Utah Tells the Feds To Pound Sand
The Beehive State joins a growing wave of defiance aimed at Washington, D.C.
State Governments
Of Course Special Interests Shaped California's New Minimum Wage Law
Gov. Gavin Newsom's response to allegations of favoritism only serve to underline how the entire fast food minimum wage law was a giveaway to his buddies.
Do U.S. Public Schools Really Need 77,000 More Counselors?
Schools were already staffed at record levels even before COVID-19, when enrollment fell by nearly 1.3 million students.
Why Is Panera Exempted From California's New Minimum Wage Law?
Probably because Greg Flynn, who operates 24 of the bakery cafes in California, is a longtime friend of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Texas Sues Pornhub for Failing to Check IDs
A federal judge in an ongoing case called the porn age-check scheme unconstitutional. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton doesn't seem to care.
Doug Ducey on Budget Cuts, School Choice, and Arizona's Weird Politics
"Governors don't get to print money," the former Arizona governor tells Reason.
California Bill Banning Landlords' No-Dog Policies Is Anti-Choice and Anti-Urban
The market has created a lot of dog-free housing for a reason. A bill from Assemblymember Matt Haney would destroy it.
Liquor Regulators Are Seeking Revenge on Bars That Broke Pandemic Rules
"The people who violated the governor's mandates and orders should face some consequences," a Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board member said in 2022.
Frozen Embryos Are Now Children Under Alabama Law
State Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Parker cited the Bible to explain why.
This 70-Year-Old Woman Might Lose Her $377,000 Home Over a Small Tax Debt
The Supreme Court supposedly put an end to “home equity theft” last year. But some state and local governments have found a loophole.
Michigan Is Spending Millions Trying To Refurbish a Ski-Flying Hill. It's Not Working.
Copper Peak revitalization was pitched as an economic development project for the Upper Peninsula, which already has two working ski jumps.
Will Outdoor Recreation Save Appalachia?
Smokestack-chasing is out. A diversified economy based on environmental protection is in. But will it work?
Georgia Bill Would Hobble Bail Funds Even as It Expands Cash Bail
By definition, people assigned bail have been judged safe to release into the general population. Requiring them to post cash bail is needlessly punitive.
Nanny State Social Media Mandates Are No Substitute for Effective Parenting
Throughout Republican-run Western states, lawmakers are passing legislation that treats adults as if they are children.
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.
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.
