Yearly Archives: 2023
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House Bill 22 and Senate Bill 35 threaten Alaska’s budgets
HB 22 and SB 35 would likely cost Alaska upwards of $800 million in the coming decades.
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Examining an Alaska pension reform counterfactual
A look at what would have happened to the Public Employee Retirement System and Teacher Retirement System if proposed pension reforms from 2021 had been enacted.
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The costs and risks of proposed public retirement changes in Alaska
Examining several pieces of proposed legislation impacted public pensions in Alaska.
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Senate Bill 11 would bring public pension risk back to Alaska
SB 11 would likely cost Alaska $9 billion in the coming decades.
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Pension Reform News: Public pension bills in Texas, Alaska, Montana, and more
A move to undo pension reforms in Texas and Alaska, plus how pension costs crowd out other services.
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Examining why Oklahoma voters rejected legalizing recreational marijuana
Oklahoma has the nation's largest medical cannabis market but rejected recreational adult use.
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Florida’s Digital Bill of Rights is a regulatory trojan horse
Florida's heavy-handed government regulations would make the internet less friendly for consumers and do damage to Florida’s small businesses.
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The latest on proposed psychedelics legalization in states
Pending legislation across roughly a dozen states signals that this shift toward the legalization of psychedelic therapies may continue.
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Comments on Texas House Bill 3495 and Senate Bill 1246
TRS already holds $52 billion in pension debt so it is essential to examine the risks of the proposed investment class expansion.
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Comments on Texas House Bill 3367 and Senate Bill 1245
The proposed bills would provide a modern, low-risk cash balance retirement plan for new judges while addressing the core issues causing today’s unfunded liabilities.
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Social equity programs in marijuana legalization laws aren’t achieving goals of helping victims of the drug war
State efforts to promote social equity within legal cannabis markets have unintentionally created new versions of the war on drugs.
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The SMART grant process isn’t transparent or serving federal taxpayers’ interests
Taxpayers should have a clear explanation of the national infrastructure interests advanced by federal SMART grants.
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Surface Transportation News: Hydrogen fuel cells, automated trucking, and more
Plus: Transit contracting, commuting data, electric vehicles to power the grid, and more.
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Comparing Alaska’s defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans
Most of Alaska’s public employees would be better served in the existing defined contribution plan.
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Montana’s default retirement benefit option should best serve most public workers
Montana House Bill 226 would better align the default retirement benefit option with what would best most workers need.
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Maine’s proposal to limit cannabis licenses would undermine the legal market
Rather than passing LD 1391, Maine should encourage free and open competition to improve its legal marijuana market for customers and businesses.
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California considers legislative changes to its legal cannabis market
California’s legal marijuana market is plagued by high taxes and burdensome regulations.
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Examining the trucking industry’s opposition to tolling highways
Three of trucking’s four main concerns about tolling are valid—and fixable by legislation.
