The Heartland Institute would like to invite you to its 2017 Emerging Issues Forum and America First Energy Conference, which will be held November 7–9 at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Houston, Texas.
The Emerging Issues Forum (EIF) will look to the future and explore state public policies in the areas of economics, education, health care, and more. Immediately following EIF, Heartland will host the America First Energy Conference. This event will examine President Donald Trump’s bold proposal to transform the United States’ energy goals beyond mere energy independence and determine where America stands today in the global energy market.
During these two conferences, elected officials, policy analysts, and government affairs professionals from more than 25 states will convene in Texas to explore innovative solutions to the top policy issues facing the states in 2018 and beyond.
Admission is free for elected officials and legislative staff. Registration includes admission to the forum and conference. The Heartland Institute also has a limited number of travel scholarships and complimentary accommodations at the host hotel still available for state lawmakers who become members of Heartland’s Legislative Forum. If you are not currently a member of membership is only $99 for two years and $179 for a lifetime – it pays for itself!
Below is just a small sample of what will be covered at the events:
Health Care. There are many steps states can take to encourage competition and reduce the cost of health care, despite federal inaction on Obamacare. Solutions that will be discussed include how states can use the waiver process to get more flexibility from federal Obamacare and Medicaid requirements. The panel will also discuss certificate of need laws, dental health care, and direct primary care.
Budget and Tax. In recent months and years, some states have been passing right-to-work laws, lowering taxes, and reforming their public pension systems, while others have been increasing taxes and adding regulations. This panel will discuss which policies are working and which are failing.
Education. Education outcomes in America continue to lag compared to other industrialized nations, but educational choice options such as education savings accounts and charter schools continue to expand in many states. This panel will analyze the roadblocks to transforming education and offer solutions for how states can expand education freedom for parents everywhere.
To reserve your place at the events or to join the Legislative Forum, contact Government Relations Coordinator Arianna Wilkerson at 312/377-4000 or by email at [email protected].
See you in November!
What We’re Working On
Health Care
Research & Commentary: Dental Therapy Would Help with Michigan’s Dentist Shortage
In this Research & Commentary, Senior Policy Analyst Matthew Glans examines a new proposal offered in Michigan to improve access to dental care by expanding the role of dental therapists. “Allowing dental therapists to practice in more states would help to close gaps in dental care access and ensure patients receive preventive and restorative treatments when and where they need them,” wrote Glans.
Budget & Tax
WI State Rep. Rob Hutton: Prevailing Wage Repeal Protects Local and State Taxpayers
In this episode of the weekly Budget & Tax News Podcast, Managing Editor and Research Fellow Jesse Hathaway speaks with Wisconsin state Rep. Rob Hutton (R-Brookfield) about how Wisconsin lawmakers are protecting local and state taxpayers’ money by including prevailing-wage repeal in the state’s biennial budget bill. “Prevailing-wage laws require government agencies to regulate the compensation given to workers on government capital projects, such as school construction and road repair, Hutton says, instead of allowing businesses to set their own pay rates according to true market value.”
Education
Research & Commentary: Strike Vouchers Would Help Keep Vermont Children in Classrooms During Teacher Walkouts
In this Research & Commentary, Tim Benson, a Heartland policy analyst, and Lennie [JH1] , project manager for Heartland’s Center for Transforming Education, discuss a recent four-day strike by teachers in Burlington, Vermont. Benson and Jarratt argue their plan to implement strike vouchers and SOS accounts would help keep kids in the classroom during strikes and free as many families as possible from the constant tug-of-war occurring between teachers unions and school districts.
Energy & Environment
President Streamlines Infrastructure Construction
This story from Environment & Climate News discusses President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive order that eliminates and streamlines some permitting regulations. By improving these processes, the construction of critical infrastructure – such as roads, bridges, and pipelines – will be sped up. The order establishes a “one federal decision policy,” under which a single lead federal agency will work with others to complete environmental reviews and permitting decisions. All federal permitting decisions will have to be made within 90 days. The plan also rolls back standards set by President Barack Obama that had required the federal government when building infrastructure projects to assume in its plans there will be climate change and sea-level rise in the future.
From Our Free-Market Friends
Bold New Approaches Needed for Louisiana
Daniel Erspamer, CEO of the Pelican Institute for Public Policy, recently wrote in The Advocate about the unemployment and income growth problems facing Louisianans and the pro-growth solutions that can solve them. Louisiana is one of four states that experienced a decline in median household income from 2015 to 2016, and it has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. Erspamer calls for a transformation of the state’s government, which continues to overspend, overtax, and overregulate. Pro-growth solutions include eliminating burdensome red tape, expanding education choice, and reforming the state’s judicial system.
Arianna Wilkerson worked in government relations at The Heartland Institute from 2017 – 2019.
