A recent article in the Detroit Free Press laments the sorry state of the city’s publicly-owned golf courses, which barely avoided closure in March. Renovations and upgrades to the courses would cost a combined $18 million, according to a report …
Early Positive Results From Colorado’s Pension Reform
Last week, S&P Global Ratings announced that it was revising Colorado’s credit outlook from “negative” to “stable” in light of the passage of major reform of the Public Employees’ Retirement Association (PERA) — the state’s pension system for teachers, state …
Milwaukee’s High Discount Rate Concealing Long-Term Pension Funding Issues
Milwaukee may soon find itself joining the long list of cities facing pension-related financial difficulties. In March, Moody’s downgraded Milwaukee’s general obligation unlimited tax debt (GOULT) rating from Aa3 to A1, reflecting “escalating pension obligations that are somewhat masked by …
Five Recommendations to Solve LAUSD’s Looming Fiscal Crisis
These recommendations are excerpted from the policy study “A 2018 Evaluation of LAUSD’s Fiscal Outlook.” From the Independent Financial Review Panel’s report of Los Angeles Unified School District emerges a dire picture that should alarm parents, educators and community stakeholders …
Pensions and Retiree Health Care Costs Contribute to LA Unified’s Fiscal Woes
Today, Reason Foundation released a study of Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) finances. We find that the nation’s second-largest school district faces insolvency largely because its steep legacy costs are being spread across a shrinking student population. With state …
Tammy Holland v. Wayne Williams, Colorado Secretary of State
“Colorado cannot authorize ‘any person’ to police their neighbors’ political speech,” IJ Senior Attorney Paul Sherman said. “Under the First Amendment, nobody should have to fear being sued by their political opponents merely for expressing their opinion on the issues …
Rethinking Highways, Misconceptions About Toll Lanes, and Challenging an FHWA Regulation
In this issue (#176): Misconceptions about express toll lanes Rethinking America’s Highways book Brightline train progress and problems Challenging an ancient FHWA regulation Getting to yes on more overnight truck parking Chicago’s risky airport rail plans Autonomous vehicle lanes? Upcoming …
A 2018 Evaluation of LAUSD’s Fiscal Outlook: Revisiting the Findings of the 2015 Independent Financial Review Panel
Executive Summary The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) faces immense fiscal challenges. The district has lost more than 245,000 students in the last 15 years. Deficit spending is projected to drain the district’s reserve level from 11.64 percent of …
Self-Driving Cars Can Deliver Huge Safety Gains If We Resist the Urge to Overregulate Them
Self-driving vehicles promise to revolutionize the way we travel and get around. However, true driverless cars will not be commonplace in the next few years. Thus, a big issue is going to be how federal transportation regulators and Florida’s officials …
Taking on Homelessness Through Public-Private Partnerships
Homelessness in America is on the rise for the first time since 2010 due in part to a homelessness surge in Los Angeles and West Coast cities. In 2017, on a single night, there were 553,742 people experiencing homelessness in …
Occupational Licensing Laws Hurt Patients and Increase Health Care Costs
The United States is expected to face a shortage of 46,000 to 90,000 physicians by 2025. In rural communities, the shortage is already here—while 20 percent of Americans live in rural communities, only 10 percent of all doctors practice in …
Marijuana Forgiveness Remedies
As more states have begun legalizing marijuana, many are asking whether it’s time to revisit charges and convictions for the possession, sale, and cultivation of cannabis. A number of states that legalized marijuana for recreational use have followed up with …
