Reason Foundation’s Pension Integrity Project has published an interactive website to help policymakers and the general public understand the current condition of Colorado’s Public Employees’ Retirement Association (PERA). This dynamic visualization demonstrates that many factors contributed to the state’s current …
As It Recovers, Puerto Rico Needs More People and More Economic Freedom
Puerto Rico stopped paying interest and principal on its debt two years ago, and near-term prospects for bondholders remain bleak. While a federally-appointed financial control board spars with the commonwealth’s governor over a fiscal plan, creditors are engaged in drawn-out …
Dallas Police and Fire Pension Reforms See Early Success
It is early, but a year after Texas adopted reform legislation for the beleaguered Dallas Police and Fire Pension System (DPFP) there are some signs of positive trends. As we documented over the past year, DPFP stumbled into a solvency …
Reason Foundation’s Drug Policy Newsletter, April 2018
Highlight: In response to critical feedback from businesses and consumers alike, California’s Department of Public Health recently proposed emergency regulations to allow certain cannabis manufacturers to share licensed premises. In addition to the practical supply benefits in the marketplace, the …
Contracts With Private Prisons Should Prioritize Quality Inmate Service Delivery Over Costs
The letter to the editor was submitted to The New York Times. Prison operators in the public and private sectors face considerable challenges managing corrections facilities, with dangerous prison environments often reflecting budget constraints that pressure agencies to pursue cost …
Unreleased Report Shows Los Angeles Unified School District’s Unfunded Retiree Health Benefit Liability Nears $15 Billion
Los Angeles Unified School District has $15 billion in unfunded retiree health care obligations, amounting to over $30,000 per student, according to a new actuarial report commissioned by the district and obtained by Reason. The cost of servicing this large …
Despite Poor Process, Kentucky Enacts Meaningful Pension Plan Design, Funding Policy Reforms
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin recently signed into law a set of changes to how state and local pension benefits are funded, while also creating a new retirement benefit for future teachers and other public education professionals. Senate Bill 151 is …
New Jersey Legislature Considering Education Savings Accounts
Students in New Jersey could have the opportunity to participate in a private school choice program — if one of two companion bills make it out of state senate or assembly education committees and are approved by the New Jersey …
Association Des Eleveurs De Canards et d’Oies du Quebec, Hot’s v. Xavier Becerra Case No. 17-1285
California’s foie gras ban is a primary example of a food or agricultural law that erects unconstitutional obstacles and barriers to the national food economy. But the law does not stand alone. Other recent California laws evidence both a comparable …
New York City Schools Should Continue Using Fair Student Funding
New York City made a splash last month with plans to welcome Richard Carranza as the city’s new school chancellor. Carranza, who previously served as superintendent of Houston Independent School District (HISD), is viewed by many as a controversial figure due …
Striking Teachers Are Right To Be Outraged, Wrong On the Solutions
Teacher strikes in Oklahoma and Kentucky are nearing the end of their second weeks as educators protest low pay and inadequate classroom resources. These strikes come on the heels of a similar strike in West Virginia late last month. These …
Follow The Jobs: Assessing Florida’s Business Incentives Programs
From 1999–2015, Florida spent $3.6 billion on incentive programs to encourage businesses to locate in Florida. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the job creation impact of this set of programs, which is operated at the state and …
