Georgia Lawmakers Propose Modest Changes to State Film Tax Credits
The credits cost the state over $1.3 billion per year with a 19 percent return on investment. Lawmakers' proposals will do little to change that.
State Governments
Bill Would Have Required Coloradans To Register Their Pets, at $8.50 Each
The bill, which has thankfully been withdrawn, was an unnecessary state intrusion into Coloradans' lives.
AI Versus Age-Verification Laws
AI tools churning out images of fake IDs could help people get around online age-check laws.
University Budget Cuts Were Overdue
Several large public universities are getting multimillion dollar budget cuts.
Study Funded by Shell Convinced Pennsylvania To Give Shell $1.6 Billion Tax Break
The tax credits currently rank as the largest subsidy in state history.
Politics Created the Border Crisis
Plus: A listener asks if libertarians are too obsessed with economic growth.
California Stopped San Francisco's $1.7 Million Toilet. The City Can't Build Something Cheaper.
"Why isn't there a toilet here? I just don't get it. Nobody does," one resident told The New York Times last week. "It's yet another example of the city that can't."
A Constitutionally Dubious California Bill Would Ban Possession of AI-Generated Child Pornography
The proposal seems to conflict with a Supreme Court ruling against laws that criminalize mere possession of obscene material.
The Twisted Logic of Greg Abbott's Border Policy
Undocumented immigrants aren’t the same as an invading army, but the Texas governor keeps acting like they are.
'The Most Horrible Thing I've Ever Seen': Alabama Executes Inmate With Experimental Method
Kenneth Eugene Smith was likely the first person in the world to be executed by nitrogen hypoxia.
The Government Is Better at Picking Losers Than Winners
It's taxpayers who lose when politicians give gifts, grants, and loans to private companies.
DeSantis Rightly Rejects GOP Bill To Help Fund Trump's Legal Defense
It is not the job of Florida taxpayers to support state officials' preferred presidential candidates.
Wisconsin Could Make It Impossible for Cottage Food Producers To Make a Living
A new bill would impose a $20,000 annual sales cap, which would make the state’s cottage food regime one of the most restrictive in the nation.
Democratic Attorneys General Support Censorship
In an amicus brief filed in Murthy v. Missouri, they ignore basic tenets of First Amendment law in order to quash online speech they don't like.
Will Arizona Legalize Its Tamale Black Market This Year?
A veto from Gov. Katie Hobbs killed a bill that would’ve brought the trade above ground. Now lawmakers have launched a new legalization effort.
How Much Will Taxpayers Pay for Virginia's $2 Billion Arena Plan?
How much public money will be used remains unclear. The consensus answer seems to be "a lot."
Newsom Nixes Psychedelic Decriminalization and Cannabis Cafés
Gavin Newsom supported a ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana in California but rejected a social consumption measure.
Welfare Is Great—for the Welfare Bureaucrats
The clients get a confusing maze and a lot of incentives to stay on welfare.
State Governments Promised Private Companies More than $10 Billion in Subsidies Last Year
The statistic, compiled by watchdog group Good Jobs First, only takes into account "megadeals" involving at least $50 million in subsidies.
Biden Administration Quietly Extended the Unnecessary COVID Bailout for States and Local Governments
Republican senators say the change is "mind-bending and deeply concerning."
10 Stories That Drove Free-Range Parents Crazy in 2023
And some good news, after all.
Why a Huge Budget Deficit Might Be Good News for California
California is facing a projected deficit of $68 billion, a larger amount than the entire annual budget of the state of Florida.
G.M. To Lay Off 1,300 Michigan Workers Despite $824 Million in State Incentives
The bulk of the employees may be able to find work elsewhere within the company, but the state could still be on the hook for the promised cash.
Removing Trump From the Colorado Ballot Won't Make Things Better
You're not going to save democracy by kicking people out of elections.
My Contribution to Brennan Center Symposium on the Most Significant State Constitutional Cases of 2023
I focus on the Washington Supreme Court's flawed decision holding an eviction moratorium is not a taking of private property.
Georgia Taxpayers Lose $160,000 for Every Job Created by Film Tax Credits
The program generates just 19 cents for every dollar spent.
Infographic: Florida's Special Districts
It's not just Reedy Creek and The Villages. Florida has nearly 2,000 special districts.
DeSantis vs. Disney: Florida's Fight Over Private Governance
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ crusade to end America's greatest success in private governance.
Baseball Star Shohei Ohtani's New Contract Is a Massive Tax Avoidance Scheme. Nice!
He could save $98 million by dodging California's state income taxes with his unusual, eye-popping contract.
Infographic: Florida's Public School Book Bans
The Bluest Eyes and 13 Reasons Why top the list of controversial books in Florida.
The Best of Reason: Monkey Herpes, Face Eating, and the Pork Chop Gang: The Origins of Florida Man
The growing anti-transparency atmosphere in the state might make the Florida Man extinct.
How Some of California's Worst Schools Got Better at Teaching Reading
Some of the worst-performing elementary schools in California retrained teachers to teach reading with phonics. A new paper says the change worked.
Public Pensions Threaten To Bankrupt State Governments. Florida Has an Answer.
Thanks to recent reforms, most government workers in Florida now enroll in less risky defined contribution plans.
Gas Tax Revenues Decline as Cars Get More Efficient. How Will Government Pay for Roads?
Lawmakers should consider a user-fee system designed to charge drivers by the mile.
Ohio Republicans Drop Last-Minute Effort To Derail Voter-Approved Pot Legalization
As of today, adults 21 or older in the Buckeye State may possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana and grow up to six plants at home.
Nikki Haley Opposed Boeing Subsidies at Tonight's GOP Debate. As Governor, She Gave Boeing Millions.
The former South Carolina governor can't decide whether she likes corporate subsidies or opposes them on principle.
Ford E.V. Battery Plant in Michigan Named Worst Economic Development Deal of 2023
For the third time in five years, the Center for Economic Accountability found an electric vehicle or battery plant to be the most egregious waste of taxpayer funds.
The Future Is Florida
The siren song of the Sunshine State is the promise of freedom tinged with the idea of escape.
Monkey Herpes, Face Eating, and the Pork Chop Gang: How Public Records Laws Created the Florida Man
The growing anti-transparency atmosphere in the state might make the Florida Man extinct.
Florida Supreme Court Rules Police Can't Use Marsy's Law To Hide Names of Officers Who Shoot People
"Marsy's Law guarantees to no victim—police officer or otherwise—the categorical right to withhold his or her name from disclosure," the Florida Supreme Court ruled.
Californians Are Discovering Why Government Is a Terrible Landlord
When everyone owns something, no one does.
A Bonus Reason Roundtable Featuring Four 'Florida Men' of Our Own
Plus: The Reason webathon is happening right now. Donate so we can make more fun podcasts like this one!
Yes, Heavy Regulation Hurts the Economy. Just Look at France.
We're often told European countries are better off thanks to big-government policies. So why is the U.S. beating France in many important ways?
Texas Troopers Killed 74 People in Vehicle Chases Since Implementing Controversial Border Program
From March 2021 to July 2023, 74 people were killed and nearly 200 were injured in vehicle chases occurring in counties affected by Operation Lone Star.
California's War on Fast Food Jobs
Higher prices created by a $20 minimum wage for burger joints will lead to fewer customers, reduced profits, fewer restaurants, and a loss of jobs.
Jeb Bush on Why Florida Thrives: 'We Don't Try To Micromanage People's Lives'
Former Gov. Jeb Bush makes the case for why "Florida works pretty good."
Arizona Restaurant Owner Sues Over Costly Cage-Free Egg Mandate
The Arizona Department of Agriculture says all eggs sold must be cage-free, a power that according to the lawsuit belongs to the state legislature.
Kansas Thinks You Need 1,000 Hours of Training To Remove Hair
Bryn Green wants to start a sugaring business, but the state’s occupational licensing regime requires her to spend thousands on irrelevant training. Now she's suing.
