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State Updates


Published on Monday, October 01, 2007
ARTICLES

  
ALABAMA

The Alabama Policy Institute testified before the state Board of Education in favor of a proposed policy to prohibit Alabama's two-year college system from hiring legislators, a practice commonly referred to as "double-dipping." The measure passed. API vice president Michael Ciamarra was appointed by the governor to the Patriotic Immigration Commission, which will propose immigration policy for the 2008 Legislature. API welcomes Tiffany Bradley as director of development. She previously served as the philanthropy and event-planning specialist at the Tax Foundation. Bradley graduated magna cum laude in political science from Appalachian State University. www.alabamapolicy.org

  
ALASKA

Bringing together more than 100 current and emerging Alaska leaders to craft a nonpartisan strategy to move the state forward, the Institute of the North held its 8th Alaska Dialogue at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge near majestic Denali National Park. Modeled after the Aspen Institute, this year's Alaska Dialogue focused on energy, diversity, leadership and statesmanship. Oct. 15-18 in Anchorage, the Institute will host the Arctic Energy Summit Technology Conference (www.arcticenergysummit.org), an International Polar Year project of the Arctic Council and the U.S. Department of State. The theme is "the Arctic as an energy province." Speakers include Iceland President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Assistant Secretary of State Dan Sullivan, Canadian Minister of Natural Resources Gary Lunn and Inuit Circumpolar Council Chair Patricia Cochran, among others. Technical presentations and an industry exposition are included. www.institutenorth.org

  
ARIZONA

The Goldwater Institute's Center for Constitutional Litigation is off and running. Two cases have been filed and four more are on the docket. In August, Goldwater made front page news with a lawsuit against the City of Phoenix to stop a $100 million subsidy to the developer of a high-end shopping mall, dubbed the "Taj MahMall." The other lawsuit currently filed is against the Arizona Department of Education and seeks to protect the autonomy of charter schools. Department bureaucrats are also on the defensive about a recent policy report examining Arizona's implausibly high standardized test scores. See the report, "A Test of Credibility," and information about the lawsuits at www.goldwaterinstitute.org. The Institute welcomes Dr. Byron Schlomach as the director of the Center for Economic Prosperity. Previously, Dr. Schlomach directed the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Center for Fiscal Policy Studies. Byron's first order of business was a piece for BusinessWeek.com's "Debate Room" on the push for a federal gas tax hike.

  
ARKANSAS

The Arkansas Policy Foundation, for the second consecutive year, has issued a letter grade to all 251 K-12 public school districts in Arkansas based on student performance on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. The research, conducted by Air Force Academy graduate Mark Witkowski, notes the failure of the 1983 Education Standards Committee chaired by Hillary Rodham Clinton. The Arkansas Department of Education will start issuing grades to all districts in the 2009-10 school year, a 1998 recommendation of the Murphy Commission, an APF project. Grades were distributed in Witkowski's report in the following manner: (A or A-) 14 districts; (B+, B or B-) 61 districts; (C+, C or C-) 111 districts; (D+, D or D-) 35 districts; and (F) 13 districts. The research proposes more charter schools and publicly-funded vouchers in failing districts. The Arkansas charter measure has been expanded twice since 2005 to allow more charters. APF has recommended expanded charters since its 1995 founding. www.reformarkansas.org

  
CALIFORNIA

The Pacific Research Institute weighed in on the net neutrality debate and published "Net Gains or Net Losses? The Net Neutrality Debate and the Future of the Internet." With the school season underway, PRI released "Not as Good as You Think: Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice." The Institute's annual gala dinner featuring Jeb Bush is scheduled for Oct. 24 at the San Francisco Ritz-Carlton. www.pacificresearch.org

  
COLORADO

The Independence Institute has a new school choice website for Colorado families, www.SchoolChoiceforKids.org. Available in both English and Spanish, it offers information about enrollment processes, No Child Left Behind choice and tutoring, school safety, report cards, online schools and home schooling. Parents can search statewide for schools and specific criteria like Montessori, Core Knowledge, dual language and school uniforms. At a Denver Country Club luncheon July 31 the Institute celebrated Milton Friedman's life and achievements. On Sept. 19 filmmaker Stuart Browning discussed why government health care isn't the answer. The twice-yearly Independent Women Luncheon is Oct. 18 with keynote speaker Suzanne Mencer, policy director of the government-relations group for Brownstein Hyatt Farber Scheck. She also served 20 years with the FBI and directed the Bush administration's Office of Domestic Preparedness. www.i2i.org

 

CONNECTICUT

In September, the Yankee Institute released "Growing Connecticut's Economy: Corporatism Vs. Capitalism." Authored by tax and budget fellow D. Dowd Muska, the paper examines how the economic-development initiatives pursued by state and local government are ineffective. The study demonstrates that this failure is due to a fundamental misunderstanding of the sources of economic growth. Decision-makers need to understand that corporatism can't work in theory, doesn't work in practice and better economic-development policies exist. "Help Wanted: Serving Connecticut's Neediest Citizens Through Job Training" will be released in October. Written by social services analyst Natalie Kindred, the study shows how Connecticut's future depends upon the health of its workforce. Successful job training programs offer a win-win solution for taxpayers and disadvantaged citizens alike. Where a skilled workforce exists, new businesses will follow. Taxpayers also benefit because an employed individual contributes to, rather than takes from, the public trough. If unemployed citizens are viewed as a valuable untapped resource and demand for labor as an opportunity, job training can be used to merge these two interests. www.yankeeinstitute.org

  
FLORIDA

Wall Street Journal editorial board member Steve Moore gets a busy fall schedule rolling in October for James Madison Institute as keynote speaker for the Jacksonvillemembership luncheon. In November another nationally-known speaker will headline at JMI's 20th anniversary celebration. The most recent issue of The Journal of The James Madison Institute has articles on property insurance reform, dividing large school districts, real-world examples of health care reform and more. The latest JMI Backgrounder is "Statewide Growth Management and Housing Affordability in Florida" by Leonard Gilroy, Samuel Staley and Sara Stedron. A policy brief titled "Parental Choice in Education: Florida at a Crossroads," by John Kirtley, is due out in September. JMI closely monitored the September special legislative session and the progress of the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission and Action Team on Energy and Climate Change, providing information, resources and committee testimony as needed. www.jamesmadison.org

 

GEORGIA

Tech High, an Atlanta charter school the Georgia Public Policy Foundation helped create, was the site of an August news conference at which Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson announced a new career education initiative. The Foundation is also working with Speaker Richardson and economist Art Laffer on eliminating the property tax. Both Gov. Sonny Perdue and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle made major health care policy announcements in August, and the Foundation built on the momentum with events featuring NCPA's John Goodman and former HHS Secretary Louis Sullivan. Kelly McCutchen testified on the undue tax burdens telecommunications providers face, and Benita Dodd is working closely with policymakers on state transportation and water issues. Education expert Holly Robinson, who serves on the state Education Finance Task Force, reports completing the elementary, middle and high school Best Practices Models. They are based on national research, national, local and state best practices, looking at student achievement, teacher excellence, dynamic leadership and data-driven decision making. www.gppf.org

 

HAWAII

"Pacific Rim Perspective" is a new Grassroot Institute web feature inspired by the policy conference GRIH hosted in Honolulu last May. It will highlight essays and comments on the liberty movement from throughout Pacific Rim regions. Paul Jacob of the Sam Adams Alliance will address GRIH's awards dinner Nov. 3 regarding America's rising liberty movement network. GRIH will present the George Washington Award to Ken Schoolland. He wrote The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible: A Free Market Odyssey (translated into 42 languages) and has been an unwavering advocate of individual freedom for more than 30 years. GRIH's "Unsung Heroes" of 2007 include former state board of education member Paul Vierling, the Pacific Legal Foundation and State Rep. Colleen Meyer. GRIH's Milton Friedman birthday celebration in Honolulu drew 80 attendees and featured a luncheon speech by Doug Bandow. www.grassrootinstitute.org

  
ILLINOIS

On Aug. 2, the Heartland Institute released "Snowjob" on YouTube. A five-minute video challenging global warming hysteria, it includes a compilation of footage from Al Gore's movie, "An Inconvenient Truth," and interviews with Tim Ball, Richard Lindzen and Chris Horner, who demystify Gore's alarmist theories. It attracted more than 8,500 views in three weeks and helps prove fear cannot withstand the immutability of fact. Viewers are given "snapshots" of the erroneous information Gore used to cynically misinform his audiences. Heartland also launched "The Global Warming Test," by professional engineer Monte Heib. This 10-question quiz tests users' global warming knowledge and helps them brush up on the real science behind climate change. About 300 took the test its first week online. The video and test are at Heartland's Global Warming Facts website: www.globalwarmingheartland.org. www.heartland.org

Illinois Policy Institute's board of directors selected John Tillman as CEO. John will oversee business development, administration and Institute outreach and communications from Chicago. The Institute's efforts against an ill-advised universal health care initiative and a $7.6 billion gross-receipts tax were rewarded in August when Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed a budget with neither the health plan nor any tax increases. The Institute celebrated its fifth anniversary Sept. 24 at a luncheon in Springfield. www.illinoispolicyinstitute.org

  
INDIANA

The barbarians were at the gate this summer as tax protestors assembled on Gov. Mitch Daniels' lawn. Adjunct scholar Dr. Eric Schansberg published a summary of events for The Wall Street Journal with the headline, "Mitch the Knife Meets Joe Property Owner." The Indiana Policy Review Foundation staff is assembling a special issue of the quarterly journal that will survey the state's tax-reform options. www.inpolicy.org

  
IOWA

In a study titled "For the Children? No, for the Politicians!" the Iowa Public Interest Institute questions whether the intended beneficiaries of the statewide government-run preschool program are four-year-olds or teachers unions and union-backed politicians. The program decrees that "quality" instruction is available only from employees of government school districts, or those under contract with a school district in Iowa - in other words, teachers' union members. Rather than emulating other states' run-of-the-mill pre-K programs of little proven benefit, Iowa should look to states such as Pennsylvania, which has chosen to expand opportunities for four-year-olds - without expanding the government-run school system - by providing tax credits to companies that contribute to scholarship organizations. Iowa has a similar program for K-12 students. www.limitedgovernment.org

  
KANSAS

In July the Flint Hills Center sponsored two legislative academies on the insured and uninsured in Kansas. Michael Bond and local experts presented informationon consumer-driven alternatives. The academies were well attended by legislators, medical professionals and insurance industry representatives. Encouraged by the success of these academies, and in an effort to position consumer-driven care in the next legislative session, the Center plans to host an additional academy this fall. In August, the Center released a paper by long-term care expert Stephen Moses on how Kansas, likeother smaller states, subsidizes larger states through the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage. Education policy fellow John LaPlante wrote a study showing how virtual schools improve educational choice. This summer the Center upgraded its website and integrated it with the office database. www.flinthills.org

 

MAINE

Jeb Bush delivered remarks at the 2007 Maine Heritage Policy Center's Freedom and Opportunity Luncheon. Since the last SPN News, MHPC has published 10 original research reports on topics including school choice, school privatization, education achievement, cost of living, state and local government expenditures, local government compensation, the uninsured and SCHIP. MHPC also released two pieces of model legislation. If enacted, the first bill would create a tax- and- expenditure limitation law for state, county and local governments. The second would repeal multiple state health insurance mandates, create a high risk pool and allow Mainers to purchase any licensed health insurance product offered in any of the New England states. MHPC is establishing a new monthly policy luncheon in Bangor. Scholarships enable high school students and University of Maine students to also attend. MHPC staff is working hard and in eager anticipation to prepare for the Oct. 10-12 SPN Annual Meeting in Portland. www.mainepolicy.org

 

MARYLAND

The Calvert Institute's recent 650-page publication, The Trimmer's Almanac: Ten Years of the Calvert Institute, 1996-2006, received extensive and favorable reviews in the Maryland Daily Record (Brendan Kearney, Aug. 19, "Think Again: A Decade of Calvert Institute Colloquies") and in the Baltimore City Paper (John Barry, Aug. 29, "The Trimmer: The Calvert Institute's George Liebmann Preaches the Common Sense of Thinking Locally and Acting Locally"). It is available from the Institute and amazon.com. www.calvertinstitute.org

Free State Foundation distinguished adjunct senior scholar Richard Epstein published an FSF paper, "Net Neutrality and Spectrum Auctions: Lessons from History," which received much attention in the press. The Free State Foundation and the Institute for Policy Innovation are cosponsoring a conference in Washington, DC on Oct. 30, 2007 to explore actions either proposed or adopted by the FCC that impose net neutrality, open access or unbundling mandates. "The Federal Unbundling Commission?" conference will feature well-known communications-law and policy scholars and leading industry representatives. The panels will focus on whether government-mandated unbundling regulations deter new investment and innovation. www.freestatefoundation.org

  
MASSACHUSETTS

The Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University has wrapped up another successful summer internship program. Along with Suffolk graduates, students from Boston University, Vassar College, Clark University and Stanford University helped with research on economic competitiveness, telecommunications taxation, revenue forecasting and state tax policy, among others. Frank Conte offered a cost-benefit critique of a proposed wind farm on Cape Cod during a Boston Museum of Science forum. The New Hampshire Legislature's Ways and Means Committee invited BHI executive director David G. Tuerck to discuss the economic consequences of implementing a sales tax to fund education. Benjamin Powell, Ph.D. joins BHI as a senior economist. He'll also teach economics at Suffolk University. Powell earned his Ph.D. from George Mason University in 2003. He previously taught at San Jose State University and directed the Oakland-based Independent Institute's Center on Entrepreneurial Innovation. Powell has edited two books (including Making Poor Nations Rich: Entrepreneurship and the Process of Development, scheduled for release in November by Stanford University Press), composed scholarly articles, written for popular press and been interviewed on radio and television. www.beaconhill.org

Pioneer Institute capped a successful summer that began in June with the Institute's 16th Better Government Competition awards dinner. This year PI received 270 competition entries, and 360 guests attended the dinner. Winners hailed from Fort Devens and Worcester, Massachusetts, as well as Carrollton, Texas and from Virginia, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. Guidelines for the upcoming 2008 Competition are available at www.pioneerinstitute.org. The theme: promoting state and local competitiveness. With a generous donation from the Roe Foundation, Pioneer recently established the Roe Better Government Network, which collects and distributes New England public policy solutions. Roe papers are selected from among the most intriguing and original submissions to PI's Better Government Competition and many are available online at PI's website.

  
MICHIGAN

The Mackinac Center marked Labor Day with the release of three reports detailing how Michigan would benefit from a right-to-work law and elimination of prevailing wage laws. One study, by Paul Kersey (since promoted to director of labor policy), itemized the $250 million prevailing wage price tag. Another Kersey brief revealed that right-to-work states consistently outperform Michigan economically. Thirdly, senior legal analyst Patrick J. Wright drew up model ballot-language for making Michigan a right-to-work state. Students for a Free Economy (www.michigansfe.org) is taking the free market message to public and private colleges across Michigan. Isaac Morehouse, the Center's campus leadership director, reports much student enthusiasm for the events. The Mackinac Center's fifth annual school privatization survey, by fiscal policy director Michael D. LaFaive and adjunct scholar Daniel J. Smith, found that more than 40 percent of conventional Michigan public schools contract custodial, food or transportation services. www.mackinac.org

  
MINNESOTA

In the terrible wake of the 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Center of the American Experiment hosted a luncheon forum with the Reason Foundation's Bob Poole on "Safeguarding and Rebuilding America's Physical Infrastructure: The Indispensable Role of Markets." Poole also met with legislative and executive-branch officials and business leaders. A dozen days earlier, Center founder and president Mitch Pearlstein made the case in the Minneapolis Star Tribune for holding the line on transportation taxes: "[If] done properly, public-private partnerships would work terrifically. But I also realize how the very notion of privately owned roads and bridges, not to mention tolls, is anathema to enormous numbers of voting citizens. Similarly . . . I recognize how getting Congress to constrain itself is problematic . . . . And it's clear that while subtracting a quarter of a billion dollars from other Minnesota constituencies may not be the hardest political job in the world, it may be close. . . . But if ever there was a time to rethink priorities, try new methods, stay within our means and change political equations, how can it be other than now?" www.amexp.org

During the 2007 session, the Citizens' Council on Health Care's petition campaign defeated the governor's Minnesota Health Insurance Exchange, a proposal to take private insurance out of the market place and force individuals to purchase it through a government-established bureaucracy. CCHC's efforts also forced the Minnesota Department of Health to hold a hearing on proposed rule changes to newborn screening (genetic testing). The administrative law judge ruled in CCHC's favor, forcing the department to fully inform parents of their right to opt out of genetic testing, and requiring informed parent consent for MDH storage of, and researcher access to, newborn blood and baby DNA. After MDH's appeal was denied, CCHC formally asked MDH to destroy the 670,000 blood samples it has stored and provided to researchers for 10 years without statutory authority. CCHC is awaiting response. CCHC plans to hold its annual health care policy event in November. www.cchc-mn.org

On Nov. 29 the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota will host Amity Shlaes, author of The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression. With help from former Minnesota Congressman Vin Weber, in conjunction with the Foundation's Continuing Legislators Education (CLE) program, the goal is to educate policymakers about the biggest mistakes made during the Great Depression, including tax increases and toxic attacks on wealth creation and businesses. Conservatives from across the state will gather at the Foundation's first annual "State of Minnesota Conservatism" conference. Experts from around the country will gather to discuss 2006 election results and define success for conservatives in 2008. Currently in the works is the Foundation's first legislative study on local government spending. www.freedomfoundationofminnesota.com

This summer the former Taxpayers League Foundation re-launched as the Minnesota Free Market Institute. A non-partisan, non-profit educational organization dedicated to expanding freedom and free markets, MFMI conducts research, publishes pamphlets aimed at educating the general public, limited government, and reforms to improve quality of life. Publications included essays, op-eds and publications on education, transportation, energy markets and state-encroachment on private business. This year MFMI held the first-annual Milton Friedman Birthday Party attended by over 200 Minnesota legislators, public-policy experts and educators. David Strom is president of the MFMI. His work spanned 10 years at the Taxpayers League of Minnesota, as well as stints as president of both the League and Foundation. He has a weekly radio show on AM1280. His podcasts and columns are on Townhall.com. www.mnfmi.org

  
MISSISSIPPI

The Mississippi Center for Public Policy mailed its primer Governing by Principle to all candidates running for the state Legislature and higher office this year, as well as to state news media and MCPP members. Classroom instructors are also provided the primer upon request. This 45-page booklet defines 10 principles by which state policymakers should govern and lists a series of questions to ask about every policy proposal. Written in conversational language, it's designed to enable readers to articulate its principles in speeches or one-on-one communication. Featured in an AP article and on state radio and televisions networks, all the coverage Governing by Principle has generated has thus far been favorable. MCPP is offering the text to other SPN organizations to customize and use in their own states. After the November elections, MCPP will host a policy seminar for newly-elected legislators. www.mspolicy.org

  
MISSOURI

On July 31 the Show-Me Institute celebrated Milton Friedman's legacy at the University of Missouri-Columbia. William Poole, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Saint Louis, and a former Friedman student, spoke about the Nobel Prize winner's influence on monetary policy. University of Missouri chancellor Brady Deaton also spoke. That same day, the Show-Me Institute brought in the Reason Foundation's Leonard Gilroy to attend a meeting of the Missouri House and Senate Joint Transportation Oversight Committee. The meeting included a presentation by Reason founder Robert Poole on Missouri highway issues. SMI is working with Reason to study public-private partnerships to improve transportation in the state. At the end of October the Institute will co-sponsor an education conference, "From Equity to Adequacy to Choice: Perspectives on School Finance and School Finance Litigation." Participants will examine the relationship between education spending and student achievement, and its implications for adequacy lawsuits. showmeinstitute.org

 

NEBRASKA

The Platte Institute for Economic Research, Nebraska's new free-market think tank, seeks an executive director. The Institute, recently incorporated, has filed for 501(c)3 status and plans to produce its first research project during the 2008 legislative session. Current board members are Warren Arganbright of Valentine, Mike Groene of North Platte and Pete Ricketts and Gail Werner-Robertson of Omaha. For an executive director position description or organizational information, please write pete@petericketts.com or call (402) 657-0653.

  
NEVADA

The Nevada Policy Research Institute thanks intern Emmanuel Caudillo for his hard work on the Institute's upcoming education initiatives. Emmanuel made numerous useful contacts and NPRI appreciates all his efforts on the organization's behalf. Helen Gilmer is NPRI's new executive assistant. Helen is new to the think tank world but she has years of administrative experience and the Institute is thrilled to have her aboard. NPRI's16th Anniversary Dinner is Sept. 25 in Las Vegas and features Newt Gingrich. www.npri.org

  
NEW HAMPSHIRE

The Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy's primary summer focus was fiscal analysis centered around the study, "Tax Hikes on the Horizon." A follow-up this fall to the Center's influential budget-hole report will detail the state's history of budget busting and offer steps to avoid future overspending. The budget report was followed by smaller studies on education funding, the folly of an income tax and a comprehensible breakdown of 2007 budget numbers - along with an explanation for the surprise $40 million windfall that appeared the next day. The Bartlett Center countered political pressure to raise gas taxes and tolls with revelations of how money gets siphoned from the highway fund for other purposes. The Center is also gearing up to derail a commuter rail boondoggle. A report released in September details the causes of health care spending increases. www.bartlettcenter.com

  
NEW JERSEY

In July the Center for Policy Research of New Jersey and the Center for Competitive Politics (Arlington, Virginia) co-authored an op-ed criticizing New Jersey's second experiment with publicly-funded legislative campaigns. In the 2005 legislative races, only two of 10 eligible candidates running in two districts qualified to receive taxpayer funding. For this year's election, the Legislature modified the program to make it easier to qualify and extended it to three districts (two noncompetitive districts and one competitive district). The op-ed - published by The Times, the capital city's daily newspaper - argued that no evidence exists that public funding programs have made elections more competitive or politics less corrupt. New Jersey's program did not diminish the influence of special-interest groups, and the process to select the politically competitive district favored the choice of the political party that currently controls the state legislature. After the 2007 November legislative elections, CPR and the Center for Competitive Politics hope to analyze the program's implementation and results.

  
NEW MEXICO

The Rio Grande Foundation rode a wave of success this summer. President Paul Gessing wrote an op-ed on Gov. Bill Richardson's fiscal track record for The Wall Street Journal. Rush Limbaugh picked up on a Foundation article on the government's SCHIP health care program. For Milton Friedman's birthday, RGF and the Friedman Foundation hosted a school-choice discussion with Robert Aguirre, chairman of the board of Hispanc Council for Reform and Educational Options (HCREO). Aguirre addressed using tax-credit scholarships for low-income New Mexico students, likely a hot topic in the coming legislative session. Lastly, the Foundation generated good publicity throughout New Mexico for its local tax- friendly study and web-based tax- friendly calculator. The study ranked New Mexico's 10-largest cities based on local gross receipts and property tax burdens as a percentage of income. www.riograndefoundation.org

  
NORTH CAROLINA

Charter, home and private school students have saved North Carolina taxpayers nearly $900 million in school construction costs since 2000. Recent John Locke Foundation research highlighted that figure, while another JLF report suggested school choice offers more educational benefits than a longer public school calendar or school day. This summer JLF analysts also questioned new statewide renewable energy mandates, suggested reforms for North Carolina's struggling mental health system and outlined potential state budget savings. JLF's suite of regional websites expanded with the unveiling of a Western North Carolina site and its blog, "The Wild West." JLF's monthly Carolina Journal newspaper continued its probe of a questionable taxpayer-funded theater in Roanoke Rapids, N.C., tied to Dolly Parton's brother, Randy. On July 31, Wake Forest economics professor Dan Hammond helped JLF honor Milton Friedman's "Legacy of Freedom" with a speech focusing on Friedman's dedication to democratic principles. In JLF's featured summer Headliner event, political columnist and pundit Robert Novak visited Raleigh to discuss highlights from his new memoir, The Prince of Darkness. www.johnlocke.org

  
NORTH DAKOTA

The North Dakota Policy Council has officially achieved 501(c)3 status. Several projects are in the works at NDPC, but the top priorities are "Sunshine on Schools" and "Sustainability Watch." The first would require K-12 schools to provide detailed budget information on easily searchable websites, like at www.sunshineonschools.org. "Sustainability Watch" is exposing North Dakota's "smart growth" and "conservation" movements as fronts for imposing big-government regulation and socialist land-use controls on private property owners. A new NDPC report called "Government & Economic Development: Economic Development Trumps Public Safety" details the misappropriation of federal and state transportation and infrastructure funds. www.policynd.org

  
OHIO

The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions hosted its first annual "Liberty in Learning" lecture July 31 in downtown Columbus. Dr. Frederick Hess, education policy director at American Enterprise Institute, was the featured speaker at the event, which was part of a national series of lectures honoring Milton Friedman's education reform vision. Dr. Hess reminded school-choice advocates not to neglect the supply side of educational reform: The entrepreneurial spirit is essential in unleashing innovation and creativity. For real and lasting improvements to American schooling, entrepreneurs must flourish in education unhindered by government's stifling regulatory grip. In addition to driving Ohio's school-choice movement, Buckeye is producing influential work on the SCHIP program, municipal wireless and earmark reform. www.buckeyeinstitute.org

  
OKLAHOMA

The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs' sold-out war-on-terror summer speaker series featured best-selling author Dinesh D'Souza and retired LTC. Steve Russell, a central player in the capture of Saddam Hussein. This fall OCPA's top three policy priorities are school choice, tort reform and updating Oklahoma's Medicaid system to ensure more affordable health care. OCPA's ninth annual Citizenship Essay Contest will award $12,000 in tuition scholarships to five deserving Oklahoma college-bound seniors. To assist in these endeavors, OCPA recently added Sandra Leaver as its administrative assistant and Dustin Gabus as student services manager. Leaver will assist in operations and Gabus will oversee the growing internship program, which added three students for the fall semester: Ashley McCullar, Curtis Piper and Shayna Sims. Each will aid in ongoing research and publication efforts. www.ocpathink.org

  
OREGON

In September, Cascade Policy Institute president John Charles participated in a Free Market Forum at Hillsdale College. Vice president Tina Pisenti embarked on a 16-day Oregon road tour promoting Cascade's work. Policy analyst Sreya Sarkar addressed a September national convention in Baltimore sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Ms. Sarkar promoted car ownership as a means to greater economic opportunity for low-income populations. School-choice program director Matt Wingard launched a run for state representative in a southwestern district of the Portland metro area. Cascade's October speaker events include Doug Bandow on "What Has Gone Wrong With The Republican Party?" Cato Institute senior fellow Randal O'Toole, Cascade's John Charles and Oregonians In Action's Dave Hunnicutt join together Oct. 30 for a panel, "Debunking the Portland Myth." www.cascadepolicy.org

  
PENNSYLVANIA

The Allegheny Institute will host an Oct. 25 debate, "Is Human Activity Causing Global Warming?" The debate will feature renowned scientists Dr. Fred Singer and Dr. Charles Keller. The debate is on the campus of co-sponsorDuquesne University. This past summer the Institute released full-length reports on public sector pensions and public school teacher strikes. These reports, as well as Allegheny's continued analyses and commentary on the poor business and economic climate in Pennsylvania, received widespread and in-depth media coverage. The Institute's efforts to shift the terms of local policy debate is definitely bearing fruit. www.alleghenyinstitute.org

Former Congressman and Club for Growth president Pat Toomey joined the Commonwealth Foundation's board of directors in August. In November Commonwealth's annual dinner in Pittsburgh will honor Richard M. Scaife with its Speaker Franklin Statesman Award. John Stossel is scheduled to speak at the event. The Foundation has deflected attacks by the public school establishment against cyber charter schools while also increasing the commonwealth's Educational Improvement Tax Credit program, which is providing scholarships to more than 30,000 Pennsylvania students. Although proposals to lease the Pennsylvania Turnpike failed, the Foundation continues to inject public-private partnership alternatives into transportation policy discussions. This fall, CF and the Reason Foundation will report on the benefits of privatizing Pennsylvania's wine and spirits industry. Proposing viable solutions to Pennsylvania's public pension and health care crisis is a Commonwealth Foundation priority for 2008. www.commonwealthfoundation.org

Thanks to the educational activities of the REACH Foundation and the advocacy efforts of its sister organization the REACH Alliance, the Pennsylvania General Assembly increased the Educational Improvement Tax Credit program by $16 million for the 2007-08 fiscal year. This is the largest increase since the program was enacted in 2001, bringing the total program cap to $75 million - which allows approximately 8,000 more children to attend the school of their choice, bringing the total number of participants to more than 40,000 during the current academic year. REACH is planning its first annual "Champions of Choice" awards dinner for Sept. 27 in Philadelphia. REACH also plans to introduce choice legislation aimed specifically at special needs students during the current legislative cycle. In addition, REACH has redesigned its website for easier navigation. www.paschoolchoice.org

  
RHODE ISLAND

Independent perspective has been missing on the Rhode Island scene until this Independence Day, which heralded the founding of the Ocean State Policy Research Institute. This nonprofit foundation promotes free market ideals not as partisan choices, but as foundational American aspirations. Proud to dedicate "our lives, our property and our sacred honor" to invigorating that discussion, OSPRI is taking up the tradition and principles of those who so declared on July 4, 1776. Join the Ocean State Policy Research Institute in welcoming its charter fellows, who will advance the Institute's mission of crafting sound policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government and traditional American values through timely research on important issues: fellow for economic development, Edward Mazze, Ph.D.; fellow for regulatory and environmental policy, Brian Bishop; fellows for educational and social welfare policy, Robert Ledermann, Ph. D., David Anderson, Ph.D. and William Felkner. www.oceanstatepolicy.org

  
SOUTH CAROLINA

The South Carolina Policy Council partnered with the Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation to study the causes for S. Carolina's last-in-the-nation graduation rate. Gov. Mark Sanford joined Friedman Foundation executive director Robert Enlow and SCPC president Ed McMullen for release of the study at a press conference attended by the state's major print and broadcast media outlets. McMullen appeared on SC Education Televisions's statewide public affairs program, as well as on state NPR affiliates. Legislative leaders joined SCPC staff members on editorial board visits and received positive editorial coverage. www.scpolicycouncil.com

 

TENNESSEE

This summer, Tennessee Center for Policy Research president Drew Johnson filed an official complaint against State Senator Jerry Cooper for skimming funds from his campaign account. TCPR director of government transparency Trent Seibert exposed emails sent via the state email system from public employees offering prescription medication for sale. The state subsequently issued guidelines for using the state email system. Hosted by TCPR, the Carnival of Climate Change doubled in readership since June. The Carnival is a collection of blog entries that address global warming hysteria and climate change fear tactics: www.carnivalofclimatechange.com. On Sept. 7 the state Court of Appeals declared Tennessee's tax on illegal drugs unconstitutional, a decision influenced by TCPR's 2005 report, "The Unauthorized Substances Tax: How Tennessee's Drug Policy Cracks the Constitution and Blows Tax Dollars." www.tennesseepolicy.org

 

TEXAS

Despite record-shattering surpluses and GOP dominance throughout state government, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility's legislative tally shows taxpayers faired poorly in 2007. On fiscal issues, the average legislator scored a 46.13 percent. The House averaged 53.4; the Senate 38.9. House Republicans averaged a mediocre 75, and their party brethren in the Senate a paltry 48.5. Only 15 legislators (all members of the House) scored a 90 percent ranking or better - and in appreciation of their discipline they received crystal "Texas Taxpayer Hero" awards from TFR president Michael Quinn Sullivan. In September the organization unveiled its redesigned Internet portal, www.empowertexans.com. TFR's board has formed a grassroots, state-level political action committee, Empower Texans PAC, which is preparing for an active primary season, promoting free market candidates and opposing the worst incumbents.

Texas Public Policy Foundation experts testified on more than 130 bills during the 2007 Texas Legislature. The 2008-09 budget adopted by the Legislature was within population plus inflation, which the Foundation frequently touted as a standard for responsible budgeting. This fiscal restraint left $7 billion of the state's $14 billion surplus unspent. The Foundation's research was instrumental in the Legislature's decision to end the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund tax three years ahead of schedule, saving taxpayers more than $600 million. The Foundation's activities bolstered preservation of the nation's largest merit-pay program for teachers. Center for Effective Justice director Marc Levin was honored in a Texas House resolution for his leadership in reforming the scandal-plagued Texas Youth Commission. Through the first eight months of 2007, the Foundation was featured in more than 600 print and broadcast stories and commentaries. The Foundation has hired graduate Drew Thornley, a graduate of Harvard Law School, as a policy analyst in its Center for Economic Freedom. Greg Sindelar, formerly an Internet business analyst for GEICO, is the new director of operations. www.texaspolicy.com

 

UTAH

Vouchers? Private Schools? School Districts? Merit pay for teachers? Class size? School financing? None of these education issues are new. In fact, Utah's education history is replete with ongoing, often controversial, reforms. A new Sutherland Institute publication, "Vouchers, Vows, and Vexations," examines many past reforms that now shed light on the current debate over school vouchers. "The voucher debate isn't new. It is simply one more reform in a long line of school reforms throughout state history," explains the study's author, Paul T. Mero. "For many years Utahns used tax dollars to fund essentially private schools. We once had merit pay for teachers. School districts were small and our schools were locally-controlled. Evolving school reforms lead to change and we shouldn't be surprised that these things continue to change. It's the nature of our human experience, and it's certainly the experience of education policy in Utah." www.sutherlandinstitute.org

  
VIRGINIA

In anticipation of Gov. Tim Kaine's over-ambitious preschool proposal, the Thomas Jefferson Institute asked, "Is There a ‘Business Case' for Universal Preschool?" In a paper widely distributed to business associations, and a presentation before the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, TJI's research answered with an unambiguous "No." Gov. Kaine subsequently altered his proposal dramatically, so as to merely expand the current program at a cost of "only" $75 million (despite an existing $640 million budget deficit). The Institute released its eighth annual analysis of the Fairfax County general fund budget - far and away the largest in the state - making several policy recommendations for reforming the budget-writing process and outsourcing functions. Phil Bomersheim, former executive director of the Commonwealth Competition Council, has become TJI's senior fellow for government reform. Phyllis Palmiero, a former director of the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia, is heading up a statewide study of higher education institution cost effectiveness. www.thomasjeffersoninst.org

On August 14 the Virginia Institute for Public Policy's sister organization, Tertium Quids, a 501(c)4, held a news conference at the State Capitol to critique the 2007 Transportation Bill, which creates ominous new layers of government, taxation and taxing authorities. Dr. Ron Utt, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, delineated the legislation's many flaws and Richmond attorney Patrick McSweeney announced a lawsuit challenging it. Institute president John Taylor, widely quoted in the media, called the transportation bill "a dramatic policy failure" and questioned its constitutionality "on a number of grounds." Ultimately, passage of the bill "reflects a political ineptness that is truly stunning in an election year," said Taylor. An online petition has already collected 175,000 signatures from citizens pledging to refrain from voting for any lawmaker who supported the bill. www.virginiainstitute.org

  
VERMONT

When Ethan Allen Intitute hosted a dinner in Milton Friedman's honor, it reserved a room for 40 guests at a popular restaurant, knowing it could hold 60 in a pinch. In fact, 78 showed up. The speaker lineup included a former Friedman student from the University of Vermont who discussed Friedman's monetary theories, a state board of education member praising Friedman's school-choice advocacy, and a one-time chairman of the National Council Against Compulsory Service recounting Friedman's role in ending the military draft. Ultimately, many called it the most enjoyable event they'd attended in a long time. In September EAI held an invitational workshop on the future of nuclear energy, in October it will sponsor an evening program featuring the life and principles of Vermont's favorite son Calvin Coolidge (where is he now that we need him?). Oct. 27 is EAI's third annual FreedomFest, starring Dr. Marlo Lewis of CEI. www.ethanallen.org

  
WASHINGTON

In August the Evergreen Freedom Foundation won its public records request for "proposals, counterproposals, and bargaining notes" produced during contract negotiations between the State of Washington and public employees unions. A coalition of 10 unions had filed suit against the state to prevent disclosure, arguing that the information requested was "of no legitimate concern to the public" and its release was "not in the public interest." A King County Superior Court judge disagreed. EFF labor policy director Mike Reitz said the Legislature could improve public review and accountability in the future by allowing taxpayers to examine contract negotiation details before funding or finalizing any binding agreements. EFF is producing a documentary for premier at the SPN Annual Meeting that investigates what types of experiments in education reforms are proving successful and could be implemented in other schools. EFF's blog launched over the Labor Day weekend: Check out LibertyLive.net or LibertyLive.org. www.effwa.org

In June the Washington Policy Center sponsored its 5th Annual (and largest yet) Health Care Conference. Attended by more than 260 people, the conference lunch was keynoted by Dr. David Gratzer, a physician, author and Manhattan Institute senior fellow. WPC's new Center for Transportation Policy hosted its kick-off lunch featuring former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta. Prior to the event state transportation experts discussed congestion relief at a WPC-sponsored roundtable. On July 19 WPC hosted its 5th Annual Center for Environmental Policy Luncheon with "Mine Your Own Business" documentary filmmakers Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney. (Event videos available at www.washingtonpolicy.org.) WPC hired Jason Mercier, also a member of ALEC's Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force, to direct the new Center for Government Reform (WPC's fifth policy research center). The CGR works toward focusing government on core functions while improving transparency, accountability, performance and effectiveness for taxpayers. Sept. 27 is the WPC Annual Dinner with Jeb Bush. The dinner will honor local community and business leader Bruce R. McCaw, co-founder and director of McCaw Cellular Communications, with WPC's Stanley O. McNaughton Champion of Freedom Award. Register at www.jebinseattle.com.

  
NATIONAL

In a recent Washington Post column ("Making the Think Tanks Think," Aug. 1), Robert Samuelson complained about the lack of creative thinking concerning the issue of social security. "Washington's vaunted think tanks - citadels for public intellectuals both liberal and conservative - have tiptoed around the problem," he wrote. "Ideally, think tanks expand the public conversation by saying things too controversial for politicians to say on their own. Here, they've abdicated that role." Mr. Samuelson might be interested in "Pensions, Population, and Prosperity," by Oskari Juurikkala, volume 10 in the Christian Social Thought Series. The Acton Institute has never been just another Washington think tank, but instead brings timeless Christian principles to bear on contemporary economic issues. Juurikkala combines a closely reasoned analysis of current pension systems around the world with a bold and radical proposal to shift responsibility for old-age care away from the state and back to the family. It's the only way, he argues, to create a "social security system" that is at once durable and humane. www.acton.org

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni released a study called "The Vanishing Shakespeare." Of the 70 top colleges ACTA surveyed, only 15 require their English majors to take a course on Shakespeare. If you'd like to take a similar look at the universities in your state, ACTA would be happy to help. See www.VanishingShakespeare.org. www.goacta.org

The American Legislative Exchange Council released the fifth edition of Energy, Environment and Economics to provide an important and valuable resource to state legislators. This popular book contains important information on the Kyoto Protocol and explores the ongoing debate over global warming and the prospects for new sources of renewable energy. The book also contains a variety of policy tools, including ALEC's official stance on energy policy and all of the model legislation passed by ALEC's Natural Resources Task Force. "Despite the pain that consumers feel from high energy prices, some activists think that we ought to pay even more. This year has seen an explosion in bills that regulate, or set up the groundwork to regulate, greenhouse gases at the state level," said Iowa Rep. Dolores Mertz, ALEC's 2007 national chairman. www.alec.org

The Alliance for School Choice has completed its move to Washington, D.C. Visit the Alliance website (www.allianceforschoolchoice.org) for new office and staff contact information. This summer Pennsylvania expanded its school choice program by $16 million; record numbers of families applied for special needs scholarships in Georgia, Ohio, Florida, and Utah; and a new poll from Hispanic CREO and the Alliance shows 65 percent of Hispanic voters are more likely to vote for candidates who support school choice than candidates who do not. Congratulations are in order to everyone who made these victories possible. Also this summer, the Alliance released a new publication profiling special-needs programs around the country. For a copy, email Liz Dreckman at schoolchoicelady@cox.net.

Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist is urging the Florida Commission on Open Government to institute a system ensuring state expenditure transparency, an issue with bipartisan support that improves government accountability. So far this year five states have passed legislation mandating the creation of searchable, stand alone user-friendly websites detailing information on government expenditures. Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt recently created such a website via executive order (http://mapyourtaxes.mo.gov), and it has now received more than a million hits. ATR's Kelsey Zahourek is the Property Rights Alliance's new executive director.Kelsey was a federal affairs manager on energy and transportation issues for ATR, and worked previously as state coalitions manager. www.atr.org

The Cato Institute won a recent U.S. Court of Appeals victory for the Second Amendment in Parker v. District of Columbia. Senior fellow Robert Levy served as co-counsel and Tom Palmer, vice president for international programs, as plaintiff in the case, which the city is appealing to the Supreme Court. As part of a new initiative to work more closely with state think tanks, Cato's health-policy scholars are speaking out around the country against additional mandates and regulations while advocating additional choice and competition in the health care market. Contact external relations manager Nicole Kurokawa (nkurokawa@cato.org) to coordinate speakers, research requests and visits to the Institute. Cato will co-host a book forum with Oregon's Cascade Policy Institute in Portland on Oct. 30 for senior fellow Randal O'Toole's new book, The Best-Laid Plans: How Government Planning Harms Your Quality of Life, Your Pocketbook, and Your Future. Cato is also hosting policy seminars in New York City (Oct. 23), San Francisco (Nov. 27) and Chicago (Nov. 29). www.cato.org

The Center for Competitive Politics continues expanding its role in the states. CCP vice-president Stephen Hoersting participated in a roundtable discussion with the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission about regulating political activity on the internet. Hoersting also testified to the New York State Senate Elections Committee on the negative impact of increased campaign finance regulation. CCP president Sean Parnell discussed the dangers of campaign finance "reform" on "The Talk of Connecticut" 1360AM. CCP chairman and former FEC commissioner Brad Smith discussed Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas's veto of a speech-crippling campaign finance bill on "The Comment Show with Paul Beaudry" in July. www.campaignfreedom.org

The Center for Education Reform is devoted to stimulating policy discussions about improving education opportunities in America. CER helped Ohio stop an assault on choice from the governor, and in Wyoming CER is helping amend a weak charter school law. Georgia has a strong bill on the table to create multiple authorizers, and CER put out a primer for the "Final Ten" states without charter laws. The Center helped ALEC create legislation that will pave the way for new charters. CER rallied parents in Washington, D.C., who are still without any option, about the scholarship program there and how to ensure its continued existence. CER's new parent toolkit is online at www.edreform.com. The Center's new address is 4825 Bethesda Ave., Suite 220, Bethesda, MD 20814 or in downtown D.C. at 901 Seventeenth Street, NW, Suite 1120, Washington, D.C. 20006.

Citizens Against Government Waste is releasing "Property rights in the 21st Century: Don't Steal This Paper or My Ideas." Produced in conjunction with Scott LaGanga of the Property Rights Alliance and Solveig Singleton of the Progress and Freedom Foundation, the paper examines the challenges that face the United States government and governments abroad and the impact on taxpayers and consumers, as individuals and industry look to protect their personal and intellectual property. CAGW studies and articles - and the "Porker of the Month" recipient - are available at www.cagw.org.

In cooperation with the Heartland Institute, the Competitive Enterprise Institute is hosting a global warming strategy session during the SPN October Annual Meeting in Portland, Maine. Contact William Yeatman with questions or suggestions: wyeatman@cei.org. (Also, please take a look the newly re-launched GlobalWarming.org website!) Yeatman recently joined CEI as an energy policy analyst. Other recent additions include Eli Lehrer, senior fellow covering insurance issues; Michelle Minton, insurance policy analyst; Julie Walsh, research assistant and Erin Wildermuth, video production manager. Former executive assistant Cord Blomquist was promoted to technology policy analyst/assistant editorial director. CEI's incoming Warren T. Brookes journalism fellow is Lene Johansen. Departing journalism fellow Jeremy Lott completed work on a book about the vice presidency, The Warm Bucket Brigade, scheduled for February publication. Recently departing CEI: policy analyst Brooke Oberwetter, to the US Telecom Association as manager of strategic communications, and Holly Jackson, to the Alliance for School Choice as development associate. Recent CEI publications include analyses on federal flood insurance, the legacy of Rachel Carson, the "Ten Thousand Commandments" of federal regulations and the ethanol boondoggle. www.cei.org

Mark your calendars for Consumers for Health Care Choices' annual awards banquet Dec. 2. Last year's was an enormous success. Videos of the recipients of the awards are available on-line. The honorees have not yet been announced for 2007, but the caliber should match those of 2006. To receive information about the event, please e-mail CHCC president Greg Scandlen at greg@chcchoices.org. www.chcchoices.org

New to the State Policy Network, the Foundation for Excellence in Education is a 501(c)3 non-profit, non-partisan charitable organization dedicated to securing opportunities for success in education. The Foundation's mission is to empower both students and teachers with scholarship and programs to spread excellence throughout their schools and communities. The Foundation looks forward to becoming an active member of SPN. Foundation staff are eager to meet and talk with representatives from all SPN's member organizations at the October Annual Meeting. Email executive director Patricia Levesque at patricia@afloridapromise.org, or communications director Tiffany Koenigkramer at tiffany@afloridapromise.org.

FreedomWorks continues to lead the campaign for personal retirement accounts. Chairman Dick Armey's op-ed on reform ran in Manchester's Union-Leader in the key primary state of New Hampshire. After three days of polling in FreedomWorks' 2008 GOP presidential straw poll, 16,371 visitors cast votes for their choice as president: U.S. Rep. Ron Paul won with over 56 percent of the vote. FreedomWorks continued fighting global warming legislation by launching an education campaign against the economically harmful executive orders proposed by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. FreedomWorks' efforts, which included a call to action, a press release and a letter writing campaign, were mentioned in papers and political blogs throughout Florida, including The Miami Herald and Tampa Tribune. Chairman Armey addressed 1,000 conservative state lawmakers from around the country at the annual ALEC convention. His message: Don't compromise when fighting for freedom. www.freedomworks.org

Hispanic CREO is succeeding in its mission to "capture, educate, motivate, and mobilize" Latino support for school choice. More than 5,000 parents learned about school choice at workshops in Colorado and Arizona in 2007, and an additional 20,000 through a media campaign around an April school-choice rally in Austin, Texas. Six different "state faith coalitions" of religious leaders were formed to work together to support school choice initiatives. HCREO is also collaborating with business and faith leaders in Florida, where in July at an event in Miami many Hispanic families registered for Florida's Corporate Tax Credit scholarship, which provides private-school tuition scholarships to low-income families. www.hcreo.org

The Institute for Justice's Castle Coalition recently released "Not for Sale," a video companion to the award winning "Eminent Domain Abuse Survival Guide." Additionally, a Spanish-language survival guide was just released. Both are available through IJ's website (www.ij.org). In August IJ launched another case designed to increase economic liberty, this time in Texas. An elitist cartel of veterinarians in the Lone Star State seeks to end the long-practiced profession of equine dentistry by non-vets. This is one of hundreds of professions nationwide that can be done with proper training - and without government bureaucracy. Emily Satterthwaite joins IJ as the new assistant director of the Clinic on Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Law School.

In September the Manhattan Institute's Center for the American University unveiled MindingTheCampus.com, a new webzine devoted to following developments in higher education. Aimed at professors, students and higher education reporters, MindingTheCampus.com seeks "to foster a new climate of opinion that favors civil and honest engagement of all sides, offering an engaged debate for readers concerned with the state of the modern university." Manhattan Institute senior fellow John Leo, a former syndicated columnist with U.S. News & World Report, is editor. In November, City Journal contributing editors Heather Mac Donald, Victor Davis Hanson and Steven Malanga will release a compilation of City Journal essays titled The Immigration Solution: A Better Plan Than Today's. Each author explores an important aspect of the immigration debate and argues for an immigration policy similar to those of other advanced nations: one that admits skilled and educated people on the basis of what they can do for the country, not what the country can do for them. www.manhattan-institute.org

The Mercatus Center at George Mason University, in conjunction with the school's economics department, announces five new faculty members: Dr. John Nye, a specialist in European economic history and new institutional economics; Dr. Werner Troesken, specialist in law and economics; Dr. Gary Richardson, whose research interests include banking and the economic history of religion; Dr. Peter Leeson, BB&T Professor for the Study of Capitalism; and Dr. Omar Ahmad Al-Ubaydli, who studies environmental/resource economics and applied macroeconomics. As the Mercatus scholar network grows, federal and state policy makers will be provided regular economic and analytical frameworks to make sense of today's most pressing issues. www.mercatus.org

The Moving Picture Institute, a New York-based foundation that promotes freedom through film, is proudly supporting two timely, smart and engaging film projects that are central to building national debates about health care and higher education. The brainchild of MPI fellow Stuart Browning, www.FreeMarketCure.com features short films and sharp commentary debunking the myth that single-payer health care is a viable option for Americans. Evan Coyne Maloney's "Indoctrinate U" exposes the doctrinaire politics that have been institutionalized - often illegally - at colleges and universities. Browning's short films have been noted on National Review Online, MTV.com, and FoxNews; "Indoctrinate U" was recently featured in the New York Times premiered in September at the American Film Renaissance Film Festival in Washington, D.C. To sign up for a screening visit www.IndoctrinateU.com. MPI is accepting applications for internships. www.thempi.org

The National Center for Policy Analysis has published a new booklet, A Global Warming Primer. Its purpose is to explore some of the main scientific, economic and political issues surrounding the topic. Copies are available for state think tanks in bulk for distribution to schools and other organizations. www.ncpa.org

The National Right to Work Foundation prompted the Federal Election Commission to levy a $775,000 fine against the Big Labor and George Soros- funded "America Coming Together" 527 group after it unlawfully spent $100 million to elect Democrat politicians in 2004. Much of ACT's funding came from union dues that workers were forced to pay as a condition of employment. While the fine was the third largest ever from the FEC, it is a slap on the wrist - not one cent of the millions illegally funneled into federal election activity will be returned to workers. The fine is essentially a one-percent surcharge on the laundering of $100 million dollars. This case, like the disappointing but undeniable failures of "paycheck protection" in Washington State, again illustrates the folly of relying on government regulation to restrain union plunder. The real solution is to end, not regulate, compulsory unionism. The National Right to Work Foundation and Committee are working to do just that across America. www.nrtw.org

June 2007's National Taxpayers Conference, co-organized by the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, shattered attendance records with over 400 participants. Since 1989, alumni from this unique biennial event, which combines inspirational advice, networking and practical training for citizen activists, have been involved in virtually every major state-level effort to beat back tax hikes and enact tax limits. The trend to spend in Congress is reversing course...but very slowly, according to NTUF's latest BillTally report. In the 109th Congress, House members introduced 19 proposed increases to annual federal spending for every bill to reduce outlays. In the Senate, the ratio was 22 to 1. These are both improvements (!) from the 107th Congress, when the ratios were 24 to 1 and 36 to 1, respectively. If every bill, excluding overlapping legislation, before the Senate were passed into law, federal spending would rise by nearly 50 percent, while House legislation would cumulatively cause the budget to soar by about 90 percent. Coming up - BillTally's analysis of the 110th Congress's spending agenda prior to the August recess. www.ntu.org

The National Tax Limitation Committee co-hosted the "Optimal Size of Government" conference in Washington, D.C. in July. Panelists at the event - including nationally and internationally recognized economists and tax fighters - generally agreed that governments at all levels indeed far exceed any optimum level, and are instead "eating the seed corn" of future generations. In California NTLC's "Operation Permanent Offense" continues fighting bad initiatives and legislation (plenty to choose from out here!) and sponsoring or promoting the good. Working with US Term Limits and the California Term Limits Defense Fund, NTLC is battling back against a self-serving term-limits assault by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Senate President Don Perata (NTLC co-authored the Prop. 140 Term Limits Initiative in 1990). NTLC is also exploring another "paycheck protection" initiative for 2008. www.limittaxes.org

The Sam Adams Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of "The Sammies," a series of awards for outstanding citizen leadership and creativity, with cash prizes totaling $35,000. "The Sammies" seek to publicize recent citizen efforts that may not have received adequate attention, and to encourage more people to stand up for good government practices in their communities. Active, engaged citizens can enter to win in several different categories: Best Short Documentary and Best Short Satire video; Best Local-Subject Blogger; the Tea Party Award, for the most creative political demonstration; the Sunshine Award, for the use of open records laws to uncover government corruption and waste; and the Modern-Day Sam Adams Award, which rewards a citizen leader who has led a local political effort to victory for liberty. Submissions due by Dec.7. For more details and contest guidelines email info@samadamsalliance.org. www.samadamsalliance.org

A new, first-of-its-kind study by Chris Atkins of the Tax Foundation reveals that lawsuits targeting "inequitable" or "inadequate" school funding have failed to produce long-term increases in school spending, but many have produced long-term tax increases. "Appropriation by Litigation: Estimating the Cost of Judicial Mandates for State and Local Education Spending," finds that 27 states have increased school spending or raised taxes to comply with court mandates (see www.taxfoundation.org for the full study). The Tax Foundation participated in ALEC and NCSL annual conferences this summer. Atkins spoke at three task-force meetings and the Tax Foundation hosted a lawmakers' reception at ALEC. The Tax Foundation hosted a NCSL panel titled "Comparing State Tax Systems: How Does Your State Measure Up?" Atkins and Joe Crosby (Council on State Taxation) discussed state and local tax burdens. The 2008 State Business Tax Climate Index edition is scheduled for release Oct. 1. Contact state relations manager Tonya Barr (barr@taxfoundation.org) if you're interested in working with the Tax Foundation's state team.

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