Backgrounders
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Strategies for improving community supervision programs
Nearly 3.7 million adults are on community supervision programs like probation and parole across the United States.
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Occupational licensing reform can reduce barriers to employment faced by former offenders
Lawmakers should consider occupational licensing reform to reduce government-imposed barriers to employment for former offenders.
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Recommendations for the FAA reauthorization bill
Congress should encourage the adoption of space-based ADS-B in air traffic control, the deployment of remote air traffic control towers, and more.
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Modern oral nicotine and tobacco harm reduction
Oral nicotine or nicotine pouches have gained increasing popularity among smokers wishing to switch to a safer form of nicotine.
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Optimal regulatory framework for state regulation of sports betting
To maximize the benefits of sports betting legalization and minimize negative externalities, state regulatory frameworks should encourage robust and competitive markets.
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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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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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Senate Bill 88 would expose Alaska to potentially higher pension costs
Senate Bill 88 would likely cost Alaska more than $8 billion in the coming decades.
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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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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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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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Updated Arizona K-12 education finance model with latest school finance and transportation data
The model allows users to test changes to Arizona’s funding formula, see how changes to local property taxes impact funding, and see how potential changes affect the funding of individual school districts and charter schools.
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Preserving and expanding the benefits of airline deregulation
Three reforms Congress could make to expand the benefits of airline deregulation.
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Why New Mexico House Bill 547’s tax increases undermine public health
The taxes in the bill would hurt efforts to reduce the smoking of traditional cigarettes and disproportionately harm low-income families.
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Montana reform would improve pension funding and retirement savings for public employees
Montana House Bill 226 would adopt actuarially determined employer contributions funding to guarantee benefits are fully funded within a specified timeframe.
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Clearing up definitions of backpack funding
Without strong funding portability mechanisms, school districts have weak financial incentives to welcome transfer students.
