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Policy discussions around rail safety regulation should consider the role of standards
Any proposed safety regulation should address an identified market failure and avoid short-circuiting the continual evolution of safety-enhancing technologies, standards, and operating practices.
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Webinar: Best practices in optional defined contribution plans for public workers
For those looking to implement or improve an optional defined contribution plan to go alongside an existing pension, several key policy decisions are important.
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Alabama courts keep money from fines that should go to victims
Alabama’s current system of fines and fees is geared more towards funding the government than ensuring victims receive restitution they are owed.
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Arkansas K-12 education finance series: How to improve the state’s school funding system
Arkansas is in a good position to build on recent K-12 reform successes and pursue comprehensive school finance reform in the coming year.
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A Texas law governing firefighter pensions is straining city budgets
Without reforms, Texas cities will continue to face escalating public pension liabilities, jeopardizing their financial stability and burdening taxpayers.
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States should use budget surpluses to pay down public pension debt
States with budget surpluses should reduce expensive, long-standing debts, including unfunded public pension obligations.
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Arkansas K-12 education finance series: Teacher pay before and after the 2023 LEARNS Act
The LEARNS Act will have a substantial impact on the state’s school finance system moving forward.
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Economists receive 2024 Nobel for work on institutions and economic prosperity
Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James A. Robinson received the 2024 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.
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The US needs to reform harbor fees to encourage more equitable trading
A user fee based on tonnage appears to be the most promising solution.
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In latest political move against tolling and public-private partnerships, Texas buys out private toll road
State leaders in Texas have turned against tolling, but the regional transportation organizations continue to embrace user-financed highway projects.
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As housing prices rise, Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood should consider a community land trust
CLTs provide voluntary, private, non-profit organizations that enable lower-cost housing without government involvement.
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California’s emergency hemp rules could block access to life-saving therapies
California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently proposed emergency regulations to ban hemp products with 'any detectable quantity' of THC.
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The case for a surgeon general’s report on e-cigarettes
Nearly two decades of research on e-cigarettes has repeatedly vindicated e-cigarettes as a lower-risk alternative to combustible smoking.
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The youth ‘vaping epidemic’ is over
The number of kids using e-cigarettes has fallen to a 10-year low, according to the federal 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey.
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State psychedelics legalization and policy roundup — September 2024
A Massachusetts ballot initiative moves forward, Colorado considers high business application and renewal fees, and more.
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Teachers Retirement System of Georgia posts strong investment returns, still needs major reforms
TRS has $27.7 billion in debt and is far from reaching full funding.
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Today’s legislative addiction to criminalization feels like déjà vu
Even as lawmakers dismiss the solutions, people in American communities understand that incarceration is not always the best approach.
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The growing bipartisan push to reform environmental litigation laws
Environmental litigation has gone too far, preventing needed energy, housing and transportation projects from being built, or delaying them for years and increasing their costs.
