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February 9, 2012

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Taking Steps Towards Better Child Welfare Programs In Nebraska

The focus should be on the kids and outcomes, not reorganizing state agencies

Lisa Snell

The Nebraska legislature should move ahead with the hands-on child welfare recommendations rather than getting caught up yet again in agency reorganization which will ensure that the child welfare system remains in transition and chaos for some time without guaranteeing better outcomes. The immediate focus should be on reforms that will have the greatest impact on outcomes for children by both DHHS and the lead agencies.

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Airport Policy and Security Newsletter #76

Trusted Traveler expansion, Australia's light-handed airport regulation, spotlight on outsourced airport screening, Spain's ghost airports, fixing TSA's broken technology procurements

Robert Poole

In this issue:

• Trusted Traveler expansion
• Australia’s light-handed airport regulation
• Outsourced airport screening in the spotlight
• Spain’s ghost airports
• Fixing TSA’s broken technology procurements
• Upcoming Conferences
• News Notes
• Quotable Quotes

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What Has Ben Bernanke Done For You Lately?

Why the Federal Reserve’s Policies Aren’t Helping a Majority of Americans

James Groth

As the Federal Reserve continues its easy money policies, many Americans are wondering why they aren't seeing the benefits from this move. This begs the question as to whether Fed Chair Ben Bernanke should alter his monetary policies.

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Will States Toast Liquor Privatization in 2012?

Reviewing the landscape for divesting state alcohol monopolies

Leonard Gilroy

Despite the end of Prohibition many decades ago, taxpayers and consumers in over a dozen states today still rely on outdated state bureaucracies that retain monopoly control over the sale and/or distribution of distilled spirits (liquor). Not only is it difficult to justify government-run liquor enterprises as a core function of government—they clearly aren’t, since most states don’t have them—but worse, these systems tend to act like the monopolies they are by limiting product choice and making liquor more expensive and less convenient for consumers. However, recent moves by Washington State and Ohio to privatize their liquor monopolies may be upsetting the apple cart and setting the stage for additional states to follow suit.

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Florida Toll Agencies Should Not Be Consolidated

OOCEA and THEA need to become fully independent, self-supporting local toll authorities, like MDX

Robert Poole, Daryl Fleming

The 2011 Florida legislative session saw several proposals that would have consolidated some or all of the local toll authorities into the Florida Turnpike Enterprise (FTE). Later that year, a Work Group of the Government Efficiency Taskforce (GET) produced a report calling for most of the functions of the local toll authorities of Orlando (OOCEA) and Tampa (THEA) to be consolidated with FTE. The purpose of this study is to assess the arguments for and against the consolidation of toll agencies in Florida.

Our Reason Foundation project team carried out a review of how toll roads and bridges are provided in Florida. Since most of the focus of consolidation proposals is on local toll authorities (LTAs) in the state’s major urban areas, we reviewed how other fast-growing states are using toll finance to add modern toll facilities to their urban expressway systems. We also reviewed two relatively recent toll agency consolidations, in New Jersey and Massachusetts. And we also analyzed the GET Work Group’s estimate of $24 million in annual cost savings from consolidation of OOCEA and THEA with FTE.

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