Publications
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Ohio Considers Health Care Price Transparency
Publication -In 2021, a federal rule came into effect that requires hospitals to post prices so that patients can know what they are being charged for their medical services. In 2019, President Trump issued executive order 13877 to “increase the transparency of health care price and quality information on negotiated rates and for common or shoppable […] -
Ohio Considers Creating Interstate Physician Assistants Licensure Compact
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Connecting doctors and their patients across state lines has become commonplace, thanks to the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, which now includes 37 states, the District of Colombia, and Guam. By allowing physicians to practice in multiple states, the compact has significantly increased access to doctors, particularly in rural areas. However, access to care gaps continue […] -
“Right to Treat” Iowa Bill Expands Right to Try Legislation
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Suffering patients deserve more access to investigational treatments. In Iowa, HF225 would expand access to drugs and therapies that have not yet been completely approved by the FDA, but could help patients who have no other options. Iowans are currently restricted to limited expanded use of investigational drugs to only those patients who are near […] -
Iowa Bill Puts Focus on Medicaid Fraud
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Before the COVID-19 pandemic upended the delivery of health care in America and throughout the world, states were realizing that skyrocketing Medicaid costs threatened to devour all discretionary spending. During the pandemic, Medicaid enrollment ballooned by 23 million people to 95 million as eligibility requirements were relaxed and states were given enhanced payments to load […] -
Research & Commentary: Minimum Wage Hikes Will Only Hurt Small Businesses in Texas
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Texas House of Representatives is considering House Bill 169, 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 […] -
Research & Commentary: Texas Economy Does Not Need Minimum Wage Hikes
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Texas House of Representatives is considering House Bill 1126, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Lone Star State from its current $7.25 per hour to $15 per hour, beginning January 1, 2025. HB 1126 would incrementally raise the minimum wage beginning with an increase to $12.50 per hour for the remainder of […] -
Research & Commentary: Minimum Wage Hike Is an Ill-Advised Move for The Lone Star State
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Texas House of Representatives is considering House Bill 1919, legislation that would raise the minimum wage in the Lone Star State from its current $7.25 per hour to $17 per hour, beginning January 1, 2025. HB 1919 would initially increase the minimum wage to $13.50 per hour for the year 2024, before moving onto the […] -
Research & Commentary: Texas Does Not Need to Urge Congress for Federal Minimum Wage Increase
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Texas Legislature is considering HCR 50, a concurrent resolution that would implore Congress to raise the federal minimum wage from its current $7.25 per hour, to $15 per hour. HCR 50 also requests that the Texas Secretary of State forward official copies of the resolution to the president, leader of the Senate, Speaker of the […] -
Research & Commentary: Minimum Wage Hike Would Be a Bad Move for Lone Star State
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
Energy at a Glance: Fracking for Oil and Natural Gas
Publication -Policy Tip Sheets -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 […] -
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Scores: A Threat to Individual Liberty, Free Markets, and the U.S. Economy
Publication -Policy Studies, Policy Briefs -ESG has become one of the gravest threats facing the free societies of the world today. -
Research & Commentary: EPA Finds Greenhouse Gas Emissions Continue to Decline Despite Soaring Oil and Gas Production
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
Biden Energy Policies Cost U.S. Households More Than $2,300 Since 2021
Publication -Policy Tip Sheets -Energy prices have continued to rise under President Joe Biden’s radical energy and climate agenda. -
6 Facts Every Lawmaker Needs to Know About the 2022 UCC Amendments and Central Bank Digital Currencies
Publication -Policy Tip Sheets -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 […] -
Energy at a Glance: Geothermal Power Economics
Publication -Policy Tip Sheets -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 […] -
Energy at a Glance: Understanding Geothermal Power
Publication -Policy Tip Sheets -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 […] -
Research & Commentary: South Carolina General Assembly Is Standing Up to Big Tech
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
Research & Commentary: ‘Making Work Pay’ Act Is Ill-Advised Move for Kansas
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
Research & Commentary: ‘Making Work Pay’ Act Would Undermine Kansas Economy
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
Research & Commentary: Garden State Bill Would Protect Online Free Speech
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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, […] -
Research & Commentary: Hawaii Bill Would Clarify Gubernatorial Power During a State of Emergency
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
The Road to Totalitarianism: Lessons From Russia
Publication -Policy Studies -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 […] -
Research & Commentary: Anti-ESG Bill in Nebraska Will Ensure Cornhusker State Pension Funds Invested Appropriately
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […] -
Research & Commentary: ESA Program For Low-Income and Special Needs Children a Non-Brainer for Louisiana
Publication -Research and Commentaries -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 […]