March/April 2015 SPN News

STRATEGIES FOR STATE THINK TANKS – MARCH / APRIL 2015

1655 North Fort Myer Drive, Suite 360, Arlington, VA 22209 703-243-1655 Fax: 703-740-0314 [email protected] SPN.org @statepolicy

BY SUE ZOLDAK

“I PRESENT MYSELF to you in a form suitable to the relationship I wish to achieve with you.” – Luigi Pirandello, (b. 1867 – d. 1936)

The Nobel Prize winning playwright Luigi Pirandello was obsessed with the irony of twisting one’s image to meet unobtainable goals, only to fail tragically by not being faithful to one’s true identity. Freedom enthusiasts and policy problem-solvers sometimes find themselves doomed to the same fate, particularly as they strive to communicate their policy solutions to their target audiences. For some, it’s tempting to approach communications as simply dressing up your policy issue to appeal to your audience.

But as advocates of freedom, your mission goes much deeper: you seek to educate and persuade your audience so that freedom—and the human flourishing it fosters—can thrive for years to come. It takes a coordinated mission-driven approach, executed with discipline, to have this kind of long-lasting impact. To be successful, a coordinated mission-driven approach involves strategic planning, as well as an openness to new techniques that will amplify your message. Incorporating advocacy techniques to promote your policy ideas can often achieve far happier results and take your organization’s communications from effective to victorious.

A winning issue advocacy campaign presents an issue in a way that resonates with the audience’s own self-interests, while keeping the overall message in line with the organization’s ultimate mission. Such a campaign reflects a desire to create a mutually beneficial relationship that, over time, achieves tangible benefits for both parties. How does an organization achieve this?

This article presents four tenets for creating the foundation of an effective issue advocacy campaign. These tenets are not meant to keep you from the tactical necessity of launching a campaign, and no one piece is more important than the other. They are, however, meant to help you form a guiding set of principles to keep you from making (sometimes ineffectual) tactical choices driven by need rather than strategy.

Advocacy is part of a continuum of communications, not a standalone effort. As a policy think tank or organization, communications is often driven by the need to amplify your voice and promote your message around a single policy debate during the legislative session. It is important, however, to view communications as having several differentiated goals over a much longer term, with one phase building on the next: 1) branding, 2) education, 3) recruitment, and 4) activation. Many organizations often jump right to activation—hoping to gain traction with a sudden release of fresh content (such as a new economic report). Unfortunately,

The 4 Foundations of a Winning Issue Advocacy Campaign

“Have you been true to your organization’s mission and brand?”

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POLICY & CULTURE

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UNIFORMITY+CONSTANCY+REGULARITY, EVENNESS+STEADINESS+STABILITY EQ UILIBRIUM+DEPE NDABILITY+RELIABILITY+DURABILITYThe Not-So-Secret Formula to Fundraising Success

SPN NEWS 2 MARCH / APRIL 2015

BY MEREDITH TURNEY

FORTY-THREE MILLION PEOPLE. That’s how many Americans watched last year’s broadcast of the 2014 Academy Awards. That’s quite a platform for any message—especially a public policy message. While the Academy Awards are renowned for rewarding films that promote leftists’ policies, last year’s ceremony honored a film with a free market message, Dallas Buyers Club, with three Oscars.

The film’s storyline features a public policy issue that the Goldwater Institute and several other think tanks have championed: Right to Try. Several think tanks leveraged the message of the film to start a larger cultural dialogue about how a fundamental freedom to exhaust all medical options, even those untested, is being denied to terminally ill patients. These think tanks understood that through the

art of storytelling in film, American culture had sparked a public awareness and now a substantive conversation on public policy could ensue.

The think tank community is awakening to the importance of understanding the cultural environment that fosters the acceptance or rejection of certain policies. Texas Public Policy Foundation makes it a point to participate not just in policy debates, but in cultural conversations. Vice president for communications Joshua Treviño describes their reasoning:

“If we want to change policy, we need to understand its source. Policy derives from politics—and politics derives from culture. Culture, and especially popular culture, precedes politics and policy. A single season of a popular television show has more aggregate influence on the country’s future than an entire decade of the most effective policy-institute work. That does not mean one is necessarily better than the other, nor that they are entirely separate spheres. What it does mean is that efficacy for the latter requires engagement with the former.”

This March, State Policy Network will be well represented at what has become one of America’s major cultural events: the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas. For nine days, trendsetters and tastemakers from around the world go to Austin to participate in SXSW’s film, interactive, and music festival

MARCH/APRIL 2015 VOL 17 / ISSUE 2

SPN News reports on issues of importance to state-focused, market-oriented, nonprofit public policy research organizations. Drawing from current updates and events from within the industry, the publication provides timely information on the most pressing issues facing public policy state think tank executives. State Policy Network publishes SPN News six times a year. Individual copies can be ordered from the State Policy Network offices at 703-243-1655. All images used in this issue are owned by their respective copyright holders. All rights reserved.

MISSION STATEMENTState Policy Network is the capacity building service organization for America’s free market, state-focused think tank community. We advance a free society by providing leadership development, management training and networking opportunities for think tank professionals and by promoting strategic partnerships among market-oriented organizations.

STATE POLICY NETWORK™Tracie Sharp, President and CEO

Alexis Baker, Donor Relations ManagerTeresa Brown, Director of Leadership DevelopmentRebecca Bruchhauser, Director of Donor Relations

Jennifer Butler, Vice President of External RelationsStarlee Coleman,* Consultant

Todd Davidson, Policy SpecialistDaniel Erspamer, Vice President for Strategic Partnerships

Rebecca Feldman, Manager of Foundation RelationsBrad Gruber, Director of Operations

Lynn Harsh, Vice President of StrategySpencer Hughes, Development Associate

Betsy Johnson, Office ManagerRachel Kopec, Coalitions Manager

Sharon Milhollin, Executive AssistantKristina Mitten Sanders, Development Specialist

Daniel Montgomery,* Newsletter DesignerKathleen O’Hearn, Director of Coalitions

Rebecca Phillips, Communications Manager Michelle Poehlmann,* Administrative Assistant

Betsy Thraves, Executive AssistantMeredith Turney, Director of Strategic Communications

Maura Weber, Donor Relations AssistantTony Woodlief, Executive Vice President

*Independent contractor

BOARD OF DIRECTORSThomas A. Roe, Founding Chairman (1927–2000)

Gaylord K. Swim (1948–2005)

Theodore D. Abram ...........American Institute for Full EmploymentWhitney L. Ball ..........................................................Donors TrustCarl Helstrom (Chairman) ................................The JM FoundationJohn W. Jackson ................................... Adolph Coors FoundationAdam Meyerson ..................................... Philanthropy Roundtable Tracie J. Sharp (President) ........................... State Policy NetworkStanford D. Swim ......................................... The GFC FoundationBridgett G. Wagner ................................. The Heritage FoundationThomas Willcox ...................................... Thomas Roe Foundation

1655 North Fort Myer Drive, Suite 360, Arlington, VA 22209 Phone: 703-243-1655 Fax: 703-740-0314

[email protected] SPN.org

twitter.com/statepolicy facebook.com/statepolicy

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Going Where Policy Meets Culture

UNIFORMITY+CONSTANCY+REGULARITY, EVENNESS+STEADINESS+STABILITY EQ UILIBRIUM+DEPE NDABILITY+RELIABILITY+DURABILITYThe Not-So-Secret Formula to Fundraising Success

BY JEFFREY CAIN

THERE IS NOTHING in fundraising that is worth doing once. Doing a few basic things consistently and consistently well over time is the not-so-secret formula for success in development. Simple, right? Well, not exactly.

Many organizations struggle with consistency in their fundraising programs. And the reasons are familiar. They range from high turnover in development personnel to an inability to say no to “sure thing” schemes, like the ever-alluring appeal of the social media campaign that is certain to go viral (“Seriously, it’s like the Ice Bucket Challenge but for liberty!”).

Boards and even organizational presidents often talk about “The Game Changer” in development: the one super-competent development director or the mega donor who will turn things around. They think “If we could just do X, our fundraising problems would be solved forever.”

Consistency always trumps sporadic implementation of the ever-elusive game-changer. At root, successful fundraising programs do two things consistently and consistently well over time: They (1) acquire new donors cost-effectively and (2) retain, cultivate, and move existing donors up the giving ladder over time. Great fundraising successes—mega donors, epic planned gifts, lucrative annual dinners—are born out of repetition and consistency, not wishful thinking.

So what can you do to maintain consistency in your fundraising program?

PLAN YOUR WORK

The concept behind creating a development plan is simple: to arrive at success, it’s best to know how you intend to get there. Not just any plan will do. It

must be a plan that speaks in concrete terms—one that identifies where the money will come from, when, and who’s responsible for getting it. It must have a good chance of working, given the situation in which you find yourself and the resources likely at your disposal. A basic plan can be as simple as a calendar that pinpoints tasks, deadlines, and responsible parties.

For many organizations, putting together a strategic development plan is intimidating. It can be difficult to carve out the time necessary to do such planning; it may be challenging to referee between different organizational interests and factions, and it is all too easy to put together “wish lists,” which may be useful, but are not strategic. Don’t let this deter you. All successful organizations know where they want to go and how they are going to get there.

DO FEWER THINGS BETTER

Fundraisers can be pulled in many different directions. In some smaller organizations, development directors may be responsible for events, direct mail, major donor meetings, planned giving, foundation relationships, and grant writing (little wonder there is a fast-food-industry turnover rate in development!). Often as a result of doing too much, the most important things suffer: a house file is skipped or misses its drop date; foundation reports are put off; letters of gratitude or follow-up phone calls are delayed; new donor-acquisition letters never get out the door. A dozen missed deadlines can add up to significantly fewer donors and donations by year’s end.

Doing more is not always better. There is no sense in planning a gala dinner if your house file isn’t going out on time or if letters of gratitude are piling up on your desk. If resources are limited, assess

the core elements of your fundraising program—acquiring new donors and cultivating them—and cut out the extras. For most organizations, that means paying meticulous attention to house-file donors, mailing to them consistently, and regularly mailing to acquire new donors.

GET WORK DONE THROUGH OTHER PEOPLE

Inability to delegate responsibilities to co-workers undermines consistency, especially in smaller organizations whose founders are still at the helm. Founders often have a special relationship with the organization’s first generation of donors. Over the years, they may come to believe that only their voice, their way of writing, and their touch will make the magic happen. So every house-file letter, every letter of gratitude, every foundation proposal (and letter, and meeting, and luncheon) must spring from their bosom. Insisting on doing everything yourself creates, among other things, bottlenecks that result in missed deadlines and inconsistency.

This is also true of presidents, executive directors, and development directors who don’t know how to delegate. The goal of leadership is not to raise all the money yourself but to build the institutional backbone—the processes, procedures, and protocols—that empowers others to become effective fundraisers.

CREATE ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES

Organizations often over-interpret their fundraising results, both good and bad. A couple of low-performing donor-acquisition letters and the organization’s leaders are ready to abandon direct mail, despite the fact that it works for thousands

CONSISTENCY

SPN NEWS 3 MARCH / APRIL 2015SPN NEWS 2 MARCH / APRIL 2015

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And so begins the autobiography of Ambassador Eric M. Javits.

Son of attorney and author Benjamin Javits and nephew of former U.S. Senator Jacob Javits (R-NY), he has lived his own fascinating and fulfilling life, chronicled by his aptly titled book, Twists and Turns. Javits has had a unique window into international affairs. He has been blindfolded en route to negotiations in Central America. He was nominated and unanimously confirmed as U.S. Permanent Representative and Ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva and, later, to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague. Despite the globetrotting, he’s always kept a keen eye on what’s happening here at home.

“My father was conservative, Republican. He wrote a lot of books and enunciated his principles very clearly to me growing up,” says Javits.

As the cycle all too often goes, the senior Javits experienced his own philosophical transformation as education and experience helped change his views over time. Javits recalls, “My father started out as a Socialist, and by the time he had to actually make a living, he was a Capitalist.”

Of course, in a family so involved in politics and policy in New York City, Javits had many opportunities to see the political system at work. The family became Republican when his father and uncle revolted against the political machine their grandfather was part of as a Tammany Hall ward heeler.

Like his father, Javits’ political views have evolved over time. He used to describe himself as a more moderate or liberal Republican, but he has realized that ever-growing government has the same effect on states as it does on individuals. Javits recognizes the deep attraction of accepting federal money “unless there is a group spirit to resist it, which is something I think SPN is in the best position to organize because you’re the communication network for this group of state governments. They won’t get together and they won’t be inspired as a group to work together without that kind of network knitting them together.”

When asked if there was a moment that crystallized his realization of the harmful effects of expanding federal government, Javits points to the man who inspired SPN’s own founding: “I wasn’t excited at the time by Barry Goldwater as much as Ronald Reagan. Deregulation was something that Reagan was very strong

on. I think that basically allowed the states to get off the floor and begin to energize themselves.”

Javits sees an America where freedom is increasingly under assault and where the work of SPN and its thriving interstate network of leaders and organizations in every state is critical. “Strengthening the states is creating 50 allies against the federal government,” he says. “Each one does it in their own way, which is also an expression of freedom.”

As he surveys the political landscape, Javits finds something very special in what SPN does: “It’s something that no other organization that I know of can do as effectively because they’re all either think tanks or policy groups or even more limited, and they don’t reach out across all the states and knit them together. It just doesn’t happen except through SPN.”

Despite the challenges our country faces, Javits, who is now a grandfather himself, sees hope for the future of the country. “Freedom and liberty are the most exciting qualities that people can be inspired by, until they realize that that doesn’t come free.”

He’s committed to this fight for the long haul, with his partnership with SPN and a variety of leaders and organizations advancing the ideas of liberty.

“It’s a battle. It’s a constant battle,” Javits believes. “And I think the closer to home you wage that battle, the better off you are. SPN is waging it, I think, very effectively.”

Eric m. javitS

Ambassador for Freedom“I watched the camouflaged military jeep drive up with a soldier at the wheel and two more in the backseat… The moment we drove away from the Panama Hilton, the soldier sitting behind me slipped a blindfold over my eyes.”

Eric M. Javits


CHAMPIONS CORNER

NORTH CAROLINA’S SURGE TO SIXTEENBY BECKI GRAY, JOHN LOCKE FOUNDATION

Tax reform is tough. It’s not just figuring out ways to get additional revenue. Reform worth doing results in a fairer, simpler, transparent, predictable and pro-growth system. It should spur the economy and help people get back to work and become less dependent on government.

Beginning in 2011, new leadership in North Carolina adopted bold ideas set forth by the John Locke Foundation and implemented transformational tax reform. They allowed a regressive sales tax increase to sunset, lowered and flattened the personal income tax, set about lowering the corporate tax rate, and eliminated the death tax. Despite aggressive and vicious attacks from the Left, particularly during a national high profile election, they held firm, armed with clear economic policies of lower taxes and free market principles.

Now North Carolina has moved from 44th in the Tax Foundation’s Business Tax Climate Rankings to 16th. At 5.5 percent, our unemployment rate is the lowest since April 2008. Over 114,500 net new jobs have been created in just the last year and over 300,000 since mid-2011. North Carolina’s recovery is faster and stronger than the nation’s and that of our Southeastern neighbors.

Tax reform works when it’s done right. That’s where these strategies can help:

1. Understand why it’s needed. Change in leadership? Everyone knows conservatives are for lower taxes? Neighbors are doing it? The reason to tackle tax reform is for the economic prosperity it brings. Hundreds of academic studies tell us that lower taxes lead to economic growth, which leads to job creation. People with jobs are able to provide for their families, invest their money, and enjoy freedoms as they choose. Opportunities grow instead of the size and scope of government.

2. Watch out for friends. As with any changes, tax reform creates winners and losers. Stakeholders and special interests will go to great lengths to hang on to special treatments. They will lobby, cajole, bully, beg and not always provide the whole story. Remember: tax reform is not about special favors but about treating all taxpayers fairly. As a state-based think tank, you are the best source for data and ideas based on sound free market economic policies.

3. Be bold and be focused. Changes have to be drastic enough to make a difference. Any expansion of the tax base must be tempered with lower rates. Reforms should be difficult to unravel and discourage big government spenders from undoing the good that comes with thoughtful reforms.

4. Vet. Reform will work only if is based on reality, not rhetoric. Facts, data, and sound analysis are key,

as is input from businesses, communities, and a wide variety of tax payers. Seek proven best practices from other states, while also recognizing that your state is unique. Be armed with the facts—you’ll need them when the Left attacks.

5. Give it time. Changes to a tax system have to be cycled in. Revenue projection models and taxpayer behavior will change to adapt to the changes, which will take 18–24 months for full implementation. Although some immediate benefits will be realized, long-term economic growth and prosperity are the goal. Decision makers need help from thought leaders to see it through the short-term pain. It’s worth it.

KANSAS’ MARCH TO ZEROBY STEVE ANDERSON KANSAS POLICY INSTITUTE

Between 1998 and 2013, average private sector job growth among the 50 states was eight percent. States that didn’t tax income grew by 18.3 percent while states that did tax income grew only 5.6 percent. Kansas trailed at only 3.9 percent. The state’s population had shrunk over the last 50 years in relation to the rest of the country, and Internal Revenue Service

Strategies

Tax Reform Opportunities in 2015 Experiences from the John Locke Foundation and Kansas Policy InstituteIn the past two years, 32 states have given financial relief to families in their states by reforming taxes. Even with these tremendous gains, 2015 is shaping up to be one of the biggest years for tax relief. Last November, voters in over a dozen states retained tax reformers and booted tax-and-spend leaders. To help other states ride this wave of opportunity, reformers in North Carolina and Kansas are sharing lessons learned from past experiences.


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releasing a report is not an actionable occurrence in the minds of your target audience, as much as it is essential to your organization. It is seldom that easy to get your target audience to take action on a policy issue with just a simple one-time ask. Instead, your organization must continually build your brand recognition, educate your audience about the importance of the issue over time, grow a base of supporters via year-round touch points, and, once appropriate, engage them in your efforts to advance a policy reform.

Correctly identify your opposition and understand their arguments. Think you know your worst enemy? Think again. In today’s politically stratified world, there are no longer “typical” constituents. Alliances have been shattered and coalitions remixed. Complex new paradigms abound on who may support an infrastructure spending increase but vehemently oppose a sales tax hike, for instance. The only way to understand who stands in your way—and why they think the way they do—is through opinion research. Research lets you identify both your and your opposition’s best messages, as well as define that base of supporters. Even more revelatory, research helps you identify what these people have in common other than your issue. Understanding your audience’s similarities becomes the proxy for finding advocates in today’s complex world.

Find your most likely supporters first and give them the attention they deserve. In politics, we like to say that there is a spectrum of voters who will support your candidacy. On one end of that spectrum is your mother; on the other end of that spectrum is your opponent’s mother. And then there is everyone in between. Who’s next in line after you’ve (hopefully) secured your mother’s support? You must invest in a plan to reach your core audience before attempting to convert the undecided. Don’t take your base for granted; they will not be vocal partners unless you cultivate them to be. They will not just “know what to do” when “the time is right.” On another note, don’t assume that your issue is too niche to find a base audience. There is an audience out there for everything. You just have to find them.

Create medium-aware content. Good messaging may be universal, but good content is not. Once you have identified the platforms that are best to reach your audiences, be ready to create content that is medium-specific. Content meant to be consumed on a mobile device should be specifically created for small screens—light on copy and heavy on imagery. Facebook content is not akin to Twitter or Pinterest

content. Consider the time of day and the context in which the message will be consumed. For example, parents are most likely to be online during the day at work and then past bedtime at home. So an email to a personal address or Facebook post after 9 p.m. will likely reach a lot more parents than one at 3 p.m., when afterschool activities are in full swing. If you are creating a transit ad or morning rush radio ad, reference the fact that the reader or listener is probably in the middle of their commute.

Now that you are ready to begin, how do you know your campaign is working? Success can be measured on many levels. In the short term, have you created adequate opportunity for interaction and conversation with your organization on your policy issue? In the medium term, have you elicited specific actions from your audience, such as signing a petition or showing up at an event? In the long term, have you raised awareness around your policy issue in general? Most importantly—have you been true to your organization’s mission and brand? As Pirandello spent a lifetime expounding, to warp one’s persona to fit another’s desires is tempting but most often disastrous. The answers to these questions will help you monitor and adjust your efforts.

Sue Zoldak is a vice president at LEVICK. Sue creates ground-breaking issue advocacy campaigns, builds grassroots coalitions, and provides leading-edge advertising, digital, and social media strategy. Contact her

at [email protected] and on Twitter at @suezoldak.

ISSUE ADVOCACY FROM PAGE 1

SPN NEWS 6 MARCH / APRIL 2015 SPN NEWS 7 MARCH / APRIL 2015

SXSW is divided into three tracks — Music, Film, and Interactive.

According to statistics released by SXSW, the Interactive portion of the 2014 conference drew over 32,000 participants from more than 80 countries with 1,100 sessions by 2,377 speakers.

Speakers like Anne E. Wojcicki, co-founder and chief executive officer of the personal genomics company 23andMe.

Far from being a conference solely about computers and software, Wojcicki’s keynote speech focused on healthcare and genetic research.

In November of 2013, the Food and Drug Adminstration forced 23andMe to stop offering health-related genetic reports (pending completion of the FDA’s regulatory review process).

migration data showed residents were leaving and taking significant wealth with them—a net outflow of over $3.8 billion from 1993 to 2010.

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback had a decision to make. Would he “shuffle the chairs” as prior administrations had or take bold action to change the dynamic? His choice was to embrace the notion that taxing production was counterproductive and transition to a consumption based tax model.

The course he set is called the March to Zero and is ultimately designed to completely eliminate the individual income tax. Even though it will take some time to realize the full impact of these tax reform efforts, Kansas has seen success by embracing a few key lessons so far:

1. Reduced taxes should come with reduced spending. The reduction need not be anywhere near dollar-for-dollar, but it is imperative to reset the baseline for government growth in expenditures.

2. Income tax reduction won’t prompt other tax increases. Even though the Left has learned to raise the spectra of increased property taxes that any income tax reduction might “create,” the data in Kansas reinforces that it is a faux argument. In fact, tax reform can have a positive impact on government revenues. After the state’s income tax reduction, sales tax revenues increased in cities and counties. The majority of those governmental units saw significant upswings as funds remained in taxpayers’ pockets and were spent locally.

3. Success requires compelling messaging. Advocating for tax reductions using phrases like “putting a bloated government on a diet” works well with the fiscal conservative base, but it does not persuade those who are on the fence. In his last State of the State Address, Kansas governor Sam Brownback appealed to voters by emphasizing the widespread benefits of income tax reform:

“First, the family budget is more powerful than the government budget. Second, a growing economy that is adding private sector jobs and increasing personal income can fix a government budget. A growing government budget cannot bring lasting prosperity to its citizens by appropriating ever more of their earnings. If we could spend our way to paradise, we would already be there.”

Becki Gray is vice president of outreach at the John Locke Foundation. Write her at [email protected]. Steve Anderson is Kansas Policy Institute’s senior adjunct

fiscal policy fellow. Contact him at [email protected].


ENGAGING CULTURE FROM PAGE 2TAX REFORM OPPORTUNITIES FROM PAGE 5

and conference. This conference is where communications tools like Twitter have been launched and have captivated the most influential trendsetters. At the Interactive conference, which focuses on technology, communications, and marketing, staff from state think tanks, national partners, network vendors, and other allies will learn from private sector innovators and entrepreneurs.

In addition to learning from and being inspired by these cultural and business trailblazers, our movement will have the opportunity to engage them in our own work. Nick Schaper, president and CEO of Engage, a digital agency that works with many network think tanks, encourages his staff to focus on meeting attendees that have “almost nothing to do with [their] current professional focus.” Even attending a seemingly trivial session about “the historical origins of emoticons” proves fruitful, according to Schaper: “Even there, though, the room was packed with intelligent, passionate people. We almost always leave the conference inspired and with new connections across the country.”

Attending a conference like SXSW may not seem like it will make a dent in changing actual policy in any given state. But changing policy starts with influencing those who influence culture. And that means meeting these leaders and future leaders where they gather to exchange ideas. Where do the trendsetters in your state meet? Do you venture outside your usual circles to interact with these fascinating people?

As Mr. Treviño aptly summarizes, “To paraphrase Karl Marx, philosophers have sought to understand the world—but the point is to change it. If we are going to change it, culture is where we start.”

Meredith Turney is director of strategic communications at SPN. Write her at [email protected].


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STATE POLICY NETWORK UPDATESUPDATESALABAMA

In December 2014, the Alabama Policy Institute celebrated its 25th anniversary at a dinner in Birmingham. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal headlined the event, and over 1,200 guests attended. API’s new president and CEO, Caleb Crosby, received a warm welcome from the audience. In his

first formal address, Caleb remarked, “As we look back over the last 25 years, it is amazing to see the impact that API’s work has made on this state and nation. Our rich history requires us to set our expectations even higher as we move forward. We are determined to stay the course, promoting our core principles of free markets, limited government, and strong families... Our staff comes to work every day with the mission of seeing Alabama reach its full potential. We are confident that policymaking based in conservative principles yields the best results for all.” API is also pleased to announce two new additions to its staff: Taylor Dawson, development director, and Alice Cox, director of strategic outreach. alabamapolicy.org

ALASKA

The Alaska Policy Forum continues to focus on education reform by informing Alaskans of per student funding and NAEP

test results. Alaska is second highest in per student spending, yet it ranks third from the bottom in fourth grade reading. In late February, APF held a National School Choice Week town hall featuring Dr. Ben Chavis, former principal of the American Indian Public Charter School in Oakland, Calif. Dr. Chavis discussed his experiences educating low-income and minority students successfully by setting high standards for students and faculty. APF educated policymakers about other states’ experiences with Medicaid expansion, and they informed Alaskans of Medicaid expansion pitfalls and the special interests who would benefit financially. APF collaborated with other think tanks and the Policy Alliance on pushing back against the EPA’s Clean Power Plan. This plan could prove devastating and life-threatening to Alaskans due to their fragile electrical grid that is not interconnected to any other states. The EPA is clueless concerning Alaska’s power systems, many of which are basic diesel generators in off-the-road villages. APF will continue to get this to the media. alaskapolicyforum.org

ARKANSAS

With new conservative majorities in the legislature and a new conservative governor, the Arkansas state capitol is much more hospitable to freedom. Advance Arkansas Institute staff has worked with legislators to draft proposals for tort reform, occupational freedom, deregulation, hospital transparency, student rights, religious freedom, property rights protection, civil rights, open records, and First Amendment protection. Freedom is already gaining ground. Governor Hutchinson’s proposals for broad middle-class income tax relief emerged from the Senate Revenue and Tax Committee, accompanied by praise from Senate Democrats. AAI president Dan Greenberg testified in support of Senator John Cooper’s Right to Try proposal, which partially approved medicines for the terminally ill. It passed out of the Senate

Public Health Committee. AAI predicts policy success on a variety of fronts in the weeks ahead. advancearkansas.org

Three decades after Hillary Clinton’s Educational Standards Committee, the largest Arkansas school district, Little Rock, faces a state takeover in response to its failing schools. One solution is private school choice, according to a new Arkansas Policy Foundation report that notes three states bordering Arkansas have school choice programs and a fourth—Tennessee—is eyeing the reform. Louisiana, Mississippi, and Oklahoma have enacted tax credit, scholarship, or voucher programs since 2008. Arkansas does not allow private school choice, though more than 19,000 students are enrolled in independent schools. The report argues private school choice should be advanced, starting with at-risk students in failing K–12 public schools such as Little Rock. With eight states in the 12-state southeast region embracing private school choice, Arkansas should not be the region’s last state to adopt private school choice as an education reform. arkansaspolicyfoundation.org

CALIFORNIA

Pacific Research Institute hosted its 2015 Baroness Thatcher Dinner on March 6 in Newport Beach, Calif. The program featured Bret Baier, anchor of Fox News’ Special Report, and the presentation of the Baroness Thatcher Liberty Award to US Representative Dana Rohrabacher (CA-48). In 2014, Lance Izumi published the national study Not As Good As You Think, which examines how schools across the nation perform from state to state. In February, Izumi published a state study on Michigan schools. This study reports on the math and English performance rates of various Michigan school districts. You

API president Caleb Crosby, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, API vice president Katherine Robertson, and board member Tom Bradford celebrate API’s 25th anniversary at the Institute’s annual dinner.


STATE POLICY NETWORK UPDATES

are invited to join a roster of free market policy advocates, thought leaders, and opinion makers on August 16–23 for Liberty at Sea, the first-ever PRI cruise to the historic Baltic states. The cruise will feature presentations from Jonah Goldberg, Dr. Art Laffer, Amity Shlaes, Steven Hayward, Dr. Charles Kesler, and Sally Pipes. Information for the cruise is available on their website. pacificresearch.org

In January 2015, the California Policy Center welcomed Clare Venegas as development director. Venegas most recently served as the executive director

of the Lincoln Club of Orange County, an influential business group whose members have promoted free market policies since 1962. Venegas has over 15 years of professional experience in organizational management, development, and media/corporate communications in the public and private sectors. calpolicycenter.org

COLORADO

To celebrate National School Choice Week, the Independence Institute helped

organize a rally at the Colorado capitol on January 26. The event drew hundreds of attendees, as well as legislators from both sides of the aisle. Both Senator Owen Hill (R) and Senator Michael Johnston (D) were featured speakers along with Deborah Hendrix from Parents Challenge and various students and parents. The Independence Institute also unveiled its Article V Information Center website in January, giving concerned citizens and lawmakers truthful, unbiased information about the U.S. Constitution’s Article V amendment process. Independence Institute believes that with correct information available, unreasonable anxieties and fears will be dissipated, motivating greater interest in bypassing a dysfunctional Congress, and proposing amendments through state legislatures. Visit www.articlevinfocenter.com for more information. i2i.org

CONNECTICUT

The Yankee Institute celebrated its 30th anniversary in December with a gala featuring Larry Kudlow. They also moved into a new office, taking back their place in Connecticut’s capital city. Their policy director registered as a lobbyist to more effectively advocate for fiscal sanity and other good policies in Connecticut, and in partnership with The Beacon Hill Institute, they released a study, Restoring Power, demonstrating just one way legislators can lower electric bills. They look forward to launching a series of policy briefs in the near future. yankeeinstitute.org

DELAWARE

A recent survey by The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice showed the majority of Delaware’s registered voters consider the state’s public schools to be “fair” or “poor.” It also revealed that voters

support the concept of charter schools, Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), and even vouchers when they are explained. Caesar Rodney Institute’s 2015 education policy goal is to continue raising public awareness about ESAs and countering those who try to diminish the positive impact school choice has on education. Doran Moreland and Robert Enlow of The Friedman Foundation visited Delaware to discuss the survey results with parents, teachers, school officials, and legislators and find ways to improve accountability in the classroom. The Foundation also flew some Delaware legislators and public officials to Arizona for a firsthand look at ESAs in action. caesarrodney.org

FLORIDA

The Foundation for Government Accountability provides legislators with every opportunity and support to stand up to the intrusion of government and the welfare state in people’s lives. They remain focused on the largest threat to America’s liberty and economy: ObamaCare and its expansion into the states. The FGA team has a presence in every state where ObamaCare’s expansion is being considered and continues to fight for repeal where expansion has been established. The FGA is also assisting states as they forge enhanced methods for auditing and monitoring their welfare programs, such as SNAP and Medicaid, to protect them from fraud. Seeing the benefits communities can provide to families in times of hardship, the FGA is partnering with leaders to enact Safe Families reforms that empower local communities to support those in need to an even greater degree than government can. thefga.org

In celebration of Thrift Week, guests and media outlets from across the state

Clare Venegas is California Policy Center’s new development director.

Independence Institute’s Thomas Jefferson statue shows his support for National School Choice Week.



gathered at the James Madison Institute headquarters for a keynote address from Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater. His remarks focused on Florida’s economic success story and how thrift-minded decisions helped the Sunshine State become the third most populous state in the nation. “Fiscal discipline attracts capital,” said Atwater. “Even though the numbers in my presentation are important, this is truly a story about a belief in the human spirit and an understanding that every policy has a consequence. Whatever you are a part of, you didn’t achieve success by accident. Public policy is no different. Public policy has a value proposition.” JMI opened up an office in the Naples/Ft. Myers area with future plans for expanding into other regions of the state. jamesmadison.org

GEORGIA

The Georgia Public Policy Foundation has released two studies. One by senior fellow Eric Wearne touts $20 million in annual savings if Georgia implements Education Savings Accounts (www .georgiapolicy.org/?p=14724); the other by senior fellow Ron Bachman highlights Georgia’s leading role in telehealth

(www.georgiapolicy.org/?p=14783). With transportation funding on the Legislature’s front burner, the Legislature is gleaning food for thought from a Foundation study by Atlanta resident and Reason Foundation transportation analyst Baruch Feigenbaum (http://reason.org/news/show/strategies-mobility-atlanta). The study found that if the state prioritizes projects and focuses on existing and user fees, it does not need to raise taxes. The Foundation is also promoting its alternatives to Georgia Medicaid expansion at the Legislature. In public outreach, the first quarter’s monthly Leadership Breakfast events spotlighted National School Choice Week,

transportation funding, and federalism. In January/February, the Foundation guided a Charles Koch Institute Liberty@Work team through a school choice outreach project. georgiapolicy.org

HAWAII

As it becomes clear that two issues deeply affecting Hawaii—Jones Act reform and the creation of a Native Hawaiian government—require a voice in Washington D.C., the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii seeks to expand its reach. In January, Sen. McCain introduced limited Jones Act reform only to have it mischaracterized by the media and union interests, including Hawaii’s Congressional delegation. Grassroot sought

to remedy this lack of information about issues that are critical to Hawaii’s future. Grassroot is preparing to create a presence in the Capitol that will accurately represent the political and cultural diversity of their state. In the coming months, Grassroot will look to work with other SPN groups interested in their Washington, D.C., efforts to reform the Jones Act, prevent the creation of a race-based Hawaiian nation, and advance free market principles. grassrootinstitute.org

IDAHO

President Wayne Hoffman and Idaho Freedom Foundation board member Russ Fulcher were listed among Idaho’s 100 most influential people in a book released in January. IFF stood up for Uber drivers when the city of Boise tried to stop workers from offering paid rides. After years of education efforts by IFF, the Idaho Land Board—comprised of the governor, attorney general, and other state elected officials—voted to stop buying commercial property and businesses in competition with the private sector. IFF’s news bureau,

www.IdahoReporter.com, exposed the fact that state officials hatched a deal to give state taxpayer handouts to builders of a luxury hotel near Sun Valley. IFF hired one of the state’s best investigative and enterprising reporters, Dustin Hurst, to lead its news and communications efforts. Dustin previously worked for IFF and www.Watchdog.org. idahofreedom.org

ILLINOIS

With a new governor focused on bringing compassion and competitiveness back to Illinois, the Illinois Policy Institute seized

Jason O’Rouke (Georgia Chamber of Commerce), Andrew Lewis (Georgia Charter Schools Association), Michael O’Sullivan (StudentsFirst), Mark Peevy (Secondary Education Initiatives at Technical College System of Georgia), and Ben Vinson (McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP) attend the Georgia Public Policy Foundation’s 2015 National School Choice Event.

Idaho Freedom Foundation welcomes Dustin Hurst to its team as news director.

Florida’s CFO Jeff Atwater (left) presents JMI president and CEO, Dr. Bob McClure (right), with a state-issued proclamation signed by Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet recognizing Thrift Week.



the moment to focus on much-needed reforms to the state’s social safety net. The Institute’s new study showed how a single mom in Chicago working full time would fall off the “welfare cliff” if given a raise to $18 an hour from $12 an hour, experiencing a dramatic loss in total household resources. The report forced influencers to consider solutions aimed at making work pay for Illinois’ poor and disadvantaged. Also, the Institute was named as a finalist for two awards from PRNews that honor the most talented communicators in the nonprofit sector. illinoispolicy.org

INDIANA

The Indiana Policy Review Foundation is fundraising for a statewide media tour to familiarize editors with the issues in its upcoming quarterly journal. Dr. Maryann Keating, an adjunct scholar of the Foundation, will write the cover article assessing the value versus the cost to the state of federal aid for education. In other articles, a South Bend landscaping architect details her firm’s experience with immigrant workers; a former charter-school principal assesses whether Indiana’s charter schools are in fact helping those whom proponents promised would be helped; the Institute for Justice summarizes the private-property issues involved in the attempt by the city of Charleston, In., to demolish a working class neighborhood that city planners found unsightly; and Dr. Eric Schansberg critiques Barack Obama’s reform of community colleges. inpolicy.org

IOWA

Public Interest Institute IT specialist Jennifer L. Crull published a policy study, Why the Common Core Is Wrong for Iowa! Crull analyzes some of the problems with the Common Core and the Iowa Core, such as standards that aren’t research-based, the lack of rigor, and the loss of student and family privacy. Crull’s study highlights the concerns she and other parents share. Crull said, “My oldest daughter is in fifth grade and in ten years she will be done with school. So in ten years to learn this whole thing may not have worked is not acceptable. The policymakers are gambling with my child’s education and every other child currently in the educational system!” To read this and other Institute studies, visit www .LimitedGovernment.org/publications.html .limitedgovernment.org

KANSAS

Government is often more than happy to subsidize business in the name of “creating jobs,” while free market proponents often focus on “reducing regulations” to level the playing field. At the state and local levels, there is tragically little research on what that regulatory regime actually looks like. Kansas Policy Institute partnered with Wichita State University’s school of public affairs to answer these questions in a series of focus groups with local business leaders. Entrepreneurs were asked only about the state and local regulations that influence their ability to open, operate, and grow. The results are specific and actionable for moving beyond the platitude of “reduce regulations.” Government now has a list of things it can do to foster job creation instead of handing out tax money. kansaspolicy.org

KENTUCKY

So far both Fox News and the Wall Street Journal have picked up on Kentucky’s push to pass Right to Work ordinances at the county level. Published January 21, 2015, a WSJ article, “Opting Out of Unions Gets Boost in States,” stated, “Backers of the legislative effort in Kentucky say the state is losing jobs to neighbors such as Indiana and Tennessee that have such union-opt-out laws. ‘This is not about ideology. This is about the daily economic reality,’ said Jim Waters, president of Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions, a free market think tank in Lexington, Ky.” The Bluegrass Institute has been contacted by other states, such as Washington, Delaware, Illinois, and Ohio, wishing to do the same thing. bipps.org

LOUISIANA

The Pelican Institute released a report detailing the high costs of proposed EPA rules to Louisiana. The Beacon Hill Institute analyzed the impact of these rules and the troubling outcomes included higher electricity prices, lost jobs, and less disposable income. Along with the report, the Institute released an animated video highlighting the problems with the EPA’s approach. In the upcoming legislative session the Institute will educate legislators on opportunities to halt this costly regulatory plan. The Institute presented the findings of its report, Before the Flood, in a public hearing held by the insurance committees of the Louisiana State Senate and House of Representatives. The report, by Ian Adams from the R Street Institute, offers free market reforms in a state where property insurance is a matter of vital concern. pelicaninstitute.org

Illinois Policy Institute’s vice president of communications, Diana Rickert, and executive vice president, Kristina Rasmussen, attend Illinois’ 42nd gubernatorial inauguration.



MAINE

With the 2015 legislative session underway, the Maine Heritage Policy Center is pleased to announce that several of its policy proposals and recommendations are gaining traction in the Maine State House. Bills aimed at reforming and improving education, repealing Common Core Standards, and securing freedom and liberty have already garnered much support and many endorsements. MHPC is also proud to play a central role in the discourse surrounding Governor LePage’s recent budget proposal, which works to eliminate Maine’s income tax. Through a detailed and comprehensive report on the budget proposal and public discussions with leading government officials, MHPC is leading Maine toward responsible and sensible fiscal policy. mainepolicy.org

MARYLAND

Maryland has witnessed seismic change since the November elections, which resulted in victory for Lawrence J. Hogan, Jr., now Maryland’s 62nd governor. His election ushers in a promising new era of fiscal responsibility and economic opportunity for every Marylander. Maryland Public Policy Institute is immensely proud to call Governor Hogan a former MPPI board member, and they are grateful for his many contributions to the Institute during that time. They look forward to his stewardship of the state in the coming years. MPPI president Christopher Summers was honored to serve on the Hogan-Rutherford Transition Team after the election. He was also asked to serve on Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s Property Tax Policy Review Working Group. The group will study and make recommendations regarding the Baltimore tax and fee structures and their impact on city residents and businesses. mdpolicy.org

MASSACHUSETTS

PIONEER INSTITUTEP U B L I C P O L I C Y R E S E A R C H

As Massachusetts embarks on 2015, it welcomes a new governor who is also a Pioneer alumnus. Pioneer Institute has published proposals to help welfare recipients re-enter the workplace and reform the public health system. Last fall, Pioneer’s analysis of labor participation rates in Massachusetts found that women and minorities have been hit hardest by the recent market downturn. Another study showed pension liabilities underestimated by tens of billions of dollars in over 30 retirement systems in six states. In education, Pioneer issued reports urging state leaders to undo harmful charter regulations and highlighting business and vocation-technical school partnerships. Pioneer is offering $10,000 in prizes for essays from Massachusetts high school students as part of a campaign to revive U.S. History instruction. The Better Government Competition also offers a $10,000 top prize to participants who submit ideas to improve America’s criminal justice system. That deadline is April 6. See details at www.bgc.pioneerinstitute.org/. pioneerinstitute.org

MICHIGAN

The Mackinac Center has welcomed Jim Walker as its new vice president for advancement. Jim has 15 years of experience in development, most recently with the Ohio Historical Society and in the private K–12 education market before that. Executive vice president Mike Reitz co-authored a study with the Manhattan Institute looking at the “overcriminalization” of Michigan’s laws. The Center, Manhattan, and the ACLU held a panel discussion on the topic in early February. The Center and the Acton Institute co-sponsored an event in late January featuring American Enterprise Institute president Arthur Brooks at Acton’s new headquarters in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The event included a book signing and a talk by Brooks about the link between free enterprise and happiness. The Center also co-sponsored an event at the Michigan Capitol during National School Choice week that featured remarks from Democrat and Republican lawmakers. mackinac.org

MINNESOTA

Center of the American Experiment released a book form of its Minnesota Policy Blueprint: Prescription for Prosperity, an agenda to help Minnesota citizens achieve rich and fulfilling lives by rewarding hard work, personal responsibility, and individual initiative. The Center’s next task is to work with policymakers to help transform the recommendations into laws. The Center intends to testify, hone its research, write, speak, reach out, and convene meetings—anything it can do to further the agenda of the Blueprint. To improve the public and legislative viability of its agenda, the Center is testing the popularity of its recommendations with the people of Minnesota. The Center has retained Public Opinion Strategies to help them complete the State of Prosperity Poll, which will survey Minnesotans’ opinions of the ideas. americanexperiment.org

Two years ago, the Minnesota legislature, along with the governor, increased the taxes that most Minnesotans pay. Dubbed the largest tax increase in state history, it raised nearly $3 billion in additional state revenue. So it’s not surprising that state government collected nearly $1 billion in surplus funds. Many legislators are working to expand state government by spending that budget surplus on their pet projects. While the line for government handouts is lengthy and their demands even longer, the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota will work to stop any additional growth in government spending during



this session. The Foundation’s suggestion is that any budget surplus be returned to its rightful owners: Minnesota taxpayers. Via radio, television interviews, and social media, the Foundation is dedicated this legislative session to stopping the growth in state government spending. freedomfoundationofminnesota.com

MISSISSIPPI

Since all legislative and statewide offices will be on the Mississippi ballot in 2015, the Mississippi Center for Public Policy hosted an event for candidates and potential candidates to learn the right reasons to run for office (to advance liberty), the right principles to govern by if they are elected (described in MCPP’s booklet Governing by Principle), and the right way to run a campaign. This event, Leading Toward Liberty, featured Dr. Tom Palmer of the Cato Institute and the Atlas Network, and a candidate training session led by American Majority. The November ballot will also include a public education initiative that would transfer power from the legislature to a court. After MCPP published its analysis of the initiative’s true effect, the legislature passed an alternative measure that will also appear on the ballot. mspolicy.org

MISSOURI

Will they stay or will they go? That’s what St. Louis football fans are wondering about the Rams after it was announced that owner Stan Kroenke had purchased land in Los Angeles, reportedly to build a new stadium. So should St. Louis and the state of Missouri build him a new facility to keep the team here? Having an NFL team may indeed be a source of civic pride, but many studies have shown the positive economic impact is negligible. And possibly paying hundreds of millions of dollars in public

money to build one is based on emotion, not a sound economic investment. That’s the message Show-Me Institute analysts took across the state in radio talk shows and newspaper op-ed pages. As Show- Me’s Michael Rathbone put it, “I want St. Louis to remain an NFL town, but I don’t want to spend taxpayer dollars to do it.” showmeinstitute.org

NEBRASKA

The Platte Institute’s Strong Roots Nebraska campaign for tax reform shifts into high gear now that the Nebraska Legislature has completed bill introduction. While great anticipation surrounds a Strong Roots Nebraska-inspired bill to reduce income

and property taxes, numerous pieces of legislation to increase taxes on Nebraskans have been introduced, as well, despite the overwhelming desire expressed by voters for meaningful tax relief measures in 2015. Meanwhile, the coalition for tax relief has never been stronger in Nebraska. More than 6,000 Nebraskans have joined the Strong Roots Nebraska campaign through social media. A recent telephone town hall program reached nearly 5,000 taxpayers on a Monday night to discuss tax reform, and Strong Roots Nebraska community events have been held in Omaha, Lincoln, Norfolk, Kearney, and Grand Island. The Institute is working hard to deliver lasting tax relief for Nebraskans. platteinstitute.org

NEVADA

In January, Nevada Policy Research Insitute released an analysis showing that

government workers with 30 years or more of service credit receive pensions greater than 100 percent of their final year’s base pay. The state’s largest newspaper featured the report as the above-the-fold story on the front page of its front section. The findings earned additional media coverage throughout the state, and lawmakers will use the report as another reason to reform Nevada PERS. NPRI joined several other groups to celebrate National School Choice Week with a capitol rally involving hundreds of parents, students, policymakers, and other school choice supporters. Already, lawmakers have submitted over 20 bill draft requests based on NPRI recommendations, and elected officials are frequently turning to NPRI for alternatives to the Republican governor’s proposal for the largest tax increase in state history. npri.org

NEW MEXICO

With the New Mexico legislative session underway, the Rio Grande Foundation’s ideas are in play as never before. In particular, Right to Work has generated tremendous media attention. RGF research has been integral in putting Right to Work and prevailing wage reform on the agenda along with tax credits for school choice. These tax-credit-financed scholarships,

The Strong Roots Nebraska tax reform campaign is dedicated to growing opportunity in Nebraska.

Nevada’s largest newspaper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, writes about an NPRI report finding that many government retirees in the Silver State receive pensions greater than their final year’s base pay.



already on the books in 14 states, would bring needed school choice and competition to New Mexico’s struggling education system. Lastly, with the state’s largest utility asking for a 12 percent rate hike and policymakers considering what to do about the Obama Administration’s “clean air” regulations, RGF and The Beacon Hill Institute collaborated to expose how government policies are already increasing electricity costs and how Obama’s regulations would further this trend. riograndefoundation.org

NEW YORK

Gov. Cuomo said he would ask the legislature to permanently enact New York’s property tax cap, marking a major step forward for a top Empire Center priority. Now due to expire in a year, the cap has saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars since its enactment in 2011. As New York fell behind Florida in population, the Center delivered a pointed analysis of new Census data showing the Empire State lost 153,921 residents to other states between mid-2013 and 2014. “A state’s domestic migration rate,” Empire Center President E.J. McMahon told the New York Post, “is the ultimate measure of policy successes or failures.” The Center garnered statewide media attention after blowing the whistle on a state Thruway Authority budget deficit that could require a 40 percent toll hike to fill. empirecenter.org

NORTH CAROLINA

The Civitas Institute has launched a new website that will, for the first time, expose the full extent of a vast, shadowy network of left-wing activist groups in North Carolina. Mapping the Left (www.mappingtheleft.com) is an online database that scrutinizes 140+ organizations funded by 300+ foundations that, over the last decade, have contributed more than $400 million to them. The ongoing

research project will be continually updated, and it’s already having an impact. Mapping the Left recorded nearly 60,000 page views in the first 24 hours it was live. “Mapping the Left not only provides an overdue scrutiny of the Left, it puts to rest the myth there is a vast right-wing conspiracy in North Carolina,” said Civitas elections policy analyst Susan Myrick. “In fact, it is the Left that exerts massive influence throughout the state.” nccivitas.org

A sold-out crowd of 600 joined the John Locke Foundation to celebrate its 25th anniversary. In addition to featured remarks from Fox News analyst and syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer, the audience learned about JLF’s new First In Freedom initiative, which ranks states based on fiscal, education, regulatory, and health care freedom. JLF will use the new tool to help gauge the value of new legislation in the N.C. General Assembly. Jon Guze has joined JLF as director of legal

studies. Thanks to reporting from JLF’s Carolina Journal, the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources launched a review of questionable stimulus-funded energy projects. Reuters readers learned about JLF chairman John Hood’s recent work to compile and analyze more than 680 academic journal studies on state government policies that prove most effective in promoting economic growth. johnlocke.org

OHIO

Too frequently we suffer outrageous prosecutions of law-abiding citizens who,

having no intention of any wrongdoing, inadvertently commit relatively minor violations and are then hit with criminal charges that defy common sense. The Buckeye Institute scored a tremendous victory against this rampant over-criminalization of ordinary citizens. Buckeye developed and executed a plan for policy reform to ensure that no one else goes to jail unless prosecutors demonstrate that the accused intended to commit a wrongful act. After coalescing a motley coalition, including prosecutors and liberty-oriented Ohioans, Buckeye worked tirelessly and methodically to resolve each legislator’s objections and overcome the concerns of all interested parties. These efforts were rewarded with unanimous passage in the Ohio House and Senate. This historic and decisive success sows the seeds for reform nationwide and promises to serve as a model for other states. buckeyeinstitute.org

OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma is receiving national attention for a growing number of doctors, employers, and patients who are turning to direct care arrangements. Following a direct care Arrowhead3 workshop in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs applied the messaging to both policy and development communications in an effort to protect and encourage direct care. OCPA launched an email campaign that told real stories about patients and doctors. In one month, they nearly doubled their online contributions for the entire year. OCPA built a strong coalition with key advocates, including the Free Market Medical Association, and placed an op-ed at the state’s largest paper by a state Senator who is also a cardiac anesthesiologist. As a direct result of OCPA’s efforts, lawmakers are considering reforms to offer direct care arrangements to state and education employees that will save employees and taxpayers $20–$50 million a year. ocpathink.org

Jon Guze is the new director of legal studies for the John Locke Foundation.



OREGON

The 2015 Oregon legislative session is in full swing and Cascade Policy Institute has been front and center. Cascade is working with the Democrat Chair of the House Health Care Committee to advance a Right to Try bill and is collaborating with Republican legislators to advance an Education Savings Account bill. Cascade staff also plan to testify on a number of tax bills as the session moves forward. Cascade published updates to its report on Other Post-Employment Benefits (additional costs, such as health insurance, paid for public employees when they retire) and released John Glennon’s paper, Have Private Backyards Been Outlawed in the Portland Metro Area? During National School Choice Week, Cascade hosted a policy picnic promoting education reform in Oregon, and in late February, Cascade partnered with Washington Policy Center to host a Portland reception featuring Michael Cannon of the Cato Institute who discussed the Supreme Court case, King v. Burwell. cascadepolicy.org

PENNSYLVANIA

The Commonwealth Foundation focused most of its efforts in late 2014 on educating legislators and the public about paycheck protection reform, dubbed “Mary’s Law” in Pennsylvania after Mary Trometter, a teacher and union member aggrieved by her union leadership. Thanks to the virtual bullhorn that CF provided for Mary and her cause, Mary’s Law advanced from being a non-issue to near-passage in the final stretch of the last gubernatorial administration. CF will continue advocating for people like Mary in 2015 regardless of the political winds of change. commonwealthfoundation.org

RHODE ISLAND

The Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity engaged in a high-profile fight against an anti-property rights statewide plan to socialize housing and land-use decisions under federal direction by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. RICFP rallied nearly a thousand people at public meetings and, while the plan passed, their coalition’s efforts severely wounded the RhodeMap RI plan. Even the Democrat Speaker of the House said he would “put it on the shelf.” In the first quarter of 2015, the Center launched its Bright Today educational choice campaign (www.BrightToday.org).

The campaign contends that if every child is to have hope for a bright future, they must have access to a good educational opportunity—today! Its goal is to empower parents with choices to customize an educational path for their children. The Center is organizing a diverse, growing coalition and hopes to see the most aggressive ESA legislation in the nation introduced this session. rifreedom.org

SOUTH CAROLINA

Wait. Palmetto Promise Institute? Yes, you’re reading that right! Palmetto Policy Forum celebrated its second anniversary by taking a strategic look at where they’ve been since their 2013 launch and where they’re going to effect a better future for their state. Their conclusion? It was time to grow their brand beyond simply what they do—policy—and focus on why they do it.

In conversations with people all around South Carolina, they heard them asking for proven solutions to their shared problems and the bold, optimistic leadership needed to implement them. And so the idea of Palmetto Promise was born. PPI believes deeply in the limitless promise of South Carolina as the Institute fulfills its promise to promote a policy vision that inspires people to work together for a shared future. PPI is energized and grateful for the continued journey. palmettopromise.org

With the legislative session now in full swing, South Carolina Policy Council is battling on several fronts at once. Leaders of both parties—including the governor—support some form of a hike in the gas tax, so SCPC published a series of research pieces on why raising the tax is precisely the wrong way to address South Carolina’s dire infrastructure problems. Tax-averse lawmakers are citing SCPC’s analysis in the legislature, and a consultant for the pro-tax hike establishment openly admitted that SCPC’s work had made raising the tax “a lot harder than we thought.” SCPC’s work at exposing state government’s legislative tyranny continues to rock the boat, too. When The Nerve (www.thenerve.org) published a story about one lawmaker’s abuses of his office, he resigned immediately. That’s two powerful South Carolina politicians who’ve resigned as a direct result of SCPC research in the last six months. scpolicycouncil.org

TENNESSEE

The 2015 legislative session is underway, and the Beacon Center of Tennessee has three primary areas of focus: education, healthcare, and tax reform. Beacon’s goals include advancing school choice through an opportunity scholarship program, giving terminally ill Tennesseans the “right to try” treatments and medications that have

Bright Today is an educational choice campaign empowering parents to customize their children’s education.



been deemed safe by the FDA but have not passed the agency’s full approval process, and eliminating the Hall income tax on stocks and bonds. Beacon also released a brand new website for National School Choice Week—www.MySchoolSpending.com—which exposes how local school districts spend taxpayer money. The website features custom infographics for every district in Tennessee so that parents and taxpayers alike have a resource to see how effectively their education dollars are spent. beacontn.org

TEXAS

On January 28, the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute hosted an Economic Freedom Summit in Austin, featuring a debate on the franchise dealer model in Texas. The debaters were Diarmuid O’Connell, vice president of business development at Tesla Motors, and Bill Wolters, president of the Texas Automobile Dealers Association, and the moderator was former television journalist Brad Watson. The discussion contrasted Tesla Motors’ direct-to-consumer sales strategy, which is currently prohibited in Texas, with the traditional dealer model. txccri.org

In January, the Texas Public Policy Foundation hosted its 13th, and most successful, Annual Policy Orientation topping 1200 attendees, including legislators and their staff. The three-day event featured more than 90 panelists. Headliners for this signature event included former Governor Rick Perry, Governor Greg Abbott, Steve Forbes, and former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich. TPPF released a new study by world-renown economist Dr. Arthur Laffer on The Texas Economy and School Choice. Additionally,

TPPF released a paper exposing the ObamaCare Medicaid expansion myths, which was accompanied by a commentary on the same topic in the Austin American-Statesman authored by president and CEO Brooke Rollins. April marks the grand opening of TPPF’s new six-story building, which features cutting-edge studio space, a 200-seat auditorium, and a balcony with 360-degree views of downtown Austin and the State Capitol. texaspolicy.com

VERMONT

Governor Shumlin pulled the plug on single-payer health care in Vermont after realizing that it would result in poorer, more expensive care for an overwhelming number of citizens. Ethan Allen Institute is proud to have played a leading role in educating Vermonters about what the impact of Single Payer would be. Let this be a cautionary tale for other states out there considering Single Payer. Now some in Vermont want to be the first in the nation to implement a Carbon Tax. EAI launched a successful radio campaign and online survey making folks aware of a potential $1.35 per gallon tax on gasoline, among other things. Over 90 percent of respondents were opposed. EAI is also battling a new 2.5 per ounce sugar-sweetened beverage tax and a payroll tax increase. ethanallen.org

VIRGINIA

The Thomas Jefferson Institute kicked off the New Year with a new Federal Policy Dinner series—the first one featuring Mercatus Center’s Dr. Richard Williams, who spoke on the impact of federal regulations on health care costs. The Institute’s highly successful annual Richmond reception followed and honored the Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader. The reception brought together the cream of center-right leadership in Virginia—from business to legislative to grassroots

<< Beacon Center will release over 150 custom infographics like this one to help parents and taxpayers understand how their education dollars are spent.



organizers. More than 80 of those same leaders gathered a few weeks earlier for a Business Leaders Roundtable on Virginia’s economic future, and they focused on the Institute’s annual Economic Forecast 2015. TJI published a paper on the costs of proposed EPA regulations on CO2 emissions and a study on the financial status of Virginia hospitals, which are the largest lobby for expanding the federal Medicaid program. thomasjeffersoninst.org

WASHINGTON

In January, Washington Policy Center held its Second Annual Solutions Summit events, statewide half-day policy conferences held in Eastern and Western Washington. The Eastern Washington event featured Idaho Gov. Butch Otter as the luncheon keynote and former Congressman Doc Hastings for the opening breakfast. In Bellevue, former N.Y. Gov. George Pataki keynoted the luncheon and Forbes Opinion Editor Avik Roy spoke at breakfast. Both events also featured former Starbucks president Howard Behar on the minimum wage issue. Combined, over 600 attendees learned about the top legislative priorities facing Washington state. Also in January, WPC’s education director Liv Finne was recognized by the popular local SeattleMet magazine as one of Seattle’s top 15 “game changers.” washingtonpolicy.org

In January, a Thurston County judge ordered the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services to make public the names of thousands of family health care providers being paid with taxpayer dollars. The only proviso was that the disclosure not indicate which workers are members of State Employees International Union (SEIU) 925 and which are not. The Olympia-based Freedom Foundation requested the list of names in October, following last summer’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Harris v. Quinn that home health care workers are not required to pay money to a labor union as a condition of employment. Before the request could be honored, however, the agency notified the union, which filed a lawsuit to prevent mass defections and a huge loss in dues revenue. But in January, the judge said DSHS must turn over the names. myfreedomfoundation.org

WYOMING

In the heat of Wyoming’s 2015 Legislative Session, many of Wyoming Liberty Group’s issues are advancing. Limitations on police use of drones have passed the House; limitations on civil asset forfeiture have passed the Senate; minimum wage was defeated in committee; and right of trespass on federal lands survived committee and will go to the floor. WLG hears prospects are dim for Senate passage of Medicaid expansion, and the food freedom bill is getting good support, as is a parental rights bill. Their newly elected Superintendent of Education is advocating a meaningful process for creating state-based education standards. A move from die-hards to replace her position with an appointed director of education is not gaining

ground. To boot, the Appropriations Committee is taking the governor’s funding requests with a big grain of salt. wyliberty.org

ASSOCIATES

This winter, The 1851 Center for Constitional Law prevailed before the Ohio Supreme Court in Sanborn v. Hamilton County Budget Commission. The victory resulted in prohibiting Ohio school districts from raising property taxes without first obtaining a public vote. The school district attempted to use an accounting gimmick to take advantage of a legal loophole created in 1998. The taxpayers’ victory closes that loophole and affirms the principle contained in many state constitutions, including Ohio’s, which forbids property taxation “in excess of one per cent of its true value in money for all state and local purposes,” except by approval of the voters. The 1851 Center will now recover over $6 million for the taxpayers so that the school district does not benefit from the illegal tax and other school districts are deterred. ohioconstitution.org

The Acton Institute’s biggest event, Acton University, is turning ten this year and getting even bigger. The conference started in 2005, when it was first called the Acton Symposium. The first year saw 250 applicants and just over 150 attendees. In 2014, there were almost 1,500 applicants and nearly 900 attendees. The 10th Acton University will take place June 16–19, 2015, at the DeVos Place Convention Center in Grand Rapids, Mich. Evening plenary speakers include Rev. Robert A. Sirico, co-founder of the Acton Institute,

SeattleMet magazine photo features WPC’s Liv Finne (bottom right) as one of the “15 people who should really run Seattle.” Photo Credit: SeattleMet magazine



and Dr. Greg Thornbury, president of the King’s College. Learn more at www.university.acton.org. acton.org

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni recently issued—in conjunction with City University of New York Chairman Benno Schmidt—Governance for a New Era, a roadmap for college trustees by some of the nation’s top higher education leaders. This year, ACTA will focus on historical literacy to complement the findings of its 2014 studies: D-Day Knowledge and Roosevelt Awareness. This spring, ACTA will examine how many colleges have left the Bard behind. Stay tuned for our findings on how many colleges don’t require even literature majors to take a Shakespeare course...and how many don’t offer him at all. goacta.org

American internationalism has become a victim of its own success; its greatest goals—the defeat of Fascism and Communism—have been achieved. Bipartisan commitment to global security has begun to crumble, and fiscal constraints and weariness with war are eroding America’s will to lead. But global terrorism, the spread of nuclear weapons, and a growing arc of turmoil across the Middle East present challenges to America’s security. Through a series of working groups and reports, the American Internationalism Project at the American Enterprise Institute has established a new bipartisan effort to redefine America’s global role. Senators Joseph Lieberman and Jon Kyl recently released the project’s capstone report. Email Janine [email protected] to learn more. aei.org

Registration is now open for the ALEC Spring Task Force Summit in Savannah, Ga., on May 15. Join hundreds of state lawmakers, industry experts, and like-minded individuals for this one-day policy conference. Register at http://www.alec .org/stfs. The 2015 edition of Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index will soon be released. Mark your calendars for the 2015 Annual Meeting on July 22–24 in San Diego, Calif. alec.org

America’s Future Foundation opened new Lansing, Mich., and Indianapolis chapters in January. Robert Enlow from The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice kicked off the Indianapolis chapter for National School Choice Week. AFF now has 17 chapters around the country, advancing liberty among young professionals. Please consider partnering with AFF to start a new chapter in your city that will help spread your think tank’s message. Contact Kathryn Shelton at [email protected] to learn more. They invite you to save the date of May 27, 2015, for a special 20th anniversary event and annual gala in Washington, D.C. americasfuture.org

In 2015 Atlas Network will celebrate what would have been its founder Sir Antony Fisher’s 100th birthday. Fisher was born on June 28, 1915, in Great Britain. It was F.A. Hayek who convinced Fisher that think tanks, not politics, would be the best way for him to preserve liberty. Fisher helped over 150 think tanks form in his lifetime. Throughout the year, Atlas Network will feature articles and events that celebrate Fisher’s legacy. Do you have a story you would like to share

about Fisher or his impact? If so, send it their way, and they’ll share it this year. atlasnetwork.org

After hosting over 100 events last year, The Bastiat Society is excited to see what their chapters accomplish in 2015! In a recent survey, they found their members, on average, employ nearly 100 people, have dozens of vendors, and personally serve over 2,000 customers. Perhaps somewhat surprising, they also found they are quite willing to share and implement the sound economics and other tools they learn from Bastiat chapter meetings with their business associates. This all adds up to the most well-connected and influential audience in the world. And this is what they plan to capitalize on in 2015. bastiatsociety.org

An op-ed by the Calvert Institute executive director, “Time for Bottom Up Education Reform,” appeared in the Baltimore Sun on Election Day. The Institute also issued a 64-page report by Nicholas Schwaderer, documenting Maryland’s lagging efforts in the use of distance learning in K–12 education as compared with other states. calvertinstitute.org

CAPITAL RESEARCH CENTER

Do activists in your state claim a higher minimum wage will help women? That “paycheck fairness” or ObamaCare will improve women’s lives? The Capital Research Center December Labor Watch refutes these claims and exposes the real war on women and their livelihoods. Does your state have “transparency” activists? CRC’s January Foundation



Watch explains how “transparency” in the Left’s hands doesn’t aim to reveal government misdoings but to expose your donors to public ridicule. And don’t miss their January Labor Watch for a definitive round-up of unions’ political battles in the states. Unions are down, but they’re not out. capitalresearch.org

Reason Foundation released a new study, Reducing Congestion in Denver, that would save Denver commuters $27.6 billion worth of time that would otherwise be wasted sitting in traffic. The report’s author, Baruch Feigenbaum, gave a full presentation in January. Damon Root’s new book, Overruled, has gained wide acclaim as he tours the country explaining libertarian judicial activism. Root’s book focuses on “the long war over judicial activism and judicial restraint from its beginnings in the bloody age of slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction to its central role in today’s blockbuster legal battles over gay rights, gun control, and health care reform.” reason.org

The Center for Competitive Politics obtained an injunction prohibiting California from obtaining its donor information pending resolution of an appeal in the Ninth Circuit. CCP also filed a merits brief in the Tenth Circuit, arguing that advertisements unrelated to elections may not be regulated as “electioneering communications,” and before the en banc D.C. Circuit, arguing that individual contributors shouldn’t have to split their contributions between primary and general elections. CCP submitted comments on the Federal Election Commission’s proposed rulemaking, urging the Commission to regulate with care. CCP also hosted an event commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Citizens United decision. campaignfreedom.org

In December 2014, the Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom published HIPAA Privacy Deception, a report including 12 stories from patients who experienced difficulty when they legally refused to sign the clinic or hospital HIPAA privacy form. Read it at www.bit.ly/hipaastories. Individuals also share their ObamaCare stories with the simple click of a button on the CCHF website. The CCHF office receives daily requests for information on refusing to enroll in ObamaCare, finding an exemption, and joining health sharing. For more national and Minnesota legislative news, sign up for the weekly CCHF Health Freedom eNews on their website. cchfreedom.org

Just as The Black Book of Communism shone a light on the atrocities committed in the name of communism in the 20th century, David Horowitz Freedom Center’s planned 10-volume series, The Black Book of the American Left, exposes the great harm the Left has inflicted on our country over the last 50 years. In these multi-volumes is a diary written over more than half a century that describes one man’s encounters with a movement, which—in the words of Barack Obama, its most prominent figure—is seeking to “fundamentally transform the United States of America.” The diary records the progress of that transformation, documenting the changes of a shape-shifting movement that constantly morphs itself in order to conceal its abiding identity and mission, which, as these pages will make clear, is ultimately one of destruction. Volumes I through IV are available now at www.blackbookoftheamericanleft.com. horowitzfreedomcenter.org

DonorsTrustBuilding a Legacy of Liberty

DonorsTrust starts 2015 with a move to new office space in Alexandria, Va., just across from the King Street Metro. More importantly, they closed 2014 having granted out more money to advance liberty than ever before—more than $95 million. This milestone was possible thanks to friends throughout the liberty movement who referred new clients to DonorsTrust. They always stand ready to help you solve problems for your donors, from legacy planning, tax-advantaged giving, private giving, or protection of donor intent. If they can help you be a hero to your donors, contact Peter Lipsett, director of growth strategies, at 703-535-3563 or [email protected]. donorstrust.org

The Fairness Center, a multi-state, state-based free market litigation group started in 2014 (and currently focused on Pennsylvania), filed its second legal action in late 2014: a labor charge against the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) on behalf of member Mary Trometter. Mary is a professor of culinary arts and a member of the PSEA. Her union used her dues and even her name illegally and unethically, contrary to her and her husband’s principles. The Fairness Center’s attorneys seek relief from the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board to end to such practices in the future. fairnesscenter.org

Foundation for Economic Education is happy to announce applications are open for its nationwide summer seminars, which introduce students ages 14–24 to free market economics and the ideas of the freedom philosophy. Seminar topics include the Economics of Sports, Economics of Political Power, Economics of Entrepreneurship, and Communicating



Liberty. Students should visit www.FEE .org/seminars2015 to view the full seminar lineup and to apply. Additionally, Richard Lorenc has become FEE’s COO, Jason Riddle is the new director of programs, and Carl Oberg is the new director of finance. SPN groups are eligible to receive bulk orders of The Freeman magazine and I, Pencil. Email [email protected]. fee.org

The Fraser Institute’s latest Economic Freedom of North America report ranks the 50 U.S. states, 32 Mexican states, and 10 Canadian provinces. In the report’s U.S.-only rankings, Texas and South Dakota are tied for the highest level of economic freedom, followed by North Dakota, Virginia, New Hampshire, Louisiana, Nebraska, Delaware, and Tennessee. Maine is the least economically free state. To read the full report, visit www.tinyurl.com/mbgsfqg. For more Fraser Institute research, sign up for Fraser Insight at www.tinyurl.com/lfk4fp6. fraserinstitute.org

The Free State Foundation’s Seventh Telecom Policy Conference will be held March 19 at the National Press Club. Speakers include leading senior officials and prominent experts from government, industry, academia, and think tanks. Federal Communication Commissioners Mignon Clyburn, Ajit Pai, and Michael O’Rielly will participate. Recent op-eds concerning communications policy by FSF scholars have been published in the Washington Times, the Washington Examiner, and The Hill. FSF published the tenth scholarly paper, Adding Fuel to the Fire of Genius: Abraham Lincoln, Free Labor, and the Logic of Intellectual Property, in its series

exploring foundational intellectual property principles. freestatefoundation.org

Do you know all there is to know about private school choice, where it exists, who is using it, and how it works? You should if you want to be an effective advocate for educational freedom. To do that, you’ll need The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice’s comprehensive guide to every private school choice program in America. Download or request your copy today at www.edchoice.org/ABCs. edchoice.org

In January, 50 university students from throughout South and Central America, as well as the U.S., attended The Fund for American Studies Institute for Leadership in the Americas in Santiago, Chile. Students attended classes at the University of the Andes where they heard speakers from the U.S. and Chile, including Dr. Brad Thompson of Clemson, TFAS president Roger Ream, and members of the Chilean Congress. TFAS is currently accepting applications for its highly-regarded “Live. Learn. Intern.” summer and semester programs in D.C., which combine internships in public policy and the media with courses for academic credit at George Mason University. Learn more at www.DCinternships.org. tfas.org

Federal regulation of financial markets can work against innovation and economic prosperity by obstructing economic development in complex markets and creating additional risk and uncertainty. This is one finding of a new paper from The Heartland Institute titled Why Do Some Futures Contracts Succeed and

Others Fail? Hilary Till explains how futures contracts produce impressive social benefits, but sometimes are excessively regulated because of the ignorance of elected officials and regulators. The finance industry, Till writes, must “educate the public and policymakers about the important role it plays in a global economy and the benefits it produces for the public.” heartland.org

The Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal released its 2015 Index of Economic Freedom in January, ranking countries on rule of law, government size, regulatory efficiency, and open markets. Its two-day policy summit, co-hosted with Heritage Action for America, highlighted solutions from its newly released Opportunity for All, Favoritism to None book. More than 20 Members of Congress spoke at the conference on legislation they have drafted to advance these solutions, and more than 100 members of the media covered the event. Heritage’s 2015 Resource Bank will be at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue, Washington, May 6–8. heritage.org

In January, The Independent Institute hosted a sold-out event with legendary entrepreneur, investor, and author Peter Thiel who spoke on “Developing the Developed World: Entrepreneurship, Liberty, and the Future.” Based on his new, #1 New York Times best-selling book, Zero to One, Thiel presented his often contrarian ideas about competition, progress, technology, and finding value in unexpected places. Enthusiastically received, his presentation brought these ideas to life and revealed his insights on how to create true innovations and foster a peaceful, prosperous, and freer future marked by globalization in a world of limited resources. independent.org



A new year brings more bad Washington policies. Institute for Policy Innovation experts pushed back against President Obama’s proposed entitlement expansions, warning that new business mandates and taxpayer freebies would hamper companies from hiring and put more than 57 percent of the public on the federal dole. Tom Giovanetti called Obama’s push to preempt laws limiting municipal broadband schemes in 19 states a “horrifying violation of separation of powers,” while IPI also urged Congress to preempt the FCC’s net neutrality power grab and make complete and permanent the ban on Internet access and multiple or discriminatory taxes online. ipi.org

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute team is gearing up for a busy slate of nine spring and summer leadership development conferences. Highlights include the third annual “Arguing Conservatism” debate and rhetoric symposium at the Russell Kirk Center in Mecosta, Mich.; two summer Honors Conferences for top undergraduates in Seattle, Wash., and Richmond, Va.; the annual “Start the Presses” conference for aspiring student journalists in Bryn Mawr, Pa.; and regional conferences in Colorado Springs, Colo., and Portland, Ore. To learn more about ISI’s conferences and to apply to attend, visit their website. isi.org

The Jesse Helms Center president, John Dodd, along with board member and former Assistant Secretary of Defense, Robert Wilkie, wrote an op-ed about the Senate report on post 9/11 interrogations that criticized the U.N. Commission

for Human Rights for advocating the prosecution of individuals implicated in the Senate report. They reminded readers of why the late Senator Jesse Helms successfully blocked the empowerment of the United Nations International Criminal Court. Also, the Center recently celebrated the 15th Anniversary of Senator Helms’ historic U.N. Security Council speech. Both the op-ed and Senator Helms’ U.N. speech can be found online at their website. jessehelmscenter.org

Higher education isn’t lost. Privately funded academic centers are reclaiming the knowledge that the academy has abandoned and spurring objective scholarship, a spirit of inquiry, and respect for tradition. Jay Schalin shared that message at three events in February and March. Jay is author of Renewal in the University, published by The John W. Pope Center for Higher Education Policy. He spoke in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Raleigh, N.C. Said Schalin: “The academic landscape is now dotted with 150 or so academic centers that promote the open and objective study of Western civilization, capitalism, and political theory.” popecenter.org

Just Facts has published a scrupulously documented 600-foonote resource of facts about unions and labor laws. This research provides a systematic trove of highly credible, primary sources about the legal aspects and economic ramifications of private- and public-sector unions. It also delivers unique and cutting-edge research about union card check campaigns, the infringement of employees’ Constitutional rights through forced representation, and other crucial aspects of this issue. You can find this research at www.justfacts.com/unions.asp. justfacts.com

Since its founding in 2014, Keystone Community Hope, a Pennsylvania free market community organizing outfit, has knocked on more than 10,000 doors and connected with hundreds of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who support free market principles and policies. KCH’s neighborhood-organizing model will enable free market forces in Pennsylvania to better reach and educate sympathetic Pennsylvanians in critical regions, like the Greater Philadelphia Area. keystonecommunityhope.com

The Liberty Foundation of America launched a current events news magazine, The Torch, in January. The publication covers issues related to energy, agriculture, national security, and economic policy, and two-time Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Michael Ramirez (of Investor’s Business Daily) is a regular contributing editor. LFA also completed its program of moderating Strategic Liberty Summits in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, South Carolina, and for SPN, with over 100 participants to help identify emerging issues and opportunities to be on offense. Prophetically, in early December they also gathered U.S. and European policy leaders for a Security Summit in London covering the reemergence of terrorist groups and how best to prepare for such groups. libertyfound.org

Basic scientific research is foundational to the future of innovation, yet U.S. spending on research has been flat or declining for over fifteen years. In February, the Manhattan Institute released a report by



senior fellow Mark Mills calling for major restructuring of how the federal government funds scientific research. This winter, the Manhattan Institute welcomed four research fellows to its team: Josh McGee, who specializes in pension reform and education; Charles Calomiris, who specializes in monetary policy, corporate finance, banking, and other economic issues; Adam White, an accomplished editor, lawyer, and regulatory strategist; and Aaron Renn, a renowned urban policy expert. Visit their website to learn more. manhattan-institute.org

Mercatus Center scholars rang in the New Year with practical policy prescriptions for health care, pension, and fiscal health. In The Crisis in State and Local Pensions, Eileen Norcross and Emily Washington discuss pension ailments facing states and tangible steps to strengthen public retirees’ funds. David Mitchell and Dean Stansel explain why certain states perform better in economic downturns in State Fiscal Crises: States’ Abilities to Withstand Recessions. Matthew Mitchell, Anna Mills, and Dana Williams give three ways to make state health care markets more competitive in their publication, Three Prescriptions for States to Improve Health Care. mercatus.org

This month the Moving Picture Institute and Foundation for Economic Education will host a seminar for young pro-freedom filmmakers titled Freedom on the Big Screen: Communicating Liberty through Film. The seminar will feature MPI filmmakers and staff, who are empowering young artists to tell moving stories about individual rights and more. MPI-supported documentary Dreaming Against the World, about an illegally imprisoned artist struggling to survive China’s Cultural Revolution, will premiere this spring. Visit www.thempi.org/

films for more information. To learn more about their work, visit www.thempi.org/reel. Contact [email protected] to arrange screenings for your organization and recommend filmmakers for support. thempi.org

The National Center for Policy Analysis has partnered with The Beacon Hill Institute to expand its Tax Analysis Center research. Using dynamic analysis, the Tax Analysis Center will evaluate current and proposed tax and spending plans. The NCPA has issued several state-specific Medicaid reports, as well as a 50-state analysis of Medicaid expansion (www.ncpa.org/pub/st343). If you would like information on Medicaid expansion in your state, check their website at www.ncpa.org. On January 29, the NCPA held a Washington, D.C., briefing to educate congressional staffers about free market innovation in the health care sector. The briefing featured Senior Fellow Devon Herrick along with several entrepreneurial companies. ncpa.org

The National Center for Public Policy Research filed over three dozen shareholder resolutions with corporations to defend liberty and free markets. The Center ended 2014 having challenged CEOs directly at 52 shareholder meetings. Its black leadership group, Project 21, conservatism’s best defense against the race card, filed several amicus briefs in racially-sensitive cases while its members averaged 110 live radio/TV interviews monthly. Their Risk Analysis Division succeeded in cutting federal funding for local nanny state lobbying initiatives, while their Health Care Reform Task Force issued a major study warning consumers to expect exorbitantly higher ObamaCare premiums this year. nationalcenter.org

The U.S. Supreme Court suggested in its 2012 Knox ruling, litigated by the National Right to Work Foundation, that it is ready to reassess whether union bosses’ forced dues powers violate workers’ First Amendment rights. In response, nine airline baggage handlers and flight attendants, assisted by Foundation staff attorneys, sued the Transport Workers Union of America seeking to establish railroad and airline workers’ right to refrain from paying any union dues or fees. In December 2014, a federal district court judge granted the case class-action status. Underscoring the case’s significance, the Department of Justice then intervened in the case to defend the constitutionality of forced union fees. nrtw.org

Pacific Legal Foundation attorneys, whose efforts helped defeat similar laws in Oregon, Kentucky, and Missouri, have turned their sights on Montana’s “competitors’ veto” law, which allows established transportation businesses to object to upstart competitors. PLF filed a lawsuit on behalf of Tracy Pabst, who wants to start a taxi company in Montana. It challenges the constitutionality of the state’s Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity requirement for taxi companies. John M. Groen, an experienced property rights litigator, has joined PLF as a principal attorney. Attorneys Wen Fa, Christopher Kieser, and Ethan Blevins are fellows in PLF’s College of Public Interest Law. pacificlegal.org

Reason Foundation released a new study on Reducing Congestion in Denver that would save commuters $27.6 billion worth of time that would otherwise be wasted sitting



in traffic. The report’s author, Baruch Feigenbaum, gave a full presentation in January. Damon Root’s new book, Overruled, has gained wide acclaim as he tours the country explaining libertarian judicial activism. Root’s book focuses on “the long war over judicial activism and judicial restraint from its beginnings in the bloody age of slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction to its central role in today’s blockbuster legal battles over gay rights, gun control, and health care reform.” reason.org

There’s lots to look forward to at Spark Freedom. Catch a SparkSession for timely advice on the topic of the month. If you subscribe at www.sparkfreedom.org/sparksession, they’ll remind you. In March, Spark Freedom attends SXSW Interactive. Read about the latest marketing trends they find there on their blog. Already this year they’ve worked with 12 freedom-oriented organizations, helping with issue campaigns and marketing/communications capacity. Want to work with them? Reach out to Lasse Lund at [email protected] or 615-215-1720. When you do, you may want to say congratulations; Lasse has just been promoted to vice president. sparkfreedom.org

Don’t miss The Steamboat Institute’s 7th Annual Freedom Conference, August 28–29, in the spectacular Rocky Mountain setting of Steamboat Springs, Colo. This two-day event features a retreat-like mountain setting, scenic gondola ride to the keynote dinner, live musical entertainment, and much more! Register online at their website. This event will sell out! steamboatinstitute.org

The Tax Foundation released its new book reviewing Nevada’s tax system and making recommendations for improvements, as well as its handy Facts & Figures booklet of state tax rates and rankings. Check both out on their website. taxfoundation.org

STATE ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE TRANSITION TO COMMON CORE 1

State Accountability in the Transition to Common Core

Many states across the nation are well underway with the challenging work of implementing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). But what does a thoughtful transition from existing to new standards look like? And what are the implications for accountability systems in the interim? After all, high-quality accountability policies must be linked to reliable measures of outcomes, such as student growth and proficiency rates and results from principal and teacher evaluations—all of which are contentious and difficult to develop and put in place but even more so when state educational standards are in flux.

The purpose of this brief is to provide Common Core “insiders” with some cautionary advice about what key policymakers and influentials in a handful of states now see as transition challenges. In August and September 2013, the research team at Fordham interviewed officials and policy advocates in five states—Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, and New York—to glean how they are approaching accountability in the transition to the Common Core. We asked leaders about their plans for using student data during this transition period, and in particular what the “stakes” would be for schools, educators, and students. While we found nuances in each state, four trends emerged across our small sample.1

1 The accountability moratorium is here. Punitive consequences associated with accountability

are largely being put on hold during the transition to Common Core.

In many states, Common Core implementation has unfolded gradually. The standards were initially piloted in select grades, schools, and districts, with new content added to student assessments incrementally. While

implementation is now ramping up across the nation, many critical components of existing accountability systems (such as how to calculate growth as students transition to new exams and what to do about growth-based accountability and evaluation systems for teachers, schools, and/or districts) remain to be determined. For example, an official in Colorado stated that many accountability decisions that require student data will remain unresolved until they have hard data and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test fully in place. Policymakers and educators alike are grappling with the reality that the inputs (such as state tests) used in accountability measures are changing—and they are often resistant to using student test data to trigger negative consequences usually associated with poor performance. Of particular concern is how to calculate growth as students transition from one exam to another and what to do about growth-based accountability and evaluation systems in the interim. Our conversations indicate that in light of these challenges, policymakers are, by and large, planning to pause the consequences associated with these systems.

Proponents of this tempered approach stress that it is simply smart implementation. (Of course, it’s also smart politics.) They emphasize the difficulty of gauging student learning and calculating learning gains as assessments change from one year to the next, and they contend that until the new assessments can be validated, it’s unfair to base teacher and school evaluations on state standardized-test data. To wit, several states have formally adopted a “hold-harmless” approach to accountability in the transition, prohibiting high-stakes consequences until the standards have been fully implemented. Others are taking a similar approach to accountability.

(Updated: May 2014) December 2013

by Victoria Sears

A core assumption of the education reform movement is that excellent schools can be engines of upward mobility. In tandem with the release of several papers, Fordham held a path-breaking conference, considering thorny questions, including: Is “college for all” the right goal? What

do we mean by “college”? What can schools do to develop non-cognitive skills? Should technical education be a central part of the reform agenda? How about apprenticeships? What can we learn from the military’s success in working with disadvantaged youth? Download the papers and watch the event panels at their website. edexcellence.net

Young America’s Foundation continues to serve as the largest youth organization in the conservative movement through its broad reach to high school and college students. YAF will host its spring High School Conference at the Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara, Calif., from March 19–21. YAF will also host its New England Regional Conference for college students from March 27–28 in Nashua, N.H. In addition, YAF will host a Wisconsin Regional Conference from April 10–11 in Milwaukee for college students. These conferences offer opportunities for students to learn more about the conservative movement and to hear from the leading speakers and activists. Students can learn more on YAFs website. yaf.org


of other organizations. Or a one-off meeting that produces an unexpected gift is over-interpreted to mean that every introduction at the country club will be golden. Fundraising then becomes all about chasing rich people at the expense of cultivating lower-dollar donors who have already made a financial commitment to the organization and who have a greater lifetime giving value than the rich person who has never given a gift.

Consistency allows organizations to assess what is and is not working over time. It fosters testing, evaluating, and

recalibrating based upon outcomes, not hunches. High-performing organizations take time to assess their results, and they create accountability measures—like quarterly development assessments, development audits, and regular accountability meetings—where they can learn from their successes and failures. Consistency will take the guesswork out of your fundraising.

CONSISTENCY FROM PAGE 3

Jeffrey Cain is a founding partner at American Philanthropic, LLC. He lives in Poulsbo, Wash., with his wife and three children.

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