The Leaflet: Don’t Miss The Heartland Institute’s 2019 Emerging Issues Forum!

Published July 11, 2019

In August, The Heartland Institute will be hosting our annual Emerging Issues Forum (EIF) in Austin, Texas. On August 12th and 13th, Heartland staff, state lawmakers, and policy experts will discuss legislative issues and strategies to promote free-market policy reforms.

This year, EIF’s topics will include discussions related to budgets and taxes, education, environment and energy, and health care. Heartland and the Texas Public Policy Foundation will also host a panel on criminal justice reform.

Attending EIF is free for elected officials, their spouses, and staff. The Heartland Institute also offers hotel accommodations for the nights of the 12th and 13th and travel scholarships to our Legislative Forum members.

Heartland’s Legislative Forum is a group of like-minded legislators from across the country. Membership includes invitations and travel scholarships to Heartland events, as well as exclusive access to Heartland staff and research fellows.

You can sign up for EIF here. We hope to see you in Austin this August!

What We’re Working On

Energy & Environment
New Analysis Estimates Cost of Transition to 100 Percent Renewables Would Be $4.5 Trillion
In this Research & Commentary, Policy Analyst Tim Benson looks at a new analysis from the Scottish consulting firm Wood Mackenzie that shows the cost of transitioning the United States to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030, as recommended by the “Green New Deal” and other overzealous climate change plans, would cost at least $4.5 trillion over that time period. That means a $35,000 cost to each American household, around $1,750 per year for 20 years.

Education
Forced Collection of Teachers’ Union Dues Contested in Federal Court
In this article for Budget & Tax News, Ashley Herzog writes about how a federal district court in California is considering a case to decide whether teachers have to pay union dues if they are not informed membership is voluntary and they are waiving certain First Amendment rights by joining. The U.S. Supreme Court decided in Janus v. AFSCME that government employees cannot be forced to join a union and pay dues. Initially, five California teachers filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming they were not informed of their rights when the California Teachers Association pushed them to sign “recommitment agreements” in 2018 requiring them to pay dues until 2020.

Health Care
Policy Tip Sheet: Work Requirements Are Crucial to Stabilizing State Medicaid Programs
In this Policy Tip Sheet, Senior Policy Analyst Matthew Glans discusses how work requirements are desperately needed to ensure the long-term viability of Medicaid and keep costs under control. “Work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents are vital for states to ensure the long-term viability of Medicaid. Work requirements also help people move from government dependence to self-reliance. A well-paying job is the best way for people to lead happy, healthy, and productive lives,” wrote Glans.

Budget & Tax
Research & Commentary: Lowering Income Taxes Benefits Ohio Taxpayers
In this Research & Commentary, Senior Policy Analyst Matthew Glans examines a tax reform proposal in Ohio that would lower income taxes and why the cuts will help the state’s economy. “Income taxes are antithetical to economic growth. They discourage capital formation, innovation, and job creation. Meanwhile, cutting income taxes would boost Ohio’s economy by leaving more money in the pockets of Buckeye State residents to spend, save, and invest,” wrote Glans.

From our Free-Market Friends
No, Americans Are Not Worse Off Today Than They Were in the 1970s
Through the use of fuzzy math, the “myth of stagnating living standards” is spreading quickly through social media. Our friends at the Foundation for Economic Education have debunked this myth by proving middle-income Americans are 34 percent better off in 2016 than in 1977.