Archive: News Coverage

As 2014 brings in new struggles for cities and states to pay for employee legacy costs while still funding the essential functions of government, policymakers on both sides of the aisle are reconsidering how to provide a secure retirement for state and municipal employees in a responsible manner. Reports estimate total unfunded pension liabilities exceed $4 trillion across the 50 states, and Detroit’s municipal bankruptcy, along with dozens more over the last half decade, are just the tip of the iceberg. Many thoughtful criticisms have come from reform discussions, but also many attacks built on misconceptions, “straw man” arguments and […]

In the wake of the NSA scandal, American citizens demand Congress take a hard look at government surveillance practices. While only the federal government has the power to halt NSA activities, the states will likely be the real battleground for privacy issues. In fact, state legislators are actively moving legislation aimed at protecting citizens’ civil liberties in the digital age. Digitally connected devices are an integral part of Americans’ daily lives. More than 90 percent of Americans deem essential one device in particular: the smartphone. For many, the buzz of a smartphone alarm is the first thing heard each morning, […]

In his State of the Union address, President Obama mentioned fixing a broken health care system. Unfortunately, the president provided no specifics about how to fix errors already experienced during the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), such as securing ethical and well-screened insurance navigators who handle personal information of health insurance enrollees.

Our nation’s founders incorporated the concept of individual property rights — including intellectual property rights — into the Constitution because they knew that these rights spur innovation and help promote economic growth. However, patent assertion entities (PAEs), otherwise known as “patent trolls,” inhibit the innovation and economic growth that patents typically foster. Even more alarming, with the creation of government-sponsored patent trolls (GSPTs) — which are financially backed by a national government — patent trolls have gone global.

Tuesday marked the first day of open enrollment for the health-insurance exchanges set up by the Affordable Care Act. It didn’t go very well: Would-be health-insurance consumers in at least 47 states encountered technical problems. These so-called glitches, however, mask a much more serious concern for consumers: protecting sensitive data. The lack of sufficient security surrounding the exchanges should give potential enrollees pause.

This segment is from David Brunori’s latest column, “Sales Tax Holidays and Planet of the Apes,” from Tax Analysts.  This is reproduced with permission from Tax Analysts – www.taxanalysts.com. Please do not further redistribute this or post online without permission from Tax Analysts. ALEC is Right By: David Brunori My liberal friends hate the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), seeing it as part of some grand Koch brothers-inspired conspiracy to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. I don’t hate ALEC, especially since it no longer focuses on social issues. And I think it’s correct on the tax and economics topics. […]

Article reproduced with permission from Warren Communications News Inc. – www.warren-news.com or 800-771-9202. Please do not further redistribute this or post online without permission from Warren Communications News.   The American Legislative Exchange Council will look at draft model legislation restricting warrantless cellphone tracking, following similar laws enacted in Maine and Montana (CD July 15 p7), at ALEC’s annual meeting in Chicago Aug. 7-9. The 40-year-old organization, which brings together state legislators and industry, will also consider revising past model legislation, propose a draft resolution objecting to certain potential Communications Decency Act (CDA) amendments and a statement of principles for cybersecurity. The […]

By: John Stephenson Policymakers interested in creating more jobs for Americans should let mobile application developers do what they do best, not saddle them with new, burdensome regulatory obligations. The economic impact of the app economy is substantial. More than two and a half million apps are currently available from the app stores offered by Apple, Blackberry, Google, and Microsoft. According to the Application Developers Alliance, the app economy has created 519,000 American jobs and is a significant economic driver in states like California, Georgia, Illinois and Texas. The app economy will continue to grow as more consumers make the switch to […]

John Hendel April 1, 2013 Article reproduced with permission from Warren Communications News Inc. — www.warren-news.com or 800-771-9202. Please do not further redistribute this or post online without permission from Warren Communications News. The push to keep states from regulating Internet Protocol-enabled services goes strong in 2013. Legislators in more than half a dozen states introduced such IP bills this year. More than two dozen states had already passed laws before 2013 began, California prominent among them (CD Oct 2 p7). The IP transition’s urgency escalated when AT&T introduced an FCC petition urging transition trials last November, and it’s widely […]

The first southern state to enact renewable power mandates may be the first to repeal them. North Carolina Rep. Mike Hager (R-Rutherford) introduced legislation, the Affordable and Reliable Energy Act, to freeze renewable power mandates at current levels and repeal escalating future mandates. The measure would cap North Carolina’s renewable power mandate at the current three percent, eliminating higher renewable power mandates in future years. The Affordable and Reliable Energy Act would also preclude power companies from charging customers for any extra costs associated with renewable sources being included in their energy mix. Bonner R. Cohen, a senior fellow with […]