Publications

Games Legislators Play: Tricks, gimmicks, and fuzzy accounting in the 2011-2012 budget

Published June 23, 2011

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Research and Commentaries -
Using money that’s only available for one year to fund ongoing functions of government Legislators are taking $150 million from various earmarked/restricted funds to pay for ongoing obligations at the Department of Education and the Department of Health
Research & Commentary: Weight-Based Smokeless Tobacco Taxes in Wisconsin

Published June 20, 2011

By John Nothdurft

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Research and Commentaries -
Wisconsin is considering a revenue neutral tax proposal that would change the tax structure for smokeless tobacco from an ad valorem tax to a weight-based tax.
Research & Commentary: Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Fees

Published June 16, 2011

By John Nothdurft

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Research and Commentaries -
State Rep. Mark Mustio (R) has introduced a bill that would prevent Pennsylvania’s Liquor Control Board (LCB) from increasing handling “fees” on alcohol without prior approval from the legislature and governor.
Why Some Cities Are Growing and Others Shrinking

Published June 15, 2011

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Policy Studies -
Florida Gulf Coast University Associate Professor of Economics Dean Stansel studies migration and taxation data for 100 American metropolitian areas, finding statistically significant correlations between rates of taxation and individuals' choices to
Research & Commentary: Contracting Out Prison Services

Published June 6, 2011

By Matthew Glans

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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

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Research and Commentaries -
North Carolina is currently considering several types of changes to its auto insurance regulatory system.
- FIRE
- Economy
Research & Commentary: Federal Earthquake Insurance Backstop

Published June 1, 2011

By Matthew Glans

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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

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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.
Policy Tip Sheet No. 6 – Alcohol Taxes

Published May 25, 2011

By John Nothdurft

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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

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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.
A Constitutional Solution to Runaway Federal Spending

Published May 1, 2011

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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

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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

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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.
- FIRE
- Economy
Research & Commentary: Effect of 2011 Japan Earthquake on the Reinsurance Industry

Published April 1, 2011

By Matthew Glans

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Research and Commentaries -
With billions of dollars in property losses expected in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, insurers will have to pay enormous claims.
Research & Commentary: The Price-Anderson Act

Published March 31, 2011

By Matthew Glans

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Research and Commentaries -
The generation of electricity through nuclear power carries risk.
Research & Commentary: Georgia Tax Reform

Published March 29, 2011

By John Nothdurft

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Research and Commentaries -
The Special Council on Tax Fairness for Georgians was established to conduct a study of the state’s revenue structure and make a report of its findings and recommendations for legislation.
Tapping the Rainy Day Fund & School Fund Balances

Published March 28, 2011

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Research and Commentaries -
Balancing the 2010-11 Budget without Raising TaxesThe Economic Stabilization Fund (ESF): Appropriate Uses and Legislative HistoryThe language in the Texas Constitution governing the use of the ESF reads in part as follows:If an estimate of anticipated
Tapping the Rainy Day Fund & School Fund Balances

Published March 28, 2011

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
Balancing the 2010-11 Budget without Raising TaxesThe Economic Stabilization Fund (ESF): Appropriate Uses and Legislative HistoryThe language in the Texas Constitution governing the use of the ESF reads in part as follows:If an estimate of anticipated
- FIRE
- Economy
Four Problems, Four Solutions: A Blueprint for Reforming Texas’s Insurance Environment

Published March 9, 2011

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Policy Briefs -
This report reviews four major problems with Texas’s insurance environment and proposes four categories of action that elected leaders should take in order to remedy them.
Research & Commentary: Airline Passenger Tax

Published February 24, 2011

By John Nothdurft

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Research and Commentaries -
Congress is considering an increase in the airline passenger facility tax from $4.50 to $7.00 per takeoff and landing. In total this would be a massive $2 billion tax increase on consumers.
- FIRE
- Economy
Research & Commentary: The Build America Bonds Program

Published February 21, 2011

By Matthew Glans

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Research and Commentaries -
The federal government’s Build America Bonds program is controversial.

Publications

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