Bill That Would Make Governor Accountable to State Constitution
Publication -Research and Commentaries -This week, the Tennessee Senate Committee on State and Local Government conducted a hearing on Senate Bill 27, legislation that reforms Tennessee’s emergency powers of the governor to ensure that all actions taken comport with the Constitution of Tennessee. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans saw their respective governors wield unprecedented power with seemingly unlimited emergency […] -
Research & Commentary: West Virginia Senate Introduces Certificate of Need Repeal
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The West Virginia Senate has introduced a bill that would remove certificate of need (CON) requirements for virtually all health care services and providers in the state. If passed, the bill would also ensure that all prior CON decisions have “no force and effect” by 2026. CON laws are intended to reduce costs and improve […] -
Research & Commentary: Universal Education Savings Account Legislation Offers Nebraska a Re-Do
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation introduced in the Nebraska Legislature would create a universal education savings account (ESA) program with no funding or enrollment caps open to all Nebraska families beginning with the 2026–27 school year. These accounts would cover tuition, fees, and curricula for eligible children at private and parochial schools, as well as textbooks, software, private tutoring […] -
Research and Commentary: Texas Medicaid Expansion
Publication -Research and Commentaries -After resisting for 14 years, Texas lawmakers are considering Medicaid expansion under the proposed bills SB 637 and HB 2939. Texas is one of 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) allows states to expand Medicaid coverage to people with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, currently $40,187.50 […] -
Research and Commentary: Kansas Medicaid Expansion
Publication -Research and Commentaries -After resisting for 14 years, Kansas lawmakers are considering Medicaid expansion under the proposed Healthcare Access for Working Kansans (HAWK) Act, SB 257 and HB 2375. -
Research and Commentary: South Carolina Medicaid Expansion
Publication -Research and Commentaries -After resisting for 14 years, South Carolina lawmakers are considering Medicaid expansion under House Bill 3109. South Carolina is one of 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid. -
Research & Commentary: The Time is Now for Universal Education Choice in the Lone Star State
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation introduced in the Texas House of Representatives would establish a universal education savings account (ESA) program open to all children in the Lone Star State. These accounts would cover tuition, fees, and curricula for eligible children at private and parochial schools, as well as textbooks, uniforms, private tutoring services, transportation costs, and educational therapies. Funds […] -
Research & Commentary: Minimum Wage Hikes Are Ill-Timed For Montana
Publication -Research and Commentaries -This week, the Montana House Business and Labor Committee conducted a hearing on House Bill 484, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in Montana from $10.55 per hour to $12.06 per hour with a cost-of-living adjustment conducted annually based on consumer price index (CPI) data. It is not uncommon for some state lawmakers to advocate for […] -
Research & Commentary: Idaho Senate Legislation Would Protect Gem Staters from ESG De-Banking Discrimination
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation in the Idaho Senate would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure Idahoans are not discriminated against for ideological reasons by financial institutions based on their exercise of speech, political activity, religious views, or their occupation. -
Research & Commentary: Indiana House Legislation Would Protect Hoosiers from ESG De-Banking Discrimination
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation in the Indiana House of Representatives would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure Hoosiers are not discriminated against for ideological reasons by financial institutions or utility companies based on their exercise of speech, political activity, religious views, or their occupation. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism […] -
Research and Commentary: Mississippi Bill Proposes Easing of Certificate of Need Laws
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Mississippi House of Representatives has passed a bill to remove Certificate of Need (CON) requirements for many health care services and increase the amount a provider can spend before having to get permission from the state. The bill would also provide a faster appeal process for when proposals are denied approval. -
Research & Commentary: Farmer Protection Act Would Provide Protection from ESG for North Carolina’s Agriculture Sector
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation in the North Carolina House of Representatives, the Farmers Protection Act, would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure North Carolina’s farmers are not discriminated against by financial institutions based on environmental policy. ESG scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism increasingly being used by investment firms and financial institutions that forces […] -
Research & Commentary: Georgia Senate Legislation Would Protect Georgians from ESG De-Banking, Utility Discrimination
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation in the Georgia Senate would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure Georgians are not discriminated against for ideological reasons by financial institutions or utility companies based on their exercise of speech, political activity, religious views, or their occupation. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism increasingly being […] -
Research & Commentary: 2025 Should Finally Be the Year When Education Choice Comes to Texas
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation making its way through the Texas legislature would establish a universal education savings account (ESA) program open to all children in the Lone Star State. These accounts would cover tuition, fees, and curricula for eligible children at private and parochial schools, as well as textbooks, private tutoring services, transportation costs, and educational therapies. Funds could […] -
Research & Commentary: Virginia Senate Legislation Would Protect Virginians from ESG De-Banking Discrimination
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation in the Virginia Senate would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure Virginians are not discriminated against for ideological reasons by financial institutions based on their exercise of speech, political activity, religious views, or their occupation. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism increasingly being used by investment […] -
Research and Commentary: Missouri’s Big Tech Policy
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Protections Against Big Tech Censorship Are Integral in Missouri’s Next Legislative Session Legislation that would protect Missourians’ free speech on social media platforms is an integral and timely policy goal that should be considered in 2025. States around the nation have introduced legislation with the same objective in mind since the peak of blatant censorship […] -
Research & Commentary: Universal Freedom Scholarship Program Would Put Wyoming in the Education Freedom Vanguard
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation recently introduced in the Wyoming House of Representatives would change the name of the state’s Education Savings Accounts Program to the Wyoming Freedom Scholarship Program and also universalize it, opening the program up to all Wyoming families. Currently, the Education Savings Account Program, just launched last year, is only open to Wyoming families whose household […] -
Research & Commentary: Farmer Protection Act Would Provide Protection from ESG for South Carolina’s Agriculture Sector
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation in the South Carolina House of Representatives, the Farmer Protection Act, which would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure South Carolina’s farmers are not discriminated against by financial institutions based on environmental policy. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism increasingly being used by investment firms and […] -
Research & Commentary: Push to Universalize New Hampshire’s Educational Freedom Accounts is Appropriate and Timely
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation recently introduced in the New Hampshire House of Representatives would universalize the state’s Education Freedom Accounts Program (EFA), an education savings account (ESA) program, for low- and middle-income students, and open the program up to all New Hampshire families. Access to the EFA Program, launched in 2021, is currently only open to students whose […]