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Regulation
June 21, 2019
Texas Bill Addressing ‘Wild, Wild West’ of Pecan Theft Would License Buyers
Pecan thieves have allegedly moved in from New Mexico and are stealing from orchards. Licensing pecan buyers is this bill's solution.
Criminal Justice
June 20, 2019
Michigan House Considers Reforming ‘Good Moral Character’ Clauses
Overly broad morals clauses can create a barrier to gainful employment.
Regulation
June 19, 2019
Northeastern States Embrace, Other States Prohibit, Plastic Bag Bans
Minnesota is one of a growing number of states that has enacted a state-wide law prohibiting local governments from banning or regulating bags.
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Environment
June 19, 2019
New York City Mayor de Blasio Vows to Ban Glass and Steel Skyscrapers
New York City’s iconic and historic glass and steel skyscrapers have no place in the city under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Green New Deal, unless they undergo extensive and expensive retrofitting
Government Spending
June 18, 2019
Debt, Deficits and the Cost of Free Lunches
It seems that every generation or two, fundamental economic ideas are questioned and challenged.
Health Care
June 18, 2019
Trump Administration Expands Options for Health Reimbursement Arrangements
The Trump administration approved a new rule that gives businesses more options in providing health care coverage to their employees through Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA).

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News
June 21, 2019
Texas Bill Addressing ‘Wild, Wild West’ of Pecan Theft Would License Buyers
By Kenneth Artz
Pecan thieves have allegedly moved in from New Mexico and are stealing from orchards. Licensing pecan buyers is this bill's solution.
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June 20, 2019
Michigan House Considers Reforming ‘Good Moral Character’ Clauses
By Jeff Reynolds
Overly broad morals clauses can create a barrier to gainful employment.
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June 19, 2019
Northeastern States Embrace, Other States Prohibit, Plastic Bag Bans
By Kelsey Hackem
Minnesota is one of a growing number of states that has enacted a state-wide law prohibiting local governments from banning or regulating bags.
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June 19, 2019
New York City Mayor de Blasio Vows to Ban Glass and Steel Skyscrapers
By Kenneth Artz
New York City’s iconic and historic glass and steel skyscrapers have no place in the city under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Green New Deal, unless they undergo extensive and expensive retrofitting
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June 18, 2019
Debt, Deficits and the Cost of Free Lunches
By Richard Ebeling
It seems that every generation or two, fundamental economic ideas are questioned and challenged.
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June 18, 2019
Trump Administration Expands Options for Health Reimbursement Arrangements
By AnneMarie Schieber
The Trump administration approved a new rule that gives businesses more options in providing health care coverage to their employees through Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA).
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Type
June 17, 2019
Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Another Attempt to Regulate Refrigerants for Climate Reasons
By Kenneth Artz
The United States D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in April struck down another attempt to restrict the use of hydrofluorocarbons, a refrigerant, based on its being a greenhouse gas.
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June 14, 2019
Heartland Institute Responds to AP Story on Will Happer
By Jim Lakely
This is hardly a scoop, let alone a scandal.
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June 14, 2019
Proposed Texas High-Speed Rail Project Faces Legislative Opposition
By Bonner R. Cohen
A privately financed, high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas
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June 13, 2019
U.S. Transition to 100 Percent Renewable Energy ‘Would Lead to Catastrophe,’ Study Says
By Kenneth Artz
Any effort to require that 100 percent of the electric power supply in any one state or for the United States as a whole come from renewable power energy sources would lead to extremely high costs and power shortages.
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June 12, 2019
Michigan Governor Proposes Raising Gas Tax to Nation’s Highest
By Bonner R. Cohen
Whitmer proposes to raise the gas tax from 26 cents per gallon to 71 cents per gallon.
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June 11, 2019
Washington State to Allow Composting of Human Corpses
By Kenneth Artz
Washington State became the first state in the nation to legalize an accelerated decomposition method to transform deceased persons into soil after Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill passed by state legislators.
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June 10, 2019
Tennessee Considers Licensing Art Therapists
By Jake Grant
The bill would require art therapists to have a master’s degree in art therapy and a thousand hours of clinical training.
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June 10, 2019
Federal Court Rejects Northeastern States Bid to Expand Ozone Regulations to Other States
By Kenneth Artz
The District of Columbia Appeals Court rejected North East states efforts to force the Environmental Protection Agency to include more states in a regional ozone organization.
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June 7, 2019
Utah ‘Clean Slate’ Law Will Expunge Convictions for Nonviolent Offenses
By Jake Grant
Measure passed unanimously by state legislature automates the process of expunging criminal records.
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June 7, 2019
Ohio Plans Medicaid Work Requirements as Trump Administration Appeals Ruling
By Bonner R. Cohen
The Trump administration is appealing rulings by a federal court that have blocked the implementation of Medicaid work requirements in Kentucky and found a similar program already in place in Arkansas violates federal law.
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June 6, 2019
Commentary: An Income Tax Hike Would Shrink the U.S. Economy
By David Ranson
Raising the top personal income tax bracket to 70 percent would reduce GDP by an estimated 11 percent.
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June 6, 2019
South Dakota’s Governor Gets Bill to Punish Violent Pipeline Protests
By H. Sterling Burnett
South Dakota's legislature adopted a legislative package, aimed at preventing the kind of violent protests that delayed and raised the costs of the Dakota Access pipeline in North Dakota.
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June 5, 2019
New Hampshire Education Tax Credits Survive Legislative Challenges
By Ashley Herzog
Program serves low-income New Hampshire students.
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June 5, 2019
Family Planning Pilot Program Wants No Government Funding
By Ashley Bateman
The organization behind a program to provide free health care to underserved women says it has no interest in federal grant money because it wants to deliver its family planning message without government intrusion.
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Type
June 5, 2019
Medicaid Expansion in Kansas Averted
By Bonner R. Cohen
The Kansas State Legislature adjourned for the year after deciding not to expand Medicaid coverage to as many as 150,000 additional residents in the state.
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June 5, 2019
FERC Approves New Natural Gas Pipeline Expansion in the Northeast
By H. Sterling Burnett
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission concluded a proposed pipeline project carrying natural gas from the shale fields of Pennsylvania connecting to utilities throughout the Northeast was in the public interest and approved its construction.
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June 4, 2019
Texas Senate Passes Legislation to Combat Surprise Medical Bills
By Bonner R. Cohen
By an overwhelming 29-2 margin, the Texas Senate approved legislation designed to prevent patients from being subjected to surprise medical bills.
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June 4, 2019
Tennessee General Assembly Passes ‘Right to Shop’ Price Transparency Bill
By Ashley Herzog
The Tennessee General Assembly passed a Right to Shop bill intended to help consumers find out the true cost of the medical services they receive.
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Type
June 4, 2019
Lawmakers Fight for Certificate of Need Reform in Missouri and Tennessee
By AnneMarie Schieber
Editor’s Note: With legislative sessions winding down in Missouri and Tennessee, three state lawmakers are hopeful their bills have opened the door to reform and eventual repeal of their states’ certificate of need (CON) laws.
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June 4, 2019
Texas House Bill Pushes ER Insurance Network Transparency
The Texas State Legislature is considering a bill that would require freestanding emergency rooms (ERs), those separated from hospitals, to post notice of the health benefit plans for which the facility is an in-network provider.
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June 3, 2019
New Mexico Strikes Down Local Right-to-Work Laws
By Bonner R. Cohen
A number of New Mexico counties adopted right-to-work ordinances, then the Legislature stepped in.
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June 3, 2019
FDA Considers Changing Labeling Requirements for Nondairy ‘Milk’ Products
By Ashley Herzog
The FDA is considering modifying the definitions, called “standards of identity,” for a variety of food products.
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stethoscope and insurance docs
June 3, 2019
Maryland Legislature Passes Clampdown on Prescription Drug Costs
By AnneMarie Schieber
A bill to create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board cleared the Maryland General Assembly and has been sent to Gov. Larry Hogan for his signature.
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June 3, 2019
Maine Bans the Sale and Distribution of Styrofoam Containers
By H. Sterling Burnett
Ignoring objections raised by business groups, conservative politicians, and consumers, Maine became the first state in the country to ban Styrofoam, also known as polystyrene.
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June 3, 2019
ALS Patient Gets Running Start with ‘Free to Choose Medicine’ Movement
An experimental treatment that enabled a man with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to literally run around the room while testifying before a FDA panel has cast a new light on the agency’s process of approving life-improving treatments quickly.
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June 3, 2019
Congress Considers Boosting Generic Drugs with CREATES Act
By Ashley Herzog
With bipartisan support, Congress is moving forward with the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act, which aims to expand market opportunities for generic drugs.
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May 31, 2019
Georgia Pares Back CON Laws
After some back and forth in the Georgia General Assembly, Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law significant reforms to the state’s Certificate of Need (CON) process.
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May 31, 2019
Upcoming Medicare Insolvency Poses Big Challenges for Government, Individuals
By Kelsey Hackem
Medicare’s assets will be depleted by 2026, the 2019 Medicare Board of Trustees Annual Report states.
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Type
May 31, 2019
North Carolina Senate Rejects Medicaid Expansion
By Bonner R. Cohen
A rarely used state Senate rule and growing concerns over the potential cost of providing health care to tens of thousands of additional low-income residents in North Carolina stymied efforts to enact Medicaid expansion in this year’s legislative session.
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Type
May 31, 2019
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Approves Two New Gas Export Projects
By H. Sterling Burnett
The United States Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved two new Liquefied Natural Gas export projects in April.
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May 31, 2019
HHS Changes Family Planning Grant Rules to Allow More Providers
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) made revisions to the rules on Title X funding to give low-income women more options for health care and family planning services.
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Type
May 30, 2019
Two People Affected by Columbine Shooting Promote Solutions to School Violence
By Lennie Jarratt
In the 20 years since the April 20, 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, two people who were affected by that day have taken up the issue of student safety.
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May 29, 2019
Tesla Posts Big Losses as Government Subsidies Wane
By H. Sterling Burnett
Tesla reported losses of $702 million during the first quarter of 2019, breaking a streak of two straight quarters posting a profit.
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May 29, 2019
Florida Legislature Approves International Drug Purchasing
Florida has joined Colorado, Missouri, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia in attempting to save money on prescription drugs by importing them from another country.
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