The House of Representatives prepares to vote on a $3 trillion stimulus bill, which includes $875 billion for state and local governments.
Medicaid: The Feds Have Failed To Stop the Waste and Mismanagement, Let The States Try
Medicaid is losing billions to waste, fraud, and abuse, and the program is crushing state budgets The feds haven’t been able to fix it. Let the states try.
New USDA SNAP Rules and Work Requirements Come at the Perfect Time for Job Seekers
The December 2019 jobs report, released on January 10, 2020 confirms what everyone already knows; the economy is strong and the jobs market is robust. The U.S. added 145,000 new jobs in December, the unemployment rate persisted at a fifty-year low of 3.5 percent, and average earnings rose slightly, with the year over year gain at […]
The End to the Chicago Teacher Strike Underscores Pension Crisis
While Windy City children can finally start heading back to school, the Chicago Teachers Union’s (CTU) 11-day strike resulted in no reform, to the detriment of students, taxpayers, and the fiscal health of the entire state of Illinois. With a median salary of $78,000, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) teachers make more than 60 percent of […]
Treat: Have Some Candy and Legally Bet on Your Favorite Sports Team
States with legal sports betting are thriving and bringing home the candied bacon.
D.C. Soda Tax Could Give Taxpayers A Nasty Toothache
The D.C. City Council could approve one of the highest soda taxes in the nation. On October 7, 2019, D.C. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1) introduced the Healthy Beverage Choices Act, which would place a 1.5 cent-per-ounce excise tax on sweetened beverages. The tax would be the third highest in the country, after Seattle, Washington and […]
A National Framework is Needed for Privacy Protection
Congress must promptly address consumer data privacy.
Time to Move Forward on a National Privacy Framework is Now
I was recently given a new watch by my husband. He was excited about the watch because of all the great things it was going to do for me. Even though I work on technology issues, the only real purpose of a watch in my mind is to tell time. This is where I ran […]
States Provide Solutions to Federal Budget Woes
With looming trillion-dollar deficits, it’s time for the federal government to learn a thing or two about budget process reform and other cost-savings measures from state governments. Fundamentally, the federal budget process is similar to state budgets in that they acquire revenue, mostly through taxes, and spend it in ways that legislators see fit. A […]
Legal Sports Betting Scores Big With Taxpayers
The year 2019 has been a landmark year for sports betting, with one in four Americans living in a state where the practice is legal. Since the 2018 Supreme Court ruling overturning the federal prohibition, states are now permitted to pass sports betting legislation. After the decision, 17 states have fully embraced the ruling, while others have rejected or […]