James Madison Institute: Recent Episodes
James Madison Institute
By: Pedro Rodriguez/ 2024
November 10, 2024
Addressing inflation could’ve helped Florida’s Democratic Party, but instead, they focused on social issues, which cost them.
Florida’s Democratic Party spent this electoral cycle pushing for abortion, marijuana, progressive politics, and Harris’ administration. Nearly everything was rejected by Florida’s young voters.
That simply wasn’t their priority, and Democrats refused to believe that.
Campus Reform and The College Fix noted that almost half of young voters named “the economy” a “top priority.”Polling results from the James Madison Institute (JMI) revealed that 48% of likely voters in Florida perceive inflation as a ‘very serious’ issue.
In 2016, JMI mentioned that the American dream is “on trial every day,” fueling “Florida’s ceaseless pushback against Leftism.”
November 2024 proved them right. Harris vowed to change nothing from Biden’s leftist economic policies, and Florida’s young voters clearly remembered that at the ballot box. Early voting statistics from the FSU’s Student Union in 2024 reported that Democrats only held a lead of 17 points, compared to their 30-point lead in 2020. At the University of Florida, Campus Reform reported that the Change Party has repeatedly lost its grip on the school’s student government over the years. At Florida Gulf Coast University, diversity of thought has been promoted continuously since the state cracked down on DEI in 2023.
Trump won 62% of the university’s mock vote at Flagler College and by 10% at the University of North Florida.
At Florida International University, Trump received all-time high Cuban-American support.
Weeks before the election, FSU’s College Republicans invited Rep. Gaetz (R) to speak on the economy. Despite being considered controversial, attendees noted the event had a packed crowd and received little to no protesters. On the other hand, the University of Central Florida faced disruptive protests throughout the school year. Thanks to collaboration between students, police, and administrators led those protesters to consequences.
The same thing happened at the University of South Florida, as stated by Campus Reform and the College Fix, multiple pro-Palestine students were arrested and even deported for breaking the law.
Students at Ave Maria University pushed against the abortion initiative that was on November’s ballot. Similarly, the University of Miami launched a program to promote civic discourse and prevent a political divide on campus.
Florida’s college students continuously refuse to cave into social movements. This November, young Floridians showed the Democratic Party that they will not settle for its disastrous economic policies and far-left social movement.
Originally found in Florida Today
The post Florida Today: Florida’s young voters rejected the Democratic Party’s social platform appeared first on James Madison Institute.
With the economic freedom and success we enjoy here, the Florida experiment is clearly working. Together, we have won many victories for limited government, economic prosperity, and liberty, but there is still much to be done.
The James Madison Institute released its 2025 Policy Priorities, which detail a robust and visionary set of initiatives for the next year that reinforce our principles of limited government and economic liberty.
Click here to read The James Madison Institute’s “2025 Policy Priorities.”
The post 2025 Sunshine State Policy Priorities appeared first on James Madison Institute.
November 9, 2024
When Jeb Bush took office in January of 1999, as only the second Republican since Reconstruction to be governor in the Sunshine State, he promised in his inaugural address to shrink the size of government. “While our government has grown larger, so too has the crushing weight of taxes, regulations and mandates on Florida’s families and entrepreneurs,” he said.
What media outlets considered to be radical at the time seems in hindsight tame, even quaint by today’s standards. But Bush went on to begin perhaps the greatest sustained conservative policy revolution in American history.
At the time of Bush’s election, Florida was a bluish-purple state with an extremely hostile media challenging his every move. And yet he and legislative leaders, through hard work and tremendous courage, began implementing significant conservative policy changes, big and small.
Tax reform, education reform (which included at the time a tiny experimental school choice initiative), the use of technology to streamline and shrink government — all of these policies made the lives of Floridians better, providing more opportunity and reducing the burdensome role of government in their daily lives.
What followed has been nearly 25 years of principled conservative leadership by both Govs. Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis, and a legislature with the courage to do the right things. From tax and healthcare reform, to regulatory reductions, to universal school choice, and (under withering criticism) to keeping our economy and schools open during COVID, our state has truly become the “Free state of Florida.”
And despite the left’s constant protestations that, as states and nations become more diverse, they inevitably become more blue, Florida is doing just the opposite. Today it is deep red.
People forget that in each of Barack Obama’s two presidential elections, he won the state of Florida by roughly one percentage point. The same was true of Republican Gov. Rick Scott’s two wins, Donald Trump’s first victory in 2016, and Ron DeSantis’ first victory in 2018.
Although those races at the top of the ticket were nail-biters, up and down the ballot and across the state, principled conservatives were winning election after election, even as the Sunshine State became more and more diverse.
In 2022, Ron DeSantis won 62 of 67 counties. He won Florida by more votes than Gavin Newsom won California. Meanwhile last Tuesday, Donald Trump and the entire Republican Party won every statewide race going away, while retaining supermajorities in the legislature.
The question is, why? We have a saying at The James Madison Institute that “good policy is good politics.” That is to say, the vast majority of Americans, regardless of their demographics, want the same things. They want their shot at the American Dream and a better life for their children and grandchildren, and they don’t need the heel of government or moralizing bureaucrats and politicians to lecture them. For nearly 30 years, Florida has implemented policies that promote those ideals.
As the most ethnically diverse state in the country, the world’s 15th largest economy, and with 1,000 people moving to Florida every day, there is a lesson here. Americans have said with their feet and with their vote they want freedom and opportunity, and they generally want to be left alone in safety and security to pursue their version of the American dream.
The current version of the Democratic party, which continues to push policies that ignore the issues that everyday Americans face, would do well to heed this lesson.
Originally found in The Hill.
The post Lessons From Florida for the Democratic Party appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Why Ten For Tech?
Technology has fundamentally reshaped how Americans live their daily lives, with advancements over the last year surpassing what even the most optimistic technologists thought possible. Today, Americans can receive groceries via drones, communicate with friends and family anywhere in the world, and use artificial intelligence to complete mundane tasks. These are just a few of the infinite possibilities modern technological advancement offers. However, Americans will only be able to experience these benefits if state lawmakers create legislative and regulatory environments that incentivize innovators to innovate and entrepreneurs to build the next generation of goods and services.
While lawmakers must be conscious of any potential harm from using technology, they must do so proportionately and strategically and embrace the principles of free markets and limited government. Rejecting these principles and expanding government control through excessive regulation will inevitably deny Americans the multifaceted benefits technology can offer, leaving them poorer and state economies weaker. However, lawmakers can avoid these consequences if they adopt common sense rules that protect citizens and do not burden innovators.
The following toolkit includes 10 action-oriented policies that state lawmakers can implement to cultivate innovation to advance free markets, protect citizens and consumers, drive their economies, and produce prosperity.
Click here to explore the full toolkit, or click the image below.
The post 10 for Tech: A Policy Tool Kit for States To Embrace Innovation in 2025 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
We showed the Democratic Party that if they can’t portray a stable economy to Florida’s young voters, Florida won’t support the party’s candidates.By Pedro Boccalato Rodriguez Aparicio
November 8, 2024
Addressing inflation could’ve narrowed Florida’s electoral margin, but unfortunately for Harris – it cost her.
The Civics Center noted that young voters comprise 30% of Florida’s registered voters. Simultaneously, Campus Reform and The College Fix noted that “the economy” is a priority for many young voters, with 44% naming it a “top priority.”
Polling results from the James Madison Institute (JMI) revealed that 48% of likely voters in Florida perceive inflation as a ‘very serious’ issue. In 2016, JMI mentioned that the American dream is “on trial every day,” fueling “Florida’s ceaseless pushback against Leftism.”
November 2024 proved them right. Harris vowed to change nothing from Biden’s leftist economic policies, and Florida’s young voters clearly remembered that at the ballot box.
Early voting statistics from the FSU’s Student Union in 2024 reported that Democrats only held a lead of 17 points, compared to their 30-point lead in 2020.
Weeks before the election, FSU’s College Republicans invited Rep. Gaetz (R) to speak on the economy. Despite being considered controversial, attendees noted the event had a packed crowd and received little to no protesters.
Students overlooked Harris’ social platform and focused on the economy, and it didn’t stop there. Under Harris’ leadership, inflation threatened young Americans’ savings accounts, as BankRate stated. Her leadership arguably restricted how much they could save and how much they’d have to dip into their savings to afford their everyday lives.
Young Floridians have taken that to heart.
As Campus Reform reported, college-aged students are choosing to enter the workforce early through trade jobs rather than seeking a college degree.
For those of us who opt into a college degree, our late entry into the workforce will only prolong our ability to build up our savings account.
As reported by Campus Reform, the annual income for a new graduate declined by over 10 percent, but inflation has also made essential goods and services less affordable for new graduates.
Young Floridians such as myself refused to settle for the Democratic Party’s disastrous economic policies and their unattainable economy this November.
As someone active in the local Republican Party, my vote was unlikely to impact the Democrats this November anyway. If it were, however, I would’ve considered the state of the economy before marking a box on the ballot.
This November, we showed the Democratic Party that if they can’t portray a stable economy to Florida’s young voters, Florida won’t regain its status as a swing state.
Pedro Boccalato Rodriguez Aparicio is a pre-law student at Florida State University and a current communications intern at The James Madison Institute.
Originally found on The Palm Beach Post
The post Opinion: Dems’ approach to the economy cost Kamala Harris the youth vote appeared first on James Madison Institute.
By Pedro Boccalato Rodriguez Aparicio
November 08, 2024
Unfortunately for Florida’s Democratic Party, staggering inflation cost them young voters — and Tuesday’s presidential election.
As the James Madison Institute Blueprint for Florida mentions, the American dream has been “on trial every day” for young Floridians like me, a fourth-year student at Florida State University in Tallahassee. November 2024 proved no different.
After Kamala Harris vowed to change nothing from “Bidenflation,” young voters turned away from the failed economic policies of the Democrats and their inability to address inflation.
In September, the Brookings Institute warned that while inflation had been rough on all Americans, “young voters are faring worse across most economic indicators and are facing tremendous economic challenges.”
The article concludes that “whether young people turned out in high numbers and who they voted for would largely depend on how well Donald Trump or Harris persuaded them that they can improve their economic realities and future opportunities.”
That prediction proved true in the ballot box. Exit polls revealed that Trump picked up more points than expected among key demographics, like young people and Black voters.
Now, with my background as a GOP congressional staffer, Miami-Dade Republican party executive committee member, former deputy campaign manager for a conservative candidate, and a current communications staffer with a think-tank that prioritizes free markets, my vote was unlikely to impact the Democrats this November anyway.
If it were, however, nobody could blame me for considering the state of the economy before marking a box on the ballot. The cost of living was already out of reach, even during recent economic prosperity. Now, the ability to afford today’s economy has become unattainable.
The recent survey from JMI revealed that 48% of likely voters in Florida perceive inflation as a ‘very serious’ issue.
The College Fix reported that “44 percent of college students — named the economy a top concern.” For example, I ventured to the Berries Coffee Shop in Coconut Grove to catch up with a friend the other day. Just in gas, my day was already off to roughly a $20 start. That’s not counting the coffee.
Financial uncertainty is undoubtedly at the forefront of nearly every young American’s mind. For someone working a part-time job and paying full-time college tuition, $20 on gas and $5 on coffee is not something we have to throw around.
As reported by Campus Reform, the economy is hitting young people so ruthlessly that many have opted not to seek early entry to the workforce instead of a college degree. For those who opt for a college degree, our late entry into the workforce will only prolong our ability to build up our savings account. Bankrate stated that inflation is a real threat to young Americans’ savings accounts, restricting how much we can save and how much we’ll have to dip into our savings to afford our everyday lives.
The annual income for a new graduate declined by over 10 percent, but inflation has also made essential goods and services less affordable for new graduates, according to Campus Reform.
By voting against Harris, young Americans decided they would not be forced to potentially give up dreams of owning a house, a car, a solid retirement, and peace of mind for the future.
Originally found in The Miami Herald
The post Opinion: The economy drove young voters like me away from Harris appeared first on James Madison Institute.
November 7, 2024 – Victims of Communism Day
Madeline Pumariega
America is more than just a place; it is often described as a Shining City on a Hill or an enduring idea. As the daughter of Cuban exiles, I see it as a profound testament to the promise of freedom and opportunity. From the streets of Havana to the mountains of Caracas, people suffering under dictatorial rule look to this nation with the hope of escaping oppression and truly living free. As the President of Miami Dade College, positioned at the heart of the Americas, I am proud to announce the establishment of the Institute for Freedom in the Americas, located within our beloved Freedom Tower, set to celebrate its centennial and grand reopening in 2025.
It is fitting that Miami Dade College is home to the Institute. Thanks to Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature, the passage of SB 1264 strengthens education standards by requiring instruction on the ills of communism. This legislation authorizes the Institute to promote economic and individual freedoms to advance human progress in Latin America and the Caribbean. For nearly a decade, our college has hosted Presidential Dialogue, an annual forum that brings together former presidents and heads of state from Latin America and Spain to discuss economic and social challenges impacting the region. The Institute, which will offer a year-long Fellowship, enhances this initiative by furthering the Institute’s commitment to the values of public service, integrity, collaboration, and innovation.
Beginning in January 2025, Fellows will engage with top scholars, policymakers, and former heads of state, gaining practical experience while tackling critical issues confronting democracy. The program features interactive seminars, experiential learning, and structured mentoring, with each Fellow contributing to the Institute’s thought leadership. The experience culminates in a capstone proposal designed to advance freedom, commencing with an intensive in-person residency at Miami Dade College. Upon completion of the program, Fellows will receive a Certificate of Completion in Global Governance and Democratic Growth in Freedom, gain a deeper understanding of governance and leadership, and establish strong connections with a global network of peers and mentors.
Where there is dialogue or debate questioning the significance of freedom, Miami Dade College stands alongside think tanks like FIU’s Adam Smith Center and The James Madison Institute that champion democracy, liberty, and global governance at home and abroad. The Freedom Tower, historically home to Miami’s oldest newspaper and later the Cuban Assistance Center for refugees fleeing communism, now begins a new chapter with the Institute for Freedom in the Americas. Here, future leaders at Democracy’s College will learn to defend democracy and create innovative policies that promote economic freedom and human prosperity for generations to come.
Madeline Pumariega is the President of Miami Dade College.
The post The Institute for Freedom in the Americas at Miami Dade College appeared first on James Madison Institute.
October 30, 2024
The playwright Tom Stoppard once said about our election process, “It’s not the voting that’s democracy; it’s the counting.” And while not completely accurate, Mr. Stoppard, in his pithy way, certainly provided a simple yet profound reflection on America’s election system.
As we approach Nov. 5 and all of the aftermath that will come with it, the discussion around election integrity has never been more important. With many states attempting to waive or alter voting regulations right before the election, some states investigating incidents in which ballots have been set on fire and drop boxes have been vandalized, concerns about the legitimacy of the electoral process are escalating. As we’ve seen, these changes can create an environment ripe for confusion and mistrust, undermining the very foundations of our republic.
In recent years, we have witnessed various states enact last-minute adjustments to voting procedures. These “modifications,” often framed as necessary for efficiency, fairness, or accessibility, can have far-reaching implications. For instance, proposals to extend voting hours or alter mail-in ballot protocols might seem reasonable at first glance, but they can also lead to significant discrepancies in how votes are counted. Such actions can inadvertently sow doubt among voters, feeding a growing narrative that the system is vulnerable to cheating or manipulation.
More recently, in October, Fulton County Judge Thomas Cox nullified seven election integrity rules approved by the Georgia State Election Board (SEB) less than three weeks before Election Day. Specifically, Cox permanently struck down a rule that aimed to ensure that the number of physical ballots counted on Election Day matched the machine count total at the precinct level.
In Florida, two groups tried to get the voter registration deadline extended due to the recent hurricanes that lashed the state, even though the deadline was days before any hurricane made landfall.
However, despite these challenges, Florida stands out as a model for managing electoral integrity. Since the national embarrassment of Bush v. Gore, the state has implemented a series of reforms designed to enhance transparency and secure the voters’ trust in the election process. After the 2020 election, Florida bolstered voter identification requirements to ensure secure ballot handling. The Sunshine State has worked diligently to restore faith in its electoral system. This commitment to integrity has not only improved the efficiency of elections but has also resulted in more African-Americans and Hispanics voting than ever before — two demographics that were, ironically, supposed to be disenfranchised by these changes. Finally, these solutions have fortified public confidence, showcasing that proactive measures can indeed yield positive results.
As we navigate the complexities of electoral processes, it is essential to remember that any disputes arising from election outcomes must be resolved through our legal systems, not through violence or intimidation. The rule of law serves as the backbone of our democracy, allowing for peaceful resolution and the upholding of citizens’ rights.
The Nov. 5 elections present both challenges and opportunities. It is imperative that states prioritize election integrity, ensuring that every eligible voter has access to a secure and fair voting process. As citizens, we must advocate for transparency and accountability, while also committing to peaceful dialogue and responsible legal recourse in the face of disputes and disagreements. The future of our republic depends on it.
Originally found in Orlando Sentinel.
The post Orlando Sentinel: America Must Protect and Restore Confidence in Elections appeared first on James Madison Institute.
October 29, 2024
Those elected in November will face pressure to do more.
On Nov. 5, Florida’s political landscape will shift as nearly 14 million eligible voters have the opportunity to cast their ballots for 120 State House of Representatives members and 20 State Senate seats.
The victors of this electoral contest will convene in Tallahassee on March 4, marking the commencement of the 2025 Legislative Session. As these newly elected officials take seats in the state capital for the sixty-day Session, technology and innovation are poised to dominate the agenda.
As Florida continues to position itself as a hub for technological advancement and innovation, the decisions made in legislative offices, committee rooms, and voting chambers will likely have far-reaching implications for the state’s future, affecting everything from job creation and economic growth to education and quality of life for Floridians.
Arguably, the most prominent issue legislators will face in 2025 is Artificial Intelligence (AI), specifically, how AI technology should be regulated as it becomes more widely used and touches every aspect of daily life.
Last Session, the Legislature held off on passing any extreme AI laws, enacting legislation requiring watermarks on political adverts that use AI and combat the distribution of sexual deepfakes, particularly those involving minors, promoting AI use in education, and establishing a government modernization council to explore how the state government can embrace emergent technology.
However, those elected in November will face pressure to do more.
Owing to misguided concerns that AI is displacing workers or discriminating against marginalized communities, there are calls to implement stringent reporting and transparency regulations on AI, similar to those recently passed in Colorado and vetoed in California. Such a move could have significant consequences for Florida’s reputation as a state that embraces innovation and entrepreneurship and its standing as a bastion of limited government.
As Florida’s 2025 Legislative Session approaches, lawmakers face a pivotal challenge in addressing the proliferation of data centers — the silent powerhouses of our digital age. These facilities, crucial for everything from artificial intelligence to cloud computing, offer significant economic benefits through job creation and tax revenue.
However, their rapid expansion has sparked concerns about the strain on local power grids, prompting some municipalities nationwide to consider special taxes and zoning restrictions.
Unfortunately, these local attacks on data centers undermine critical computational infrastructure needed for consumers and businesses. To address this, lawmakers could preempt municipal regulation of data centers, which would have the added benefit of creating universal rules across the state.
Finally, lawmakers will be forced to address the critical topic of cybersecurity, especially in the wake of a data breachthat saw the names of “4,000 HIV-positive persons” leaked to the press. Unfortunately, the leak from Florida’s Department of Health is just one of the countless examples where cybercriminals have targeted governments in the Sunshine State, with North Miami Beach suffering a cyber incidentin August that shut down city services for several days. A priority for the Legislature must be to enhance state and municipal cyber protections to ensure that when nefarious actors target these critical entities, government offices can protect themselves, remain operational, and ensure the data they hold on all Floridians remains secure.
As the election and the 2025 Legislative Session approach, the newly elected representatives and senators face a pivotal moment in shaping the state’s technological future. The challenges are multifaceted and complex: balancing AI regulation with innovation, managing the growth of data centers, and bolstering cybersecurity in the face of increasing threats — to name just a few. These issues demand thoughtful, forward-thinking legislation that preserves Florida’s reputation as a hub for technological advancement and limited government.
The decisions made in Tallahassee will impact Florida’s economic growth and job market and set precedents for how states can navigate the complex landscape of emerging technologies.
As such, the upcoming Session represents a critical juncture in Florida’s journey to become a leader in the digital age, with far-reaching implications for the state’s future and the quality of life for all Floridians.
Originally found in Florida Politics.
The post Florida Politics: Florida at the Digital Crossroads — Tech Challenges Await Newly Elected Lawmakers in 2025 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
October 28, 2024
As Florida’s population ages, the state faces unprecedented healthcare challenges. By 2045, over 8 million Floridians will be 60 or older, placing immense strain on an already burdened healthcare system. But amidst these challenges lies an opportunity for innovation. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as a powerful tool to transform elderly care, offering solutions that could improve health outcomes, reduce costs, and enhance the quality of life for Florida’s seniors.
The potential applications of AI in elderly healthcare are vast and exciting. One of the most promising areas is early disease detection. Researchers have developed AI models that can predict the onset of Alzheimer’s disease up to seven years before symptoms appear. For a state grappling with a growing Alzheimer’s crisis, this technology could be game-changing, allowing for earlier interventions and better preparation for both patients and families.
Another critical area where AI is making strides is in the detection and treatment of sepsis, a life-threatening condition that disproportionately affects older adults. Tampa General Hospital has implemented an AI-powered Sepsis Rapid Response system, which analyzes real-time patient data to detect potential sepsis cases. The results have been remarkable, with a 3% reduction in sepsis-related mortality, translating to approximately 200 lives saved.
AI is also enabling innovative care models like Hospital at Home programs. These initiatives allow patients to receive hospital-level care in the comfort of their own homes, monitored remotely by healthcare professionals. AI algorithms can monitor vital signs, reducing hospital stays and improving patient comfort and dignity. For Florida’s elderly population, who often prefer to age in place, this could be a significant boon.
The technology is even tackling one of the most pervasive issues facing seniors: loneliness. AI-enabled companions, from robotic pets to conversational agents, are being deployed to provide engagement and support for isolated seniors. In Broward County, a pilot program is using AI-powered robotic animals that can tell jokes, remind seniors to take medications, and conduct regular check-ins. While not a replacement for human interaction, these companions can provide critical engagement for seniors who might otherwise spend much of their time alone.
Fall prevention is another area where AI is making a significant impact. Smart AI systems can detect falls and immediately alert caregivers, dramatically reducing response times. Some nursing homes in Florida have begun integrating AI-enabled smart lamps that can detect falls and alert caregivers within minutes. Given that falls are a leading cause of injury and death among seniors, this technology could be life-saving.
Perhaps one of the most critical applications of AI in healthcare is its potential to address labor shortages. Florida, like many states, is facing a shortage of healthcare professionals, particularly in rural areas. AI can help bridge this gap in several ways. It can assist in training healthcare providers more efficiently, predict hospital demand to ensure appropriate staffing, and even provide preliminary screenings and diagnoses in areas lacking primary care providers.
However, as with any transformative technology, the integration of AI into elderly healthcare comes with challenges. Regulatory hurdles and slow FDA approval processes can delay the deployment of potentially life-saving technologies. There are also significant concerns around data privacy and security, given the sensitive nature of health information. Some worry about the potential disruption of the traditional patient-provider relationship, fearing that over-reliance on AI could lead to a loss of the human touch in healthcare.
There’s also the critical issue of ensuring that AI systems are unbiased and work effectively for all populations. Given that older adults are often underrepresented in the datasets used to train AI models, there’s a risk of developing tools that aren’t optimized for senior care.
To harness AI’s full potential in elderly care while addressing these challenges, policymakers and healthcare leaders in Florida will need to take a thoughtful, balanced approach. First and foremost, patient needs must be prioritized. Any policy or regulation should be evaluated based on how it impacts the quality and accessibility of care for Florida’s seniors.
While regulation is necessary to ensure safety and efficacy, overly burdensome rules could stifle innovation. Policymakers should strive to create a regulatory environment that encourages responsible innovation while protecting patient interests. This includes developing clear definitions for AI systems subject to regulation and creating streamlined approval processes for low-risk applications.
Data privacy and security must be paramount. As AI systems rely on vast amounts of personal health data, robust protections must be in place to safeguard this information. At the same time, policies should enable beneficial uses of data that can improve health outcomes and advance medical research.
The legal landscape will also need to evolve. Current liability and malpractice laws may not be adequate for an era where AI plays a significant role in medical decision-making. Updating these laws to clearly delineate responsibilities and liabilities in AI-assisted healthcare will be crucial.
Infrastructure considerations are also important. The widespread deployment of AI in healthcare will require significant computing power and energy resources. Florida will need to ensure its energy infrastructure can support this increased demand reliably and sustainably.
As Florida navigates this AI revolution in healthcare, it has the opportunity to become a national leader in innovative elderly care. By embracing AI responsibly and creatively, the state can develop a healthcare system that not only meets the needs of its growing senior population but sets new standards for quality, efficiency, and patient-centered care.
The future of elderly healthcare in Florida is not just about managing demographic challenges; it’s about reimagining what’s possible. With AI, we have the tools to create a healthcare system that’s more predictive, personalized, and proactive. We can envision a future where diseases are caught earlier, where hospital stays are shorter and less frequent, where seniors can age comfortably in their own homes with the support they need, and where healthcare providers are empowered to deliver the best possible care.
But realizing this vision will require collaboration across sectors – from policymakers and healthcare providers to tech innovators and patient advocates. It will require a willingness to embrace change while staying true to the fundamental values of compassionate, patient-centered care.
As Florida stands at this crossroads, the choices made today will shape the health and well-being of millions of seniors in the years to come. By harnessing the power of AI thoughtfully and responsibly, Florida can lead the way in creating a healthcare system that doesn’t just cope with an aging population, but thrives because of it, setting a model for the nation and the world.
Originally found in Florida Daily.
The post Florida Daily: Florida’s Silver Tech Revolution: AI’s Promise for Elderly Healthcare appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Ed Dean
October 23, 2024
The discussion of lessening the tax burden on hair stylists, barbers, and nail technicians in the state is one being proposed by groups like the James Madison Institute (JMI) out of Tallahassee.
A recent analysis compiled by JMI’s Doug Wheeler shows that Florida is home to the nation’s highest percentage of small businesses and 64% of companies in the state have less than five employees, many of whom rely on customer tips to support their families.
Around 50% by women and nearly a third by minorities, employ more than 31,000 people. A portion of those companies include hair stylists and barbers. Wheeler says these groups have been left behind when it comes to being taxed fairly.
In Wheeler’s findings, US Congress decided to put in place, over 30 years ago, a policy that would provide a reimbursement tax credit to restaurants and bars, which cancels out the taxes they must pay on their employees’ tips.
Now, U.S. Congress is looking at proposals that would ensure that the tax system allows Florida’s small businesses to operate just as freely and effectively as its workers. JMI says if these measures are adopted, it would correct current tax law oversight that has hurt Florida more than most other states.
“If this is good for some companies, what about barbers, salons, and spas?”, Wheeler said. “These businesses bear the same financial burdens as restaurants and rely on tips just as much as food establishments. Don’t they deserve the same tax benefits that Florida’s restaurants and bars currently have?”
Florida ranks number two of the most moved-to state in the nation. Wheeler says it’s because of federal barriers like the government’s unequal tip taxation system that prevent some Americans from having the cash required to move their businesses to Florida.
“By putting more money in the pockets of both employees and employers, policymakers have the opportunity to create stronger local economies, increase overall employment, and present more avenues for upward economic mobility throughout the state,” Wheeler said.
Wheeler and JMI are somewhat hopeful that the current congressional proposals will address this taxation issue from the small business side.
Originally found in Florida Daily.
The post Florida Daily: Certain Florida Businesses Could See Relief From Unique Tax Burdens appeared first on James Madison Institute.
June 11, 2024
Few words evoke more controversy in American politics than the 26 that make up Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Often referred to as the 26 words that created the internet because it allowed innovation and discourse to flourish in the digital world, Section 230 provides online platforms such as social media sites, review boards, websites, and other digital forums a legal shield from lawsuits stemming from user-generated content posted on their sites.
While Section 230 has created the internet we know today, where ideas, innovation, and information can flow freely, it has come under relentless bipartisan criticism from Republicans and Democrats who feel large technology companies have abused the liability shield.
Republicans have routinely argued that the protections have incentivized liberal social media platforms and other large technology companies to censor conservative speech. Democrats, on the other hand, believe that the protections afforded have allowed hate speech and misinformation to proliferate online, creating an unsafe environment for marginalized communities and destabilizing U.S. politics.
Both parties have, in turn, used their respective criticisms to attempt to pass legislative reforms to Section 230. Most recently, Representatives Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ) released a draft proposal to sunset Section 230, making platforms responsible for their users’ posts.
While it’s easy to criticize a statute that predates the modern internet, modifying, sunsetting, or in any way changing Section 230 because of political expediency could disrupt the internet’s ecosystem, creating a less free digital world where users face reduced choice in where they can express their opinions and, paradoxically, creating an environment where users face more censorship online. Conservatives should be especially wary of any attempts to alter Section 230, as they have the most to lose.
Anyone who proclaims ending Section 230 will fix the ills of the modern internet is simply selling snake oil.
Claims that modifying or sunsetting Section 230 will be a silver bullet ignores the reality that these changes will lead to more censorship online, not less. Without the protections currently afforded by Section 230, websites and other sites would be forced to employ more robust moderation practices, potentially screening all posts before they go live or placing greater restrictions on who can access their platforms. For the millions of Floridians who use the internet daily, this would mean greater restrictions placed on their speech, not less.
Such an environment would mark a departure from the current ecosystem whereby liability protections incentivize platforms to employ a light-touch moderation policy, allowing more content to remain up and allowing almost anyone to create accounts. This, in turn, opens up users to more diverse viewpoints, ensuring that the internet remains a marketplace of ideas.
As a result of Section 230’s liability protections, Conservative speech online has flourished. Critical of mainstream social media platforms for allegedly censoring conservative speech, several alternative platforms like Truth Social, Parler, and Rumble were created. These platforms prided themselves on becoming a home for conservatives who had been censored by mainstream social media platforms. However, these newer platforms depend on Section 230 for their very survival, often embedding it into their terms of service.
Without these protections, these upstart platforms would undoubtedly face a barrage of lawsuits that could easily overwhelm their limited resources and force them into bankruptcy and users back to larger incumbents. Larger platforms with sizable legal departments and greater capital resources will be better placed to face these challenges, leaving conservatives with fewer avenues to express their viewpoints.
Section 230, however, means that these upstarts are immune from lawsuits, allowing them to continue operating and providing Conservatives with alternative venues to express their views.
The bipartisan desire to change Section 230 is not new in American politics, but for Conservatives, it will not fix their concerns with large technology companies. Instead, it could exacerbate them, leading to a digital world where Silicon Valley more tightly controls speech, and consumers have fewer avenues to express their opinions.
The post Section 230 and The End of The Internet? appeared first on James Madison Institute.
June 3, 2024
Unbundlers play an important role in helping to transform the K-12 education landscape.
At the end of the last workshop, on the last day, of last week’s Florida Parent Educators Association (FPEA) Convention in Orlando, a young mom asked a question that had vexed many parents throughout the three-day conference.
“What’s the catch?” she asked. “This all sounds too good to be true.”
The mom had just heard a presentation about Florida’s new Personalized Education Program (PEP) scholarships, which give parents who curate their child’s education roughly $8,000 a year to spend on various learning resources, enrichment programs, and specialty courses.
The PEP scholarship, which is nearing the end of its inaugural year, has no catch. It’s a straightforward program for funding parent-directed K-12 education. If it sounds too good to be true, that’s only because most Americans have been conditioned to think education dollars should fund systems, not students.
Thankfully, Florida is changing all that. Not only does the Sunshine State now provide tuition vouchers for parents interested in sending their child to a private school, but Florida also provides Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) for parents who’d prefer to put together a customized education plan for their child, drawing upon multiple providers.
Think of the first group as “bundlers” and the second as “unbundlers.” And think of all these families as deserving of per-pupil funding for their school-aged children. In fact, what Florida is now doing is allowing the per-pupil funds that would have been spent on a child in a public school to follow the child to the private school or unbundled learning programs chosen by Mom and Dad.
That hardly sounds radical. Or outlandish.
But it is still somewhat novel.
Indeed, Florida is one of a dozen or so states that have adopted universal ESA programs in recent years. In 2024, the Florida Legislature increased ESA funding to ensure that students with disabilities receive all the help they need. At the urging of Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Legislature also beat back an effort to impose some sweeping new restrictions on how ESA families could spend their education dollars.
DeSantis’ leadership on this issue no doubt helps to explain the enthusiastic welcome he received last week as the FPEA Convention’s keynote speaker. (The three-day event drew nearly 20,000 homeschoolers and unbundlers from all over the state.)
However, the Governor’s efforts to protect the freedom of unbundles should please public and private school parents as well. Unbundles are playing an important role in helping to transform the K-12 education landscape.
You see, unbundlers’ demand for specialty learning programs is bringing all sorts of new education providers into the K-12 marketplace. This means that schools don’t just have to compete with (a handful of) other schools anymore. They now have to compete with “a la carte” programs that only focus on certain subjects – much in the way that department stores have to compete with specialty stores that only sell shoes or hats or women’s wear.
When the K-12 education marketplace has lots and lots of providers vying for the business of both bundlers and unbundlers, two great things happen. Robust competition pushes quality up and costs down.
Over the last two decades, Florida has seen the benefits of competition in K-12 education. As school choice options have expanded, K-12 learning gains in our state have risen dramatically – for all students, including those in public schools. Moreover, several recent studies have shown that Florida now delivers greater bang for the buck in education than any other state.
Happily, Florida’s new PEP scholarships for unbundlers promise to help our state achieve even better results. They promise to keep Florida #1 in delivering great education at a low cost. That’s good news for children, parents, educators – and taxpayers!
Originally Found in Florida Politics.
The post Florida Politics: There’s No Catch to Florida’s Latest (and Greatest) K-12 Scholarships appeared first on James Madison Institute.
May 28, 2024
The digital realm has become a second home for America’s teens, allowing them to connect with friends and family, complete homework, and catch up on world events. While this connectivity has provided immense benefits, some argue that unfettered access has led to a rise in addiction, depression, and anxiety. These concerns have spurred the introduction of over 200 state-level bills aimed at safeguarding children online.
While most of the legislative activity has been at the state level, federal lawmakers have been pushing to quell these fears through their own measures. In February, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) reintroduced the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). Originally brought forward in 2022 with the support of Tennessee’s Marsha Blackburn (R), this revised bill aims to address the ongoing concerns surrounding youth online safety. The bill has garnered immense support, with 68 cosponsors in the Senate and 11 in the House of Representatives.
If enacted, KOSA would create a “duty of care” for social media platforms, compelling them to shield minors from perceived harms caused by social media, such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. While well-intentioned, KOSA contains privacy and constitutional pitfalls that risk censorship of vital resources for America’s youth and threaten the First Amendment rights of all Americans.
KOSA would mandate platforms to protect minors from harm, but KOSA’s instructions for how platforms should protect against “harmful” content are incredibly vague. For example, platforms are directed to “take reasonable measures in the design and operation of any product, service, or feature” but are provided no further clarification of how to do so. Consequently, platforms would be incentivized by vague language to broadly censor speech out of fear of liability for disseminating potentially “harmful” content. Such censorship could include blocking portions of health and educational content and cutting off access to information for the very groups KOSA aims to protect.
Furthermore, for platforms to fulfill their duty of care and implement KOSA’s prescribed safeguards for minors, they must first verify the ages of all users. Although the new legislation claims it does not mandate age verification, Ari Cohn and Berin Szóka of Tech Freedom explain, “changes [to KOSA] merely trade a clear, explicit mandate [to verify ages] for a vague, implicit one; the unconstitutional effect on anonymous expression will be the same.” Despite policymakers’ assertions, KOSA’s opaque instructions and hefty fines encourage platforms to implement age verification to avoid liability.
Therefore, to access content under KOSA, all users will likely have to hand over some form of personal information including a government-issued ID, biometric scans, or sensitive user data. This wouldn’t just affect kids, as platforms must verify the ages of all users to isolate which users are minors. In the process of protecting children, age-verification methods would suppress protected adult speech by creating barriers for users to express their free ideas and denying users the right to browse anonymously. The Supreme Court has repeatedly protected this right to free and anonymous expression, meaning KOSA’s provisions could pose significant challenges should Congress enact the bill.
Although the means of dispersing this speech has changed since the court’s initial rulings, the foundation of Americans’ right to free and anonymous speech would similarly make age verification measures unconstitutional today.
Moreover, to avoid collecting IDs and facial scans, KOSA’s duty of care can push platforms to gather more sensitive information about their users to estimate their age, creating additional privacy concerns. Forcing third-party companies to collect sensitive information can create targets for bad actors, threatening the privacy of nearly 250 million Americans. In a recent data breach of Outabox, an Australian company that scanned faces and IDs to enter bars and nightclubs, over 1 million people’s personal information “including names, addresses, and driver’s license” were compromised. The push for constitutionally perilous child safety legislation overshadows the fruitful progress made at the state level. States like Florida and Virginia have enacted constitutional legislation to educate America’s teens about safe social media use. Instead of relying on flawed and unconstitutional measures, lawmakers should continue investing in comprehensive digital literacy education, empower parents with more nuanced control tools, and foster innovation that respects children’s safety and constitutional rights.
The post What Is KOSA and What Does It Mean for America’s Teens? appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 13, 2024
CONTACT
Logan Elizabeth Padgett
850-386-3131
JMI Commends Governor DeSantis on Signing HB 1403
TALLAHASSEE — “The signing of the school choice bill, HB 1403, cements Gov.Ron DeSantis’ place in the ‘Florida Education Choice Hall of Fame’ — and guarantees the inclusion of House Speaker Paul Renner and Senate Education Chairman Corey Simon as well. This trio followed up their historic 2023 universal scholarship legislation with a less-glamorous-but-nevertheless-important 2024 “streamlining” bill (HB 1403). Not only does this year’s measure make a number of needed improvements to Florida’s scholarship programs, but HB 1403 is also significant for what it did not do — impose sweeping restrictions on parents’ use of their scholarship accounts. Florida families should join JMI in saluting Gov. DeSantis, Speaker Renner, Sen. Simon, and all of the House and Senate members supporting final passage, for working to make certain Florida remains #1 in Education Freedom!” William Mattox, Director of the Marshall Center for Educational Options at The James Madison Institute
###
The James Madison Institute is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the ideals of limited government, economic freedom, federalism and individual liberty coupled with individual responsibility. The institute conducts research on such issues as criminal justice, health care, taxes and regulatory environments.
The post JMI Commends Governor DeSantis on Signing HB 1403 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2024
CONTACT
Logan Elizabeth Padgett
850-386-3131
JMI Releases New Policy Brief on Artificial Intelligence and State Government Operations
TALLAHASSEE — While many consumers and private companies have embraced artificial intelligence (AI), state governments also stand to benefit from using and implementing the technology. Despite the immense benefits of AI to streamline government work, the Biden administration and state governments have sought to establish a hostile regulatory regime that could crush innovation and prevent the full benefits of the technology from being realized. In this new paper, “Bringing Government into the 21st Century: Artificial Intelligence and State Government Operations,” The James Madison Institute outlines potential state government uses of artificial intelligence and makes policy recommendations for how state governments can modernize operations and deliver better services.
“Artificial Intelligence has the power to streamline state government operations, not just here in Florida, but across the country. In releasing this policy brief, JMI hopes to illuminate the ways emerging technologies can make government work better for citizens in the coming years. We also hope to show why state lawmakers should be embracing these technologies and not rejecting them.” — Dr. Edward Longe, Director, Center for Technology & Innovation, The James Madison Institute
Read “Bringing Government into the 21st Century: Artificial Intelligence and State Government Operations,” here.
###
The James Madison Institute is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the ideals of limited government, economic freedom, federalism and individual liberty coupled with individual responsibility. The institute conducts research on such issues as criminal justice, health care, taxes and regulatory environments.
The post JMI Releases New Policy Brief on Artificial Intelligence and State Government Operations appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On November 30, 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT, a program that revolutionized how humans interact with technology and the world around them. Unlike most technological tools that came before it, ChatGPT could respond to almost any question and independently generate text. Since ChatGPT was released, companies like Microsoft, X (formerly Twitter), Google, and IBM have also released similar tools and integrated them into current product offerings.
What is AI?
Although there is no universally agreed-upon definition as to what artificial intelligence is, in simple terms, it refers to a machine’s ability “to perform the cognitive functions we associate with human minds, such as perceiving, reasoning, learning, interacting with an environment, problem-solving, and even exercising creativity.” While AI is considered a recent invention or emerging technology, it has been a part of society for some time, with tools like predictive text, voice assistants, and chatbots all used almost daily.
While AI appears in many different forms, the two most common are generative AI and machine learning. Each form has its distinct functions and use cases. The most well-known form of AI is generative artificial intelligence, known for its ability to generate content like text, audio, video, or images from human prompts. Generative AI relies on Large Language Models (LLMs) to collect vast amounts of text online from online sources that can then be trained to respond to specific prompts from a human operator. Given its ability to generate content and training on internet sources, generative AI could easily be used to draft responses, summarize texts, and quickly conduct research.
Unlike generative AI, Machine Learning (ML) takes vast amounts of data on a range of topics and uses them to make predictions. These predictions range from providing consumers with streaming recommendations and image recognition to predicting an individual’s likelihood of suffering from a disease or illness. ML is further categorized as supervised or unsupervised. Supervised ML requires labeled data sets to train algorithms to grow more accurate over time. For example, an algorithm trained with labeled images of cars can eventually learn to identify types of vehicles without human guidance. Unsupervised learning is used to find patterns and trends, which can then be used to predict future behavior
Read “Bringing Government Into the 21st Century: Artificial Intelligence and State Government Operations” here.
The post Bringing Government into the 21st Century: Artificial Intelligence and State Government Operations appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 26, 2024
CONTACT
Logan Elizabeth Padgett
850-386-3131
JMI Releases Statement on President Biden’s Changes to Title IX
Statement from the K. Earl Durden Center for the Advancement of Liberty at The James Madison Institute on President Biden’s Changes to Title IX:
“The mission of the K. Earl Durden Center for the Advancement of Liberty at The James Madison Institute is to promote the principles of federalism that have made this nation the freest, most prosperous on earth. Currently at stake are two fundamentally opposed ways of life – one in which economic reality, the rule of law, and the separation of powers matter and one in which mob rule and economic and cultural Leftism dictate the conduct of every second of our lives. The James Madison Institute commends Governor DeSantis, Secretary Diaz, and other leaders around the state and country that are taking a stand against President Biden’s unconstitutional changes to Title IX.” — Dr. Robert McClure, President and CEO, The James Madison Institute
“The Biden Administration’s actions demonstrate a complete disregard and disrespect for the separation of powers and First Amendment constitutional protections. It may be easier to govern by agency fiat, but the states and the American people demand true leadership and accountability to the rule of law. We applaud Governor DeSantis and Secretary Diaz who are standing up to President Biden’s blatant attempts to undermine our federalist system.”— Lindsay Killen, Vice President of National Strategy; Director, Durden Center for the Advancement of Liberty
The post JMI Releases Statement on President Biden’s Changes to Title IX appeared first on James Madison Institute.
With a finite supply of water and a booming population, conflicts over water in the Sunshine State have become more regular, more intense, and more costly in recent years. Water markets, which allow competing users to trade water voluntarily, offer Florida the best hope of aligning economic growth, water conservation, and ecosystem health.
This study explains how water markets can help resolve Florida’s most pressing water issues. It also describes several policy reforms Florida’s lawmakers and regulators should consider if they hope to tap water markets in the future. Fortunately, Florida law already embraces several elements needed to foster water marketing. With relatively minor policy modifications — not overhauls — Florida can harness property rights and markets to make the most of its water resources.
Read “Tapping Water Markets in Florida” here.
Sal Nuzzo* — Executive Director, Consumers Defense, Senior Fellow, The James Madison Institute
Reed Watson* — Director, Hayek Center for the Business of Prosperity and Professor of Practice at Clemson University’s John E. Walker Department of Economics, Former Executive Director, The Property and Environment Research Center (PERC)
The post Tapping Water Markets in Florida appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 24, 2024
CONTACT
Logan Elizabeth Padgett
850-386-3131
JMI Releases New Backgrounder on Water Markets
Conflicts over water in the Sunshine State have become more regular, more intense, and more costly in recent years.
In a new JMI Backgrounder, “Tapping Water Markets in Florida,” Sal Nuzzo, Executive Director of Consumers Defense and Senior Fellow at The James Madison Institute and Reed Watson, Director of the Hayek Center for the Business of Prosperity and Professor of Practice at Clemson University, make the case for water markets.
Water markets, which allow competing users to trade water voluntarily, offer Florida the best hope of aligning economic growth, water conservation, and ecosystem health.
The new JMI study explains how water markets can help resolve Florida’s most pressing water issues. It also describes several policy reforms Florida’s lawmakers and regulators should consider if they hope to tap water markets in the future.
“The beauty of water markets lies in their ability to encourage conservation without mandates. Water markets incentivize users to think creatively about how to use less and save more. By making relatively minor policy adjustments, we can harness the power of markets to secure a sustainable water future for the Sunshine State.” —Reed Watson, Director of the Hayek Center for the Business of Prosperity and Professor of Practice at Clemson University’s John E. Walker Department of Economics and former executive director at The Property and Environment Research Center (PERC).
“The most effective way to promote conservation of a scarce resource like water is to provide market-based incentives. With a use-it-or-lose-it approach, there is no reason for an individual or company to conserve. Incentives breed innovation, and that is what can ultimately address the challenges Florida faces in the area of water quantity and quality. Policymakers can and should take a hard look as this issue will not only impact us, but our grandchildren and beyond.” — Sal Nuzzo, Executive Director, Consumers Defense and Senior Fellow, The James Madison Institute
Click here to read “Tapping Water Markets in Florida.”
###
The James Madison Institute is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the ideals of limited government, economic freedom, federalism and individual liberty coupled with individual responsibility. The institute conducts research on such issues as criminal justice, health care, taxes and regulatory environments.
The post JMI Releases New Backgrounder on Water Markets appeared first on James Madison Institute.
April 23, 2024
Last year, the Department of Education, led by Secretary Miguel Cordona, released a Dear Colleague letter that flew under the radar of most Americans but could reshape how colleges and universities across the country deliver online courses for millions of students. Initially withdrawn due to widespread backlash, the Department is expected to pick up where it left off within the next several months.
The new guidance, if implemented, could disrupt “the contractual arrangements between colleges and universities and Online Program Managers (OPMs)—the vendors that help colleges build and operate digital platforms for online courses” by giving the federal government greater oversight into contracts between providers and educational institutions.
To build, maintain, and deliver online courses, OPMs and educational institutions often enter into mutually beneficial revenue-sharing agreements in which an OPM launches and runs online programs for colleges and universities. In return, colleges and universities provide OPMs with a portion of tuition, avoiding onerous one-time fees and rewarding course quality and student completion rates.. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimated that in 2021 “at least 550 colleges worked with an online program manager to support at least 2,900 education programs.” The GAO, however, admits that “the exact number of OPM arrangements is unknown due to a lack of comprehensive data.”
By 2030, the OPM market could be worth over $11 billion.
As OPMs have become more prominent players in American education, concern has grown, particularly among the left, that they are preying on students for profit. Shortly before the Department of Education announced its plans to regulate these agreements, Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) argued that “OPMs mislead students, drive up costs, and leave student borrowers with a low-value education, excessive debt, and low-paying jobs after graduation.”
Despite the Department of Education seeming committed to implementing increased oversight of OPMs, and after months of stakeholder engagement and public testimony, there has been little movement over the past few months to implement these rules. Usually, the lack of movement on harmful proposals would be positive, but silence has created regulatory ambiguity where providers and institutions aren’t sure what the future holds and are reluctant to enter into contracts that deliver critical services for students.
After over a year of regulatory limbo, the Department of Education must make a decision and provide the regulatory certainty institutions and providers need to deliver high-quality online programs to students.
In attempting to oversee contracts between providers and institutions, the Department of Education is ignoring the cost-saving benefits of these agreements, especially for colleges and universities with smaller budgets. As William J. Bennet, Secretary of Education under Ronald Reagan, notes, “creating an online program requires a lot of investment, as does marketing it,” and an OPM “offloads the front-end burden, which can be imperative for colleges that lack the multibillion-dollar endowments of larger household name universities.”
Smaller colleges and universities would face two choices if the Department of Education implements its guidelines. They would have to completely withdraw these online offerings, denying students a diverse range of popular online courses, or they would be forced to fund these courses themselves, further straining already stretched budgets and leading to cuts elsewhere. In a worst-case scenario, online courses could become a luxury reserved for America’s wealthiest institutions.
In either situation, students suffer at the hands of Washington bureaucrats.
After a year of regulatory limbo, it’s well past time for the Department of Education to decide whether it wants to implement rules that will unnecessarily harm students, educational institutions, and OPMs or leave an ecosystem alone that generates significant benefits for all three. While the best-case scenario would be that the Department of Education listens to the numerous stakeholders who criticized the plans and withdraws the proposals altogether, the next best thing they can do would be to provide clarity and certainty to all parties clamoring for it.
The post Department of Education is Leaving Students and Innovators in Regulatory Limbo appeared first on James Madison Institute.
April 19, 2024
One of the principal tenets of progress and innovation is that we are not tethered to old technology. For example, when consumers purchase the latest smartphone that can connect to the internet or download applications, they are not forced to buy a rotary phone. When consumers subscribe to broadband service, they aren’t additionally required to purchase a dial-service.
If such an ecosystem existed, our homes would be filled with printing presses and wind-up clocks instead of smartphones, fast internet, and other advanced technologies.
Unfortunately, Washington may be about to drag America back into the past by forcing automobile manufacturers to install AM radios in all new cars. Despite historical opposition to mandates among Republicans and centrist Democrats, the bill enjoys broad bipartisan support, with more than 30 sponsors in the Senate and over 200 sponsors in the House of Representatives.
Proponents of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act claim the legislation is critical for ensuring public safety and is necessary, because car manufacturers have begun to remove AM radios from newer models, particularly electric vehicles. The reality, though, is that fewer and fewer Americans use AM radio to receive safety alerts, meaning it is less relevant to ensuring public safety. In addition, an AM radio mandate would unnecessarily inflate the cost of automobiles, forcing Americans to pay more for already skyrocketing prices of cars.
One of the principal arguments used by advocates of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act is that AM radio allows governments to communicate quickly with the public during disturbances or severe weather. When signing on to the Senate companion legislation, Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) noted that “AM Radio delivers highway safety information to drivers and critical storm and weather updates.” It is true that state and federal agencies use AM radio to deliver safety announcements, but fewer and fewer Americans receive these critical alerts via AM radio. This makes it increasingly irrelevant and impotent as a public safety tool.
In October 2023, the Consumer Technology Association, a trade association representing America’s technology sector, conducted a study to determine how many Americans use AM radio to receive public safety information. To test the importance of AM radio to public safety, CTA studied how people received the October 2023 FEMA Test alert.
The results were illuminating. Ninety-five percent, or 245 million people, received the alert via their phones, with 92 percent reporting receiving it through a smartphone. Just 1 percent of the population, or three million people, received the alert through an AM radio.
To put that number in context, twice as many people live in the Miami Metro area as those who received the emergency test alert via AM radio throughout the entire U.S.
The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act would also impose significant costs on manufacturers, particularly electric vehicle manufacturers, which would inevitably be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices. Such a price increase is particularly harmful when the cost of purchasing and maintaining a vehicle is already above historical averages and almost half of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. According to research from the Center for Automotive Research, installing AM radios in electric vehicles could cost manufacturers an additional $3.8 billion, with the costs stemming from “mitigating electromagnetic interference caused by [electric vehicle] propulsion systems, including electric motors, inverters and high-voltage batteries, as well as other vehicle components.”
Rather than inflate the cost of cars, Congress should find ways to make them more affordable. If that means allowing manufacturers to remove redundant technology that consumers no longer use, so be it.
With such strong bipartisan support in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, there is a real chance that the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act finds itself a reserved parking spot on President Biden’s desk. Unfortunately, bipartisan support is not a sign of good legislation, especially when it would mandate a technology which is costly to include in vehicles and which fewer and fewer Americans use to receive safety alerts.
Congress risks dragging America back to the past. Thankfully, there’s still time for a U-turn.
Originally found in The Hill.
The post The Hill: Don’t Force Drivers To Buy AM Radios appeared first on James Madison Institute.
April 17, 2024
In place of any public debate whatsoever this Session, there is now a secret study buried within the ‘Legislative Support Services’ section of the budget.
Florida has a long history of transparency and openness in government dating back to Gov. Reubin Askew’s administration nearly 50 years ago.
We call it “Government in the Sunshine.” Few states have public meetings to negotiate every jot and tittle of the budgeting process, with “offers,” as we call them, passed back and forth between the House and the Senate during the legislative budget-making process.
This extreme transparency is precisely why it was strange to discover that the 2024-2025 Florida budget, which has not yet been sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis for action, contains a secret “study” aimed at the credit card interchange system.
Almost everyone reading this has a credit card, I am sure, and the debate over how the interchange fee works — allocating money to support customer “points programs” and even fraud protection efforts — became such a public debate in the 2023 Legislative Session that Senate President Kathleen Passidomo called the stakeholders from both sides into her office in early 2024 to try to avoid the public controversy that played out the Session beforehand.
Disturbingly, in place of any public debate whatsoever this Session, there is now a secret study buried within the “Legislative Support Services” section of the budget. The secret study language is tied to a $1 million increase, which would appear to fund the study for the Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research.
Because of this secret funding, we believe Gov. DeSantis will also be surprised to learn that a study on such a controversial subject as the credit card interchange system is being funded by an arm of the legislature through a “contract with a public or private institution of higher learning” without his input, public discussion, or any public procurement process typically required of a state agency.
The Governor would be justified in his veto of the Legislative Support Services section of the budget in order to eliminate the secret study on the credit card interchange system. His veto message could even include instructions to the legislature to restore their staff funding through a legislative budget amendment but to back out of the $1 million increase tied to the interchange system study.
Once this secret study is removed from the budget, an open and fair debate about the pros and cons of changing the interchange system can take place in the sunshine where it belongs. These kinds of budget items only serve to give the appearance of a rigged system picking winners and losers, absent any public debate. There is a reason Florida has rightly earned its reputation as a state with low taxes and light regulation, where citizens are free to pursue their version of the American Dream without the needless burdens of an overbearing government. It is because our state government acts in the sunshine. Let’s not ruin a good thing.
Originally found in Florida Politics.
The post Florida Politics: Secret Study on Credit Card Interchange Doesn’t Belong in Florida’s Budget appeared first on James Madison Institute.
April 16, 2024
Dr. Bob McClure and Joseph Visconti
In a recent Instagram post celebrating the 13th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), aka Obamacare, former President Barack Obama praised the legislation for “cutting the uninsured rate in half and enshrining healthcare as an essential right, not a privilege.” Yet, beneath this surface-level politically charged rhetoric, the ACA has resulted in complex layers of unintended consequences that have placed substantial economic strains on America’s healthcare system.
Recent analyses by The Paragon Institute highlight a concerning trend: mandatory spending on health programs, influenced in part by the ACA, Medicare, and Medicaid, now exceeds federal discretionary spending. This shift is contributing to a projected national debt of $54 trillion over the next decade, reshuffling federal budget priorities. The ripple effects of these financial dynamics have led to increased premiums for some and strained patient-provider relationships, presenting complex challenges that extend beyond the ACA’s primary aim of enhancing affordable healthcare access.
Introduced with the intent of broadening healthcare access while curbing costs, the ACA’s initial cost projections by the 2009 Congressional Budget Office report (CBO) seemed modest—an additional $17 billion by 2021 for insurance subsidies and exchanges. Fast forward to 2024, and the landscape has dramatically shifted. Federal spending on key healthcare programs is projected to soar to $1.67 trillion, significantly overshooting initial estimates, with forecasts predicting a staggering increase to $3.103 trillion by 2033. This financial trajectory not only highlights severe miscalculations in the ACA’s implementation but also underscores the pressing need for a reevaluation of healthcare reform’s fiscal impact.
The ACA’s wide-reaching effects are profoundly felt in the personal stories of individuals navigating its complexities. Miranda Child from Hallandale Beach, FL, faced significant hurdles in finding a doctor under her ACA coverage, a struggle that many can relate to. She voiced her frustration, saying, “I just felt that I wasn’t being treated like a first-class citizen,” a sentiment that echoes the disillusionment of numerous ACA participants. Similarly, Sal Morales’ experiences in Kendall, FL, with healthcare providers refusing his ACA plan highlight the ongoing challenges and the unfortunate stigmas associated with ACA insurance, adding layers of difficulty to the patient-provider relationship.
On a macroeconomic level, the ACA’s impact has been profound, influencing not just individual policyholders but also the broader mechanisms of the American healthcare system. The shift has led to increased premiums for many, contrary to the ACA’s goal of affordability, and forced a significant number of Americans to part ways with their longstanding healthcare providers. The shift towards more nurse practitioners due to lower doctor payments under ACA plans might lead to potential downsides in healthcare quality. While nurse practitioners are highly skilled, their training differs from that of doctors, potentially impacting the thoroughness of diagnoses and treatments. Due to the financial pressures of the ACA, this shift might result in a decline in the quality of healthcare because patients might experience difficulty accessing physicians with the required level of medical expertise for their particular illness.
Moreover, the ACA’s implications for the free market and small businesses have been significant. Employer mandates have prompted some businesses to adjust employee hours or reduce their workforce to navigate around healthcare provision requirements, highlighting the tension between healthcare reform and economic pragmatism. The administrative and regulatory complexities introduced by the ACA have added another layer of challenge, increasing the operational burdens on healthcare providers and insurers and complicating the delivery of efficient and effective care.
As we assess the 13 years of the Affordable Care Act, it becomes clear that its impacts are multi-dimensional. President Obama promised, “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.” Moreover, as we have learned, access to coverage is not the same as access to quality care. “Fixing” the ACA’s unintended effects and economic stresses requires a healthcare system where primary decisions are not made by the government, but rather by the patient and the doctor. Only then will America’s healthcare system meet the important trifecta of access, affordability, and quality care.
Originally found in The Floridian Press.
The post The Floridian Press: Thirteen Years of Obamacare: Projections vs Reality appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On Tuesday, Florida’s 38th Governor and a United States Senator, Bob Graham, passed away at the age of 87.
Bob Graham was a devoted public servant who was dedicated to the people of Florida and the United States. He cared passionately about conserving the beautiful state that he loved. Graham was well known for his “workdays” and joined constituents at work for more then 900 jobs during his career. He spent decades fighting for the people of Florida, often working across the aisle.
“Bob Graham was a faithful public servant and champion for the people. His legacy can be seen across the Sunshine State. He served the people of Florida for decades with integrity and civility and his dedication to our state will always be remembered. Our prayers are with his family and loved ones during this tremendous loss.” — Dr. Robert McClure, President and CEO, The James Madison Institute
“Bob Graham loved Florida, but loved Floridians more. His entire public service career was marked by his sincere desire to make life better for the citizens of his beloved home state. It was one of the greatest privileges of my life to have worked with him and learn from him for almost twenty years. His family’s loss is a loss for all of us who looked up to him as the embodiment of a true statesman.” – Becky Liner, Executive Vice President, The James Madison Institute
The post Statement from The James Madison Institute on the Passing of Former Governor and United States Senator Bob Graham appeared first on James Madison Institute.
April 12, 2024
Dr. Edward Longe and Turner Loesel
Technological advancements, from artificial intelligence and quantum computing, have helped maintain the United States’ status as the world’s leading economy. The technology sector contributes nearly $2 trillion in economic output, representing 9% of the economy. More than 9.3 million Americans depend on the tech industry for employment, and the job growth rate is twice the national average. Over the last century, technology has continued to boost efficiency and productivity, accounting for as much as half of the nation’s economic growth.
Born out of the Industrial Revolution, American innovators solved everyday challenges and created essential tools like the light bulb and automobile, items we often take for granted. Now, we’re in the midst of the Digital Revolution. Emerging technologies, like artificial intelligence, transform tasks that once took a significant amount of time to complete and reduce them to seconds. The efficiency gains from streamlined processes and automation can catalyze productivity in every corner of the economy, projected to generate trillions of dollars annually.
In discussions on the economic impact of artificial intelligence, researchers universally acknowledge the transformative potential of AI algorithms to enhance efficiency and productivity. In agriculture, AI determines when crops are ready to harvest or remotely turns off irrigation systems ahead of a rainstorm. A majority of small businesses already use AI, often to improve customer outreach and manage inventory, helping keep hard-earned dollars in the pockets of our shop owners. Meanwhile, healthcare providers use technology to improve patient outcomes and decrease the time spent in hospital waiting rooms. For our youth, It has the potential to help educators compensate for a lack of classroom assistance in schools, serving students in new and valuable ways. The possibilities are limitless.
Following this optimism is a common misconception that AI is replacing jobs. The truth is quite the opposite. Instead, it saves workers time on monotonous tasks, putting extra hours back on their calendars to strategize and build relationships with coworkers or help resolve complex issues. Rather than replace workers, AI will complement current roles, leading to higher wages and even creating new roles altogether.
Nonetheless, legislators—on the federal, state, and local levels—must continue to support policies that foster the development of emerging technologies while quelling public fears. Regulatory efforts are already underway across the pond. The European Union (EU) is set to adopt the AI Act in the coming months, a stringent framework governing AI development that underscores the significance of data privacy and decision-making transparency. Alternatively, the United States has chosen a stance of “permissionless innovation,” wherein regulatory interventions are minimal to avoid imposing cumbersome restrictions like the EU that hinder technological progress.
Innovation is rooted in our past and essential for America’s future. As the leader of the AI revolution, copying costly regulations from the EU and abroad can be disastrous. Instead, the US should continue with its current trajectory, which has solidified the US as an oasis of technological progress.
The post The United States is the Leader of the Digital Revolution – Pro-Tech Policies are Key appeared first on James Madison Institute.
April 9, 2024
Lindsay Killen and Thais Gonzalez
Our nation needs a win these days, particularly at the federal level. People are exasperated, overburdened, disillusioned, and pessimistic about whether the country can advance solutions that make peoples’ lives better – not just now, but into the future.
Indeed, optimism has been on the decline in recent years. Labor force participation rates plateaued over the past decade, partially due to the rise in an aging population, the recent pandemic, and decreasing birth rates. Currently, the labor participation rate is 62.8 percent, compared to 67.3 percent in 2000. Most critically, 1.7 million more Americans have dropped out of the workforce since the start of the pandemic in 2020. These individuals represent a population of 25–54-year-old able-bodied workers that are becoming more dependent on state and federal safety-net programs.
Labor participation is expected to further decline over the coming years, dropping to approximately 60 percent by the year 2032, according to projections by the U.S. Department of Labor. In the last year alone, 41 million Americans were relying on food stamps and approximately 90 million Americans were enrolled in Medicaid. Collectively, the American government now spends over $1 trillion on these programs every year – a staggering and unsustainable trend that must be addressed.
Thankfully, states have been stepping up to deliver commonsense solutions that streamline access to essential benefits while supporting individuals on their path towards rejoining the labor market. Utah’s approach has been particularly effective, leading the state’s U.S. Senator, Mitt Romney, to file similar legislation at the federal level.
Called the “One Door to Work Act” (ODWA), the premise is simple, yet profound: consolidate multiple services under one umbrella and make it more efficient for individuals to access the essential services they need, while creating a springboard to self-sufficiency. Whether it’s healthcare, housing assistance, food aid, or employment services, One Door seeks to provide a unified entry point – sparing individuals from navigating a maze of agencies and applications. ODWA also increases states’ flexibility to design and implement workforce development programs and consolidate social safety-net programs into a single entity. This approach allows governments to be more fiscally responsible while supporting able-bodied individuals to reverse the workforce drop-out rates, obtain gainful employment, and restore a greater sense of purpose.
Leslie Ford, an adjunct scholar at the American Enterprise Institute’s Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility, explained to a legislative oversight committee that, “When people don’t work, their physical health declines, their psychological well-being declines, but when they move from welfare to work, we see financial strain declines, food insecurity drops. We see their physical, emotional, and psychological health improve. And we even see better health and education outcomes for their children.”
Utah’s flexibility to pursue and implement this approach is unique among the states, as federal policy changes grandfathered in Utah’s programs and authority – meaning that we have now have a proof-of-concept for other states to model. Since implementing the One Door approach, Utah has become the best state for upward mobility, has maintained consistently low unemployment and poverty rates, and has one of the most diverse economies in the country. Further, Utah had the best economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The state has garnered two jobs for every one lost during the pandemic, according to a policy brief from the Alliance for Opportunity.
Now, a coalition letter from the Alliance for Opportunity urges Congress to pass a One Door state option that currently has the support of 46 signatories from 17 states – including The James Madison Institute (JMI). Texas, Louisiana, and North Carolina are just some of the states that have already begun steps to pursue similar programs at the state level, should One Door’s federal reform be signed into law.
As active participants in the coalition effort, JMI works with our partners in other states to raise awareness about the importance of making essential government services more efficient and reducing individuals’ reliance on safety net programs. Indeed, we believe that the One Door to Work Act has the potential to improve countless lives while making taxpayer resources go further. Together, we can open doors to opportunity and ensure that everyone has access to the support they need to thrive.
The post U.S. House Should Give Americans a Win by Passing One-Door appeared first on James Madison Institute.
September 6, 2023 These platforms offer a convenient way to eat around busy schedules. Tens of thousands of...
The post Florida Politics: Miami-Dade Commission Cooks Up a Bad Idea on Food Delivery Regs appeared first on James Madison Institute.
August 25, 2023Will Flanders and Edward Longe Social media has revolutionized the world in ways that few could...
The post Wisconsin State Journal: A Better Way To Protect Teenagers Online appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Lindsay Killen and Ella Bevis It’s back to school for Florida students and many others across the country...
The post RealClear Policy: The Economic Benefits of School Choice appeared first on James Madison Institute.
By: Adelyn Hanlon “The number of Florida students receiving K12 scholarships now exceeds 400,000. That’s more than the entire...
The post School Choice Facts appeared first on James Madison Institute.
August 18, 2023 In all my years working in the policy arena, one of the things I have...
The post Daily Caller: Another Dem Bill Picks Corporate Winners and Consumer Losers appeared first on James Madison Institute.
We’re Not Just Florida Anymore… If one thing is certain about what we’ve learned over the past 10...
The post Tech Summit 2023 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Social Media: Rhetoric and Reality Millions of teenagers across the United States access the internet and social media...
The post Keeping Teens Safe On Social Media: A Guide for Free-Market Lawmakers appeared first on James Madison Institute.
July 19, 2023 With Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signing his Digital Bill of Rights into law that purports...
The post Florida’s Voice: Data Collection on Wheels: Congress Must Protect Our Information appeared first on James Madison Institute.
July 14, 2023 For decades, the United States has been a trailblazer of innovation – it put a...
The post The Florida Standard: American Tech Innovation Is at the Center of Geopolitics appeared first on James Madison Institute.
July 12, 2023 Every four years, United States presidential candidates (traditionally seeking the Republican nomination) extol the virtues...
The post Real Clear Markets: The Federal Government Can’t Be a Business Because It Isn’t OneReal Clear Markets appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI’s Sal Nuzzo and Bob McClure talk about cocaine found...
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 47 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI’s Logan Padgett and Nicole Kiser discuss the Hunter Biden...
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 46 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
For an organization with a mission to defend the principles of limited government and free markets, there will...
The post ACP is Critical to Florida Broadband Success; Congress Must Renew It appeared first on James Madison Institute.
June 10, 2023 Sal Nuzzo and Grover Norquist President Biden refuses to take “no” for an answer. The...
The post Biden’s Backdoor Student Loan Bailout Threatens to Soak Taxpayers appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI’s Bob McClure and Sal Nuzzo discuss the proposed new...
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 45 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
What is HB1 and what does it change?
House Bill 1 (HB1) increases accessibility to school choice by expanding scholarship opportunities to include all Florida K-12 students.
The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO) and Florida Tax Credit (FTC) scholarships have expanded eligibility to include all students qualified to attend a public K-12 school. This removes income qualifications that prevented some students from receiving this opportunity.
Additionally, these scholarship programs were converted to education savings account (ESA) programs, meaning that the funding is deposited into an account and may be applied through multiple avenues. This change allows for increased options without the financial burden as parents and guardians navigate schooling their children.
When will the changes take effect?
The changes will be implemented July 1st, 2023.
Where do applicants apply?
Applications will be available through one of the scholarship funding organizations (SFO): A.A.A. Scholarship Foundation and Step Up for Students.
Is there an application difference between FES and FTC scholarships?
FTC scholarships are privately funded, and FTC scholarships are government funded. Both types of scholarships are applied to the same way through the same application.
How can scholarships be used for public school education?
Scholarships can provide funding of up to $750 for transportation to a public school outside the student’s zoned district, allowing students to attend a public school they are not zoned for.
How can scholarships be used for private school education?
Scholarships can provide funding for private school tuition first, then other private schooling expenses after tuition is paid.
How can scholarships be used for home education?
HB1 establishes a new personalized education program (PEP) for those who wish to home educate but receive funding to do so. PEP is funded through FTC scholarships and provides financial support for students who do not attend public or private school. PEP funds could contribute to paying for things such as home education group tuition fees, tutoring, and curriculum. Those utilizing the PEP funding will terminate their registration as a home education program participant and will register as a PEP program participant by notifying their school district. For more information on PEP: https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/18379/urlt/PEP-FAQ.pdf
Can students who are siblings receive different scholarships for different schooling methods?
Yes, HB1 allows flexibility for parents and guardians to determine which schooling method is best for each individual student. Siblings do not need to attend the same school or utilize the same schooling method; their funding will be determined individually.
Are there differences in funding for students with special abilities?
Yes, the FES-EA program is specifically for students with special abilities. HB1 increases the annual FES-EA scholarship adjustment from 1% to 3%. This increase allows more students with special abilities to access funding. For more information on FES-EA: https://www.stepupforstudents.org/scholarships/unique-abilities/
Are there differences in funding for students with increased financial need?
Yes, priority is given to those whose household income falls below 185% of the federal poverty line, and second priority to those with household income falling between 185% and 400% of the federal poverty line.
How many students will receive funding?
HB1 eliminates the enrollment cap for the scholarships, but PEP specifically is limited to 20,000 new students. This limit will increase to 40,000 next year and by 40,000 each subsequent year until 2027, when the limit is removed.
How is the funding amount determined?
Funding is determined based on the student’s grade level and county of residence. See below for the maximum awarded amounts per county and grade level.
FES-EO: https://www.aaascholarships.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2023-24-FES-EO-Awards-20230507.pdf
FTC: https://www.aaascholarships.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2023-24-FTC-Awards-20230507-1.pdf
Sources
https://www.flsenate.gov/Committees/BillSummaries/2023/html/3194https://www.stepupforstudents.org/legislative-updates/
Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Historic Legislation to Expand School Choice Options to All Florida Students
The post What is Florida’s HB 1? appeared first on James Madison Institute.
May 23, 2023
Five years ago, Ron DeSantis toiled away as one of 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Today, he looms large in American politics as Florida’s twice-elected governor—and the Republican widely considered to have the best shot at toppling Donald Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
While many factors have played into DeSantis’s rise, education policy has been at the center of nearly every episode propelling the Florida governor forward. Governor DeSantis has made education a major priority of both terms in office. And he has skillfully tackled some thorny education issues using a two-pronged approach that delights parents who share his views—while neutralizing, or even winning over, many outside his core group of support.
The first, and more attention-grabbing, part of DeSantis’s approach could be called “Defying the Establishment.” The second, and potentially more important, part might be called “De-Escalating the Stakes.” Both merit closer inspection—and the best place to begin is with a fascinating-yet-often-overlooked episode that brought these two strands together.
Defusing the School ‘Mask Wars’
In the summer of 2021, education officials in Florida (and beyond) were gearing up for Round Two in the Great Covid Response Dilemma—whether students returning to public schools in the fall would be required to wear masks.
Round Two had all of the appearances of a high-stakes, winner-take-all showdown. One side insisted on Covid caution. The other emphasized personal freedom and responsibility. No win-win solution seemed possible. Public schools were either going to require masks or they weren’t. If ever there were a Solomonic conundrum crying out for an ingenious “split the baby” response, this was it.
Enter Ron DeSantis.
Governor DeSantis strongly identified with those emphasizing personal freedom and responsibility, just as he had a year earlier in championing a return to in-person instruction (over the objections of public-school unions, public health officials, and most major media outlets). Among other things, DeSantis worried mask mandates would hinder classroom instruction because teachers and students would be unable to see each other’s mouth movements.
Still, the governor recognized that some parents wanted their kids to wear masks, often for understandable reasons (such as having an immunocompromised family member at home). Accordingly, he said schools should neither mandate masks nor forbid their use.
In July, DeSantis issued an executive order to “protect parents’ right to make decisions regarding masking of their children.” And he reminded Floridians that he had recently signed into law The Parents’ Bill of Rights, which affirmed parents’ authority “to direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health” of their children.
DeSantis’s “mask-optional” executive order surprised no one. But what happened next surprised many.
Several Florida school districts announced they were going to defy the governor’s order and impose mask mandates anyway. In response, DeSantis instructed Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran to issue a rule making students who suffer “Covid-19 harassment” eligible for a Hope Scholarship.
Florida’s Hope Scholarship program allows victims of bullying or harassment to transfer to another school of their parents’ choosing, with funds following the student. DeSantis and Corcoran (who had spearheaded Hope’s adoption when he was House speaker) maintained that the law’s language could be legitimately applied to situations when students are mistreated by local school officials over masking policies.
The governor’s move drew modest, momentary, and mostly meh mainstream media attention.
But it sparked an interesting response from some Covid-wary Florida parents who felt mask-optional policies threatened their child’s well-being. They asked if they too could get a Hope Scholarship to send their child to a private school that mandated masks.
“Absolutely,” the DeSantis administration answered, thereby reaffirming the unimpeachable idea behind Florida’s Hope Scholarship—that no child should be required to attend a school his parents consider unsafe.
And with that, the Great School Mask Wars of 2021 came to a peaceful resolution in Florida. Thanks to DeSantis’s deft governing, parents on all sides enjoyed access to public funds to send their kids to a school with Covid policies that matched their preferences. Win-win.
Defying the (‘Woke’) Establishment
Most people outside Florida have never heard the latter part of this story because it runs counter to the dominant narrative surrounding DeSantis’s approach to education policy. That narrative emphasizes DeSantis’s willingness to stand up for underdog parents who find themselves at odds with the progressive Establishment, often on zero-sum issues with no possible win-win solution.
“Virtually every major institution in our country is attempting to impose a ‘progressive’ agenda on society,” DeSantis told the New York Post. “Florida strives to protect the ability of its citizens to live their lives free from this agenda being shoved down their throats.”
DeSantis has challenged the “woke” orthodoxy by:
- Championing the adoption of legislation banning critical race theory and its related tenets which, in DeSantis’s words, “teach kids to hate their country and to hate each other;”
- Signing into law a measure outlawing male participation in high school sports for females;
- Spearheading the adoption of the Parental Rights in Education Act (or, as critics dubbed it, the “Don’t Say Gay” bill) which prohibited public schools from teaching young students about gender ideology and human sexuality;
- Leading an effort to curb the Walt Disney company’s special governing privileges after Disney joined LGBTQ advocates in fighting against the Parental Rights in Education Act;
- Denying state approval of the College Board’s new Advanced Placement African-American Studies course over its inclusion of “queer theory,” “intersectionality,” and other problematic content;
- Repealing and replacing Common Core standards throughout the curriculum to encourage greater emphasis on classic literature and the foundations of western thought;
- Vetoing an “action civics” proposal that would have emphasized training in student activism over the acquisition of core knowledge about our political system;
- Engineering a leadership transformation at New College, a state liberal arts institution long dominated (and mismanaged) by left-wing academics; and
- Eliminating funding at state universities for “diversity, equity, and inclusion” programs that directly or indirectly violate federal civil rights standards.
As this long (and growing!) list makes clear, Governor Ron DeSantis is a man on a mission—to rid his state of the cluster of neo-Marxist ideas that comprise “wokeness.”
His efforts to promote “education, not indoctrination” have earned him broad support inside the Sunshine State, where he won re-election last year by a larger margin than any Republican gubernatorial candidate in Florida history.
And Governor DeSantis’s commitment to systemic change can be seen in the fact that he broke precedent last year and endorsed more than 30 school board candidates from around the state who share his belief that schools should not be “a tool for a special interest partisan agenda.” Almost all these candidates won, flipping control of five county school boards.
Defaulting with ‘Normies’
Some critics claim DeSantis is guilty of the very thing of which he accuses his opponents—politicizing K–12 education. But DeSantis says he is simply defending bedrock American values in a time-honored American way.
Just as many of America’s first settlers believed the Establishment church of their homeland was coercively teaching heresy, DeSantis believes the Establishment schools in the U.S. today are coercively teaching “woke” ideas contrary to America’s founding creed, the Declaration of Independence.
Specifically, DeSantis believes “woke” lessons on race violate the idea that all of us are “created equal”—and that “woke” lessons on gender violate the “laws of nature” also referenced in the Declaration.
To many people beyond his base, “DeSantis’s education efforts carry far broader yet much more nuanced and complex support than might otherwise be suggested,” observes Lynn Hatter of WFSU, a public radio station based in Florida’s capital.
For example, some election observers attributed DeSantis’s 2022 landslide to the fact that he drew strong support from conservatives concerned about “woke” issues and from moderates more attracted to his support for ideas like increasing teacher pay. Yet, even here, DeSantis has kept his opponents off balance by shrewdly combining a 2023 teacher pay increase with a “paycheck protection” measure that requires public school unions to recruit members and collect dues on their own time and with their own dime.
“The governor’s top-line promises can sound good, but there’s always a catch,” says Florida Education Association president Andrew Spar. “Governor DeSantis says he’s for teachers’ rights, then moves to take away their rights to teach honest lessons or join together to advocate for Florida’s students and our profession.”
Criticisms like these sometimes fail to land with middle-of-the-road observers. Indeed, Bill Maher has defended DeSantis, calling him a “normal” governor pursuing reasonable goals. “They called it the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law,” Maher said. “It could have been called the ‘Let’s do things in schools the way we did five years ago’ law. It really could’ve.”
Similarly, a national poll by University of Southern California scholars found that even a majority of Democrats oppose teaching about gender ideology and sexual orientation in elementary schools.
And when DeSantis pushed back against the College Board for “using black history to shoehorn in queer theory,” a prominent African-American social-justice advocate came to his defense. “Frankly, I’m against the College Board’s curriculum,” said Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor. “I think it’s trash. It’s not African American history. It is ideology … sub-mediocre propaganda.”
De-Escalating the Stakes
Still, DeSantis remains a frequent target of many progressives, including history professor David Blight from DeSantis’s alma mater, Yale. Blight has criticized DeSantis’s agenda, echoing a common complaint that the governor’s actions raise the question, “Who gets to control knowledge and education?”
While it is true DeSantis is trying to rid Establishment schools of “woke” teachings, it is a mistake to view DeSantis as someone trying to “control” education with an iron grip.
In fact, in many ways, he’s doing the exact opposite.
Think back to the mask wars incident and DeSantis’s win-win solution that included scholarships for families who felt “harassed” or “threatened.” Rather than imposing his own personal preferences on others, DeSantis has sought consistently to empower parents to make decisions about the education of their children.
DeSantis championed a new K–12 voucher program called the Family Empowerment Scholarship as his first major legislative initiative as governor. It added nearly 50,000 lower- and middle-income families to Florida’s K–12 scholarship rolls. And it laid the foundation for two subsequent school choice expansions, including a monumental 2023 measure that extended scholarship eligibility to all Florida families and converted Florida’s state-funded vouchers into flexible-use Education Savings Accounts (ESAs).
Governor DeSantis’s aggressive actions in expanding education choice have solidified Florida’s position as a national leader in education freedom. And his policies have continued Florida’s impressive rise in national K–12 rankings, which began more than 20 years ago with the reforms of then Governor Jeb Bush. Over the last quarter-century, Florida has gone from a Bottom 10 state to a Top 5 state in most measures of student achievement.
In 2022, Florida achieved its highest-ever rankings in the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a fact that DeSantis attributed to his anti-lockdown policies during the pandemic. “We insisted on keeping schools open and guaranteed in-person learning in 2020 because we knew there would be widespread harm to our students if students were locked out,” DeSantis said. “[The NAEP results] once again prove that we made the right decision.”
Remarkably, Florida has posted record learning gains over the last 25 years while increasing per-pupil spending less than every other state in the nation. Free-market advocates tout these bang-for-buck results as evidence of the improved efficiencies that come with school choice. But the qualitative results of Florida’s policies may be as impressive. Among other things, robust education choice has lowered the stakes for all sorts of potentially contentious battles fought out in schools.
Wish your child could attend a school that emphasizes STEM? Or the arts? Or core knowledge? Or learning through play? Or the foundations of your religion? Or project-based learning?
In Florida, you don’t have to convince a majority of your neighbors to agree with you. You can pursue the best learning fit for your child, regardless of what philosophy of education your local school district adopts. Currently, more than 250,000 Floridians receive K–12 scholarship assistance of some kind—and nearly half (49%) of all Florida students attend something other than their assigned district school (private, charter, magnet, virtual, homeschool, etc.).
In essence, Florida is offering the nation a lesson in why America’s founders were so wise in crafting the language of the First Amendment. For just as the founders facilitated the “free exercise” of religion rather than its Establishment, Florida has facilitated the “free exercise” of education by allowing parents to determine where their child’s per-pupil dollars will be spent.
Governor DeSantis’s anti-establishment posture, and the mostly negative media attention it has generated, often worked in his favor. For example, during Covid, many frustrated parents from around the country moved to Florida so their kids could get in-person instruction. And this great migration wasn’t limited just to public school families. Many Jewish schools in South Florida saw a significant uptick in their enrollment, thanks especially to a large influx of families from the New York City area.
DeSantis has seen that education choice not only is good policy but also good politics. It has won him a number of unlikely allies. For instance, during the Florida Legislature’s 2021 consideration of a major expansion to DeSantis’s Family Empowerment Scholarship program, a gay teen testified that school choice had “saved his life” by providing him a way out of a school bullying situation that had led him to contemplate suicide.
Moreover, many Floridians who don’t share DeSantis’s party affiliation have found it’s better to be a dissenter in the “free state of Florida” than in any other state. In Florida, hippie homeschoolers don’t get hassled. John Holt disciples are free to use vouchers to send their kids to Montessori schools. And African-American moms unhappy with their local public school can “vote with their feet” and enroll their child elsewhere.
This last group is notable because their votes in the 2018 election were responsible for DeSantis’s improbable, razor-thin victory over African-American Democrat Andrew Gillum. DeSantis won that first gubernatorial election by less than 40,000 votes, thanks to 100,000 African-American “School Choice Moms” who voted for him because they worried Gillum’s vocal opposition to school choice would end programs benefiting their children.
Delighting the ‘Deplorables’ (and others who Dissent)
As the 2024 election approaches, many conservatives are hoping DeSantis runs for president.
But before anyone gets too carried away imagining the implications of a DeSantis candidacy, it may be worth considering what would have happened if Gillum had shown “School Choice Moms” the same consideration DeSantis showed Covid-wary families who wanted a scholarship to leave their “mask-optional” school.
Had Gillum embraced school choice for Florida families, he would have won the 2018 Florida gubernatorial election. He might have subsequently wound up as either the presidential nominee or vice-presidential nominee in the 2020 national election.
Instead, Gillum squandered a winnable election. And he lost not just the “School Choice Moms,” but the “School Choice Daughters” as well. I recently spoke with Hera Varmah, a graduate of Gillum’s alma mater (Florida A & M) who told me she cast her 2018 ballot for DeSantis because she knew from personal experience the life-changing power of school choice.
The number of such “School Choice Voters” is sure to increase as more states expand education options. And, hopefully, school choice expansion will help de-escalate the stakes over school policies in places way beyond Florida as more states seek to imitate the success of Governor DeSantis’s two-pronged approach to K–12 education.
Originally found in Education Next.
The post Education Next: DeSantis Defends Values While Expanding Choice to De-Escalate the Stakes appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI’s Bob McClure and Sal Nuzzo discuss DeSantis throwing in his hat for President of the United States, the Biden campaign, Florida’s 2023 Budget, the Target LGBTQ apparel for children, 2023 Hurricane Season and other topics.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 44 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
“Since its enactment in 1996, Section 230 has served as the backbone of America’s free and open internet, allowing social media platforms to employ a light touch content moderation policy that, in turn, allows users to access a wide range of ideas and viewpoints. Because of the important protections Section 230 provides, it is rightfully referred to as the twenty-six words that created the internet. By ruling in favor of Google and Twitter, the Supreme Court has preserved digital free speech and ensured the internet will remain a place where anyone can go to express their thoughts and opinions.” — Dr. Edward Longe, Director of the Center for Technology and Innovation, The James Madison Institute
The post STATEMENT ON THE SCOTUS SECTION 230 DECISIONS appeared first on James Madison Institute.
This year, the Florida Legislature showed the rest of the country what it means to govern and lead by principle.
As lawmakers in D.C. continue their stellar record of commitment to solving absolutely zero of our most pressing issues (national debt, entitlement reform, border security, just to name a few), a focus is increasingly being placed on the impact state legislatures across the country have on policy.
Florida’s 2023 Legislative session has been the single most transformational session in the last 100 years… in any state.
During the 2023 Legislative Session, Governor DeSantis, Senate President Passidomo, and House Speaker Renner showed great leadership in enacting strong policies to help all Floridians. We want to thank them, as well as the many policymakers who contributed to the great policy victories. We at The James Madison Institute are honored to continue fighting for the ideals of limited government, economic freedom, and free enterprise for everyone in the Sunshine State and we are pleased to see that our leaders share in that mission.
Click here to read the full 2023 Legislative Wrap-up or click the image below.
The post The Session of the Century appeared first on James Madison Institute.
A Message from the President & the ChairmanOver the last 35 years, it has been heartening to see the progress towards greater liberty that Florida has made. The James Madison Institute’s unwavering commitment to our mission of advancing public policy solutions that benefit all Floridians continues to make the Sunshine State a model for the country. Through our outreach and educational efforts geared toward policymakers to our resources for Florida citizens across the Sunshine State, The James Madison Institute continues to be the leading think tank in Florida—our nation’s most influential state.
All of us at The James Madison Institute (JMI) have had the pleasure of holding a front-row seat as Florida has become the single-most important state in the country when it comes to policy and politics. Political philosophies and politicians come and go but one thing has remained true: JMI has led the way in the Sunshine State on what constitutes good policy. The Florida Dream in many ways reflects the American Dream, and our citizens are reaping the benefits. Each year, more and more people take up the mission we champion and, because of your support, JMI is the strongest it has ever been.
Think of this one monumental statistic: over the past 20 years, more than $150 billion in income has migrated to the Sunshine State from high-tax/high-spend states like Illinois, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. In that 20-year span, close to $28 billion in annual income has migrated from New York, alone. Our states have similar populations, and yet New York’s state budget is more than double the size of Florida’s. Americans are voting with their feet and pocketbooks, and they are moving to states like Florida, that value freedom—to the tune of 1,000 people per day!
This only makes our work here at JMI that much more important! Throughout our 2022 annual report, we hope you will see the depth and breadth of our efforts to advance good policy by promoting the principles of free enterprise, fiscal responsibility, and limited government. This work occurs during the Florida Legislative Session, in the halls of the United States Congress, in Federal Cabinet agencies, even in The White House. Our educational outreach occurs all across this state in dozens of meetings and events, and on numerous college campuses.
And while our efforts are advancing the cause of freedom, our mission must continue to grow and develop with our ever-changing state. This annual report reflects the 2022 year, and what a year it was. We are forever grateful for your continued support of our mission. Your trust in us is an investment in the future of the Sunshine State and we are honored that you have chosen to support us as we chart the course for Florida’s future.
J. Robert McClure III, Ph.D.
President and CEO
Jeffrey Swain
Chairman
Read the full 2022 Annual Report here or click the image.
The post 2022 Annual Report appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, Sal Nuzzo and Bob McClure discuss the victories from what they are calling the “most transformational session ever,” the 2023 Florida Legislative Session.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 43 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
May 6, 2023
As lawmakers in D.C. continue their stellar record of commitment to solving absolutely zero of our most pressing issues (national debt, entitlement reform, border security, just to name a few), a focus is increasingly being placed on the impact state legislatures across the country have on policy. In many cases part-time and term limited with a mandate only to pass a balanced budget, state policymakers consistently have a more quantifiable impact on their residents in one year than Congress has in a dozen. This year, policymakers from Utah to Virginia to Iowa have taken up the mantel of leadership in addressing healthcare, education, immigration, and a host of other issues – proving the wisdom of the Founding Fathers that “laboratories of democracy” create the best opportunity for success in our 236-year experiment in self-government. And while there have been strides made in many state capitols this year, one stands above the rest.
Florida’s Legislative session, which finished on May 5, has been the single most transformational session in the last 100 years…IN ANY STATE.
Yes, that sounds like hyperbole. No, it is not.
Over a period of 60 days, 120 members of the Florida House and 40 members of the Florida Senate set the Sunshine State apart from every other state in so many respects that an analysis of it should make its way into political science books.
Before assessing the how, consider the what.
In the 2023 session, Florida lawmakers sent to Governor Ron DeSantis’ desk: universal school choice for the more than three million students, sweeping tort reform to combat Florida’s frivolous litigation environment, a market-centered policy for tackling workforce and affordable housing, a total ban on ESG (environmental/social/governance) scoring in public investing, bans on political discrimination in lending decisions, a wholesale rooting out of the “diversity/equity/inclusion” virus infecting our state universities, paycheck protection for hundreds of thousands of public sector employees, social media education for kids, further expansion of telemedicine statewide, continued protection of the integrity of the state’s election system, preemption of local encroachments on small business growth including living wage ordinances, and reforms to pharmaceutical pricing — all while passing a budget that maintains the state’s ranking as the most efficient in the country with taxpayer dollars.
While JMI does not engage on social or second amendment issues, policies like permitless carry of firearms, a crackdown on illegal immigration, a ban on elective abortions after six weeks, an expansion of the parents’ rights in education law, and a ban on gender transition efforts for children, all coalesce into a conservative agenda unlike anything else.
To call this an agenda of conservative principles would be like calling the Apollo mission a quick flight. Any two or three of these policy reforms would make a state legislative session a tremendous success. State lawmakers in Florida accomplished all of them, and then some.
The list above, which only articulates a small portion of the policy wins, is a blueprint for conservative governance unlike any other state in the country, in the last 100 years. Full stop.
The question at hand is – how? How did a state that not long ago was deciding state-wide races by less than one percent suddenly put the conservative agenda on afterburners? While it may seem like an overnight success, it has been a quarter-century in the making.
In 1998, Jeb Bush kicked off a streak of Republican governors elected in the Sunshine State. His commitment to working with a new Republican majority in the legislature began a commitment to both fiscal sanity and education liberty. On the fiscal front, they held the line on the growth of state government. Today, Florida’s $117 billion annual budget (for 22.5 million residents) is less than half of New York’s (for 19 million residents). This ensures that economic activity is concentrated in the private market as opposed to government. In addition, enacting Florida’s tax credit scholarship program initiated the path to the present universal education savings account for every single one of the state’s three million students.
The 2010 election of Rick Scott (amid the housing crisis) ushered a full-force assault on the recession. A promise to create 700,000 new jobs in his first term was knocked out of the park by year two. Unemployment plummeted from a high of over 12 percent to a low of 3.5 percent by the end of his second term.
Nevertheless, even in the face of this economic success, Ron DeSantis was elected in 2018 by fewer than 35,000 votes.
In 2019, Republicans held a thin three-seat majority in the state Senate, and a 13-seat majority in the state House. Those majorities, especially in the Senate, kept many conservative policies at bay. Losing just three moderates in the Senate killed a bill.
Enter Covid. Governor DeSantis’ approach to the pandemic, his commitment to opening the state’s economy back up and his unabashed conviction to conservative principles made him the benchmark of success (in contrast to Governors like Gavin Newsome, Andrew Cuomo, and Gretchen Whitmer). Over the succeeding years, “blue state political refugees” relocated in droves. Florida has led the U.S. in in-migration since 2019.
The migration wave, coupled with an opposition party lacking any substance, propelled DeSantis to a 2022 reelection by 1.5 million votes (20 points) with 62 of the state’s 67 counties going red. Just as notable but less reported, voters also rewarded Republicans down ballot, sending supermajorities to both chambers of the legislature – 85 of 120 in the House and 28 of 40 in the Senate.
These supermajorities set the stage for a legislative session in 2023 unlike anything seen in any state capitol in the last century.
As important as the what and the how, is the who. A governor, even one as popular as Ron DeSantis, is only able to enact legislation sent by policymakers. That distinction goes to House Speaker Paul Renner, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, and the leaders they designated and trusted with transformational pieces of legislation. Their commitment to movement conservatism manifesting in substantive policy, along with a tactical strategy for the brief legislative window achieved monumental results, and it is nothing short of remarkable.
It is unlikely that legislators like Kaylee Tuck, Bob Rommel, Alexis Calatayud, Blaise Ingoglia, Tommy Gregory, and so many others will garner the national attention that Florida’s Governor does. Nevertheless, the conservative movement should remember them as leaders who solidified the 2023 Florida legislative session as the single most transformational of any state in the last 100 years.
Originally found in Townhall.
The post Townhall: A Once in a Century Session appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 5, 2023
CONTACT:
Logan Elizabeth Padgett
850-386-3131
lpadgett@jamesmadison.org
JMI COMMENDS FLORIDA LEGISLATURE ON 2023 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
With the passage of a $117 billion state budget, the Florida Legislature concluded the 2023 session and adjourned “sine die” today.
We congratulate Speaker Paul Renner, President Passidomo, and the members of the Florida House and Senate on their many accomplishments during the 2023 session.
“The passage of universal Education Savings Accounts will go down as one of the most consequential legislative measures of the last quarter-century. Yes, the groundwork for this historic act was laid by numerous incremental steps taken by wise and prudent leaders dating back to Gov. Jeb Bush. But this year’s legislation should have a transformative effect on the K-12 education marketplace. For this year’s legislation removes all doubt that Florida is committed to the ‘free exercise’ of education rather than to one-size-fits-all Establishment schooling.” — William Mattox, Director of the Marshall Center for Educational Options
“Technology and innovation were at the forefront of legislators’ minds this session. Over the past 60 days, lawmakers passed measures that will equip students with the tools they need to stay safe on social media, make it easier for drone delivery services to operate, close the digital divide, and ban mobile applications from countries of concern on government devices. As we move into the 2024 legislative session, the legislature can build on these successes and make Florida the most tech-friendly state in the nation by passing comprehensive data privacy legislation, enacting a universal regulatory sandbox and cutting the Communications Service Tax.” — Dr. Edward Longe, Director of the Center for Technology and Innovation
“This year, the Florida Legislature showed the rest of the country what it means to govern and lead by principle. From ensuring that ESG investing has no future in Florida, to allowing people greater access to telemedicine, to cracking down on fraudulent and frivolous litigation costing Floridians thousands of dollars – among so many other accomplishments – this legislature will go down as one of the most transformative in history.” – Sal Nuzzo, Senior Vice President, The James Madison Institute
“Passing such monumental pieces of legislation while at the same time maintaining a commitment to efficient government with a budget that limits growth is a testament to the leadership of Speaker Paul Renner, President Kathleen Passidomo, and their chambers’ members. We thank you for your courage, your conviction, and your competence in delivering on what the voters elected you to do.” — Dr. Robert McClure, President and CEO, The James Madison Institute
###
The James Madison Institute is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the ideals of limited government, economic freedom, federalism and individual liberty coupled with individual responsibility. The institute conducts research on such issues as criminal justice, health care, taxes and regulatory environments.
The post JMI COMMENDS FLORIDA LEGISLATURE ON 2023 LEGISLATIVE SESSION appeared first on James Madison Institute.
May 5, 2023
As the 2023 legislative sessions began across the country, state leaders jockeyed in competitive fashion to address some of the most pressing issues on the minds of voters – made clear by results we saw at the November 2022 ballot. Governor Ron DeSantis won reelection with historic margins, buoyed by voter support for policies he has advanced with the legislature that put parents back in control of their children’s educations, challenge progressive social agendas, keep the economy open for businesses, and ensure that taxpayer resources are protected from coercive corporate and union political agendas. Early in his second term, he announced that Florida would lead nation in protecting the paychecks of public employees – especially teachers – a bill that he’ll likely sign into law in the coming days. However, as the proposal moved through the legislature, other states took note and acted, resulting in 2023 becoming the biggest year for the expansion of worker freedom at the state level in decades.
On April 26, Florida’s House passed paycheck protection legislation with Gov. DeSantis’s backing, which will impact nearly 300,000 employees in the Sunshine State. Once signed into law, these employees shall expect:
- A notice sent regularly about their right to abstain or withdraw from union membership without penalty or fee – a right affirmed in 2018 by the United States Supreme Court in Janus v. AFSCME
- Information on the cost of union dues
- An end to government’s role in deducting union dues automatically from employee paychecks (except for public safety employees)
- A requirement that unions obtain a minimum 60% membership rate to avoid triggering an election, which would allow public employees a vote on whether that union, a different union, or any union represents them in the workplace. The state will also have more oversight and accountability over ensuring that the unions are accurately reporting their numbers
- A requirement that public unions submit annual audits performed by a Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Other states have embraced some of the same spirit with proposals of their own, with some states even passing reforms before the paycheck protection bill passed the legislature in Florida.
In Kentucky, the legislature not only voted to end the state’s role as bill collector for the teacher’s union, but overrode their Democratic governor’s veto to cement the legislation into law. The Bluegrass State’s achievement came after several years of work to build consensus among legislative leaders and the Republican Caucus, but received a jolt of adrenaline following Gov. DeSantis’s announcement that he would ask his legislature to take up the issue this session.
Similarly, lawmakers in Tennessee have filed legislation for years that sought to remove the state’s role in the teacher union dues collection process, but previous efforts failed to gain traction in the House. After watching the bill die in committee over the last two legislative cycles, Gov. Lee’s team – days after Gov. DeSantis’s press conference outlining his paycheck protection proposal – decided to wrap the dues deduction repeal into his administrative package this year. Lawmakers in the Volunteer State were finally able to overcome past hurdles just two weeks before Florida’s bill passed, and the legislation is now awaiting Gov. Lee’s enthusiastic signature.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders also capitalized on the momentum by swiftly introducing a paycheck protection proposal to end the state’s collection of union dues for teachers. The Republican legislature moved the bill rapidly through their chambers, with Gov. Sanders signing the bill earlier this month.
Oklahoma is currently considering a proposal, passed by the Senate and being debated in the House, which would retain the state’s role in the dues collection process, but require annual proof of consent that employees agree to pay the dues before funds can be withheld from employee paychecks.
The preponderance of state action to reform the union dues collection process – for teachers’ unions in particular, which have a unified dues structure requiring a portion of those dues to be exported to the National Education Association for spending across the country – is record-setting and telling of a bigger story that’s still unfolding.
Florida’s “Cadillac” legislation sets a high standard of excellence for the protection of public employees’ rights, but taken collectively, these latest state efforts are creating tremendous momentum for expanding transparency and accountability around government union activity in the year to come.
Originally found in RealClear Policy.
The post RealClear Policy: Florida’s Blueprint Expands to Best-in-Class Win for Worker Freedom appeared first on James Madison Institute.
May 2, 2023
Edward Woodson
Gov. Ron DeSantis has vowed “to win on every single issue involving Disney.” One crucial way he can do so is to oppose any pending legislation in the Florida Legislature that would provide it and other large companies an unfair marketplace advantage.
For example, a pair of bills that the legislature is expected to vote on in the coming days, House Bill 677 and Senate Bill 564, would create onerous reporting requirements on Main Street. This would put millions of dollars into Disney’s corporate coffers every year, but it would do so at the expense of Florida’s consumers and small businesses.
HB 677 and SB 564 target a part of the electronic payment system known as interchange, which is the cost businesses pay to accept credit and debit cards. These proposals would prohibit electronic payment costs from including specific state and local sales taxes.
Currently, Florida businesses’ credit card payments are processed in full as one lump transaction, which includes the interchange fee and all the relevant local and state taxes the business must pay on the sale. Big Florida companies want to use the force of government to change this set-up so that the taxes are calculated separately.
HB 677 and SB 564 assume that every business has the software needed to separate tax amounts from sales — or that they can afford the extra fees that will come as a result of banks doing it for them — when only the big ones like Disney do.
If the bills pass, Florida’s small business owners — who currently don’t even have to think about it when processing credit transactions — would have to spend their time and resources calculating, determining and remitting their tax information for all electronic payments. This onerous task would cost them significantly, and consumer benefits and transaction security would decline as a result.
The only thing consumers will get for trading in their benefits and security is the opportunity to watch Disney grow in size and scope. In fact, one expert told the Florida Legislature that “on ticket sales alone,” the company would make an extra half a million dollars a month if HB 677 and SB 564 ever went into effect.
That’s why a coalition of over a dozen nonprofits, consumer groups and advocacy organizations, including the James Madison Institute (Florida’s leading think tank) and Americans for Tax Reform (a top Washington, D.C., think tank) sent a letter to the Florida Legislature urging it to reject this legislation, which they wrote risks creating “higher costs for Floridians in a time of out-of-control inflation.”
With a net worth of over $108 billion, Disney is currently the 53rd wealthiest company on the Fortune 500 list, and its revenue for the first quarter of 2023 grew by an impressive 8%. The last thing the company needs is another bailout from the statehouse.
Rather than interfering with free enterprise in a misguided attempt to protect the state’s small businesses, Florida’s elected officials should stick with what’s proven to work time and time again — namely, lowering taxes and regulatory barriers. That’s what Main Street has asked for repeatedly, and it knows what’s better for itself than Disney does.
It’s long past time for the statehouse to stop these crony corporate shell games. Here’s hoping our lawmakers make the right decision with a little push from the governor.
Edward Woodson is a Florida-based lawyer and political commentator who hosts “The Edward Woodson Show,” which airs weekdays on WZAB and streams online at EdwardWoodson.com.
Originally found in South Florida Sun Sentinel.
The post South Florida Sun Sentinel: Florida Should Say No to New Corporate Welfare appeared first on James Madison Institute.
May 1, 2023
For close to 40 years, The James Madison Institute has championed free-market principles working on important issues such as keeping the economy open, education reform, the future of technology and innovation, and healthcare.
It is with this mission and charge in mind that we oppose Senate Bill 564 and House Bill 677. These are complex bills that take some explaining, but fundamentally, if enacted, they would herald an unwarranted government intervention in the workings of the free market in Florida, with few winners and many losers.
The issue at question is the cost of “interchange” – the fees that a merchant pays to a customer’s bank to cover the costs of issuing credit and debit cards. This has been the subject of contention between banks and retailers for years, and federal government intervention has already placed price caps on interchange for debit cards with what JMI considers to be disastrous consequences.
In this case, the bills seek to artificially prohibit interchange on the sales tax element of a transaction. If passed, this would mean that Florida banks and credit unions would be expected to collect sales tax on electronic payments for free, or, viewed in another way, pay the retailers’ costs for the collection of the sales tax on electronic payments.
This is clearly unfair and is a classic example of government picking winners and losers, when in fact, that’s the market’s job. Banks and credit unions would lose in that they’d be on the hook for collecting retailer’s taxes, but smaller merchants are likely to be negatively affected too, and – no surprise here – eventually we can expect Florida consumers and their families to have to pick up the tab.
This mainly stems from the costs of developing and implementing the new technology needed to make these bills work, as it currently does not exist in the global payments’ ecosystem. Separating sales tax out from a transaction is likely to be a complex endeavor, requiring new software, hardware, and ways of doing things. This will be expensive to research and develop and expensive to deploy and operationalize. Someone will have to pay, and though financial institutions are first up, retailers will also have to shoulder some of the cost, perhaps through increased processing fees and even increased levels of interchange.
For the Big Box retailers, these up-front costs might not be too problematic, but for smaller retailers’ software upgrades and new technology will cost thousands they might not have to spend. Whichever way you slice, it, increased costs for financial institutions and increased costs, at least in the short term, for retailers, will translate to increased costs for the consumer. As always, it’s Florida families that will bear the burden of this government interference.
If banks decline to collect sales tax on electronic transactions under the new conditions, as is their right, it is possible that Florida becomes the first place in the world to require two transactions at the point-of-sale – one electronic, for the cost of goods and services, and one in cash or by check, for the sales tax attached.
Throughout the years, we’ve remained a constant conscience of Florida’s leaders and a champion for hardworking Floridians who have made this state what it is today. While Floridians pursue their dreams, we work to protect them. And it is with that in mind that we ask you to set this idea aside and instead continue to focus on measures that business in Florida thrive.
Originally found in Tallahassee Democrat.
The post Tallahassee Democrat: Senate Bill 564 and House Bill 677 Would Disrupt Free Market Principles in Florida appeared first on James Madison Institute.
May 2, 2023
Grover Norquist
No state is growing faster than Florida, which experienced the nation’s highest rate of population growth last year. This has been aided by a relatively low cost of state government, the avoidance of a state income tax and political leaders committed to protecting freedom.
With the arrival of new residents comes an increased demand for services, particularly services that require access to licensed professionals. Fortunately, with universal occupational license recognition, a reform now pending in the state Legislature, lawmakers can make it easier for people moving to the state to work, while increasing access to services that Floridians need, especially in health care.
Universal license recognition, or universal licensure, removes unnecessary government barriers to work. It allows a professional with a license in good standing in another state to work in Florida. This saves them having to spend time and money jumping through hoops to get a new, duplicative license.
More than 20 states have enacted universal recognition, from Arizona to Pennsylvania, making it a proven policy across the country. The universal licensure reform effort in Florida is led by Sen. Jay Collins, sponsor of SB 1364, and Rep. Traci Koster, sponsor of HB 1333. This legislation builds on reforms passed by legislators and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in recent years.
The need for this legislation is urgent. Universal licensure would address workforce shortages in critical areas, such as health care, education and technical trades. Like many other states, Florida faces challenges in attracting and retaining skilled professionals in these fields. By recognizing out-of-state licenses, Florida would make it easier for professionals to relocate and contribute their expertise, helping to fill these crucial gaps and improve the overall quality of services available to residents.
Additionally, universal licensure promotes economic growth by increasing the ease of professional mobility. By reducing barriers to entry, Florida would attract a more diverse and skilled workforce, ultimately fostering innovation and competition. This influx of talent would stimulate job growth, investment and the overall economic prosperity of the state.
This is especially needed in the health care sector due to rising demand for doctors and other health professionals, such as dentists and dental hygienists. Increasing the supply of oral health providers is especially important. That’s because access to dental care isn’t just about filling cavities and preventing bad breath; it’s also about promoting health in general.
“Taking care of your oral health is an investment in your overall health,” notes the Mayo Clinic website, which adds that “without proper oral hygiene, bacteria can reach levels that might lead to oral infections, such as tooth decay and gum disease.”
Missouri Rep. Derek Grier, who spearheaded the enactment of universal license recognition in his state, said it allows new residents who work in licensed fields to “plug in right away.” Grier notes that enactment of universal licensure ensures new residents won’t “be hindered by the government so long as there are no health, safety and wellness concerns.”
Adoption of universal licensure will help Florida address the challenges faced by a rapidly growing state, creating a more dynamic, thriving workforce that addresses critical workforce shortages and promotes economic growth. By reducing barriers to entry and recognizing out-of-state licenses, Florida can strengthen its economy, support military families and improve the quality of life for its residents. That is why the Goldwater Institute, the James Madison Institute, Americans for Tax Reform and other nonpartisan organizations encourage Florida lawmakers to send SB 1364 to Gov. DeSantis.
Grover Norquist is president of Americans for Tax Reform, a taxpayer organization founded in 1985 at the request of President Ronald Reagan.
Originally found in Tampa Bay Times.
The post Tampa Bay Times: Here’s Why Florida Should Recognize Professional Licenses From Other States appeared first on James Madison Institute.
April 29, 2023
Sal Nuzzo and Grover Norquist
As the state legislative session comes to a close, there are several important changes in law that will matter to Florida citizens. One bill would cost Floridians a great deal of time and money. It should be stopped as soon as possible.
This bill will limit the benefits and data security that Floridians currently have with their credit and debit cards.
Florida Senate Bill 564 and House Bill 677 prohibit an interchange fee, or a service fee for using credit cards and debit cards, from being applied to the full amount of a transaction. This is a government-mandated price control. Financial institutions, such as small community banks and credit unions, would be required to rebate merchants the amount of an interchange fee charged on the tax amount of a transaction. The bill gives merchants leeway by allowing them to bill banks or credit unions up to six months after the electronic transaction occurred. This clearly is the government siding with one industry over another.
This is pure rent-seeking policy that empowers the state government to dictate service fees negotiated between private parties. There is no current market failure this is solving.
An interchange fee is not for public or governmental use. It is a fee negotiated between private parties. The fee is used to allocate revolving lines of credit, improve privacy and fraud protection, and pay for rewards programs. Removing sales tax from the calculation of the interchange fee is not a tax cut, it is a way for special interest groups to pad their pockets.
Government intervention like this is anathema to the foundational principles of free market enterprise in the United States.
Amid all this fighting, consumers are forgotten, the ones that stand to lose the most. Consumers will not receive savings if these bills are enacted.
This legislation parallels the big government provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that Democrats praised in 2010. After Dodd-Frank, more than 20 percent of merchants raised prices, and only 1 percent lowered them. According to a study conducted by the University of Chicago, after Dodd-Frank, consumers lost between $22 and $25 billion.
The Florida bill also makes it harder for financial institutions to implement improved cybersecurity protections for consumer data, because the bill will reduce interchange fee revenue that is used for fraud protection technology, such as tokenization.
Additionally, the bill makes it more expensive to fund rewards programs and co-branded cards that offer airline points or sky miles to consumers. These extra costs will undoubtedly result in higher costs for consumer services, or an elimination of services altogether.
This bill will result in more compliance costs and harm consumers, small businesses, small community banks, and credit unions.
Instead of enacting legislation that takes choice away from consumers, the House and Senate should focus on passing bills that will benefit consumers. That is why Florida lawmakers can and should support Senate Bill 214, which would reaffirm Floridians’ right to bear arms. It would also prohibit the state government and financial institutions from tracking consumers’ purchases of firearms. This is a commonsense bill that is pro-consumer.
Lawmakers could also increase the collection allowance deduction as Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed in his budget. This would give small businesses breathing room on their sales tax burden.
Lawmakers have a choice. They can defend consumers’ right to bear arms and reduce the tax burden on small businesses, or support legislation that will limit options for consumers. In the name of free market enterprise lawmakers should choose the former and reject legislation that is no more than a rent-seeking exercise by special interest groups.
Originally found in Orlando Sentinel.
This is part 1 of 2.
The post Orlando Sentinel: Banning ‘Swipe Fees’ Threatens Florida Consumers appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI’s Lindsay Killen and Bob McClure talk about a new exciting JMI initiative, paycheck protection passing the Florida Legislature, Biden’s re-election campaign, Florida smallest county turning red, and other topics.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 42 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI’s Bob McClure and Lindsay Killen discuss the latest bills moving through the Florida Session, President Biden’s re-election campaign, Florida’s smallest county turning red, Tucker Carlson and other topics.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 42 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
The CLT gives particular emphasis to assessing students’ critical thinking skills.
Gov. Ron DeSantis caused quite a stir earlier this year when he suggested the College Board is wielding too much influence over American education.
“Who elected them?” the Governor asked soon after the Florida Department of Education rejected the College Board’s new Advanced Placement course on African American Studies (for including “queer theory,” “intersectionality,” and other “woke” content).
The Governor’s AP criticism earned him praise from unexpected places. In fact, one prominent African American “social justice” advocate called the College Board’s new curriculum “sub-mediocre propaganda.”
Still, many students, parents, and educators were left to wonder: How much can a state like Florida affect the College Board’s stranglehold over college equivalency courses and college admissions exams?
More than one might think, apparently.
Earlier this week, the Sunshine State took an important first step toward welcoming a new entrant into the college entrance exam process — the Classic Learning Test (CLT).
Specifically, the Florida House of Representatives adopted a measure that would give college-bound students the option of submitting CLT test scores (rather than SAT or ACT scores) when applying for a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship.
The Classic Learning Test is a college-entrance exam that measures student aptitude and achievement in reading, writing, and math. It began nearly a decade ago when founder Jeremy Tate started questioning the role that high-stakes testing plays in driving the secondary school curriculum.
Tate asked, “If teaching to the test is an inescapable reality, then shouldn’t the most important test engage students with some of the most important ideas, texts, and subjects?”
Drawing upon classic literature and historical texts, the CLT gives particular emphasis to assessing students’ critical thinking skills. Tate hopes that by asking questions taken from works that have meaningfully shaped Western culture, CLT can be a catalyst for education renewal nationwide.
Currently, the CLT is accepted by more than 200 colleges and universities around the country, including Baylor, Marquette, Hillsdale, and Clemson. Here in Florida, the list includes Stetson, Ave Maria, Saint Leo, and Palm Beach Atlantic.
The CLT is apt to become increasingly popular as the burgeoning classical education movement continues to spread. (The number of K-12 classical schools in the U.S. has increased 66% in the last five years — and home-school programs, such as Classical Conversations, continue to grow as well.)
Including CLT among the test options for Bright Futures Scholarships would no doubt please Gov. DeSantis. He previously lauded the rise of AP competitors — such as International Baccalaureate and Cambridge International — in the college equivalency course market. And DeSantis has pledged “to continue to work to expand” options for students.
Whatever one may think of the governor’s criticisms of the College Board, increased competition will be good for Florida families. Indeed, the College Board’s near-monopoly over entrance exams and equivalency courses has put it dangerously close to establishing a de facto national curriculum — an outcome which many Americans rightly resist.
So, kudos to the Florida House for making the Classic Learning Test an option for college-bound Bright Futures applicants. It’s great to see this emerging assessment being warmly welcomed in the Sunshine State.
Now, it’s the Florida Senate’s turn to follow suit.
___
William Mattox is the director of the J. Stanley Marshall Center for Educational Options at The James Madison Institute.
Click here to read the piece: https://floridapolitics.com/archives/607286-william-mattox-florida-is-wisely-welcoming-new-college-entrance-exam/
The post Florida Politics: Florida is wisely welcoming new college entrance exam appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 26, 2023
CONTACT: Logan Elizabeth Padgett
850-386-3131
JMI COMMENDS FLORIDA LEGISLATURE ON PASSING PAYCHECK PROTECTION
Today, the Florida Legislature delivered on another promise of freedom in the Sunshine State — the freedom of public sector workers to decide whether or not to join a union and to protect those workers’ paychecks from the union money grab. For years, union dues have been deducted directly from public sector employees’ paychecks. And the collection and processing are done on the taxpayers’ dime rather than at the union’s expense. With the passage of SB256 the Legislature said, “No more.”
“This legislation, brought by Gov. DeSantis and supported by legislative leaders, represents a bold commitment to strengthening employee freedoms and taxpayer protections in the Sunshine State. Indeed, when signed into law, this policy will be the strongest of its kind in the nation – making it the model for how states should act to protect their employees and state resources from undue use and abuse by unions to advance their politicized interests,” said Lindsay Killen, Vice President for National Strategy for The James Madison Institute and Senior National Advisor for the Workers for Opportunity initiative. “By ensuring that teachers and other public employees are informed of their rights to join or refrain from union membership without impacting their benefits or professional status, and removing the state’s role as money collector for the union, teachers will have greater awareness of the value of union membership and exactly how much that membership costs them each year.
Further, they – along with other Florida public employees – will have regular opportunities to vote on which union, if any at all, is granted the privilege of representing them in negotiations with their employers. These reforms ensure taxpayers aren’t forced to subsidize unions’ fundraising needs and employees can hold unions accountable to serving their interests first. We congratulate Florida teachers and other public employees on this important victory and applaud lawmakers and our partners for working together to set a new standard of excellence in recognizing and respecting employee freedom,” Killen said.
“With the passage of SB256, the Florida Legislature has planted a flag in the ground for true worker freedom. While states like Michigan and others are rolling back protections for workers, our leaders have said “Not here, not on our watch.” These reforms will at long last ensure that public employees and taxpayer dollars are protected from threats, intimidation, and carve outs. Educators, local and state employees, and workers from Pensacola to Key West will now be able to take home more of their hard earned dollars, without any intrusion from the government in their relationship with their union. This reform encourages competition in representation and we can’t be more proud of the work done over the years to bring this to fruition.” — Sal Nuzzo, Senior Vice President, The James Madison Institute
Thank you to Speaker Paul Renner, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, the 72 members of the Florida House and the and the 23 members of the Legislature who decided to put public employees’ rights over special interests.
Governor DeSantis has an opportunity to illustrate his leadership by signing these reforms that advance the freedoms of choice, opportunity, and assembly for all public sector workers.
###
The James Madison Institute is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the ideals of limited government, economic freedom, federalism and individual liberty coupled with individual responsibility. The institute conducts research on such issues as criminal justice, health care, taxes and regulatory environments.
The post JMI COMMENDS FLORIDA LEGISLATURE ON PASSING PAYCHECK PROTECTION appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2023
CONTACT
Logan Elizabeth Padgett
850-386-3131
Free market capitalism has lifted billions out of poverty around the world. Over its entire existence, we have seen countless threats to that system, almost always from elites seeking nothing more than greater power and control.
The latest threat, environmental/social/governance scoring models, has no place in our economy. We applaud the wisdom and foresight of our legislators in drawing a line on the sand and saying – not here.
We also would like to acknowledge Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis for his leadership in this effort. JMI, and the millions of Floridians seeking better lives for themselves and their families, thank you.
We look forward to Governor DeSantis signing this important legislation.
The post STATEMENT FROM JMI ON THE PASSAGE OF ANTI-ESG PROVISIONS BY THE FLORIDA SENATE appeared first on James Madison Institute.
April 18, 2023
Every year, the heads of each federal agency and government department will make a pilgrimage to Capitol Hill to request their budget for the next fiscal year. Some, like the Department of Defense, request, and are likely to receive, an eyewatering sum from the American taxpayer. Others, like the Small Business Administration, will only request a relatively small appropriation to fulfill their mission.
Then, there is the Federal Trade Commission, a government agency that has simultaneously wasted taxpayer dollars on failed antitrust cases and requested Congress appropriate more money to fund its activities.
Congress must be skeptical of such requests. Since being confirmed to head the FTC in June 2021, Chairwomen Lina Khan has advanced a political agenda that penalizes success and relegated consumer welfare to an afterthought, despite the agency’s mission of “prevent[ing] business practices that are anticompetitive or deceptive or unfair to consumers.”
The behavior of the FTC has become so problematic over the past two years that some Republican senators contend that by steering the agency in an “increasingly partisan and anti-business direction,” Chair Khan is leading a rogue agency.
It should go without saying, but lawmakers should not reward a rogue agency that has wasted taxpayer dollars and failed to meet its congressional mandate of protecting consumers with an
increased budget. Doing so would only harm American consumers and empower further institutional drift.
Specifically, the FTC requested Congress appropriate $590 million for the 2024 fiscal year, an increase of around $160 million from the current fiscal year. The FTC contends that this increase will partly go toward funding an additional 310 employees who can expand its capability of “identifying, challenging, and litigating anticompetitive mergers and conduct” and “conducting merger and merger remedy retrospectives.”
For anyone who has been watching the FTC since Khan took over, the prospect of the agency having additional capabilities should be met with significant skepticism, if not outright dismissal. After all, Congress should not force the American taxpayer to increase funding for an agency that is determined to harm their consumer interests.
Congress should only award such appropriation after the agency can demonstrate to lawmakers that it is successfully defending consumer interests and has returned to being guided by its congressional mandate, not a political ideology.
The most recent example of the FTC’s failure to fulfill its mission and wasting taxpayer dollars was the agency’s rejection of Meta’s $400 million acquisition of Within, the studio behind the popular virtual reality fitness app. The FTC alleged that “if consummated, the acquisition would substantially lessen competition, or tend to create a monopoly, in the relevant market for VR-dedicated fitness apps and the broader relevant market for VR fitness apps.” The FTC continued, arguing that the “lessening of rivalry may yield multiple harmful outcomes, including less innovation, lower quality, higher prices, less incentive to attract and keep employees, and less consumer choice.”
Despite ignoring that mergers and acquisitions can enhance consumer welfare and spur innovation, the FTC ignored economic reality and proceeded. Predictably, a federal court in California denied the agency’s argument and allowed the acquisition to go ahead because the FTC had failed to prove anticompetitive harms or that the acquisition would lead to a monopoly.
Similarly, the FTC sought to prevent Illumina from acquiring Grail, a company developing innovative cancer tests. The FTC contended that the almost $8 billion acquisition “would substantially lessen competition in the U.S. multi-cancer early detection (“MCED”) test
market by diminishing innovation and potentially increasing prices and reducing the choice and quality of MCED tests.”
Unfortunately for the FTC, an administrative judge concluded they had failed to demonstrate that the acquisition would “result in a substantial lessening of competition.” While the administrative court found in favor of cancer patients, the months of litigation cost the American taxpayer millions of dollars that Congress could have been better spent protecting consumers from actual egregious economic behavior.
After Chairwomen Khan makes the short trip down Pennsylvania Avenue to justify an increased budget, Congress must fully consider what acquiescing to her request would mean for taxpayers and consumers. Firstly, it would mean more capacity for the agency to launch more taxpayer-funded lawsuits that are rejected when scrutinized by the courts. The FTC’s hostility toward Microsoft acquiring Activision seems like clear evidence of this dynamic. Secondly, it would empower an increasingly militant FTC that penalizes innovation and growth. Perhaps most concerning is that increasing funding for the FTC will enable the agency to drift further from its mandate, leaving consumers playing second fiddle to a presumption that big is bad.
The post Congress Shouldn’t Reward A Rogue Agency appeared first on James Madison Institute.
April 17, 2023
Everyone benefits when college campuses welcome a variety of viewpoints from scholars interested in “stress-testing” ideas
A number of progressive academics are freaking out over an array of higher education reforms being advanced by Gov. Ron DeSantis and his GOP allies in the Florida Legislature. These faculty union leaders are warning that some professors will not want to teach in Florida if our state proceeds with reforms such as prohibiting political litmus tests in the faculty hiring and promotion process.
I might share their alarm if it weren’t for some lessons my oldest son learned in his first-year economics course at Florida State — and that my middle son learned in his mandatory “diversity” course at the University of Southern California. Allow me to explain.
In my eldest son’s first-year economics course at FSU, he learned that the more scarce a resource is, the higher its value; and the more abundant a resource is, the lower its value. If we were to apply this basic economic principle to the higher education faculty market, we would have to say this: All other things being equal, a professor who has conservative or even moderate political views is (or should be) more highly prized than one with progressive views. Because left-wing academics are a dime a dozen. They outnumber their right-wing counterparts by a ratio of 5-to-1.
Thus, any school that recognizes the importance of viewpoint diversity should be more concerned about attracting and keeping top scholars from the center-right than those from the center-left. At least until campus populations begin to reflect the ideological makeup of the state populations they serve.
Seen in this light, the higher ed reforms being advanced by Florida’s leaders aren’t simply defensible — they’re wise. They are apt to make Florida’s state universities more appealing to center-right professors who work in fear of “cancellation” elsewhere — and more appealing to center-left academics who do not want to teach in a monoculture (even a progressive monoculture).
Which brings me to my other story.
When my middle son studied at USC, he and his classmates had to take two “diversity” courses as part of their general education requirements. Many students regarded these courses as not-so-veiled attempts at “woke” indoctrination.
One semester, my son took a course on LGBT representation in Broadway musicals. A student in the class, whose mother worked as a Chick-fil-A executive, had recruited some friends from her campus ministry group to take the class with her. While her group was a relatively small subset of the class, they were emboldened enough to take part regularly in class discussions about controversial themes raised in various musicals.
At the end of the semester, the professor — an “old school” liberal (who loved the musical, “Hair”) — thanked the girl and her group for being so engaged in the class. He said they had made the discussions much richer and more interesting for everyone (including him!) than any class he could remember.
That “old school” liberal professor understood the value of intellectual diversity. He recognized that everyone benefits when college campuses welcome a variety of viewpoints from scholars interested in “stress-testing” ideas to see which ones hold up best under scrutiny.
Professors like that have little to fear from the reforms now making their way through the Florida Legislature. Because those reforms are designed to improve viewpoint diversity at Florida’s state universities. And to make Florida’s schools more attractive to scholars — who value education, not indoctrination — no matter what their political preferences may be.
To be sure, some Florida faculty union members want to preserve higher ed’s grossly skewed ideological imbalance. And are freaking out now, as a result. But these panic-stricken professors remind me of the panic-stricken non-Floridians who could not understand why the Sunshine State remained open during the early days of the pandemic.
In the end, Gov. DeSantis and his GOP allies were vindicated in their response to COVID. And there’s every reason to believe they will be vindicated again — once their higher education reforms take hold and more and more students get to learn the kinds of lessons my sons did.
Originally found in Florida Politics.
The post Florida Politics: Florida Reforms Will Improve Higher Ed appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, hosts Sal Nuzzo and Bob McClure chat about the latest bills moving through the 2023 Florida Session, more broadband deployment in rural areas, pro-choice protest arrests, and enter into a discussion about the Central Bank Digital Currency.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 41 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
April 11, 2023
‘Even if one is only concerned about helping the poor, universal is the way to go.’
At a Miami education conference several years ago, I heard a comment every Florida legislator ought to hear — perhaps especially now that the House and Senate are wrangling over differences in their respective budgets.
The comment came from an anti-poverty expert from another state who had carefully studied Florida’s school choice policies. While he supported Florida’s K-12 scholarships for low-income students, he nevertheless argued for universal coverage for all families (regardless of income).
“Even if one is only concerned about helping the poor, universal is the way to go,” the anti-poverty advocate said. “Because universal coverage means the scholarships low-income children so desperately need will be broadly supported and widely usable.”
I was reminded of this counterintuitive observation recently when the House passed a budget that included changes to the Florida Education Funding Program (FEFP) formula. The changes read like the arcane fine print in a financial disclosure agreement, but they have important implications for Florida’s newly adopted universal K-12 scholarships.
Here’s why.
Under the House budget, all Florida families would be guaranteed funding for a K-12 scholarship just as they are guaranteed free public schooling. Under the Senate’s proposed budget, newly eligible families would only receive K-12 scholarships if there’s enoughmoney available.
That description of the Senate’s plan probably sounds more ominous than it should. Because the Legislature has consistently increased scholarship funding any time a waiting list develops so that families aren’t denied help for years on end.
Still, there’s reason to strongly favor the House’s guaranteed-scholarship plan because it brings to the K-12 education marketplace something that has been sorely missing — certainty.
With certainty, all Florida families will know what to expect. No longer will parents have to worry that scholarship moneys might run out — or that their income will put them on the wrong side of the cut line.
With certainty, education entrepreneurs also will know what to expect. No longer will they have to hedge their bets or market their programs with ifs and buts and caveats and maybes. With certainty, education entrepreneurs will find it easier to open new enterprises.
Which brings us back to the low-income students where we began.
Many observers have (mistakenly) concluded that low-income students won’t benefit significantly from this year’s school choice changes because they’ve long been eligible for K-12 scholarships. Moreover, some have suggested the Senate’s reluctance to guarantee scholarship funding reflects an unease with the “optics” of assuring affluent families they can get scholarships (even though these same taxpayers are guaranteed free public schooling).
These observers miss two points.
First, an expanded marketplace offering greater certainty will benefit low-income families. They will enjoy more choices and have greater opportunities to find the learning option that best “fits” their child.
Second, the Legislature can show its special concern for low-income families by adding a no-cost provision to their eventual budget agreement that pledges to add federal Title I moneys to each child’s Florida scholarship — just as soon as Congress grants Florida that freedom.
Adding a no-cost Title I “trigger” provision to the Florida budget would beg the question, “Why is the federal government denying low-income students access to Title I funds that could be added to their K-12 scholarships?” And it would signal that Florida’s commitment to funding students — not systems — extends to all K-12 education moneys, not just state allocations.
The bottom line? Legislators should adopt the scholarship guarantee included in the House budget while adding a Title I “trigger” provision for good measure. That, at least, would seem to be the best way to heed that anti-poverty expert’s counterintuitive advice.
Originally found in Florida Politics.
The post Florida Politics: Florida Budget Needs a School Choice Guarantee appeared first on James Madison Institute.
April 10, 2023
At a March roundtable discussion hosted by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz made it clear that directing the state’s classroom social studies agendas away from an ideological focus and toward the pursuit of truth is the chief priority of Florida’s Department of Education.
This is great news. For too long, too many Florida students have been subjected to textbooks and curricula steeped in political bias.
Too many textbook writers have taken up the task of explaining the world to students based on their own personal beliefs. But their responsibility should be to help students discover historical truth — triumphs, failures, and all. Discovering the true story of America will not only inspire wonder but also help foster an understanding and love of how to uncover the truth for oneself.
Commissioner Diaz, who worked as a high school social studies teacher and assistant principal in Florida before entering the political arena, understands this issue better than most. He’s seen firsthand how bias was creeping into the Sunshine State’s classrooms, and now he and Gov. DeSantis have made it a priority to reverse this concerning trend.
The Civics Education Initiative, which the DeSantis administration announced last year, aims to further this shared goal. The initiative is providing Florida students and teachers with the funding, resources, and support they need to cut through the bias often peddled by textbooks by promoting the use of primary source documents to learn American history.
The truth about America is in America’s documents. Unlike textbooks, primary source documents allow students to gain a proper understanding of what it means to be an American and their rights and responsibilities as citizens.
For the past 15 years, The James Madison Institute, where I serve as executive vice president, has worked to directly engage both middle and high school students on the principles of civics – more than one million to date. This mission, to instill the values of our founding principles to the next generation, is critical to our nation’s success.
When given the chance, it works. Nonprofit organizations have proven the effectiveness of discussion-based study of primary source documents. Groups like The Ashbrook Center, which frequently offers free educational seminars and classroom resources to train Florida’s educators on how to teach through this primary source educational approach, is one of them.
One Florida-based Ashbrook teacher was recognized not long ago as the Daughters of the American Revolution history teacher of the year for our state. This speaks volumes about the effectiveness of teaching through primary source documents, and it’s wonderfully encouraging to see Commissioner Diaz and Gov. DeSantis adopting this same approach as a cornerstone for education.
Florida’s classrooms should be devoted to passing on the principles and habits required for constitutional self-government, not snuffing them out. Ensuring our children learn history, both good and bad, without ideological prejudice will help them learn to think for themselves. Truth doesn’t have a political platform, neither should our children’s education.
Kudos to Commissioner Diaz and Governor DeSantis for turning their bold education vision into reality. They are preparing the next generation of students in Florida to be the leaders we need for a stronger Florida and a stronger America; and for that, we should all be grateful.
Originally found in Tallahassee Democrat.
The post Florida’s Civic Education Initiative Eradicates Political Bias appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 10, 2023
CONTACT
Logan Elizabeth Padgett
850-386-3131
“As the 2023 Florida Legislative Session moves into the second half and budget negotiations take hold of the process, The James Madison Institute is pleased to present “The Conservative Florida Budget: Fiscal Year 2024.”
A new report by Dr. Vance Ginn, senior fellow at The James Madison Institute and president of Ginn Economic Consulting recommends that the state continue to limit the burden of government spending. The Conservative Florida Budget (CFB) sets a maximum threshold in all funds appropriations for FY 2024 of $116.2 billion.This maximum threshold is based on the 5.5% rate of the 3-year average of population growth plus inflation over the last three years from 2020 to 2022, which reasonably represents the average taxpayer’s ability to pay for government spending.
“Legislators should use the CFB as a guide this session. Given the economic headwinds from the poor fiscal and monetary policies out of D.C. contributing to elevated inflation and risks of a deep recession along with past state budget excesses, the Legislature should pass a budget well below the CFB, similar to the Governor’s budget. Doing so will ensure a conservative budget that will help keep more money in taxpayers’ pockets through larger tax relief, so families and entrepreneurs have the most opportunities to flourish.” — Dr. Vance Ginn, Senior Fellow, The James Madison Institute; President, Ginn Economic Consulting
“Florida continues to set the pace on efficiency of state government budgets. This is one of many reasons why we lead the nation in people moving to the Sunshine State. Adopting the Conservative Florida Budget principle will help guide future legislatures over the years to ensure Florida maintains its status as a well-run model for the rest of the country.”—Sal Nuzzo, Senior Vice President, The James Madison Institute
Click here to read “The Conservative Florida Budget.”
###
The James Madison Institute is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the ideals of limited government, economic freedom, federalism and individual liberty coupled with individual responsibility. The institute conducts research on such issues as criminal justice, health care, taxes and regulatory environments.
The post NEW JMI REPORT ON THE CONSERVATIVE FLORIDA BUDGET appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Click here to read the full PDF version of “The Conservative Florida Budget” policy brief.
Introduction
Florida’s pro-growth fiscal framework helps people flourish. More people are moving with their feet
to Florida than anywhere else in the United States – the Sunshine State saw the largest percent increase
in in-migration (1.9%) in the country in 2022. This was driven by the fact that the state had robust growth in economic output (3.8%) and personal income (6.9%) in the third quarter of 2022, and this supported the second highest percent increase in nonfarm job creation (4.8%) in 2022. This successful framework is a recipe for success. It can and should be improved to remain competitive with other states (as they attempt to strike at Florida’s position) and so that Florida continues to be a place to achieve one’s American dream. While Florida ranks first in economic freedom and near the top in other measures compared with large states and most other states, no state can rest on its laurels or it will fall behind thereby supporting fewer ways for people to prosper.
The ultimate burden of government is how much it spends. Fortunately, Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis recently released a pro-growth budget with his Framework for Freedom budget of $114.8 billion in recommended all funds appropriations for fiscal year (FY) 2024. The budget also includes $2 billion in tax relief, $15.7 billion in total reserves, and $3.4 billion in the rainy day fund. This sets forth more opportunities for growth and prosperity in Florida.
Based on the analysis in this report and the desire to keep Florida competitive, The James Madison Institute (JMI) builds on the success in Florida by recommending that the state continue to limit the burden of government spending. JMI calls this the Conservative Florida Budget (CFB) which sets a maximum threshold in all funds appropriations for FY 2024 of $116.2 billion.
This maximum threshold is based on the 5.5% rate of the 3-year average of population growth plus inflation over the last three years from 2020 to 2022, which reasonably represents the average taxpayer’s ability to pay for government spending.
Read “The Conservative Florida Budget: Fiscal Year 2024” here.
The post The Conservative Florida Budget: Fiscal Year 2024 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
March 31, 2023
“The Free State of Florida protects your Right to Work. If you seek a pleasant peninsula, move to Florida” boasts billboards that popped up this week around Lansing, sponsored by Florida-based think tank The James Madison Institute’s Blueprint: Florida initiative.
This newly-launched initiative is committed to exporting Florida’s winning policies, that are rooted in hope and opportunity, to help individuals pursue the American Dream — and we are taking our message to places where that Dream is under attack.
In recent weeks, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Legislature have worked to undo the state’s hard-fought-for, valued right that protects private sector employees from losing their jobs for refusing to pay a union.
Whitmer’s insistence on the repeal turns a deaf ear to a majority of Michigan voters who indicated support of the law and the thousands of Michigan workers who have freely exercised their right to opt out since its passage over a decade ago.
Whitmer and Democrats are also choosing to ignore the voices of those who experienced mistreatment by the unions as her repeal will force those individuals to rejoin the same unions they fled, despite reported corruption.
Additionally, Whitmer and the Legislature will take away voters’ ability to claw back their right-to-work by referendum moving forward. They have also proposed to complement the right-to-work repeal with legislation that will force Michigan taxpayers to finance union dues payments — without a defined limit — by making those dues fully refundable through tax credits.
Additional legislation also aims to auto-deduct union dues to finance union political activities, arguably scratching the unions’ backs.
It’s her way or the highway — pothole-filled roads included.
Fortunately, there are highways that can (and are) leading Michiganians down to a more pleasant peninsula — and in droves.
Michigan ranked 4th for states with the highest outward migration in 2022, with thousands of Michigan residents choosing to migrate to the more pleasant peninsula the Sunshine State offers its workers and residents.
Florida has constitutionally protected employees’ right to work since 1944. Even as political power has changed hands over the ensuing decades, Floridians and their elected officials have stood by the Sunshine State’s belief that “the right to work is the right to live,” as stated clearly and definitively in Title 31, Section 447.01 of Florida statute.
Indeed, not only have Floridians defended this right for nearly 80 years, but we have built upon this protection through the pursuit of additional safeguards that expand employees’ awareness of their rights, ownership over their paychecks, opportunities to vote on whether a union can represent them in negotiations and what union receives that privilege, and transparency over how union elections are conducted.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature are in the final stages of passing legislation that would protect teachers’ paychecks from having union dues auto-withdrawn before their compensation ever reaches their own pockets. That same legislation will require unions to secure 60% support of the workplace body or face a mandatory recertification vote.
The juxtaposition between DeSantis’ leadership and Whitmer’s failure is stark.
While Michigan’s population has declined by over 47,000 people over the last five years, Florida’s population has grown by over 1.3 million. While Michigan’s economy ranks just 35th among the 50 states, Florida’s economy is among the top 3 most thriving in the country. Rich States, Poor States finds that Floridians also enjoy lower corporate taxes, lower property taxes, less debt, and — of course — no state income tax.
If Whitmer and the Legislature believe that a right-to-work repeal, draconian policies of forced union subsidization, and limiting voters’ powers at the ballot will reverse Michigan’s migration and poor economic recovery post-COVID, she may want to reconsider. According to a recent study by economists Michael LaFaive and Todd Nesbit, employment share is almost 21% higher in the border counties of states that adopted right-to-work laws after the year 2000 (like Michigan) than it would have been without these right-to-work protections. Furthermore, manufacturing’s share of employment in Indiana and Michigan (two states with right-to-work laws taking effect after the year 2000) were up 27.3% and 26.1%, respectively.
While it is disheartening to the undoing of meaningful policies that have benefited the state and its people, Florida remains a beacon of opportunity for people from Michigan and others around the country who may look for a place where they know their freedoms will be protected.
So come on down, Michiganians – the more pleasant peninsula awaits.
Originally found in The Detroit News.
The post The Detroit News: Right To Work Repeal Makes Michigan an Unpleasant Peninsula appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI’s Logan Padgett and Sal Nuzzo discuss the recently passed tort reform legislation, school choice expansion, paycheck protection and other proposals moving through the legislature like social media education in schools, permitless carry, and an effort to ban gender affirming care for minors.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 40 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
March 28, 2023
Grover Norquist and Sal Nuzzo
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican Legislature last week harpooned the great white whale that conservatives have been hunting for decades: tort reform. The state is about to get richer and redder.
Florida has long been awash in abusive lawsuits brought by trial lawyers. Residents suffer from the subsequent high insurance costs. This mess will end thanks to Mr. DeSantis and a Republican legislative supermajority, which approved a landmark tort reform bill this past week over the protestations of trial lawyers. Mr. DeSantis says that this is “the most significant legal reform that’s ever been done.”
Tort reform was the one missing piece in the Florida success story. On almost every positive metric, Florida leads. No personal income tax. A favorable business tax climate. Spending kept in check. A modest regulatory burden and a strong educational record at an affordable cost to taxpayers. It’s no wonder the Census Bureau reports Florida is the fastest-growing state.
But Florida also “leads” in one not-so-positive way: The total present tort cost to the state is the highest burden in the nation, costing Florida 3% of its gross domestic product annually. That amounts to more than some states’ income taxes.
The currently flawed legal rules have produced nuclear-sized payouts for trial lawyers, driven by excessive lawsuits. “Florida lawsuits rose steadily from 64% of all nationwide homeowners lawsuits in 2016, to 68% in 2017, to 80% in 2018 and 76% in 2019,” National Association of Insurance Commissioners data found.
This system costs Floridians thousands of dollars every year due to higher costs and lost economic activity.
Mr. DeSantis and legislators are right to address this hidden tax, especially as federal spending drives inflation upward. Their bill will protect consumers and taxpayers by changing how plaintiffs’ attorneys are paid in Florida, along with provisions governing transparency of charges in medical claims, and a change to the negligence standards, all of which had turned Florida into a haven of lawsuit larceny.
Such lawsuits are often driven by the rules governing how civil litigation functions in the state. For instance: If someone is injured, rather than seeing their doctor (using their insurance) and then ensuring they get their claim filled, an attorney will have the injured see the lawyer’s doctor. They’ll run up bills for treatment. At trial, the jury sees only the inflated charges, not what the person would have paid had they pursued care as they normally would have.
Some law firms even create complex financial instruments based on the cost of their friendly doctor’s time, and sell them. Lawyers are selling trumped up doctor bills like they’re mortgage bonds to profit off exaggerated treatment of peoples’ injuries.
The problem is everywhere. For cars, Florida makes up a staggering 99% of auto glass repair claims for State Farm. Sure, the state population has grown, but it is still only 6.5% of the U.S. population.
Florida is burdened with scams where roofing companies get homeowners to turn over their rights to legal action to them. Then the company can sue insurers for full roof replacement costs, even when a roof replacement was not needed.
Before tackling broad tort reform, Republicans saved Florida’s failing property insurance market as the state-backed insurer was taking on huge numbers of new policies because other insurers were being crushed by litigation.
“Florida accounted for 79% of the nation’s homeowners insurance lawsuits over claims filed while making up only 9% of the nation’s homeowners insurance claims,” Mr. DeSantis said in his call for an emergency session.
If they had not acted, Floridians would have faced even higher insurance costs as policies of all types would face new fees.
Republican state Rep. Tommy Gregory said his now-enacted bill is designed to “bring the civil justice system back into equilibrium, and that’s going to save all Floridians, all of our constituents, money.”
These landmark tort reforms would not have been possible without the breadth of Mr. DeSantis’ win in the November election and the strengthened Republican supermajority it brought. Thanks to their efforts, Floridians are saying goodbye to the tort tax.
Originally found in The Washington Times.
The post The Washington Times: DeSantis and GOP Supermajority Just Fixed Florida’s One Major Legal Flaw appeared first on James Madison Institute.
March 27, 2023
From Pensacola to Jacksonville and all the way down to the Keys, almost every child in Florida will do the same thing at one point today — log on to a social media platform. While social media has made the world smaller, increased connections, and given young people unparalleled access to the real and virtual world around them, it also poses significant threats to the physical and emotional well-being of children. As new research comes to light, state legislatures across the country, including here in Tallahassee, have begun to look for ways to keep children safe online.
While many of these proposals emerging from statehouses across the country are well-intentioned and seek to make children safer online, they all too often reject Florida’s North Star: personal responsibility and parental rights.
This legislative session, these principles have guided policymakers in Tallahassee as they grapple with the important question of how to keep Florida’s children safe when using social media platforms.
Currently, lawmakers are considering legislation from Sen. Danny Burgess and Rep. Brad Yeager that, if signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, would require public school students between grades 6 and 12 to take classes that cover the social, emotional and physical effects of social media. Included in these classes must be lessons on, for example, how children can report suspicious behavior, the dangers of misinformation, and the permanence of posts and how they can negatively affect individuals later in life.
The proposal would also require school districts to make any instructional material available to parents.
The benefits of these proposals are simple. First, educating students on the dangers of social media will ensure Florida’s public schools are graduating students to go out into the world with the skills and knowledge to navigate social media platforms safely while also enjoying the numerous benefits they offer. These proposals do not seek to remove students from these platforms but instead show them how to use the platforms safely.
Think drivers ed for social media.
Secondly, these proposals ensure parents have the ability to continue educating their children about the dangers of social media outside the classroom. Such requirements place parents at the forefront of their children’s education, not the government or school administrators.
The legislation would also ban students from accessing social media on school devices and school networks. After all, these devices and networks are provided to aid students in learning, not distract them from it.
When states ignore Florida’s North Star, they risk crafting legislation that, while well-intentioned, increases the power of government at the expense of citizens and makes the internet considerably less free.
Utah, for example, recently passed legislation that would require those under 18 to obtain parental consent to access social media. Proposals like Utah’s not only greatly expand the role of government but place state bureaucrats in between children and their parents. More dangerous is the fact that Utah’s ban makes it less likely that children will have the necessary skills to navigate social media safely when they age out of being covered. The result will be citizens at greater risk of falling victim to the perils of social media later in life.
Rejecting personal responsibility and forcing individuals to co-parent with the government simply isn’t the Florida way or even the American way.
As other states consider important online safety legislation to protect children, they could do worse than look at Rep. Yeager’s and Sen. Burgess’ proposals that skillfully balance the rights of parents and the tenets of limited government with the need to keep children safe on social media.
Were other states to follow Florida’s North Star, we could have a nation of social media-savvy children who safely use these powerful platforms and experience the numerous benefits they offer.
Originally found in Florida Politics.
The post Florida Politics: Florida Takes the Lead in Social Media Safety appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 24, 2023
CONTACT
Logan Elizabeth Padgett
850-386-3131
With the passage of HB3 Florida’s House members have sent a clear message to those who would turn our retirement funds into an experiment in woke ideology – find another state to do business. Thank you, Speaker Paul Renner, Representative Bob Rommel, and the 80 members who voted to put Floridians first.
The post STATEMENT FROM THE JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE ON THE HOUSE PASSING ANTI-ESG INITIATIVES appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 23, 2023
CONTACT
Logan Elizabeth Padgett
850-386-3131
For too many years, Florida’s litigation rules have siphoned millions of dollars from everyday Floridians to the bank accounts of wealthy trial attorneys. Fueled by greed, a handful of bad actors have turned Florida into a “judicial hellhole” of fraud and abuse.
With the passage of HB837 by the Florida Legislature, those days are numbered. JMI would like to thank the sponsors in both the house and senate – Representatives Tommy Gregory and Tom Fabricio along with Senator Travis Hutson – who did the hard work of building consensus and delivering on a priority of Governor DeSantis, Speaker Renner, and President Passidomo.
Your efforts will ultimately result in a better legal climate for Florida, saving taxpayers burdened by the tort tax for years.
The post STATEMENT FROM THE JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE ON THE PASSAGE OF TORT REFORM IN THE FLORIDA SENATE appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 23, 2023
CONTACT
Logan Elizabeth Padgett
850-386-3131
Today, the entire Florida legislature sent a message to the parents of the more than three million students in the Sunshine State – that your voice, your rights, and your choice matters.
Thank you.
The post STATEMENT RELEASE ON THE PASSAGE OF UNIVERSAL SCHOOL CHOICE EXPANSION BY THE FLORIDA SENATE appeared first on James Madison Institute.
March 22, 2023
Author Stephen King caused quite a stir last July when he tweeted, “DeSantis signs bill requiring Florida students, professors to register political views with state. I. Can’t. Even.”
Within hours, the post went viral, receiving tons of shares and likes from followers of the “King of Horror.” But what everyone caught up in that Twitter fright-frenzy seemed to forget was that King’s forte isn’t just horror — it’s also fiction.
And like many recent reports circulating about Florida education, King’s alarming tweet did not square with the facts.
Snopes, PolitiFact, VerifyThis, and The Associated Press declared King’s tweet “false,” tracing his (unintentionally) fictional post to a 2021 Salon article that had advanced the narrative. Salon’s editors changed their headline — 13 months later — after fact-checkers exposed the error.
In the end, King deleted the tweet, expressing “regret” and promising “to do better.”
Still, Americans should be alert to false reports about what is happening in Florida. There’s a lot of “horror fiction” being spread these days. Consider:
- Last month, Andrea Mitchell of MSNBC claimed Gov. DeSantis believes “slavery and the aftermath of slavery should not be taught to Florida schoolchildren.” Mitchell later conceded she had been “imprecise” after someone pointed to DeSantis-signed legislation requiring instruction on slavery, abolition, “the vital contributions of African Americans to build and strengthen American society” and “inspirational stories of African Americans who prospered, even in the most difficult circumstances.”
Mitchell’s commentary coincided with DeSantis’ refusal to give state approval to the College Board’s initial draft of an Advanced Placement African American Studies course, over its inclusion of “queer theory,” “intersectionality,” and other content. (The College Board later altered its AP curriculum.)
When White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre sought to characterize this as a sign that DeSantis “wants to block” teaching about Black history, one of Florida’s leading African American “social justice” advocates came to the governor’s defense. “Frankly, I’m against the College Board’s curriculum,” said Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor. “I think it’s trash. It’s not African American history. It is ideology … sub-mediocre propaganda.”
- Last August, Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers retweeted a post from an anonymous Twitter account claiming DeSantis had banned a bevy of classic books, including “To Kill a Mockingbird.” When someone pointed out that Florida actually includes “Mockingbird” on its list of recommended readings for 8th graders, Weingarten sheepishly backtracked.
“I should have double checked before I retweeted this list,” she wrote. “My bad.”
In actuality, Florida has removed books with explicit material, including “Gender Queer,” “Flamer,” and “This Book is Gay.” When the governor presented excerpts of these works at a March news conference, most news organizations chose not to run footage of this content.
- Earlier this month, several legislators introduced bills to expand Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, which currently prohibits public schools from teaching K-3 students about gender ideology and human sexuality. Even though the word “gay” is absent in the text, critics continue to call this the “Don’t Say Gay” law.
Comedian Bill Maher has intimated this moniker shows how out of touch DeSantis’ detractors are. “They called it the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law,” Maher said. “It could have been called the “Let’s do things in schools the way we did five years ago’ law. It really could’ve.”
Despite all the criticism, DeSantis and other leaders seem unshaken by all the misinformation circulating about Florida education. They evidently understand that those who cannot defend the indefensible will often resort to “horror fiction.”
Originally found in The Hill.
The post The Hill: Florida’s Education Foes Resort to ‘Horror Fiction’ appeared first on James Madison Institute.
March 22, 2023
DeSantis and the state Legislature have provided a blueprint for federal lawmakers.
Federal permitting reform should be at top of Congressional leaders’ priority list in 2023. It’s common sense, conservative policy that earns bipartisan support.
And federal lawmakers need to look no further than the state of Florida to appreciate the positive impact.
The construction industry is an important economic driver in the state. And with people moving to our sunny, business-friendly environment daily, housing is always in high demand. Beginning in 2019, our organization began to focus on eliminating onerous construction permitting in the state to speed up the building process and reduce unnecessary costs.
In 2022, the Legislature acted on a number of those recommendations, and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill restructuring the permitting process for home building in the state. The legislation also took important steps to increase transparency for Florida homeowners in a system that is all too often shrouded in layers of government bureaucracy.
These permitting reforms helped streamline the processing of permits. It limited cities and counties to 30 business days in order to process an application to build a new home. If localities fail to meet these deadlines, then they must refund 10 percent of the application fee for every business day that passes without them taking action. Importantly, Florida’s permitting reform law also increases transparency by requiring jurisdictions to post their permitting process and the status of current permit applications online.
The result: permits are being approved faster than ever before, helping us meet the growing demand for housing in our state. This is all incredibly encouraging news for Florida homeowners, particularly since our own research found that permitting delays added up to $6,900 to the cost of a typical Florida house.
Given the undeniably positive impact permitting reform has had in our state, it only makes sense for lawmakers in Washington to take a page out of Florida’s book and work together to pass comprehensive permitting reform at the federal level. Doing so will help hold government officials more accountable and, critically, help advance a number of energy and infrastructure projects here and across the country by shortening and streamlining what is currently a multi-year process that costs consumers, taxpayers, and private investors valuable time and money.
Sen. Marco Rubio has been a steady voice in Congress on this issue, as he was during his time in Tallahassee. And he’s not alone. There is a bipartisan call for reform.
Currently, energy and infrastructure projects that could yield real economic benefits for Florida communities, unfortunately, face massive bureaucratic hurdles and delays as a result of our inefficient permitting process. Environmental reviews alone can take several years—sometimes more than ten years — adding costs, discouraging private investment, and preventing job creation or quality-of-life benefits from reaching local communities.
Cutting government red tape and reducing the highly duplicative siting, review, and permitting processes that can happen when local, state, and federal officials are all involved will help advance critical projects that will spur innovation, strengthen the American economy, and make the domestic energy market more competitive globally.
With Sen. Rubio’s leadership, it’s time for Washington to follow the lead of Florida lawmakers by passing true, comprehensive federal permitting reform.
Originally found in Florida Politics.
The post Florida Politics: Congress Needs To Follow Florida’s Lead On Permitting Reform appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Representative Spencer Roach and Lindsay Killen
March 20, 2023
Year after year, hundreds of thousands of people move to Florida from other states. Many are lured by the promise of freedom, the bedrock principle of the Sunshine State. And now Gov. Ron DeSantis is delivering on that promise yet again, with policy proposals to expand educational options for families and protect teachers’ paychecks from unions’ money grab.
The governor’s Teacher Bill of Rights outlines bold steps to curb union overreach, freeing teachers to teach. It also establishes guardrails and requirements for union representation. Chief among these is the requirement that teachers be informed that union membership is optional – they are free to decline without fear of losing their jobs. Teachers would also be informed of what membership costs them. In Florida, union dues can cost more than $700 a year, with a portion of that money exported out of state to support the union’s national political agenda.
If teachers do opt to join, the governor’s proposal will require the union to collect dues themselves. For years, dues have been deducted directly from teachers’ paychecks. Unions prefer this method because it benefits them. It’s easy for teachers to forget they’re paying dues every month, much less stop to consider the value they get for their money. And the collection and processing are done on the taxpayers’ dime rather than at the union’s expense. No more, Gov. DeSantis says.
Paycheck protection is a popular policy – not just with teachers but also with the public. A 2019 Poll conducted by The James Madison Institute and Workers for Opportunity revealed that more than 70% of likely voters think the government should have a public employee’s permission before deducting union dues from their paycheck.
The governor’s proposal also strengthens and expands a Florida law requiring a union to stand for election. This process – known as “recertification” – means that a union will not be recognized if employee membership falls below a 50% threshold. Gov. DeSantis’ plan aims to increase that threshold to 60% and create more accountability around how these elections are conducted and reported. The reform will offer teachers more frequent chances to vote on whether they keep their current union or choose a new one.
Yet, these reforms – bold as they are – just scratch the surface of what Gov. DeSantis envisions to protect and empower teachers. His proposal would also free teachers from near-constant union politicking by prohibiting the distribution of union pamphlets and flyers on school grounds.
Across the country, we’ve seen union practices driving a wedge between teachers and students. Whether it’s strikes that keep kids out of school, elongated COVID lockdowns, or having woke propaganda sown into classroom curriculum, teacher’s unions have shown they care more about union bosses and progressive ideology than about educating students – or actually representing teachers.
That’s why, in addition to protecting teachers’ basic freedoms, the governor proposes another much-deserved pay increase for educators. In his Framework for Freedom budget, Gov. DeSantis has requested $1 billion for teacher pay, an increase of $200 million. The governor has, since 2020, overseen the biggest teacher pay increase in Florida’s history.
hat’s critical because our state is growing. Families and parents of small children are migrating to the Sunshine State in droves. Maintaining Florida’s high-quality educational options includes protecting teachers, our classrooms, and our taxpayer funds from the woke politics often propagated by the unions.
As Gov. DeSantis envisions it, Florida’s schoolchildren won’t just grow up learning about American freedom in the classroom. They’ll live it.
Rep. Spencer Roach represents Florida’s 79th House District and chairs the House Constitutional Rights, Rule of Law & Government Operations Subcommittee.
Lindsay Killen is the senior national advisor for Workers for Opportunity, a national initiative of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, and vice president of national strategy for the James Madison Institute.
Originally found on Tallahassee Democrat
The post Tallahassee Democrat: DeSantis Offers a Lesson in Freedom appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2023
CONTACT
Logan Elizabeth Padgett
850-386-3131
For far too long Florida families have been paying the freight for wealthy billboard trial lawyers’ fraud. With the passage of HB837, our policymakers finally take a stand and say, “no more.”
JMI thanks the sponsors, Chair Tommy Gregory and Representative Tom Fabricio, along with House Speaker Paul Renner and the 80 members of the Florida House who voted for Florida’s families and against those who would continue to use Florida’s taxpayers as an ATM.
We encourage the Florida Senate to continue its process so that this transformational reform can be sent to the Governor’s desk.
The post STATEMENT FROM THE JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE ON THE PASSAGE OF TORT REFORM IN THE FLORIDA HOUSE appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2023
CONTACT
Logan Elizabeth Padgett
850-386-3131
The Florida House has sent a clear message to Florida parents and students that they will fund students and not systems.
The passage of HB 1 by the Florida House of Representatives is truly a cause for celebration. This legislation opens up scholarship opportunities for thousands of Florida students, including many special-needs children currently on waiting lists. Moreover, this legislation gives parents far more flexibility in how they use scholarship dollars (by converting all voucher programs to Education Savings Accounts). Students will benefit from the customized learning this flexibility makes possible; and taxpayers will benefit from the improved bang-for-buck that ESAs produce. Speaker Renner and Representative Tuck deserve much credit for shepherding this historic legislation through the process. Now, it’s the Senate’s turn to expand learning options for Florida students.
The post STATEMENT RELEASE ON THE PASSAGE OF UNIVERSAL SCHOOL CHOICE EXPANSION BY THE FLORIDA HOUSE appeared first on James Madison Institute.
March 14, 2023
Tourism is Florida’s principal economic driver. Last year, our state welcomed over 100 million visitors, which generated over $40 billion in economic activity. So, it goes without saying that tourism contributes significantly to our GDP, state job count, and tax revenue.
Recent data indicates that in 2019, Florida’ visitors supported over 1.6 million in-state jobs. And according to the Office of Economic and Demographic Research, for every $1 the state invests in VISIT FLORIDA, $3.27 in state tax revenue is generated. This is not only great news for the state treasury, but also for the more than half of our state’s small businesses supported by tourism.
However, with flight costs jumping more than 40%, tourism in our state has become jeopardized. We need to lower flight costs or else risk thousands of state jobs and millions in tax revenue. That’s why it’s so puzzling that the U.S. Department of Justice just announced it’s trying to block Spirit Airlines’ merger with JetBlue, which would reduce fare prices by increasing competitive pressures on the Big Four airlines.
Florida Sen. John Pizzo sent a letter to the DOJ urging it to approve the merger for this very reason. As the president and CEO of Florida’s leading think tank with an expressed mission of increasing opportunity for all Floridians, I agree that this state desperately needs an airline industry shake-up and that a Spirit-JetBlue merger would deliver it.
Spirit is already a top Florida airline. However, Spirit recognizes that to continue meeting our state’s needs, it needs to become more competitive with the Big Four, which control about 80% of the marketplace. Permitting its merger with JetBlue would facilitate its continued instate growth in a way that Florida so desperately needs.
When JetBlue first entered the marketplace, Hartford-Tampa delivered 48% more daily passengers and experienced a 20% average fare reduction, while Orlando sent 60% more passengers to Salt Lake City daily at the same dramatically reduced rate for ticket prices. Allowing JetBlue to expand its Florida footprint today will deliver the same dramatically effective results. In fact, the airline already announced that if the DOJ permits the merger — which Spirit’s shareholders have already approved — the new, bigger and better company will service more than 150 daily flights at Orlando International Airport and 250 from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
More importantly, however, JetBlue’s increased presence in the state will force the other airlines to become more consumer-friendly — meaning that no matter what airline tourists need to take to get here, they will likely see more choices at reduced fares.
The DOJ has even admitted that JetBlue “offering lower fares and better service [forces] competitors to do the same.” It also acknowledged that “JetBlue is uniquely disruptive,“ “has a long and public track record of significantly lowering fares when it enters a market,” and “has saved consumers a total of more than $10 billion since the airline’s founding.” So why wouldn’t the department allow this merger to move forward?
Before JetBlue and Spirit Airlines came around, the big four airlines took us all for a ride. The competition these two airlines incited ended the calcified nature of the industry that cost us all dearly. We’re now at a point where we need more competition and more fare reductions, but for that to happen, the DOJ needs to get on the same page.
The Florida attorney general and legislature need to demand the DOJ to back off its currently hostile position. Our economy is counting on the department allowing responsible free enterprise to grow, expand, and thrive.
Originally found in Tallahassee Democrat.
The post Tallahassee Democrat: Why DOJ’s Blow to Spirit-JetBlue Merger Stands Against Florida’s Tourism Economy appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI’s Dr. Bob McClure and Sal Nuzzo discuss the latest bills moving through the Florida legislature, Silicon Valley Bank bailouts, the 2024 Presidential election, March Madness, and more.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 39 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
March 9, 2023
The United Faculty of Florida should be ashamed for resisting measures to do away with loyalty oaths and compelled speech on campus. It’s time to follow University of North Carolina’s example, writes William Mattox of the James Madison Institute.
For the second time in recent years, the University of North Carolina (UNC) has taken action to improve its campus culture and make it more accommodating to diverse viewpoints. And, for the second time in recent years, the United Faculty of Florida (UFF) ought to feel embarrassed and ashamed for resisting similar campus reforms in our state.
Late last month, the UNC Board of Governors adopted a policy against compelled speech on campus. Specifically, UNC prohibited any requirement that prospective students or faculty submit a “diversity statement” as a condition of admission, hiring, or promotion. Mandatory diversity statements, which have arisen in recent years at many schools, have been called by one observer “loyalty oaths to the woke mob.”
The UNC policy mirrors a proposal recently introduced in the Florida Legislature, at the urging of Gov. Ron DeSantis. “We must ensure that our institutions of higher learning are focused on academic excellence and the pursuit of truth, not the imposition of trendy ideology,” Gov. DeSantis has said.
Nevertheless, Florida’s faculty union has come out in “lock-step opposition” to the legislation endorsed by Gov. DeSantis. “We cannot stand by idly while a tyrant destroys our state’s future,” says union president Andrew Gothard. “UFF will fully oppose every step of this so-called ‘reform’ program.”
The faculty union’s resistance feels like déjà vu all over again.
That’s because two years ago, Gov. DeSantis signed into law a UNC-inspired proposal over vehement faculty union opposition. That proposal called for an annual survey of Florida students and faculty at state universities to measure free expression and viewpoint diversity, similar to a survey that an ideologically diverse team of UNC scholars had conducted on their Chapel Hill campus.
Now, one would think that “objective, nonpartisan, and statistically valid” data collection would be embraced by scholars at Florida’s major research universities. Especially since free expression and viewpoint diversity are so central to the mission of higher education – pursuing truth.
Nevertheless, from the start, the UFF objected to this research project. They claimed the (anonymous and voluntary) surveys were intended to send “a clear message that those that proliferate views with which the governor disagrees will find their funding in jeopardy.”
After losing the 2021 legislative battle, a group of Florida professors tried to convince U.S. District Judge Mark Walker to prevent the survey from going forward. When that effort failed, union leaders then sought to sabotage the research by urging students and faculty to refuse to participate in the survey.
Not surprisingly, a number of professors from outside Florida are having trouble standing with the UFF. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at colleges and universities are often money-wasters that stifle academic freedom,” writes University of Pennsylvania professor Jonathan Zimmerman in a recent op-ed. “On that, the Florida governor and I can agree.”
Thankfully, most Florida legislators also appear unfazed by the UFF’s opposition. Indeed, they appear to be following a pattern – that is now well-established in K-12 education – whereby Florida education policymakers do not allow unreasonable (and self-interested) union opposition to get in the way of much-needed changes to improve student opportunities and outcomes.
That ought to please all Floridians who care about campus free expression and viewpoint diversity. And it ought to please all of us who see no reason why our state’s flagship universities should have to remain in the shadow of schools like UNC.
Originally found in The Florida Standard.
The post UNC Once Again Embarrasses Florida Faculty Union appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 7, 2023
CONTACT
Logan Elizabeth Padgett
850-386-3131
NEW JMI REPORT EXAMINES AND RANKS FREE SPEECH ON FLORIDA’S COLLEGE CAMPUSES
A new report by The James Madison Institute, “Improving Campus Culture: Florida Higher Ed is Facing Challenges,” builds upon JMI’s 2017 and 2020 reports and measures how much progress our state universities are making in promoting free expression and viewpoint diversity. The report also identifies “next steps” that would help Florida’s universities continue their rise to national prominence as beacons of intellectual freedom and academic excellence.
Concerns about campus free expression and viewpoint diversity have been growing in recent years. In 2021, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law that would require the state university system to conduct an “objective, nonpartisan, and statistically valid annual survey” to help assess “intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity” at Florida schools. Scholars at Florida’s major research universities should have embraced this survey, especially since free expression and viewpoint diversity are so central to the mission of higher education. But the United Faculty of Florida union made a concerted effort to thwart the research and discredit the survey.
“Absent a major movement within the academy to challenge the intransigence of the faculty union, the only recourse available to Florida citizens who care about free expression and viewpoint diversity will be to work through their elected officials and appointed boards that oversee higher education in our state,” said William Mattox, director of the J. Stanley Marshall Center for Educational Options at The James Madison Institute.
“Florida’s higher education policymakers appear to be following a pattern – that is now well-
established in K-12 education – whereby reformers do not allow unreasonable (and self-
interested) union opposition to get in the way of much-needed changes to improve student
opportunities and outcomes,” Mattox added.
“Absent a major movement within the academy to challenge the intransigence of the faculty union, the only recourse available to Florida citizens who care about free expression and viewpoint diversity will be to work through their elected officials and appointed boards that oversee higher education in our state,” adds Mattox.
Click here to read “Improving Campus Culture: Florida Higher Ed is Facing Challenges.”
###
The James Madison Institute is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the ideals of limited government, economic freedom, federalism and individual liberty coupled with individual responsibility. The institute conducts research on such issues as criminal justice, health care, taxes and regulatory environments.
The post New JMI Report Examines and Ranks Free Speech on Florida’s College Campuses appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Sal Nuzzo and Christian Cámara
March 6, 2023
When fraudulent and frivolous litigation piles up, every one of us pays the price.
Foundations of Fraud
Late on a June evening in 2017, Sarah Kelly was rushed to the emergency room after her car swerved and sent her into a tree.
There wasn’t anyone else in the car with her and nobody else was on the road. It was a tragic case of hydroplaning leading to overcorrection resulting in an awful injury. As her family prayed for a miracle, a trial attorney saw an opportunity. Seeing a Facebook post about the incident from Sarah’s sister, the attorney immediately reached out, seeking to get access to the car.
“If we can check out the tire treads, and a few other items, we may be able to help you. Your family could reap a pretty sizable settlement.”
Sarah survived but is now paralyzed. And as tragic as her case is, there was no negligence. There was nobody else at legal fault. There was no reason anyone should have suggested that she pursue civil litigation. Just a slick attorney recognizing Florida’s rules on negligence and attorney’s fees meant they could prey upon a family in emotional crisis.
This is just one example of the egregious tactics being deployed as a result of Florida’s civil litigation rules. It represents one of the myriad methods that billboard trial attorneys in Florida have turned our court system into a cash cow for their own benefit. They’re fleecing us all and few realize it.
When fraudulent and frivolous litigation piles up, every one of us pays the price.
There’s a reason Florida’s auto insurance rates are among the highest in the U.S. There is also a reason, according to testimony offered in committee, that 99% of all of State Farm’s litigation related to auto glass price disparities in the U.S. occurs in Florida. It isn’t because State Farm is graciously offering up deals to its policyholders in 49 other states or because Florida has an inordinate amount of car crashes and cracked windshields. It’s because Florida’s unique rules governing lawsuits like these have turned the Sunshine State into the Settlement State, garnering six-figure payouts for trial attorneys in a cottage industry of barely legal fraud.
These litigation rules make it next to impossible to challenge the thousands upon thousands of nuisance suits — so companies accept it as the price for operating in Florida and elect to settle rather than incurring the cost of hiring countless lawyers and risking massive judgments. And then they do what they must to cover the financial losses: hike Florida policyholder rates.
Then those actually causing the problem cynically turn around and blame “those big bad insurance companies. The formula has been working for decades. And consequently, billboard trial attorneys go on dialing the cellphones of family members waiting in an ER to hear if their loved one survived.
This is why House Bill 837 and SB 236 are so overdue. The proposal is transformational for Florida. Led by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and House Speaker Paul Renner, HB 837 and SB 236 finally put Florida on the right trajectory for civil litigation. The sponsors of the legislation, Reps. Tommy Gregory and Tom Fabricio and Sen. Travis Hutson, are David taking on an army of Billboard Goliaths. Presenting the bill before its first committee hearing, Reps. Gregory and Fabricio endured more than four hours of comments from all levels of astroturf groups shuttled up by the worst of our trial bar offenders — many of whom were there for the day trip to Tallahassee and a couple of free meals with little understanding of how they had been misled.
Sitting in its first committee hearing, it was abundantly clear what was transpiring. Several tragic cases of negligence and wrongdoing were presented to the committee, each person seeking to make a connection between what happened to them (or their loved one) and the language of the bill. The emotional appeals were strong and very compelling. If only they had any connection to what HB 837 and SB 236 actually does, it would give even us pause. But that isn’t the case. It isn’t the case at all.
Make absolutely no mistake about it. The reforms proposed in HB 837 and SB 236 are designed to help each of those individuals who spoke before the House Civil Justice Committee opposing the bill. This legislation will help bring common sense and sanity to our civil litigation system by aligning Florida’s litigation laws with other states and allowing those harmed by the negligence of others the ability to access our court system to get the relief they deserve.
The only ones clamoring to keep the status quo are those handsomely profiting from it — and they are utterly untroubled by the rest of us paying the freight on their scheme. They’re not for Floridians, they’re just for their own deep pockets.
Sal Nuzzo is senior vice president of The James Madison Institute.
Christian Cámara is an adjunct fellow and scholar for The James Madison Institute.
Originally found in Florida Politics.
The post Florida Politics: The Fleecing of Floridians, Part II appeared first on James Madison Institute.
For Google, the world’s most popular search engine, it’s Groundhog Day as they face yet another antitrust lawsuit filed by federal enforcers who are increasingly skeptical of large technology companies. This time, the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division (DoJ), led by Google’s chief antagonist Johnathon Kanter, is challenging the company’s perceived control of digital advertising technologies “that website publishers depend on to sell ads and that advertisers rely on to buy ads and reach potential customers.” This case is the second antitrust suit the company is facing from the DoJ, following a 2020 civil suit that claimed the giant had monopolized search and search advertising.
The government’s case against Google rests on four arguments. First, the DoJ contends that Google engaged “in a pattern of acquisitions to obtain control over key digital advertising tools used by website publishers to sell advertising space.” Second, the government alleges Google locked in “website publishers to its newly-acquired tools by restricting its unique, must-have advertiser demand to its ad exchange, and in turn, conditioning effective real-time access to its ad exchange on the use of its publisher ad server.” Third, the government contends that the California-based tech giant limited “real-time bidding on publisher inventory to its ad exchange, and impeded rival ad exchanges’ ability to compete on the same terms as Google’s ad exchange.” Finally, the Antitrust Division alleges the company manipulated “auction mechanics across several of its products to insulate Google from competition” thereby depriving “rivals of scale” and halting “the rise of rival technologies.”
As a result of these actions, the government alleges, Google has “corrupted the competitive process by which publishers and advertisers select, and then use, pivotal ad tech tools… undermined publishers’ and advertisers’ ability to make optimal matches for advertising inventory on mutually agreeable terms,” and “interfered in rivals’ attempts to partner successfully with Google’s publisher and advertiser customers.”
As punishment, the government is asking federal courts to break up Google, separating the search engine from its digital advertising business. Such a punitive request risks harming businesses that depend on the tech giant to showcase their goods and services to millions of potential consumers.
While the government’s case, spanning 155 pages, may be highly critical of Google, it ignores the reality that digital advertising is a highly competitive marketplace that generates significant value for both advertisers and consumers, and perhaps ironically, the acquisitions at the heart of the government’s case were approved by antitrust authorities. The government is essentially asking for a mulligan, but a mulligan that would chill mergers and acquisitions and investment.
Arguably the weakest element of the government’s case against Google’s digital advertising activities is that they have monopolized the market. In reality, digital advertising is a highly competitive marketplace where companies seeking to advertise their products online have a range of options. Currently, Google only accounts for around 27% of digital advertising revenue, down from a 2016 high of 31.5%. Meta, Google’s closest competitor, only accounts for 25.2% of revenues. At the same time Amazon, Apple, and even TikTok are growing their advertising businesses, giving companies more choices in publishing digital advertising and more opportunities to reach consumers. Such variety undermines the DoJ’s assertions that Google has monopolized the digital advertising market. If it had, such options would not exist given only one provider can exist in a monopoly.
The numerous options available to companies seeking digital adverts is also working as the cost of digital advertising has been falling over the past few years, granting more companies the opportunity to advertise online and reach more consumers. If the government’s case were accurate, this trend would not have occurred, and those seeking advertising services would have see prices increase as Google would have demanded higher prices. This creates a situation whereby the DoJ is directly intervening in a healthy market with the competition that is depressing prices.
It should also be noted that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and DoJ both cleared mergers at the center of the most recent antitrust complaint. Back in 2007, the FTC approved Google’s $31.5 billion acquisition of Doubleclick, noting that under the terms of the deal, “it is unlikely that Google could effectively foreclose competition in the related ad intermediation market following the acquisition.” Similarly, the DoJ cleared Google’s acquisition of AdMeld in 2011, recognizing that “the transaction is not likely to substantially lessen competition in the sale of display advertising.”
The DoJ’s attempt to unwind previously approved deals blatantly undermines the rule of law by creating uncertainty about the long-term viability of business transactions. Granting the government such power will chill investment and disincentivize companies from engaging in legitimate transactions for fear the government could simply unwind the deals in the future.
Google’s advertising business also provides significant value for American companies seeking to grow their companies and reach more consumers. Every day, billions of people worldwide use Google to search the internet. Google’s advertising program allows companies to match businesses with potential customers around the world, opening up a business to consumers who would otherwise be unaware of a good or service. Such reach allows businesses generate more revenue from a larger base of potential consumers.
In fact, according to Google, for every dollar spent on advertising on its platform, a company can generate $8 in profit that can then be reinvested into growing the company, developing new products and services, and employing workers. Penalizing Google for providing this valuable service would ultimately see businesses and consumers suffer.
For Google, a company that is no stranger to skepticism from Washington, the latest federal overreach ignores market realities, historical realities, and ignorance of the substantial benefits they provide for businesses and consumers. When skepticism is based on these factors, the antitrust division will trap the giant in a continuous cycle of litigation that corrupts the market and leaves those the DoJ seeks to protect vulnerable to higher prices and poorer service.
Much like the movie, Google will be trapped in this cycle until Washington gets it right.
The post It’s Antitrust Groundhog Day for Google appeared first on James Madison Institute.
March 2, 2023
The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) is a little-known but critically important committee for higher education accreditation in the U.S. NACIQI’s role is to advise the U.S. Secretary of Education on matters related to higher education accrediting agencies. Though not part of its mission, NACIQI has become an important barrier against an aggressive Democratic administration that has shown itself capable of utilizing executive power to enact costly and unpopular policies such as the cancellation of student loan debt.
NACIQI is integral to America’s higher education model because accrediting agencies, which recognize colleges and universities, are the gatekeepers to billions of dollars in taxpayer funds in the form of the Federal Student Aid program. NACIQI is part of the higher education triad, which consists of the federal government responsible for ensuring institutional compliance with federal student aid laws, the states which are responsible for consumer protections and licensure of institutions, and the accreditors that enforce institutional and academic quality standards. NACIQI’s role is to ensure accreditors are meeting their quality control standards, not to regulate them, and ultimately make recommendations to the Secretary if an accreditor should continue recognizing colleges and universities.
Recently, some members of NACIQI have expressed frustration regarding the statutory intent of the board and have pushed for NACIQI to have a greater role in enforcement. This would undermine the Board’s purpose and value as it relates to ensuring America’s higher education system remains free of nationalized control. Since the establishment of the G.I. Bill, American higher education accreditation has always been valued as a peer review process. The importance of peer evaluation allows experienced higher education community members to maintain quality standards and improve performance, which maintains the core academic values of higher education.
Peer review requires avoidance of bias, and a key component of NACIQI is for members to remain nonpartisan in advocating for the best interest of higher education accreditation, a process that ultimately safeguards students and is critical to protecting taxpayer money. This is also crucial to protect the peer review accreditation process from government overreach.
Many on NACIQI understand this important element of their role as advisors. The outgoing chairperson, Arthur Keiser, Ph.D., has often reaffirmed this during his two terms as chair, and has maintained focus on the mission and purpose of NACIQI.
While some increasingly advocate for a ministry style of higher education, which would transform NACIQI into an enforcement entity for big government supporters, the higher education triad protects the balance which has resulted in the quality oversight and academic independence that has helped ensure the American higher education system continues to be the envy of the free world.
Often overlooked and frequently undervalued, NACIQI members have a thankless job. I commend them for their work as higher education accreditation and administration experts, chosen for their experience, integrity, impartiality, and good judgment.
NACIQI’s role is not one of enforcement, and we should recognize and acknowledge those members who understand that their role is part of a larger system that enables our higher education model to remain free of big government control. To be criticized by veiled political activists demonstrates the lengths some will go to in hopes of achieving a political end.
Ensuring the independence and traditional role of NACIQI is paramount for our higher education system.
Originally found in RealClear Policy.
The post RealClear Policy: This Committee is Obscure and Overlooked. It’s Also Important. appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI’s Dr. Bob McClure and Logan Padgett discuss the upcoming Florida legislative session, what issues to keep an eye on, and some ridiculous bills that have been filed.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 38 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Introduction
Author Stephen King caused quite a stir last July when he tweeted, “DeSantis signs bill requiring Florida students, professors to register political views with state. I. Can’t. Even.”
Within a short period of time, the Twitter post received more than 25,000 shares and 135,000 likes from followers of the “King of Horror.” In fact, King’s tweet generated so much buzz that a bevy of “fact-checkers” from Snopes, PolitiFact, VerifyThis, and the Associated Press went scrambling to find supporting evidence for King’s claim.
They found none.
Indeed, what everyone caught up in the Twitter fright-frenzy seemed to forget was that Stephen King’s forte isn’t just horror. It’s fiction.
And like many recent national media reports about Florida education, King’s tweet did not square with the facts. All of the various fact-checking services declared King’s tweet “false.” And all traced King’s (unintentionally) fictional post to a 2021 Salon article that had advanced this same narrative. Curiously, Salon’s editors altered the headline to their story – 13 months after it had originally run! – once the fact-checkers exposed their folly. In the end, King issued a mea culpa. “I regret having posted the headline without being more confident the story was correct,” King’s statement read. “Salon is usually more reliable. Twitter is a constant learning experience, and I will try to do better.”
The lesson here isn’t just that all of us should be careful on Twitter – it’s that all of us should be especially alert to misinformation about what is happening in Florida education. Because there’s a lot of “horror fiction” going around these days. And much of this misinformation appears to be a hyperbolic reaction to Florida leaders’ legitimate attempts to address some very serious problems in education – problems too often ignored by political and academic leaders in other parts of the country.
Read “Improving Campus Culture: Higher Ed is Facing Challenges” here.
The post Improving Campus Culture: Florida Higher Ed is Facing Challenges appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Click here to read the full PDF.
The post Policy Primer: Regulatory Sandbox appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Click here to read the full PDF.
The post Policy Primer: Data Privacy appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 28, 2023
CONTACT
Logan Elizabeth Padgett
lpadgett@jamesmadison.org
850-386-3131
THE JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE RELEASES NEW POLICY BRIEF PROMOTING HEALTHCARE PRICE TRANSPARENCY
Not only are Floridians struggling to afford healthcare as a result of the Biden Obamacare, they are also largely unable to know what services even cost. Price transparency is consistently the single most popular reform on healthcare public opinion polls, regularly garnering 90 percent public support. Today, The James Madison Institute released a new policy brief, “The Price is Right: Promoting Greater Transparency in Healthcare.” The report authored by Josh Archambault, visiting fellow at The James Madison Institute and president ofPresidents Lane Consulting is a toolkit to improve the environment of price transparency in the Florida healthcare arena.
“Florida can be the national leader in price transparency in healthcare, but its state laws need a tuneup. Not all price transparency is created equal, so it is important to get patients the right information, at the right time, to receive the right care. This will create a dynamic market that leads to better patient outcomes and leave more money in their wallets to pay for groceries, a mortgage, or expenses for their kids.” — Josh Archambault, Visiting Fellow, The James Madison Institute; President, Presidents Lane Consulting
“Florida has made fantastic gains in healthcare policy over the last five years. We should absolutely continue that momentum and enact reasonable, practical, and meaningful reforms that help Floridians by making empowering them to be better healthcare consumers.” — Sal Nuzzo, Senior Vice President of Policy, The James Madison Institute
To read “The Price is Right: Promoting Greater Transparency in Healthcare,” click here.
###
The James Madison Institute is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the ideals of limited government, economic freedom, federalism and individual liberty coupled with individual responsibility. The institute conducts research on such issues as criminal justice, health care, taxes and regulatory environments.
The post The James Madison Institute Releases New Policy Brief Promoting Healthcare Price Transparency appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Click here to read the full PDF of “The Price is Right” policy brief.Introduction
Price transparency is consistently the single most popular polled healthcare reform, regularly garnering 90 percent public support.
Focusing on price transparency also makes sense from a policy perspective, as underlying price increases have accounted for upwards of two-thirds of total healthcare spending growth, which leads to higher health insurance premiums each year.
Florida can be the national leader in price transparency. The state has a solid foundation upon
which to build, but more is needed to help patients afford needed care, and to help Florida companies
remain competitive.
As an analogy for price transparency, Florida patients are like high-performance cars. Without the right fuel they can’t move quickly, and without a gas pedal, a steering wheel, and roads that are easy to navigate they can’t drive in the right direction. Pricing data is fuel for that car. System-wide price transparency is required to allow pricing tools to be the steering wheel for a patient, and the right financial incentives for patients allow them to push down the gas pedal. Patients also need lots of roads to get where they need to go, which in healthcare is access to high-quality but lower-cost providers regardless of network status. You need all these elements to move the car and start to save money in healthcare.
Right now, Florida law has different kinds of cans of fuel sitting around the car, with an optional gas pedal, limited and mostly expensive roads for those with insurance, and information is not available from all providers to ensure patients can access a good steering wheel/price transparency tools.
Read “The Price is Right: Promoting Greater Transparency in Healthcare” here.
The post The Price is Right: Promoting Greater Transparency in Healthcare appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Sal Nuzzo and Christian Camara
February 20, 2023
Nefarious personal injury attorneys have turned this opaqueness into a cash cow, fleecing Floridians and lining their own pockets.
Recently, I went down a rabbit hole on Twitter.
An account that showed up in my feed tweeted a screenshot of their latest auto insurance premium with the words, “no tickets, no claims, 21% hike in premium.” I don’t know why, but the claim intrigued me, and I began to scroll down through the replies and comments. What transpired was a flurry of similar declarations from people all over Florida. There was even a screenshot from someone in Illinois showing how much cheaper insurance was there.
Now, taking individuals at their word on Twitter (I realize, a dubious idea), one has to wonder what in the world is going on in the insurance arena causing such a drastic situation. Robert Reich and his ilk would have us all believe that corporate greed is driving this train and we must use government power to tax, regulate, and rein in those awful insurance industry executives. Well, if this were the case, why aren’t we seeing the same in 49 other states? Why are policyholders in Illinois and California bragging to Florida residents about how inexpensive (and comprehensive) their auto insurance is?
A recent LendingTree study shows that Floridians have the second-highest auto insurance premiums on average, trailing only Michigan. Other states ranking in the bottom 10 include Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Delaware. Within the area of economic policy, there is very little Florida shares with Connecticut and Massachusetts. So, why are our insurance costs reflective of high-tax, high-regulation states that consistently rank at the bottom of the “best states to live” lists?
The answer lies in Florida’s consistently atrocious litigation environment.
Drive down any interstate in Florida and roughly every third billboard advertises an attorney promising riches for those injured in auto accidents, slip and falls, and other incidents. I’ve even seen ones with people smiling as they hold up big six-figure checks like they’ve won the lottery. “Billy got me $375,000!” The billboards, radio spots, and other ads paint an extremely enticing picture, especially for those struggling with prolonged inflation, wage challenges, and other socio-economic challenges. I am fortunate to travel around the country, and no other state possesses the mass quantity of ads for personal injury attorneys as Florida. And while it may be tempting to place the blame on that, the truth is that this is a problem Florida has been experiencing for decades.
The problem is the gaming of Florida’s tort rules.
The problem is out of control.
Like many policy challenges, it’s far simpler to create a bumper sticker headline and offer up easy-to-read catchphrases that don’t amount to anything resembling a solution. This issue is no different. The truth of the challenge lies deep in the rules governing how personal injury cases are litigated, how they are presented to juries, and what data are used to determine costs and damages. It isn’t exciting or “sexy” in the media sense, but if policymakers want to address it at its root, they must get at the issue of transparency in damages.
We all know that health care costs and pricing are about the most confusing thing on the planet to decipher. Walk into a radiology clinic and ask how much an MRI is and you’ll experience it for yourself. There are prices, allowed fees, negotiated rates, Medicare reimbursement, Medicaid reimbursement, charity care, uncompensated care, and a host of other ways that the “cost” of every single function performed in health care delivery is determined. It’s a maze of spaghetti.
Nefarious personal injury attorneys have turned this opaqueness, along with Florida’s litigation rules, into a cash cow, fleecing Floridians and lining their own pockets with millions.
Here’s how it works. Your neighbor is injured via the negligence of some other party. They contact an attorney for representation. The attorney tells them to see his hand-selected doctor — not theirs — and NOT to use their insurance. He tells them not to worry — they won’t pay a dime until the case is finished. That doctor then proceeds to run up tens, and in many cases hundreds, of thousands of dollars to “treat” them for the accident. As the bills run up, the attorney is getting ready to take this case to trial because they’ve been “wrongfully injured.” Two or three years (and $250,000 in medical fees) later, the case is heard by a jury who only sees these inflated medical bills and decides to make an award to your neighbor, plus a multiplier for their pain and suffering.
What’s missing from this is where the scam lies. Under Florida’s litigation rules, the jury is only allowed to see, and must take as gospel, the charges the attorney’s hand-selected doctor says are incurred. They don’t get to see what an individual’s health insurance would have paid, what Medicare would have paid, or what Medicaid would have paid.
Consider this real-life example. An injured woman “incurred” more than $80,000 in medical costs that were presented to a jury. What the jury wasn’t allowed to see, however, was that she was on Medicare, which would have paid $7,000 — for EXACTLY the same procedures and services. She didn’t use Medicare at her attorney’s insistence.
But wait — it gets worse. The doctor in question did perform services and entered into an agreement with the attorney to forgo payment until the case was heard. The doctor is now owed a debt for the two years of “free” service. He then sells that debt under what’s called a Letter of Protection — so the medical services became collateralized by a financial company owned by, yep, another trial attorney’s practice.
Insurance companies recognize they are at a financial disadvantage to take many cases to trial. Without any semblance of actual transparency in damages in court, they settle thousands upon thousands of nuisance lawsuits. Wash, rinse, repeat. It’s a cottage industry in Florida that doesn’t exist anywhere else to this degree.
In the end, lawsuit abuse gets baked into the premiums for every Floridian with a policy.
If your head is spinning and trying to make sense of all of this, well that’s the point of the scam. And make no mistake, fixing it isn’t difficult, but it isn’t easy either. It means taking on two of the most influential special interest groups in the state (doctors and lawyers) and standing up for Floridians. The rules governing medical damages transparency can be solved — this is assured.
Credit is due to Florida policymakers — after many years of trying to address this on the margins they are taking Florida’s litigation challenges head-on. The December 2022 special session went a long way toward righting the issues — again caused by greedy plaintiff attorneys — within the property insurance arena. While relief will take some time to work its way to homeowners, the path is much better. With HB837, lawmakers can do what every other state in the U.S. does in litigation rules and stop the fleecing of Floridians.
Originally found in Florida Politics.
The post Florida Politics: The Fleecing of Floridians appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, guests hosts Logan Padgett and Bill Mattox do a deep dive on all of the issues you should be paying attention to as we get closer to the start of session in March.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 37 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Forcing families already struggling with the price of eggs to line the pockets of billboard trial attorneys is not only troublesome – it’s immoral. With regards to policy, Florida gets so much right, and it is sad that our litigation environment continues to create a black eye on our progress and prosperity. Fraudulent and frivolous lawsuits cost families thousands of dollars every year. This tort tax hits Floridians at a time when every single dollar matters.
We are thankful for Governor DeSantis’ recent statements on the need for legal reform, and we are especially grateful to Speaker Renner, President Passidomo, and Representatives Tommy Gregory and Tom Fabricio for HB837. This proposal will build upon the good work accomplished last year and continue the path of righting the ship on Florida’s legal climate.
We are hopeful that all stakeholders recognize the value to Floridians and present a united front as it moves through the process. We look forward to seeing the proposal receive consideration and ultimately make it to the desk of the Governor.
###
The James Madison Institute is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the ideals of limited government, economic freedom, federalism and individual liberty coupled with individual responsibility. The institute conducts research on such issues as criminal justice, health care, taxes and regulatory environments.
The post JMI Commends Policymakers on Tackling Legal Climate Challenges appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Click here to read the full PDF.
The post Policy Primer: Cybersecurity appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Click here to read the full PDF.
The post Policy Primer: BEAD Money appeared first on James Madison Institute.
February 14, 2023
Every day, millions post on social media platforms (status updates, tweets, photographs, videos) under the assumption that First Amendment protections on freedom of speech apply in the digital realm in the same way they apply to in-person speech. Unfortunately, recent coercive interactions between the federal government and social media platforms, commonly known as “jawboning,” have denied millions of people their First Amendment rights and put Washington bureaucrats in control of online speech.
In simple terms, jawboning occurs when “a government official threatens to use his or her power — be it the power to prosecute, regulate, or legislate — to compel someone to take actions that the state official cannot.” Such actions include pressuring platforms to remove posts that would otherwise remain accessible or asking platforms to remove specific user accounts, even though they have not committed any crime.
Such interactions should horrify those who hold reverence for the Constitution and the protections it provides.
Although social media platforms have lowered the cost of speech and provided opportunities for people to connect with others beyond their immediate circles, social media has also created opportunities for some to disseminate what the media and others have dubbed “disinformation” and “misinformation.” In response to this emerging threat, it was revealed that the Biden administration engaged in a protracted and covert campaign to coerce platforms to remove posts and suspend accounts that pushed a narrative that did not align with the federal government on COVID-19 and the story surrounding Hunter Biden’s laptop.
But the laptop story, like much of what the government and social media platforms have deemed “disinformation,” turned out to be true.
Although COVID “misinformation” may be unseemly and spreading claims surrounding a president’s son who faced significant personal problems may be distasteful, such speech is protected by the First Amendment — and for good reason. Much like any other form of speech, medical claims or unverified rumors must be subjected to scrutiny and, if warranted, ridiculed. But when the federal government jawbones social media platforms, this scrutiny cannot occur.
While both Republicans and Democrats have engaged in jawboning, the Democrats have been more overt in their desire to shape content online. For example, perennial presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has consistently warned platforms that they are not doing enough to combat “misinformation and disinformation.” Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has been more overt in her warnings, suggesting that Congress could take action to address disinformation and misinformation if the platforms don’t act of their own volition.
The desire of Democratic lawmakers to control digital speech was most clearly displayed in the misguided attempt to establish a Disinformation Governance Board within the Department of Homeland Security, a plan that was widely criticized on First Amendment grounds and compared to George Orwell’s Ministry of Truth.
The jawboning of social media platforms is particularly dangerous because it grants the federal government greater control of speech, even though the Supreme Court and the Constitution place clear limits on the power of the federal government to regulate speech. In many ways, jawboning is a clear violation of the public’s constitutional right to speech. Aside from granting the federal government greater control over digital speech, jawboning of social media platforms risks turning them into extensions of the state, allowing the government to control public discourse, shape political narratives, and force people into self-censorship under the threat of removal from platforms.
Given the significant threat posed by jawboning to the First Amendment, it’s important that Congress and state legislatures take steps to prohibit the practice. First, Congress would be wise to investigate the topic of jawboning to establish how ingrained the practice has become over the past several years. The recent creation of aHouse committee to investigate the weaponization of the federal government is an important first step. Second, lawmakers from both parties must support legislation to prohibit federal employees from using their positions to jawbone private companies. While Republicans have principally been the target of jawboning, at some point in the future, they will control both Congress and the White House and could easily employ similar tactics against Democrats.
Finally, state legislatures have a role to play. States should also pass legislation to prohibit their employees from jawboning private companies. While the issue is predominantly a federal one, there is always a risk that state employees will take advantage of their positions to censor speech online.
While federal authorities are right to be concerned about the spread of lies online, their response must respect the First Amendment rights of users online. The recent actions of the federal government, however, in pressuring social media to remove content and accounts have trampled on these rights and put Washington in control of online discourse. For a country that prides itself on diversity of opinion and individual liberty, such actions must be seen as an aberration.
Congress and the states should take action to correct these blatant violations of constitutional rights and preserve the important protections that the First Amendment provides. The nation simply won’t be the same if they don’t.
Originally found in Washington Examiner.
The post Washington Examiner: In the Debate on Censorship, Remember Whom the First Amendment Restricts appeared first on James Madison Institute.
February 13, 2023
After all, it’s not if there will be another cyberattack, it’s when.
For the 300,000 people who call Leon County home, and the thousands who live in the surrounding areas, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) is a lifeline. As the only trauma center serving northwest Florida and southern Georgia, the hospital receives patients in dire medical situations. For those who depend on TMH, its orderly operation is literally a matter of life and death.
Despite the importance of the hospital to the health of northwest Florida, a cyberattack on Feb. 2, 2023 (which officials labeled an “IT security event”) forced the hospital to turn patients away and operate under “IT system downtime procedures.” These measures included shifting from electronic records to paper, canceling non-urgent surgeries, and diverting patients to nearby hospitals.
While hospital officials and law enforcement agencies remain quiet on the exact nature of the incident, it is widely believed to be a ransomware attack — where cybercriminals will encrypt files to prevent owners from accessing them until a ransom is paid. In 2022, it is believed around 290 hospitals in the United States were targeted by ransomware attacks.
Aside from the significant disruption the attack caused to those seeking medical care, it also highlighted the need for Florida lawmakers to continue crafting cybersecurity policies that ensure our state’s businesses and citizens are well-positioned to meet the growing threat posed by cybercriminals and nefarious digital actors.
For the most part, the state Legislature and Governor’s office have enacted legislation and pursued policies that have made Florida one of the most digitally secure states in America. In fact, in 2020, the Internet Association ranked Florida as the third most digitally secure state, behind California and Minnesota.
Florida’s status as one of the most digitally secure states is well deserved, thanks to good policy advanced by both the state Legislature and the Governor’s office.
As part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Framework for Freedom Budget, he requested the Legislature approve an almost $150 million appropriation for “security intelligence, modernization, training and resiliency.” This appropriation, the Governor claimed, was in response to the fact that as “cybersecurity threats continue to become more sophisticated, it is vital that both state and local governments have the tools necessary to protect critical public resources and sensitive information.” Such a significant appropriation comes on top of numerous grants awarded throughout 2022 to cybersecurity training programs, a critical step toward addressing the shortage of qualified cybersecurity workers in the state.
Additionally, the state Legislature has enacted legislation to make Florida a less appealing target for cybercriminals. Passed in 2022, Florida’s State Cybersecurity Act mandated the creation of a cybersecurity strategic plan, mandated cybersecurity training for state employees, and required cyber incidents involving state and municipal agencies to be reported within two days or immediately, depending on the sensitivity of the affected agency. Other legislation prohibited state agencies and municipalities from paying ransom after ransomware attacks, backed by the belief that the limited gains would disincentivize attacks.
While these investments and legislation have made Florida one of the most digitally secure states in America, there is still more that could be done.
First, the state and private industry must continue to modernize their IT infrastructure and train employees in best practices to keep their systems secure. Second, the state Legislature would be wise to enshrine a cyber incident safe harbor into law, like in Utah, that would provide an affirmative defense for entities that act in good faith but fall victim to cybercriminals. Third, and perhaps most importantly, the state must continue to make investments in cybersecurity training programs to ensure both public and private entities have access to a workforce who have the skills to protect Floridians’ data.
While these measures may not have prevented the attack on Tallahassee Memorial, they would have mitigated the severity of the attack, perhaps keeping hospital systems online and allowing the hospital to continue to receive patients and ensuring those who need critical care could access it without disruption. If anything, the cyberattack provides a clear message: while Florida leads the nation in cybersecurity, vulnerabilities continue to exist, and there is more that could be done to protect entities from cybercriminals.
After all, it’s not if there will be another cyberattack, it’s when.
Originally found in Florida Politics.
The post Florida Politics: Florida Leads the Nation in Cybersecurity: Hospital Hack Shows More Must Be Done appeared first on James Madison Institute.
F. Vincent Vernuccio
February 10, 2023
Lovers of employee freedom, cast your eyes toward Tallahassee.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), with his recently introduced paycheck protection proposal, is showing state leaders how to empower teachers over special interests.
The governor’s proposal, dubbed a Teacher’s Bill of Rights, draws clear boundary lines between the interests of teachers and the interests of teachers unions. The proposal restores the rights of taxpayers and teachers, who don’t always support union politics. For example, DeSantis’s proposal would end the practice of union dues being deducted directly from teachers’ paychecks — a process undertaken at taxpayers’ expense.
And the governor’s proposal would prohibit union officials from doing union work while on the clock for their taxpayer-funded job. Known as “release time,” the paid workday hours that public employees spend doing union work can add up. In Miami-Dade County alone, public employees spent 132,433 on-the-clock hours doing union work between fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2019, according to a James Madison Institute report . Those hours cost taxpayers more than $4 million.
The governor has also taken aim at so-called “zombie unions,” which lack adequate documented support from the teachers they claim to represent. DeSantis would shore up laws on how membership is verified to ensure that, when membership drops below 60%, teachers get to vote on whether they keep their union, get a new one, or decline representation altogether.
In addition to empowering teachers to vote on unions that lack popular support, the measure allows Florida to enforce accurate membership reporting. A lack of accountability plagues the system, where unions self-report membership that often hovers conveniently just above 50% — the current threshold to trigger an election. The governor’s plan would ensure these reports are accurate, allowing existing laws to be enforced.
Some unions have framed DeSantis’s proposal as an attack , but their interpretation pushes a false dichotomy. Every step the governor takes to bring democracy and accountability back to unions is also a step to improve the lot of Florida teachers.
DeSantis prioritizes transparency, for example, requiring that unions notify members annually of the cost of membership. Average union dues in Florida’s largest school districts can run over $700 per year, not an insignificant sum.
Teachers would also be notified that union membership is optional, not a condition of employment. This provision is critical. Teachers often sign up for a union when they begin their first teaching job. The paperwork comes among a flurry of forms, meetings, and training sessions associated with the new job. The fact that membership is optional is a detail that may conveniently be lost in the shuffle.
And the governor’s proposal tackles the important question of compensation, requesting $1 billion for teacher pay in the coming year. The increase would build upon the $2 billion in teacher pay funding provided since 2020. DeSantis has overseen the largest teacher pay increase in Florida’s history.
Once upon a time, unions existed to represent the interests of their members. Today, unions like the National Education Association spend more on politics, lobbying, and gifts than on representation.
But DeSantis aims to hand the power back to teachers.
The proposal restores teachers’ ability to do their jobs without union overreach. It strengthens the right to have a say in who represents them. It demands the organizational transparency that’s due to a union’s paying members. And it reinforces professional integrity by paying teachers more and empowering them to choose for themselves whether they pay a union.
The state legislature has entertained variations of paycheck protection in previous years. But the momentum unleashed by DeSantis’s leadership on the issue will make 2023 the year that paycheck protection becomes law. And the momentum may not stop with Florida. DeSantis’s initiative spotlights a growing trend in states across the country.
Indiana, for example, implemented an opt-in system for its teachers in 2021. The policy allows teachers to decide annually whether to join and pay dues to a union. The opt-in process includes reminding teachers that their First Amendment right to free speech means that they have the freedom to join or not join the union.
Last year in Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) issued an executive order urging the State Board of Education to similarly inform school employees of their rights regarding union membership and payment. The governor’s vision would also require schools to have informed consent before deducting union dues from teachers’ paychecks.
Other states, including Tennessee and Montana, have considered similar provisions.
As Florida goes, so goes the nation? For the sake of teachers everywhere, let’s hope so.
F. Vincent Vernuccio is a senior labor policy adviser for Workers for Opportunity.
Originally found on Washington Examiner.
The post Washington Examiner: DeSantis Stands Up for Teachers appeared first on James Madison Institute.
February 21st, 2023, will be a monumentally important day for the future of the internet. While most would like the date to be associated with the release of the next great piece of technology or innovative product, it’s the date that the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments in Google vs. Gonzalez, the first case covering Section 230 liability protections. The second case, Twitter vs. Taamneh, will be heard the following day, teeing up a blockbuster week in the nation’s highest court for the future of innovation in the United States.
In Google vs. Gonzalez, plaintiffs are arguing that social media platforms owned by Google and other large technology firms “allowed ISIS to post videos and other content to communicate the terrorist group’s message,” and the algorithm pushed content that allowed ISIS “to radicalize new recruits, and to generally further its mission.” As such, according to the plaintiffs, the platforms “were directly and secondarily liable for ISIS’s acts of international terrorism,” namely the attacks in Paris, San Bernadino, and Istanbul. In the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, judges ruled that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act “bars most of the Gonzalez Plaintiffs’ claims” as they could not be held liable for third-party content posted by users.
For many, what an algorithm is and what it does is a mystery. In the context of social media, an algorithm “is a set of rules and signals that automatically ranks content on a social platform based on how likely each individual social media user is to like it and interact with it.” Algorithms work off knowing what content users have previously engaged with and how they have engaged with specific content. For example, when a user “likes” dog videos, the algorithm will push similar content to their feeds. Because of algorithms, social media platforms are able to filter out content users don’t want to see and push them to the content they do want to see, creating a bespoke and unique experience.
Without algorithms, users’ feeds would be cluttered with content they are not interested in, degrading the value and overall experience of these platforms.
Ordinarily, the Gonzalez ruling would have been the end of litigation, had it not been for a conflicting decision in Twitter vs. Taamneh. In that case, the plaintiffs convinced judges that Twitter and other social media platforms failed to remove accounts associated with ISIS and failed to remove “content posted by supporters of such organizations.” By not removing these posts and accounts, the judges ruled that social media platforms “could be liable for aiding and abetting an act of international terrorism.”
As a result of the conflicting rulings, the Supreme Court has been forced to consider the limits of Section 230 liability protections, specifically whether they apply to algorithms, content moderation, and international terrorism. The consequences of the court’s decision will reverberate for decades and could reshape the internet as we know it.
If any piece of legislation has been subjected to bipartisan vitriol over the past few years, it’s Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Originally passed in 1996, Section 230 was passed with the goal of promoting “the continued development of the Internet and other interactive computer services,” preserving “the vibrant and competitive free market” for digital services, and maximizing user control over the content they consume. To accomplish this, Congress determined that websites cannot be treated as publishers of online content and cannot be held liable for content moderation decisions taken concerning “material that the provider or user considers to be obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable.” These provisions ultimately paved the way for a free and open internet that millions of Americans enjoy every hour.
Conservatives have been especially critical of Section 230, arguing it has been weaponized by social media platforms to censor their speech online. Such critics have led to legislative calls to repeal or change Section 230 and remove important protections that keep the internet free and open. It is, however, important to consider the consequences of the Supreme Court narrowing or removing Section 230 protections.
If the Supreme Court rules against Google and Twitter, and removes or narrows or ends Section 230, all social media platforms and websites that allow users to post will be forced to make a choice. Their first option would be to moderate less, allowing more objectionable content to be posted. Unfortunately, moderating fewer posts risks disincentivizing advertisers from purchasing digital ads, fearing their brands might become associated with content that does not align with their vision or values.
When Elon Musk completed his takeover of Twitter, for example, several large companies removed their adverts from the platform, sparking concerns about the overall financial stability of the company. For social media platforms and websites that are increasingly reliant on advertising revenue for survival, the loss of digital advertising could prove a death knell.
Alternatively, the more likely outcome is that social media platforms and websites increase their content moderation practices, abandoning the current light touch in favor of a more heavy-handed approach. With no liability protection, any content posted could result in a lawsuit, meaning every post would have to be reviewed to ensure it complies with the platform’s terms and conditions or is not “obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable.”
As a result of this increased content moderation, the internet would be considerably less free than it is today with stifled speech and significant delays in posting as content is reviewed. Imagine it taking days to post a tweet, update a Facebook status, publish photos to Instagram, or receive breaking news. The internet simply would not be the same.
These are not abstract concerns but were experienced by Australians last year when the country’s highest court ruled Google had defamed a politician by failing to remove videos published on Youtube. While the decision was eventually overturned, CNN closed its Facebook page, and a number of lawmakers were forced to make their pages read-only. As a result, Australians lost access to a news site, as well as the ability of constituents to communicate with their legislators.
Narrowing or ending Section 230 protections would also make the internet a less competitive place by cementing the dominance of existing well-established platforms. Smaller platforms that lack vast capital resources will simply be unable to meet the costs associated with litigation or will be unable to employ the number of content moderators to ensure content posted is not objectionable Larger platforms, with greater capital resources, will, however, be able to meet these demands and face less competition. As such, ending Section 230 will only force users onto current platforms, denying them the opportunity to access nascent competition.
Social media platforms like Parler and Truth Social, which were created as an alternative to incumbents, have depended on the existence of Section 230’s protections, ensuring they are not liable for content posted by others on their platforms. Without these protections, Parler and Truth Social could not exist, and conservatives would be forced to use sites they feel are suppressing their views.
With two cases before the Supreme Court, the future of a free and open internet is now in the hands of the nine justices. While Conservatives may bemoan Section 230, any narrowing or ending of protections would fundamentally reshape the internet as we know it, making it less free, less competitive, and denying Americans the opportunity to use alternative platforms that depend on critical legal protections to exist.
The post The Future of the Internet Heads to SCOTUS appeared first on James Madison Institute.
February 7, 2023
Only days before Sunday’s Grammy Awards, Beyoncé announced a new world tour for her “Renaissance” album. Instead of putting tickets for all shows on sale together, though, Beyoncé is rolling out sale dates to try to avoid ticketing system crashes that have hit other big acts, notably Taylor Swift.
Ticketmaster’s handling of Swift tickets was a disaster. This fact has been well established by fans, members of the news media, in an admission by the company and by the artist herself.
That’s why I was surprised to hear testimony from Live Nation’s president at a recent Senate hearing in which I also testified. Live Nation, which merged with Ticketmaster in 2010, argued that its massive market share (about 80%) has allowed it to innovate and make advances that greatly benefit consumers.
A few million Taylor Swift fans would respond: This is why we can’t have nice things.
How Ticketmaster harms competitors, consumers
I understand the fans’ position. Other industries operate in a free market where companies have to compete in a vibrant market against one another to earn and retain a customer’s business. These companies focus on innovation, choice, quality and price of goods, and more. They cannot abuse their capabilities to harm their competitors or others in their supply chain.
We have come to expect this kind of market when we go comparison shopping for all sorts of things – clothing, vehicles, furniture and, yes, live event tickets. The auto market, for example, is a robust, thriving, diverse industry largely adhering to traditional supply-and-demand forces.
When I purchased a used Volvo in 2015, the company didn’t place restrictions on what I do with my car after I paid for it. If I decide to sell it, Volvo will have no role in the transaction. This is how most industries work. But live event ticketing is different.
Ticketmaster’s outright market dominance has allowed the company to wield control over purchased tickets – a consumer’s private property. For example, Ticketmaster puts a wide array of restrictions on the resale of their tickets, which they claim help weed out bots but in reality, it’s the fans who suffer. Ticketmaster could even ban the transfer of tickets. In other cases, it requires fans to obtain a Ticketmaster account to sell or give away tickets.
It holds back up to half of tickets that will eventually be available for a show, only to trickle them out later at higher prices. And it uses technology with consumer-friendly-sounding names such as “Verified Fan” that harm fans but help Ticketmaster continue its domination of the market.
Swift fans sat through multiple presales, traded access codes and were met with a system failure. There were promises that the hardcore Swifties would be the most likely to receive tickets through Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program, which the company claims identifies software programs (bots) that circumvent online sales restrictions. But fans waited for hours in long queues while the site was crashing for others. Days later, Ticketmaster canceled the public sale of tickets to Swift’s tour.
Ticketmaster blamed bots, resale and excessive demand for the debacle while missing what fans and lawmakers alike saw very clearly: the results of a company without competition.
Ticketmaster maintains such outsized control over tickets not just because it handles more ticketing for concerts and sporting events than many of its competitors combined, but because it is part of Live Nation – the company that dominates artist management, venues management and tour promotion. With this kind of control, the company can bundle services with event organizers to include ticketing.
Some venues and promoters complain that the company doesn’t persuade – it threatens them with access to Live Nation-managed concerts if they don’t ticket with Ticketmaster.
Another part of the problem that plagues ticketing is a debate over what ownership of a ticket actually means. Some say a ticket is not owned but instead is a lease or a rental of a space in a venue. Thinking of a ticket as a rental is a way for monopolies to limit resale and stifle the free market, furthering their market power and harming consumers.
The commodity of going to a concert is the artist, not the venue. No one is paying for a seat at Madison Square Garden unless there is a performance. Ask any fan attending a Jacksonville Jaguars game or a Harry Styles concert.
I oppose additional layers of government regulation, but that is because many industries fall under a workable regulatory framework. With live events, aside from a patchwork of laws in a few states, there is very little.
At the federal level, there are monopoly regulations, a law making the use of software bots to purchase tickets illegal, and a Live Nation/Ticketmaster merger consent decree that prescribes market behaviors the company is expected to self-police.
If the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission don’t have the enforcement chops to fix live events, Congress should step in to protect the markets for artists, tour promoters, independent venues, competing ticketing companies and consumers. Whether that means unraveling the merger or passing legislation like the BOSS Act clarifying its position on oversight authority, something has to be done.
As I told the Senate Judiciary Committee last month, consumer welfare is very clear to define, and there are clear harms to consumers from anticompetitive practices in live event ticketing.
If one thing is certain, as superstar Beyoncé announced her world tour last week, all eyes will be on how the process for fans unfolds. Even the Senate Judiciary Committee took note, retweeting the announcement Thursday with a no-nonsense, to-the-point promise: “We’re watching, @Ticketmaster”
There’s bad blood. Just ask the Swifties.
Originally found in USA TODAY.
The post USA TODAY: Beyoncé Renaissance World Tour Tickets Go on Sale: ‘We’re Watching, Ticketmaster’ appeared first on James Madison Institute.
A hallmark of liberty is a population free of harassment from government overreach. This matters greatly to Floridians, regardless of their economic place in life. It is abundantly clear that Washington DC wants not only to tell Floridians how to live their lives, but also harass them where it matters most – in their bank accounts.
Everyday Floridians would be powerless against the onslaught of tens of thousands of IRS agents harassing them without due cause. Amid record taxpayer dollars flowing into DC from states like Florida, DC only wants more. The best defense Floridians have against this is the vigilance of our state’s leaders. We thank CFO Patronis, Senator Ingoglia, and Representative Overdorf for their foresight and wisdom in proposing common sense measures to ensure that Floridians are free from illegal DC authorized harassment because of their political philosophies.
The post Statement From The James Madison Institute on CFO Patronis Announcement To “Stop the IRS Money Grab” appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, Dr. Bob McClure sits down with JMI’s Director of the Center for Technology and Innovation, Edward Longe, to do a deep dive on tech issues data privacy, cryptocurrency, Tik Tok, and other topics.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 36 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 1, 2023
CONTACT
Logan Elizabeth Padgett
lpadgett@jamesmadison.org
850-386-3131
THE JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE WELCOMES NEW VICE PRESIDENT OF NATIONAL STRATEGY
On February 1, 2023, Lindsay Killen joined JMI as its new Vice President of National Strategy and Director of the Durden Center for the Advancement of Liberty.
In this new role, Lindsay will serve as the nucleus of JMI’s efforts to connect and engage with partner organizations around the country to advance our new flagship effort — “Blueprint: Florida” which will expand the Florida success story and build momentum for state level policy reforms nationwide. She will also expand JMI’s relationships with key congressional delegation members and committees to promote the principles of federalism.
“Lindsay has the perfect background for our new initiative—with time spent on Capitol Hill and with other think tanks like the Beacon Center in Tennessee and the Mackinac Center in Michigan, among others. She’s an expert in a number of relevant policy areas, and we can’t be more thrilled to welcome her and her family to JMI.” — Sal Nuzzo, Senior Vice President, The James Madison Institute
The Durden Center offers scholarly research, legislative education, testimony, connections to Florida policymakers, communications and media work, along with other needs that arise in specific states pursuing Florida’s successful policy efforts. In addition, the Center will engage at the federal level to work with Congressional members and committees to promote the principles of federalism.
“The Sunshine State has become the most important place in the country when it comes to policy and politics. There is a reason Florida is referenced on the nightly news and in national media on a regular basis. The entire country is watching us. Our Blueprint: Florida initiative will export Florida’s successes to the rest of the country as we seek to reclaim the principles that have made this nation the freest, most prosperous on earth. We are thrilled to have Lindsay in this new and exciting role.” — Dr. Bob McClure, President and CEO, The James Madison Institute
Lindsay has been working in the free market public policy movement for almost 20 years, beginning her career in Washington, D.C. in 2004. Her experience spans federal and state-level policy engagement, serving most recently as Vice President for Strategy and Communications at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy and Director of Policy at the Beacon Center of Tennessee . Lindsay continues to serve as senior fellow for the Beacon Center, policy fellow for the Heartland Institute, and national strategic advisor for the Mackinac Center’s Workers for Opportunity initiative. Her columns have appeared in USA Today, Forbes, Fox News, The Hill, Politico, The Washington Times, Daily Caller, Townhall.com and others. A native of East Tennessee, Mrs. Killen remains a rabid Tennessee Vols fan. She and her husband Jeff have two young children and a golden retriever. When she’s not operating as an assassin for liberty or chasing after her toddlers, she enjoys being out on her boat, taking hikes, traveling, watching football on Saturdays and Sundays in the fall, doing Peloton workouts, playing chess and relaxing with a good cigar.
The post THE JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE WELCOMES NEW VICE PRESIDENT OF NATIONAL STRATEGY appeared first on James Madison Institute.
January 27, 2023
The Florida Legislature’s 2023 session will begin in early March, soon after Major League Baseball pitchers and catchers report to spring training camps in Florida. But incoming House Speaker Paul Renner has already signaled his interest in being the “closer” in Florida school choice policy.
Last week, Speaker Renner announced that the Florida House’s No. 1 legislative priority – H.B. 1 – will be passage of a highly-innovative flexible scholarship program that will make every Florida student eligible for school choice assistance. Renner’s initiative is notable because it closes some existing gaps in scholarship eligibility – and because it closes out the Florida Legislature’s two-decade-long march towards universal school choice coverage.
Importantly, the Speaker’s initiative also gives greater flexibility to all Florida families participating in the Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) program. Currently, most FES recipients receive a one-time tuition voucher that they can use at the private school of their choice. But H.B. 1 would give all families the freedom to purchase “unbundled” education resources – such as curriculum, tutoring, or online courses – from multiple providers.
This flexibility means that interested families would be able to select the educational equivalent of “a la carte” courses – rather than a “combo” platter – for their children. And it means that new education providers are apt to arise, as people with specialized expertise develop individual courses for K-12 students. Could Florida History courses taught by scholars at the Museum of Florida History be around the corner? How about Hebrew classes taught by a local rabbi? Or a marine biology course taught by a local aquarium?
By giving families “choices within choice,” Renner says parents will be able to “customize” education to meet each child’s individual learning needs.
This ability to customize education using Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) has proved very useful to Florida families with special-needs children over the last decade. In fact, flexible ESA programs are so popular that more than 9,000 Florida families with special-needs children currently have their names on a waiting list for scholarship assistance. Appropriately, Renner’s proposal would remove these families from the waiting list by giving them priority in receiving scholarship assistance (along with families that are low income).
“Florida has been a leader in the school choice movement, with more students participating in choice programs than any other state,” Renner says. “School choice empowers parents, creates competition, fosters innovation, and raises the level of excellence in all of our schools.”
Rep. Kaylee Tuck, who chairs the House Education Choice & Innovation Subcommittee, echoes Renner’s emphasis on academic excellence. “School choice helped elevate Florida from being one of the worst education states in America to being ranked third in K-12 achievement,” she notes. “Empowering parents and students with customizable learning options will not only boost educational outcomes for individual students but will create competition that raises the bar for schools across the state.”
Tuck is right to cite the role that school choice has played in Florida’s remarkable ascent in K-12 education over the last two decades. And Renner deserves credit for making this important legislation the House’s #1 priority – and for signaling his interest in being “The Closer” in Florida education choice policy.
Originally found in Tallahassee Democrat.
The post Tallahassee Democrat: Parents Will Be the Winners With Proposed School Choice Assistance Legislation appeared first on James Madison Institute.
January 25, 2023
State Policy Network
Millions of American children do not receive a quality education that sets them up for success. A good education leads to opportunity, but unfortunately, it’s out of reach for so many.
All Americans, regardless of political leanings, believe their children deserve an education that prepares them for college, a career, and life. How can we reach that goal? One way is through school choice policies, or state laws that give parents more choice when it comes to educating their children.
Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) and tax credit scholarship programs are examples of school choice policies that empower parents to make the best educational choices for their children. In 2022, several states adopted these policies, and that momentum is continuing in 2023.
With the help of state think tanks , or policy organizations that try to improve the lives of the people in their communities, more states are adopting school choice policies in the new year. Here are 10 states to watch in 2023.
Arkansas
The demand for school choice in Arkansas is growing. The Arkansas Policy Foundation recently released a fact sheet that notes 110,000 Arkansas students attend charter, home, or private schools. That number may grow in 2023, as the new Arkansas Governor noted she is working with state lawmakers to adopt parental empowerment policies in the state.
Georgia
In 2022, Georgia almost passed a school choice program that would have created state-funded Promise Scholarships of up to $6,000 a year. Adopting an ESA program is a priority for the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO). In addition, GCO is encouraging lawmakers to increase the cap on the state’s Tax Credit Scholarship Program.
Buzz Brockway, executive vice president of public policy for GCO, said “This legislative session, Georgia lawmakers must build on the progress we’ve made in recent years by approving Education Scholarship Accounts to ensure educational access for all.”
The Georgia Public Policy Foundation, another state think tank in Georgia, is also working to advance an ESA bill in the Georgia Legislature. The Foundation recently released a paper that highlights the benefits of an ESA program in the Peach State.
Idaho
The Idaho Freedom Foundation is continuing their efforts in 2023 to encourage the state to adopt policies that put parents and students first. “For about 50 years, Idaho politicians have tried unsuccessfully to expand education choice,” said Wayne Hoffman, president of the Idaho Freedom Foundation. “That could change with the 2023 Legislature, which is more conservative than at any time in modern state history.”
Idaho lawmakers are expected to introduce a bill that would create a universal ESA in the state (similar to the ESA programs that passed in Arizona and West Virginia ).
Iowa
Iowa lawmakers are considering ESA legislation that would give families an ESA of about $7,600 to pay for education related items and services, including private school tuition. On January 23, 2023, the bill passed the Iowa Legislature, and the Utah Governor is expected to sign it as soon as today.
Iowans for Tax Relief (ITR) Foundation has played a key role in advancing ESA legislation in the Iowa Legislature. In 2021, ITR Foundation (formerly TEF Iowa) helped Iowa lawmakers pass tax credit scholarship programs that provide families with more education options. The Foundation also helped build support for an ESA program in the Hawkeye State. The ESA bill failed in 2021, but the organization continued to educate lawmakers about the benefits of ESAs and how they help Iowa students.
Remarking on the passage of an ESA program, John Hendrickson, Policy Director at the Foundation, added: “This is historic because it builds up previous educational reforms to expand parental choice in Iowa. No longer will a child’s educational opportunity be blocked because of their zip code or socioeconomic status. This bill is not about dollars, but it is about creating life-changing opportunities for families across Iowa.”
Nebraska
The Nebraska Governor noted that giving parents and students more education options is a priority for 2023. Jim Vokal, CEO of the Platte Institute, added: “Tax credit scholarships remains a priority for both Nebraska and the Platte Institute. This would be the first school choice initiative adopted by the state and we are optimistic about its approval.”
Florida
On January 19, the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives announced that the Florida House’s first legislative priority will be passage of a highly-innovative flexible scholarship program that will make every Florida student eligible for school choice assistance.
The James Madison Institute noted the Speaker’s initiative is notable because it closes some existing gaps in scholarship eligibility and gives greater flexibility to families participating in the Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) program. The Institute has played a key role in Florida’s adoption of school choice policies over the years and will continue to work with lawmakers to adopt more reforms in 2023.
Ohio
In early January, the Ohio Governor signed legislation that improves the state’s ESA program, including increasing the amount in the education savings account program to $1,000 and expanding eligibility to more Ohio families. The Buckeye Institute recommended these reforms and continues to lead the charge in persuading lawmakers to adopt reforms that will enable greater school choice policies to move forward in 2023. These include adopting universal eligibility for vouchers or a universal ESA program.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is considering legislation that, if passed, would provide the largest expansion of school-choice opportunity in state history. The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) provided an overview of the bills here .
OCPA has worked for years to improve K-12 education in Oklahoma and give more families options when it comes to their child’s school. The organization is continuing their efforts to advance school choice during this year’s legislative session.
Texas
The Texas Public Policy Foundation will continue their efforts to advance polices that put parents in the driver’s seat when it comes to their child’s education. Their efforts may prove fruitful in 2023, as state lawmakers are expected to advance school choice polices, including an ESA program.
In his State of the State address in early January, the Texas Governor noted his support for school vouchers and said parents deserve the freedom to choose the education that’s best for their child.
Utah
On January 20, 2023, the Utah House passed an Education Savings Account bill (the “Utah Fits All Scholarship”) that would offer $8,000 per student to access an education that meets their needs. It now heads to the Senate for consideration.
State Policy Network has been leading a coalition in Utah to garner support for a universal ESA program. The coalition, which includes partners such as Libertas Institute, Yes Every Kid, and EdChoice, is educating lawmakers about how more schooling options can lead to better education outcomes for Utah children and their families.
This article was originally published by the State Policy Network. It is republished with their kind permission.
Originally found on Washington Examiner.
The post School Choice in 2023: 10 States To Watch appeared first on James Madison Institute.
We would like to thank Judiciary Chair Senator Durbin, ranking member Senator Graham, Senator Klobuchar, and Senator Lee for their commitment to protecting markets and holding this important hearing. In the current environment, there is too often a focus on issues dividing policymakers. It was a pleasure to participate in a Senate hearing in which the overwhelming atmosphere was one of identifying problems, discussing the pros and cons of policy solutions, and hearing from all parties on the challenges present in the ticketing and live entertainment industry. As an organization engaged in policy, rather than a specific industry stakeholder, we appreciate the chance to provide our thoughts on the proper role of both state and federal government policy, how competition helps improve consumer welfare, and the best way to move ahead.
The post Statement from The James Madison Institute on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Ticketmaster Hearing appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced sweeping proposals to protect Florida’s teachers and ensure that the groups seeking to represent them are acting in teachers’ best interests.
Florida has come a long way in advancing worker freedom, but more needs to be done. The James Madison Institute commends Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature for working to ensure that Florida teachers are able to freely join a union, are in no way coerced into joining or staying in a union, that union leaders are not fleeing Florida taxpayers, and that tax dollars are not spent doing union dues collection.
A 2019 poll conducted by The James Madison Institute and Workers for Opportunity showed the popularity and need for these changes. Over 70 percent of likely voters, including 63 percent of public sector union households, agree that the “government must get a government workers’ permission to deduct union dues from their paycheck.”
The Sunshine State has an opportunity in 2022 to illustrate its leadership by enacting reforms that advance the freedoms of choice, opportunity, and assembly for all public sector workers.
###
The James Madison Institute is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the ideals of limited government, economic freedom, federalism and individual liberty coupled with individual responsibility. The institute conducts research on such issues as criminal justice, health care, taxes and regulatory environments.
The post Statement from The James Madison Institute on Protecting Teacher’s Paychecks appeared first on James Madison Institute.
The nature of what America is and what it will be is currently on trial – each and every day. That trial is being held in every state – in our schools, in our small businesses, and in our legislative chambers. It is conducted on social media, in the news, and in our courts. At stake are two fundamentally opposed ways of life – one in which economic reality, the rule of law, and the separation of powers matter and one in which mob rule and economic and cultural Leftism dictate the conduct of every second of our lives.
Florida has, over the past 25 years, proven that concentrating on limiting the footprint of government, fiscal conservatism, and ceaseless pushback against Leftism results in economic prosperity and growth unlike anything ever seen.
During that time, millions of people have migrated from states like Illinois, New York, and California to Florida. They’ve brought with them more than $225 billion in annual income. And they’ve solidified Florida as a conservative policy state.
Those economic refugees have made Florida the third most populous state, and they have also made the Sunshine State more conservative – a once 250,000 Democratic voter registration advantage (in 2008) is now a 275,000 Republican advantage. As the state has become more diverse, it has become more conservative.
This has profound implications for the other 49 states, especially those that have the potential for conservative policy wins. While a state like California may be a generation away from abandoning failure, the same cannot be said for Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. We see before us a once-in-a-century opportunity, in collaboration with on-the-ground partners around the country, to provide replicable policies and programs to other states toward the goal of freedom and prosperity nationwide.
Click here to read Blueprint Florida The post Blueprint Florida appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Speaker Renner today announced that the Florida House’s #1 legislative priority – H.B. 1 – will be passage of a highly-innovative flexible scholarship program that will make every Florida student eligible for school choice assistance.
Speaker Renner’s school choice initiative is notable because it closes some existing gaps in scholarship eligibility and gives greater flexibility to families participating in the Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) program.
This flexibility means that interested families will be able to select “a la carte” courses for their children — and that new education providers are apt to arise to teach specialized courses for K-12 students. Could Florida History courses taught by scholars at the Museum of Florida History be around the corner? How about Hebrew classes taught by a local rabbi? Or a marine biology course taught by a local aquarium?
Speaker Renner deserves kudos for his bold leadership in offering this highly-innovative flexible scholarship proposal.
The post STATEMENT FROM THE JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE’S MARSHALL CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS ON THE INTRODUCTION OF HB1 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI’s Dr. Bob McClure and Sal Nuzzo discuss the hypocrisy of the World Economic Forum, gas stoves, the Florida’s 2023 legislative session actions on the Reedy Creek district, Governor DeSantis’ response to the NHL “Pathway to Hockey Summit” and other topics.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 34 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Logan Padgett
lpadgett@jamesmadison.org
850-386-3131
JMI Announces New Senior Vice President
Tallahassee, Fla.- The James Madison Institute congratulates Sal Nuzzo as he is promoted to Senior Vice President.
“As JMI grows and expands our presence both in Florida and beyond, Sal’s contributions to the entire organization and movement cannot be overstated. He has been a tireless advocate for exporting Florida’s success story across the country. Moreover, Sal has been pivotal in our development over the past eight years, and we would not be where we are without him.” – Dr. Bob McClure, President and CEO, The James Madison Institute.
In his role, Sal will continue to oversee JMI’s policy operation, coalition building, and strategy deployment across the country. His efforts have not gone unnoticed by those outside of JMI, having been appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis to serve on Florida’s Government Efficiency Task Force, by Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Simone Marstiller to the State Health Care Policy Advisory Council, and by the American Legislative Exchange Council to serve as Chair of the Communications and Technology Task Force. He also serves as the Florida lead for Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform state coalitions. His writing has been featured in publications like The Wall Street Journal, National Review, The Hill, Newsweek, and he also serves as a member of several policy work groups that advise Congressional and White House leaders.
“Sal is an integral part of the JMI team. I have yet to meet someone that is as dedicated and focused on the mission. He is always thinking two steps ahead. With his expertise, strong character, and motivation, we are all better off. I can’t imagine life at JMI without Sal and I look forward to witnessing all that he will accomplish in his deservingly new role as Senior Vice President.”— Logan Padgett, Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs, The James Madison Institute
#
The post JMI Announces New Senior Vice President appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Click here to read the latest edition of The Messenger!
The post Messenger- Fall 2022 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
January 5, 2023
My wife and I learned an important lesson during the pandemic — there’s a huge difference between: (1) innovative education services designed especially for virtual use; and (2) on-the-fly “virtual instruction” by classroom teachers suddenly thrown into an unanticipated crisis. The latter is often a disaster. (Just look at the latest test scores on our Nation’s Report Card.) But the former can be an absolute delight.
Indeed, my wife has been (re)learning Spanish in recent months using a digital education service called Duolingo. Like other language acquisition apps (Rosetta Stone, Babbel, etc.), this virtual program exploits many of the advantages of individualized education. It identifies how much a learner knows at the outset, then builds vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and listening skills. The learner advances at her own pace. No time is wasted waiting for classmates to catch up. And no content gaps are left unfilled because a slow learner had to move on with the rest of the class.
My wife loves her daily language exercises, which come easily to her since she studied in Spain during her college years. And while my wife says nothing can top language learning by immersion in a foreign country, she has found that digital education programs can facilitate initial language acquisition far better than she had imagined. No, digital learning can’t replace some of the higher-level language courses she took as a Spanish major. But it can lay a solid foundation for deeper learning much like an introductory in-classroom foreign language course.
All of which begs an important question for policymakers: Why do K-12 funding systems continue to favor introductory foreign language courses taught in a classroom over digital education programs like Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, and Babbel?
The answer is that K-12 education funding is still based on the (outdated) factory model of education, which envisions all courses being taught at a centralized brick-and-mortar location.
Thankfully, some policymakers are beginning to change that. State legislators in Arizona and West Virginia have recently adopted innovative plans that allow families to pay for their child’s learning out of an Education Savings Account (ESA). The state deposits the child’s per-pupil funding into the student’s ESA; and the parents then spend the funds in the best way they see fit — whether that is by paying tuition at an all-in-one school or by patching together learning programs from multiple providers (including virtual education programs).
In the next legislative session, Florida policymakers are expected to consider a universal ESA proposal. (Currently, ESAs are available only to special-needs students in Florida.) Sunshine State policymakers would be wise to follow the lead of Arizona and West Virginia and adopt these innovative plans.
Indeed, ESAs would fund an array of “a la carte” education programs and services — online classes, one-on-one tutoring, specialty courses taught by learning boutiques. And some of these programs and services would be even more cutting-edge than one might initially imagine. For example, remember what my wife said about “immersive learning” in a foreign country? Get this — a Naples-based enterprise called the Optima Foundation recently developed a classical education curriculum using immersive technology. Wearing virtual reality headsets, students in this program are “transported” to ancient Rome to hear debates among the leading philosophers of their day. Sound amazing? No doubt it is. And this is just one of the many learning opportunities that an ESA-funded system makes possible.
So, let’s hope Florida policymakers have learned the same lesson my wife and I learned during the pandemic. Innovative education services designed for virtual use are far, far better than on-the-fly “virtual instruction” by classroom teachers suddenly thrown into an unanticipated crisis. And the best way to help K-12 students take advantage of these innovative programs is for Florida policymakers to adopt universal ESAs for all interested families.
William Mattox, who lives in Tallahassee, is the director of the Marshall Center for Educational Options at The James Madison Institute.
Originally found in Orlando Sentinel
The post Orlando Sentinel: Education Policymakers Need To Embrace Immersive, Virtual Learning appeared first on James Madison Institute.
January 6, 2023
By William Mattox
A post-pandemic “new normal” in work and residency patterns is taking hold across America. Office occupancy remains far below pre-COVID levels. “Fully remote” and “remote-optional” job listings are now increasingly common. The number of “digital nomads” who can work and live anywhere continues to rise. And more and more people are moving to smaller places, especially midsized towns and cities.
In fact, one recent study identified Ocala as the U.S. city with the highest percentage of net inbound migration. Another found that Punta Gorda, Sarasota, and Fort Myers-Cape Coral are growing at a faster rate than any of Florida’s major cities.
Scholar Brad Littlejohn believes the continued rise in remote work could help “contribute to a revival of the small-town cultures that were once a key source of our nation’s moral fiber and work ethic.” He writes, “Two centuries ago, Alexis de Tocqueville observed how much these tight-knit communities contributed to the strength of American life, and our nation has suffered deeply from the steady drain of population toward more densely-packed, but paradoxically more isolated and atomized, urban centers.”
For small towns and rural communities to reach this potential, policymakers and education entrepreneurs will need to address the dearth of learning options in these settings. “In many smaller communities, the absence of good K-12 schooling options is a major problem,” reports real estate professor Bart Danielsen of N.C. State University. “It not only hinders economic development and job growth, but it also adversely affects things like rural hospitals’ ability to attract and retain good doctors.”
Danielsen believes flexible-use K-12 scholarships would make it easier for small towns and rural areas to attract (and retain) education-minded families. Commonly known as Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), these scholarships can be used for a wide variety of educational services designed for individual or small group use. With ESAs, families can patch together courses from multiple providers – including virtual programs – rather than relying on a single school to meet all of their child’s learning needs. As such, ESAs are particularly beneficial to families in geographic areas that lack (large) school options.
Lest there be any doubt, “DIY” education strategies – such as pod learning, homeschooling, virtual education, and micro-schooling – are increasingly popular among young families. Many parents are drawn to “micro” learning because they like smaller, more personalized environments. They want curriculum tailored to their child’s interests, needs, and learning styles. And they appreciate the fact that their child can more easily get extra attention in certain subjects (especially in view of learning losses resulting from the pandemic).
What’s more, some “micro” education programs are on the cutting edge of emerging technology. For example, the Florida-based Optima Foundation has produced the first-ever classical curriculum using immersive technology. It allows students, wearing virtual reality headsets, to be transported to ancient Rome to witness debates between leading philosophers. With immersive technology of this kind, it matters not whether the student is engaging educational content from a classroom in Hillsborough County or a barn shed in Hernando County. As such, immersive technology helps fuel the growing “learn anywhere” movement – which should help rural communities and small towns compete for education-minded families looking to live in less costly areas of the country.
Indeed, Danielsen says a number of household migration studies (including one from rural Vermont) show that “families prefer to live in locations where school choice programs are offered, and they will move to these places” as circumstances allow. These studies point to an often-overlooked benefit of education choice policies: they can help bring innovative learning options – and new residents – to geographic areas needing revitalization.
Given all this, community leaders throughout Florida should be urging policymakers to adopt universal ESAs in the next legislative session. Clearly, a lot has changed since the onset of COVID. And in the “new normal,” ESAs could help bring vitality to many smaller localities looking to attract education-minded families that will contribute significantly to the economic and civic life of their community.
William Mattox is the director of the Marshall Center for Educational Options at The James Madison Institute and the author of a new JMI study, from which this op-ed is taken.
Originally found in Hernando Sun
The post Hernando Sun: ESAs Could Help Bring Vitality to Many Smaller Localities appeared first on James Madison Institute.
January 9, 2023
Any Florida education leader sitting down to watch tonight’s college football championship game may be tempted to bask in the glory of his or her own accomplishments. After all, Florida has become to K-12 education what the Alabama Crimson Tide has long been to college football – the standard by which everyone else measures themselves.
Florida recently received the nation’s No. 1 ranking in parental involvement in K-12 education according to the Parent Power Index, a state-by-state compilation from the Center for Education Reform. The title follows the Sunshine State’s recognition as No. 1 in K-12 education freedom by The Heritage Foundation.
And it adds to Florida’s recent year top rankings in state-by-state comparisons made by the American Legislative Exchange Council, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, and others. Yet, all this success begs an important question: Could the accolades Florida keeps receiving prove to be what Alabama football coach Nick Saban likes to call “rat poison”?
Saban has memorably invoked this term whenever football analysts have lavished mid-season acclaim on his team. He fears that fawning praise will go to players’ heads and diminish their drive for sustained excellence. Saban’s 2022 team did nothing to ease his fears.
Alabama’s 2022 team received all sorts of glowing headlines early in the season when pollsters crowned them the prohibitive favorite to win it all. But as the season wore on, the Crimson Tide failed to make consistent improvements. Ultimately, the team finished out of the college playoffs and in a ho-hum bowl game against a three-loss Kansas State team.
Bah. Humbug.
How can Florida’s education leaders learn from the Crimson Tide’s 2022 cautionary tale and continue their drive for sustained excellence?
Three words: Keep making improvements.
First, Florida needs to keep making improvements in providing scholarship opportunities for K-12 students. More than two decades after Florida’s first school choice programs were created, some Florida students remain ineligible for scholarship assistance – even though their parents pay taxes and the state will fund their education if they attend a public school.
The Florida Legislature ought to fix that in 2023. School choice scholarships should be available to all students. Yes, every kid.
Second, Florida needs to keep making improvements by encouraging K-12 innovation. Specifically, Florida needs to greatly expand its flexible scholarship programs so that families can take advantage of all sorts of emerging educational options including microschools, learning pods, virtual learning programs and hybrid homeschools.
Thanks to the Naples-based Optima Foundation, Florida is home to the first-ever classical school using immersive technology. Wearing virtual reality headsets, students travel back in time to witness re-creations of famous historical events and debates. (You can read a reimaginED feature on the school here.)
Openness to creative innovation like this ought to be the rule rather than the exception in K-12 education. Expanding flexible scholarships, known as education savings accounts, can help Florida continue to immerse itself in educational progress.
Finally, Florida needs to keep making improvements in the way that it helps students from disadvantaged communities. Specifically, policymakers need to give attention to addressing what Harvard scholar Raj Chetty calls the dearth of “positive neighborhood effects” in many lower-income communities.
One way to do this would be for Florida to work with the federal government to transform the Title I program into a weighted scholarship that funds students, not systems. This would give strong families an incentive to remain in and help revitalize disadvantaged neighborhoods rather than fleeing to higher-performing school districts, as has been the historic pattern.
If Florida can keep making improvements, the state can continue to be a leader in K-12 education. It can continue to sustain the excellence it has demonstrated in recent years. And it can continue to offer the hope of a better future to more and more Florida students.
As tonight’s kickoff approaches, let’s hope Florida education leaders learn a lesson from the 2022 Crimson Tide. Let’s hope they heed Nick Saban’s warning about “rat poison.”
Originally found in ReimaginED Online.
The post ReimaginedED Online: Will ‘Rat Poison’ Keep Florida Education From Top Rankings in 2023? appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill The Tea, JMI’s Dr. Bob McClure and Sal Nuzzo discuss the 2023 Florida Inauguration, the top cities to live in Florida according to Forbes, the closing of Dry Tortugas National Park, the U.S. Speaker of the House debacle and other topics.
The post Spill the Tea – Episode 33 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
December 25, 2022
In the wake of COVID, a “new normal” in K-12 education is taking hold. Public school enrollment is down in most parts of the country. Homeschooling numbers remain well above their pre-pandemic levels (especially among African Americans). The same is true for virtual learning, where some innovative new programs using immersive technology are winning critical acclaim. And small, highly personalized learning communities — such as micro-schools, learning pods, and hybrid homeschools — are continuing to draw considerable interest from young families.
Many families are drawn to these emerging enterprises because they like smaller, more personalized environments. They want curriculum tailored to the individual child’s interests, needs and learning styles. And they appreciate the fact that their child can more easily get extra attention in certain subjects — while often gaining exposure to cutting-edge technology.
For example, the Florida-based Optima Foundation has produced the first-ever classical curriculum using immersive technology. It allows students, wearing virtual reality headsets, to be transported to ancient Rome to witness debates between leading philosophers. With immersive technology of this kind, it matters not whether the student is engaging educational content from a large classroom in Broward County or a small out-building in Glades County. As such, immersive technology helps fuel the growing “learn anywhere” movement.
Interestingly, an increasing number of educators share parents’ enthusiasm for “micro” options. They have rediscovered the joy of teaching, free from the often-stifling regulations of big school bureaucracies, by moving into the “micro” sector as education entrepreneurs. South Florida, in particular, has become a “large hub of education entrepreneurship,” according to scholar Kerry McDonald.
These alternative forms of education “are here to stay,” McDonald says, in large part because of their “educational diversity.”
“Today’s micro-schools,” she writes, “represent all ideological and political persuasions, embrace a variety of educational philosophies and approaches, and use a wide assortment of curriculum resources and learning tools, including, in some instances, standardized tests and traditional curriculum.” This diversity means today’s “micro” movement is “less apt to fade with changing cultural or political trends,” according to McDonald.
Speaking of diversity, many families are finding school choice to be the best solution to some of the divisive conflicts in K-12 education that have arisen in recent years. For example, during the fall of 2021, several public school districts sought to defy Florida’s prohibition on mask mandates in public schools. Gov. Ron DeSantis responded by offering Hope Scholarships to students harassed by local school officials over masks. But in a move that many national media outlets completely overlooked, DeSantis also authorized Hope Scholarship assistance for families uncomfortable with sending their children to mask-optional public schools.
As such, Florida gave all families the opportunity to enroll their child in a school that shared their masking preferences. Rather than perpetuating a high-stakes, zero-sum battle in which only one side could get its way, Florida found a way to accommodate the concerns of families with very different needs, preferences and convictions. The key to this accommodation? School choice.
In many ways, the emergence of a post-COVID “new normal” should not surprise anyone. Parents have long expressed broad support for school choice policies. And roughly four out of five parents now support flexible-use scholarships commonly known as Education Savings Accounts. With ESAs, families can patch together courses from multiple providers (including virtual programs) rather than relying on a single school to meet all of their children’s learning needs. As such, ESAs are particularly beneficial to families interested in smaller, more customized forms of education. And they should be made more widely available to families by Florida policymakers.
“What we’re hearing from parents loud and clear is they feel a greater sense of ownership over their child’s education,” says polling analyst Christian Lehr of Tyton Partners. “We must work hard to connect families with a broader set of learning opportunities and provide them the resources and tools necessary to take action.”
Originally found in South Florida Sun Sentinel.
The post South Florida Sun Sentinel: Florida Policymakers Should Embrace Micro-Education appeared first on James Madison Institute.
William Mattox December 25, 2022 In the wake of COVID, a “new normal” in K-12 education is taking hold. Public school enrollment is down in most parts of the country. Homeschooling numbers remain well above their pre-pandemic levels (especially among African Americans). The same is true for virtual learning, where some innovative new programs using [...]
The post South Florida Sun Sentinel: Florida Policymakers Should Embrace Micro-Education appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Roslyn Layton December 20, 2022 The midterm election spawned a new political reality and configuration in Washington D.C., letting states will take the lead in technology policy as gridlock dominates Congress. The shift in power from Washington means peril or promise, depending on how lawmakers approach questions around technology. With trifecta control now the norm [...]
The post Washington Gridlock Will Put States At The Forefront Of Tech Policy In 2023 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI's Bob McClure and guest host Logan Padgett discuss Florida's special session on property insurance reform. Will your property insurance bill be going down anytime soon? Other items discussed are a new discount on tolls for commuters, the announcement by DeSantis to seek a grand jury to [...]
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 32 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 14, 2022 CONTACT Logan Elizabeth Padgett 850-386-3131 Statement from The James Madison Institute on the Passage of the Property Insurance Reform With today’s passage of sensible and meaningful reforms, Florida policymakers have taken a huge step forward in restoring sanity to our property insurance market. For too many years homeowners have [...]
The post Statement from The James Madison Institute on the Passage of the Property Insurance Reform appeared first on James Madison Institute.
When Lina M. Kahn, Associate Professor of Law at Columbia University, was sworn in as Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), she pledged to “protect the public from corporate abuse.” Unfortunately, in fulfilling this promise, the FTC has turned an increasingly skeptical eye toward mergers and acquisitions, arguing they hurt competitors, the marketplace, and [...]
The post The FTC Declares War On Innovation appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Despite only being widely available to consumers in the past few years, immersive technology has been around since 1968 when Ivan Sutherland and Bob Sproull released the world's first virtual reality headset, The Sword of Damocles. While groundbreaking for a society that was 14 years away from the creation of the internet and twenty-nine years [...]
The post Florida Leads the Nation in Immersive Technology appeared first on James Madison Institute.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a national exodus from public schools, with parents opting for private schools, homeschooling, and other alternative K-12 education methods. It also gave rise to support for school choice, an umbrella term for policies that allow families to send their students to alternatives to public schools. These can include charter schools, private [...]
The post What Are Florida’s School Choice Scholarships? appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 12, 2022 CONTACT: Logan Elizabeth Padgett 850-386-3131 JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE RELEASES 2023 POLICY PRIORITIES With the economic freedom and prosperity we enjoy here, the Florida experiment is clearly working. Together, we have won many victories for limited government, economic prosperity and liberty, but there is still much to be done. Today, [...]
The post James Madison Institute Releases 2023 Sunshine State Priorities appeared first on James Madison Institute.
For tens of millions of Americans, day-to-day reality has been a roller coaster of catastrophic events and economic tumult. From 9/11 to Middle East wars to the financial sector collapse to the Great Recession to COVID and the economic times of the present – there seems to be little progress toward anything resembling normalcy. In [...]
The post 2023 Sunshine State Priorities appeared first on James Madison Institute.
William Mattox December 7, 2022 Some Florida families have yet to benefit directly from school choice. More than 20 years ago, Florida adopted an A+ Plan for K-12 Education, under the leadership of Gov. Jeb Bush. This ambitious initiative, which included Florida’s first K-12 scholarship program, proved to be an extraordinary success. It helped establish Florida [...]
The post Florida Politics: Florida needs a new A+ Plan in K-12 education appeared first on James Madison Institute.
As people’s lives increasingly take place in the digital realm, concern is growing about how private companies and government entities store and use sensitive data. These anxieties have led to demands that state legislatures pass data privacy laws. In 2021, Morning Consult found that 86% of Democrats and 81% of Republicans believe passing a federal [...]
The post The Promise and Perils of Data Privacy in Florida appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 7, 2022 CONTACT: Logan Elizabeth Padgett 850-386-3131 JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE RELEASES NEW REPORT ON SCHOOL CHOICE Over 20 years ago, a coalition of Florida education reformers that included Governor Jeb Bush and the James Madison Institute founder Stanley Marshall worked to advance the A+ Plan for Education. This initiative included accountability [...]
The post JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE RELEASES NEW REPORT ON SCHOOL CHOICE appeared first on James Madison Institute.
A New A+ Plan for K12 Education to Address Unmet Needs Click here to read "Better Scholarships and Stronger Neighborhoods" More than 20 years ago, a coalition of Florida education reformers that included Governor Jeb Bush and JMI founder Stan Marshall worked together to advance the A+ Plan for K-12 Education. This ambitious initiative [...]
The post Better Scholarships and Stronger Neighborhoods appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Gray Rohrer December 5, 2022 “In order to restore sanity and predictability to the state’s insurance system, one-way attorney fee laws must be repealed ..." With the Legislature poised to return to the Capitol on Dec. 12 for a Special Session to pass changes to the state’s property insurance laws amid a free-falling market, Tallahassee-based [...]
The post Florida Politics: James Madison Institute Property Insurance Paper Targets Attorney Fees Ahead of Special Session appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Ryan Miller December 5, 2022 Allowing residents to carry concealed guns without a permit. Combatting the influence of China. Increasing protections for the unborn. Continuing to push back on woke corporations trying to impose their ideological agendas on the state. These are just some of the issues newly reelected Florida governor Ron DeSantis may prioritize [...]
The post National Review: Taking on China, Woke Corporations Top DeSantis Agenda as 2024 Speculation Swirls appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 5, 2022 CONTACT: Logan Elizabeth Padgett 850-386-3131 JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE RELEASES NEW REPORT ON INSURANCE REFORM TALLAHASSEE – Despite commonsense reforms enacted by the Florida Legislature over the last few years, Florida property insurance market remains on a downward spiral. Today, The James Madison Institute (JMI) has released a new report [...]
The post JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE RELEASES NEW REPORT ON INSURANCE REFORM appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Click here to read the full PDF of the "Road to Recovery" policy brief. Introduction Despite several commonsense reforms enacted by lawmakers over the past few years, Florida’s property insurance market remains on a downward spiral. Dozens of insurers have dramatically reduced policies in the state through non-renewal, withdrawn from the market, or been liquidated [...]
The post Road to Recovery: Clearing the Path to Meaningful Reforms in Florida’s Insurance Arena appeared first on James Madison Institute.
The post Ten for Tech: A Policy Toolkit for States to Embrace Innovation in 2023 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI's Bob McClure and guest host Logan Padgett discuss the potential railway strike, the cryptocurrency market collapse, the World Cup, predictions for the College Football playoffs, and the 2022 Merriam Webster "Word of the Year."
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 31 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
November 18, 2022 As the dust settles on the midterm elections, attention turns to the next two years of President Joe Biden’s agenda, the 2024 Presidential race (#TooSoon), and the dynamic in Congress. But among the results, a single county in Florida delivers a glimmer of what could become a national shift in electoral politics, [...]
The post Washington Examiner: Once Deep Blue, Miami-Dade Shows the Way appeared first on James Madison Institute.
November 16, 2022 Last Tuesday’s election results started as a mirage for the GOP — returns began to come in for Florida that showed Governor Ron DeSantis and Senator Marco Rubio delivering what could only be described as beatdowns to their Democratic opponents. At that point, political junkies were fooled into thinking it would be a [...]
The post National Review: Florida’s Lessons for Conservatives appeared first on James Madison Institute.
November 21, 2022 A consensus has emerged that zip code determines economic prosperity and educational attainment. The theory goes that those in urban centers and closest to jobs and schools are most likely to prosper while those in rural communities are left behind in an unbreakable cycle of poverty. Thankfully, policymakers today have one potent [...]
The post Lakeland Ledger: Broadband Is Key to Rural Prosperity appeared first on James Madison Institute.
November 15, 2022 Wakulla County, Florida, has recently welcomed more than 4,100 new residents between 2010 and 2021, a 14% increase in the county’s population. New residential development provides an opportunity for economic growth. But costs are also associated with extending utilities and other services to new residents. Well-designed impact fees could help ensure that [...]
The post Tallahassee Democrat: Wakulla County Should Reconsider Residential Impact Fees appeared first on James Madison Institute.
November 16, 2022 Recently, some of the state and country’s top innovation policy minds gathered in Miami to reflect on how Florida can continue to lead the future at the James Madison Institute’s Tech and Innovation Summit. Inevitably, and appropriately, these conversations always include a focus on broadband access and deployment. That’s because even in [...]
The post Orlando Sentinel: Private Sector Can Help Federal Government Bridge the Digital Divide appeared first on James Madison Institute.
November 16, 2022 Republicans owe their razor-thin House majority to a decision Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made earlier this year that largely escaped notice outside the Sunshine State. In January, Mr. DeSantis proposed a redistricting map that initially upset some members of both parties in the Florida Legislature. Republicans feared the map would elicit a lawsuit, and [...]
The post Wall Street Journal: How DeSantis Helped Turn the House Republican appeared first on James Madison Institute.
November 16, 2022 Last Tuesday’s election results started as a mirage for the GOP — returns began to come...
The post National Review: Florida’s Lessons for Conservatives appeared first on James Madison Institute.
November 18, 2022 As the dust settles on the midterm elections, attention turns to the next two years...
The post Washington Examiner: Once Deep Blue, Miami-Dade Shows the Way appeared first on James Madison Institute.
November 16, 2022 Republicans owe their razor-thin House majority to a decision Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made earlier this year...
The post Wall Street Journal: How DeSantis Helped Turn the House Republican appeared first on James Madison Institute.
November 16, 2022 Recently, some of the state and country’s top innovation policy minds gathered in Miami to...
The post Orlando Sentinel: Private Sector Can Help Federal Government Bridge the Digital Divide appeared first on James Madison Institute.
November 15, 2022Wakulla County, Florida, has recently welcomed more than 4,100 new residents between 2010 and 2021, a...
The post Tallahassee Democrat: Wakulla County Should Reconsider Residential Impact Fees appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI’s Sal Nuzzo and guest host Logan Padgett discuss the...
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 30 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Even Democrats are adapting to new political realities. By Corey DeAngelis Nov. 10, 2022 1:45 pm ET There may...
The post Wall Street Journal: The School-Choice Election Wave appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Dr. Bob McClure and Sal Nuzzo sit down on a bonus episode of Spill the tea to discuss...
The post Spill the Tea- Bonus Episode- 2022 Election appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Bob and Sal sit down on a bonus episode of Spill the tea to discuss the results from the 2022 election.
The post Spill the Tea- Bonus Episode- 2022 Election appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Derek Robertson November 8, 2022 Elections, you might have heard, have consequences. Today’s midterms obviously matter for hot-button issues like abortion, elections in their own right, and crypto, as my colleague Ben Schreckinger reported yesterday. Tech companies have plenty of interests, like privacy and antitrust, that could pivot with a change in Congress. But when it comes to [...]
The post The Future Is on Today’s Ballot. Kind Of. appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Former U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen November 5, 2022 When you work in politics, you find out really early that the most important question you have to answer is what is a person’s “voting intensity” issue? You don’t get elected to Congress, or stay there very long, if you don’t figure it out. Floridians who have [...]
The post Statehood Issue Adds Intensity to Puerto Ricans’ Vote | Commentary appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Edward Longe November 4, 2022 It’s a cliche, but lawmakers shouldn’t cut off their noses to spite their faces. Over the past two years, Democratic and Republican lawmakers in both Washington and Tallahassee have viewed large technology companies (traditionally Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, and Twitter), with increased hostility. In many cases, lawmakers have made cracking [...]
The post Technology’s Massive Economic Contributions in Florida appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI’s Sal Nuzzo and Bob McClure discuss Elon Musk shaking up Twitter, 2022 midterm election predictions, the break-in at Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco home, the Fed raising interest rates, the World Series, and other topics.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 29 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Victor V. Claar November 1, 2022 Paychecks are great. Really great. And raises are even better, especially in inflationary times. But are monetary benefits like wages and salaries, or fringe benefits like medical insurance and paid vacation, the only things that can contribute to the experience team members have by serving one organization and not [...]
The post The Big Payoff in Providing Benefits Beyond Money appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Roslyn Layton October 31, 2022 Florida is now the third-largest state. One way we can look at policy is in the rearview mirror and doing a natural experiment to see where people move after elections. Florida has overcome New York to be the third largest state. Moreover, it’s economy is the size of Mexico‘s. We [...]
The post Socially Diverse And Politically Conservative: Why Most Americans Move To Florida appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Chloe Kauffman October 31, 2022 In recent years, a growing cohort of individual investors have been considering and participating in efforts to tie their asset portfolios to their political or social values, a practice known as ‘socially responsible investing’ (SRI). While SRI can be—and has been—employed in a multitude of ways, including refraining from investing [...]
The post ESGs: Invest with Caution appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Chloe Kauffman October 28, 2022 When the Supreme Court of the United States handed down its ruling in Kelo v. New London (2004), it went down as of the worst economic-based decisions presented by the highest court in the land. It marked a significant expansion of government power over their citizens with respect to private [...]
The post Why Kelo v. New London Is One of the Worst Supreme Court Decisions appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI’s Bob McClure and guest host Logan Padgett discuss the Rubio vs Demings Debate, the housing market in southwest Florida, number one issue for voters at the polls, college football, favorite fall traditions, and other topics.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 28 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Click here to read the full version of The Journal Table of Contents Building a Legacy MICHAEL DURDEN Florida as the “north star” of liberty means advancing ahead to the rest of the United States with the successes of the Sunshine State. That’s about to happen. Liberty and Opportunity for All – Conservatism and “The [...]
The post The 2022 Journal appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 19, 2022 CONTACT: Logan Elizabeth Padgett lpadgett@jamesmadison.org (850) 386-3131 JMI Releases the 2022 Edition of The Journal: Collision Course TALLAHASSEE – Over the past 25 years, Florida has embraced a slew of free-market conservative reforms, many of which have been the first of their kind. The Sunshine State continues to be an [...]
The post JMI Releases the 2022 Edition of the Journal: Collision Course appeared first on James Madison Institute.
A recent report from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and the Institute for Family Studies (IFS) details the remarkable power of the “Success Sequence” to generate upward mobility. The “Success Sequence” is a thoroughly researched, three-part formula for overcoming poverty: (1) complete at least a high school education, (2) get a full-time job, and (3) [...]
The post How To Break the Cycle of Poverty appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Victor V. Claar and Abigail R. Hall October 13, 2022 When a recent episode of NPR’s nationally syndicated “Here and Now” aired in Southwest Florida, we lost our minds. We live in Fort Myers and in Tampa, and we’re economists who recognize fuzzy economic thinking when we hear it. In a four-minute interview with Bloomberg [...]
The post The Economic Devastation of Ian Doesn’t Have a Silver Lining appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, Sal Nuzzo and Bob McClure discuss Hurricane Ian recovery, a new JMI poll on how people feel about inflation compared to other issues like gun control and immigration, an OPEC deal and what it means for gas prices in Florida, and other topics. [...]
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 27 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Edward Longe October 5, 2022 Lawmakers have advanced policies that ignore constituents' greatest concerns, namely inflation and the cost-of-living crisis. This November, lawmakers representing Floridians in the statehouse and U.S. Congress will again face voters at the ballot box. While analysts forecast Republican gains in the Sunshine State and across the nation, owing to an unpopular [...]
The post Edward Longe: Tech Poll Must Put Lawmakers on Alert appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 28, 2022 CONTACT Logan Elizabeth Padgett 850-386-3131 JMI Releases an Updated Backgrounder Examining the Role of Puerto Rican Voters in Florida Elections In 2017, Florida passed New York with the largest Puerto Rican population in the U.S. The perspective of this Floridian population – over a million potential voters – is [...]
The post JMI Releases an Updated Backgrounder Examining the Role of Puerto Rican Voters in Florida Elections appeared first on James Madison Institute.
In 2017, Florida overtook New York as the U.S. state with the largest Puerto Rican population. This milestone illustrated just how much political influence the Puerto Rican diaspora had come to exercise. Puerto Rico itself has no vote for president. But more than a million of those who identify it as their origin now cast [...]
The post Common Themes from the Commonwealth, 2022 Update: Puerto Rico’s growing role in Florida politics appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Florida has become the ultimate destination for retirees and “refugees” from other states, with people moving to Florida at record high numbers. Migrants move to the Sunshine State for everything from its beautiful beaches and diverse cultures to its business-friendly environment and small government policies like school choice. But one of the main reasons so [...]
The post Is Florida Such A Tax-Friendly State? appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Orange County is facing a lawsuit from The Florida Apartment Association and the Florida Association of Realtors over its decision to add a rent control proposal to the 2022 November ballot. The proposal, which aims to selectively cap rent increases for a year, is the latest revival of the classic price-control method policymakers have used [...]
The post Reminder: Rent Control Will Not Solve the Florida Housing Crisis appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, Sal Nuzzo and Bob McClure talk about the Queen's passing, DeSantis sending illegal immigrants to Martha's Vineyard and suspending elected officials, JMI's 2022 Tech Summit, Jacksonville's drug bust, and the college football playoff expansion.
The post Spill the Tea: Episode 26 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 20, 2022 CONTACT Logan Elizabeth Padgett 850-386-3131 lpadgett@jamesmadison.org NEW POLL: FL Voters Are Focused on Inflation; Believe Tech Regulation Will Increase Consumer Prices TALLAHASSEE — Florida voters are overwhelmingly concerned about inflation and the rising costs of consumer goods (42%) over other issues such as immigration (9%) and gun control [...]
The post NEW POLL: FL Voters Are Focused on Inflation; Believe Tech Regulation Will Increase Consumer Prices appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Florida has become the ultimate destination for retirees and “refugees” from other states, with people moving to Florida at record high numbers. Migrants move to the Sunshine State for everything from its beautiful beaches and diverse cultures to its business-friendly environment and small government policies like school choice. But one of the main reasons so [...]
The post Is Florida Such A Tax-Friendly State? appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 13, 2022 CONTACT Logan Elizabeth Padgett lpadgett@jamesmadison.org 850-386-3131 Tallahassee, Fla.- The James Madison Institute announces the newest addition to our team, Edward Longe, director of JMI’s Technology and Innovation Policy Center. Launched in 2019, this center focuses on policy goals to ensure Florida is best positioned to be a major driver [...]
The post JMI Welcomes New Director of Technology and Innovation Policy Center appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, hosts Bob McClure and Sal Nuzzo talk about college football games in Florida, Biden's recent speech on democracy, the new UK Prime Minister, utility prices in Florida, property insurance costs, the amendments on the Florida ballot, and a taste test of Crumbl cookies.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 25 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 29, 2022 CONTACT Logan Elizabeth Padgett 850-386-3131 JMI Releases 2022 Florida Constitutional Amendment Guide TALLAHASSEE — On November 8, 2022, more than 10 million Floridians will head to the precincts all over the state to cast their votes. In addition to electing a governor, a lieutenant governor, 28 members of Congress, [...]
The post JMI Releases 2022 Florida Constitutional Amendment GuideFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 29, 2022 CONTACT Logan Elizabeth Padgett 850-386-3131 JMI Releases 2022 Florida Constitutional Amendment Guide TALLAHASSEE — On November 8, 2022, more than 10 million Floridians will head to the precincts all over the state to cast their votes. In addition to electing a governor, a lieutenant governor, 28 members of Congress, 120 members of the State House and 40 of the 40-member Florida Senate, the ballot tasks Floridians with voting on three proposed constitutional amendments. Constitutional initiatives play a pivotal role in the governance of the state, and thus warrant careful consideration. In an effort to help citizens better understand these new ballot initiatives, JMI has released a 2022 Amendment Guide, in both English and Spanish, analyzing the three ballot initiatives on the 2022 Florida ballot. “If 2022 has taught us anything, it is that policies matter. This year’s slate of amendments will have far-reaching implications for Floridians, from possibly eliminating a way to amend our state constitution, to potentially adding a property tax exemption for some. It is our hope that The James Madison Institute’s 2022 Amendment Guide will educate voters on the issues present and guide the decisions they make for our future.”¬ —Dr. Bob McClure, President and CEO, The James Madison Institute “This is a pivotal election for the future of the Sunshine State’s governance and economy. It’s important to be informed, and know what the impact of a yes or no vote will be for each of the three amendments. We owe it to our children and their children to carefully weigh each seriously. Our mission is to provide objective help to voters so that they may navigate each of the amendments through analysis and honest appraisal.” —Sal Nuzzo, Vice President of Policy, The James Madison Institute Click here to read the English version of the 2022 Amendment Guide Click here to read the Spanish version of the 2022 Amendment Guide Click here for a one-page synopsis of the 2022 Amendment Guide ### The James Madison Institute is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the ideals of limited government, economic freedom, federalism and individual liberty coupled with individual responsibility. The institute conducts research on such issues as criminal justice, health care, taxes and regulatory environments. appeared first on James Madison Institute.
The Sunshine State has experienced massive migration from states like New York Florida has consistently been the top location for millions of Americans’ spring breaks and summer vacations, but in recent years it’s also become one of their most preferred destinations to move to. For more than a decade, Florida has remained the top destination [...]
The post Why Are People Moving to Florida? appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 29, 2022 CONTACT Logan Elizabeth Padgett 850-386-3131 JMI Releases 2022 Florida Constitutional Amendment Guide TALLAHASSEE — On November 8, 2022, more than 10 million Floridians will head to the precincts all over the state to cast their votes. In addition to electing a governor, a lieutenant governor, 28 members [...]
The post JMI Releases 2022 Florida Constitutional Amendment Guide appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Florida’s constitutional history is unique. In less than two centuries, Florida has had six different constitutions. Our current constitution, ratified in 1968, has been amended 144 times—most recently in 2020. Florida also boasts the greatest number of ways to amend its constitution out of any other state. There are five [...]
The post 2022 Florida Amendment Guide appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Sal Nuzzo August 26, 2022 Mac, hang it up. Get a better hobby. Don’t go away mad, just go away. “That’s all I can stands, I can’t stands no more.” — Popeye, the Sailor Man It’s 7 a.m. Friday, and I am sitting in Red Eye Coffee in midtown Tallahassee pouring out a stream of consciousness [...]
The post Sal Nuzzo: Don’t Go Away Mad, Just Go Away appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI's Sal Nuzzo and Bob McClure discuss the 2022 Florida Primary election results, Fauci retiring, Liz Cheney losing, college football predictions, student loans, and other topics.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 24 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 23, 2022 CONTACT Logan Elizabeth Padgett 850-386-3131 JMI Names Center for Economic Prosperity after George Gibbs TALLAHASSEE– Today, The James Madison Institute announced the naming of the Center for Economic Prosperity after a great friend of The Institute, George Gibbs. George Gibbs was deeply involved in Jacksonville's business and civic community. [...]
The post JMI Names Center for Economic Prosperity after George Gibbs appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Sal Nuzzo August 22, 2022 Where an expanded IRS is likely to focus its efforts and what can be done about it "Because that’s where the money is.” It’s a quote so legendary that most of us can recite the question that prompted it without missing a beat. Notorious criminal Willie Sutton had been asked by [...]
The post Where the Money Is appeared first on James Madison Institute.
October 18th (Senatorial), October 20th (Gubernatorial) Dates Set August 16, 2022 Contact: Jim Fogler (845)219-9400 Dr. J. Robert McClure One week before Florida’s primary election, the coalition of groups producing statewide televised debates in the general election races for Governor and U.S. Senator today announced major new progress points in the project, including the addition [...]
The post The Everglades Foundation Joins “Before You Vote” TV Debates Project in Races for Governor, U.S. Senator appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill The Tea, Dr. Bob McClure and Sal Nuzzo discuss the "Inflation Reduction Act," the FBI raid on President Trump's Mar-a-Lago home, Governor DeSantis' removal of a Hillsborough state attorney, 2022 Amendment Guide, and other topics.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 23 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Jamie Bartlett's gripping look at the schematics and psychology of a scam ANDREA O'SULLIVAN | FROM THE AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022 ISSUE Newcomers to bitcoin sometimes dismiss the cryptocurrency as a pyramid or Ponzi scheme. The OneCoin scam shows what it really looks like when a fake blockchain serves as cover for a multilevel marketing fraud that pays early investors [...]
The post The Missing Cryptoqueen Details the Rise and Fall of Ruja Ignatova’s OneCoin Con appeared first on James Madison Institute.
“The last thing you want to do is to raise taxes in the middle of a recession.” – President Barak Obama, August 5, 2009 Not here. Not in the state proudly dubbed the “Free State of Florida.” It’s a shame to have to point this out, but the United States Senate is considering legislation so [...]
The post Don’t Be Fooled – The Left Is Gaslighting Again appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 29, 2022 CONTACT Logan Elizabeth Padgett 850-386-3131 Statement from The James Madison Institute on the proposed “Inflation Reduction Act of 2022” The numbers don’t lie. We are in a recession. Yesterday, the majority party in the United States Congress decided that the best way to attack our current challenges of [...]
The post Statement from The James Madison Institute on the proposed “Inflation Reduction Act of 2022” appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, Dr. Bob McClure and guest host Logan Padgett discuss hepatitis and monkeypox outbreaks, another homeowners insurance company leaving Florida, Gislane Maxwell's transfer to a Tallahassee prison, political ads, and other topics.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 22 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On July 21, 2022, Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation sent letters to 17 property insurance companies in the state, downgrading their financial rating – a move that will have extraordinary impacts on the state’s homeowners’ insurance market. Despite the Governor and Legislature coming back for a special session in 2022 to address the property insurance [...]
The post Why Your Florida Property Insurance is So High appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, Sal Nuzzo and guest host Logan Padgett discuss the African snail outbreak in Pasco county, Elon Musk's twitter deal, the upcoming Florida primary elections, the Leon County School Board's new "LGBTQ Inclusive School Guide," why Texans are busy conserving energy and what that means for Florida, and [...]
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 21 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
The state has a very lean government — that’s no accident July 12, 2022 | 9:54 am There’s a saying in Florida: “the further south you go, the more north you get.” Those familiar with the state’s geography know this reflects the reality that most of the southern regions of the state — Palm Beach, [...]
The post What Florida Gets Right appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI's Dr. Bob McClure discuss recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, Covid-19 vaccines for infants, bills Governor DeSantis recently vetoed, the cost of a 4th of July bbq in 2022, inflation, interest rates, and more.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 20 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 30, 2022 CONTACT Logan Elizabeth Padgett 850-386-3131 STATEMENT FROM THE JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE ON THE WV V. EPA SCOTUS DECISION The James Madison Institute commends the Supreme Court on the recent 6-3 ruling in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In 2015, the Obama administration unconstitutionally sought to expand its [...]
The post STATEMENT FROM THE JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE ON THE WV V. EPA SCOTUS DECISION appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 21, 2022 CONTACT Logan Elizabeth Padgett 850-386-3131 STATEMENT FROM THE JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE ON THE CARSON V. MAKIN SCOTUS DECISION The James Madison Institute applauds today's 6-3 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court affirming the right of parents to use per-pupil funds for their children at K-12 schools that offer religious [...]
The post Statement Release: JMI Commends SCOTUS on the Recent Decision in Carson v. Makin appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Assistant Director of Development Details Reports directly to Director of Development Full-time position based in our Tallahassee, FL office Salary Range $50,000-$55,000 (bonus opportunities available) Full health and retirement benefits Paid holidays, annual leave and medical leave Travel expected Desired start date August 2022 Qualifications Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university [...]
The post appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Nicole Kiser COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER REQUEST THIS SPEAKER REQUEST AN INTERVIEW Nicole Kiser is the Communications Manager at The James Madison Institute. She is responsible for developing new and creative ideas for social media and the promotion of the JMI brand across various platforms. Nicole was formerly the PR and Digital [...]
The post appeared first on James Madison Institute.
If Europe really cared about e-waste it would stop mandating inefficient products. ANDREA O'SULLIVAN | 6.17.2022 8:05 AM After ten years of hard work to try and promote innovation and consumer welfare, the European Union has revealed its bold plan: to force device manufacturers to use a single charging standard. The Eurocrats are now hard at work patting [...]
The post Why Is the EU Telling Apple Which Chargers It Can Use? appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI's Dr. Bob McClure and Logan Padgett talk about gun control, their favorite summer drinks, now many people are visiting Florida this summer, Governor DeSantis' decision to veto the $35 million for the Tampa Bay Rays stadium, and other topics.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 19 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
As inflation persists and costs of groceries and gas rise, many hardworking taxpayers and business owners who already have tightened their budgets, will be making tough financial decisions for the foreseeable future, unfortunately. But while Floridians are tightening their belts, some U.S. senators are pushing ahead with the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, a [...]
The post Misguided Antitrust Proposal Handcuffs U.S. Tech Companies and Gives China the Edge | Opinion appeared first on James Madison Institute.
It’s one of many anti-cryptocurrency policies emanating from the Empire State ANDREA O'SULLIVAN | 6.14.2022 8:30 AM Big governments have many reasons to oppose sovereign monetary technologies like bitcoin. The existence of a permissionless money network provides escape hatches for these states' many levers of centralized control. It is not surprising that they try to throw the [...]
The post New York Puts Bitcoin Mining in the Crosshairs appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI's Dr. Bob McClure and guest host Logan Padgett discuss the 2022 hurricane season predictions, the wins from the 2022 special session on property insurance, the Uvalde tragedy, Summer industry labor shortages, a new immigration policy in the United Kingdom, social media censorship, and other topics.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 18 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
BY VICTOR V. CLAAR JUNE 1, 2022 “Season” is one of the defining features of Southwest Florida. And since the pandemic, Season with a capital S is even bigger. Consider how passenger travel through the Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) rebounded during the pandemic. After falling to an all-time monthly low of 53,379 passengers in April [...]
The post Sustaining season: Generational perspective on the growth of opportunity appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Millions of lower-income or unbanked people are more likely to use cryptocurrency as a payment method. ANDREA O'SULLIVAN | 5.31.2022 8:30 AM Who actually uses cryptocurrency, and why? A new report from the Federal Reserve shows that for some, digital currencies like bitcoin can be a real alternative for those who lack financial access. Although crypto [...]
The post Fed Report Shows Who’s Actually Using Crypto and How appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 26, 2022 CONTACT Logan Elizabeth Padgett 850-386-3131 THE JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE STATEMENT ON SPECIAL SESSION ON PROPERTY INSURANCE TALLAHASSEE – The James Madison Institute commends Governor DeSantis and legislators for taking a solid first step in addressing Florida’s property insurance crisis with the passage and signing of reform proposals aimed to [...]
The post Statement Release: JMI Commends Governor and Legislature for Solid First Step in Addressing Property Insurance Crisis appeared first on James Madison Institute.
A new NBC News poll shows that only 75 percent of U.S. adults think the nation is on the wrong track. On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, Dr. Bob McClure and Sal Nuzzo talk about this, the baby formula shortage, primary results, climate change, the rise of property insurance, inflation, and other [...]
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 17 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Click here to read the latest edition of The Messenger!
The post Messenger- Spring 2022 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
By Sal Nuzzo | Tuesday, 17 May 2022 05:13 AM With Florida on the cusp of hurricane season, all eyes are on the Sunshine State’s homeowners’ insurance market, which is in a crisis with national implications. As the state continues to welcome 800-plus new residents daily from high-tax big-government states like New York and Illinois, the prosperity the [...]
The post Nuzzo: DeSantis to Fight Litigation Driving Homeowners Insurance Crisis appeared first on James Madison Institute.
The Department of Labor and Sen. Elizabeth Warren have strong opinions about Fidelity’s new 401K option ANDREA O'SULLIVAN | 5.10.2022 8:30 AM Bitcoin has emerged as an attractive savings option in a time of creeping global inflation and general uncertainty—to say nothing of the situation facing the stock market. Like gold, this scarce digital asset can serve as a hedge [...]
The post Why Are the Feds So Mad About Bitcoin Retirement Investing? appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI's Dr. Bob McClure and Sal Nuzzo discuss the Roe v. Wade leaked draft decision, the rise of property insurance rates in Florida, the White House correspondence dinner, the latest Tony Hawk documentary on Netflix, and Elon Musk.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 16 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Sal Nuzzo snuzzo@jamesmadison.org 850-386-3131 JMI Announces New Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs Tallahassee, Fla.- The James Madison Institute congratulates Logan Elizabeth Padgett as she is promoted to Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs for the Institute. “As JMI grows and expands our presence both in Florida and beyond, [...]
The post JMI Announces New Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs appeared first on James Madison Institute.
by J. Robert McClure III | May 03, 2022 09:58 AM Twitter is atwitter with the news that maverick billionaire Elon Musk is set to buy the microblogging platform outright. Musk has big intentions for Twitter, which he plans to take private and exert direct control over. The move has been welcomed by free speech advocates [...]
The post Elon Musk faces uphill battle to make Twitter more free appeared first on James Madison Institute.
BY VICTOR V. CLAAR MAY 1, 2022 I was born in 1965. Technically that makes me a Gen Xer, but barely. A year earlier and I’d be among the last of the baby boomers. Because I have lived a relatively long life, so far, I can understand what life looked like for Americans like my parents [...]
The post Historic advancements in home labor: Generational perspective on the growth of opportunity appeared first on James Madison Institute.
In the culture war, figuring out how much government is too much government April 22, 2022 | 1:33 pm Written by: Taylor Millard The Walt Disney Company is going to need some special magic following two losses in the Florida state legislature. Florida’s House and Senate passed laws this week ending Disney’s self-governing special district [...]
The post Will DeSantis’s revenge on Disney work? appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI's Dr. Bob McClure and Sal Nuzzo discuss the special session on redistricting, the Governor's announcement to remove Disney's special taxing district status, Florida judge striking down CDC mask mandates, the push for private companies like Starbucks, Amazon, and Apple to unionize, the border crisis in [...]
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 15 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Proposed EU rules would be equivalent to tracking all cash transactions As inflation and economic disruption increase around the world, ostensibly stable governments look to increase controls on cryptocurrency. In particular, states loathe what they call "unhosted wallets," meaning cryptocurrency that is totally owned and maintained by an individual, as opposed to a regulated business [...]
The post Reason: Europe Targets Self-Hosted Bitcoin Wallets—and Financial Privacy appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Susan Hildebrand EVENTS AND LOGISTICS MANAGER REQUEST THIS SPEAKER REQUEST AN INTERVIEW Susan Hildebrand serves as the Events and Logistics Manager for The James Madison Institute. She is responsible for the creation of event concepts and budgets, contract negotiations, and overall event planning and execution. Susan is a native of [...]
The post appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 19, 2022 CONTACT: Logan Elizabeth Padgett (850)386-3131 STATEMENT RELEASE: JMI Adds New Events and Logistics Manager to Team Tallahassee- This week, The James Madison Institute added a new staff member to our team. Susan Hildebrand has been hired at the Events and Logistics Manager. Susan Hildebrand serves as the Events and [...]
The post JMI Adds New Events and Logistics Manager appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On this episode of Spill the Tea, JMI's Bob McClure and Sal Nuzzo discuss the upcoming Tax Day, the NCAA basketball champions, the Russia vs. Ukraine conflict, gas prices, Disney, and other topics in politics, culture, and news.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 14 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Florida has a history as a policy laboratory It is best known as the home of “Florida Man”, infamous for oddball residents committing dubious deeds involving alligators and the like. Yet Florida has a record of creating policies that catch on elsewhere. An early example came in 1889, when it became the first state to [...]
The post The Economist: A peninsula that makes waves in policy formation appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Cryptocurrencies are not the threat to U.S. financial power the elites want to present. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, that crusader against big banks, is no fan of bitcoin. Whether because of the environment, the economy, or most recently: international sanctions against Russia, the self-styled protector of the little guy does not want us to have uncontrolled [...]
The post Reason: Bitcoin Won’t Help Russia Bypass World Sanctions appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Taxpayers are clearly benefiting from education choice, along with Florida families and students. A recent study of the rhetorical intensity of school choice debates by Harvard-educated researcher Jason Bedrick confirms Taylor Swift’s lyrical observation that “haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.” Bedrick found that any legislative attempt to expand education options to needy families routinely comes under blistering attack, [...]
The post Florida Politics: When it comes to school choice, ‘haters gonna hate’ appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, Sal Nuzzo and Bob McClure discuss Tom Brady coming out of retirement, the confirmation hearings of Judge Kentanji Brown Jackson, Lia Thomas, a new SEC proposal to require publicly traded companies to report greenhouse gas emissions, Daylight Savings Time, March Madness and much more. [...]
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 13 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
The president's anticipated executive order stopped short of feared regulations but suggests federal unease with uncontrolled development. One of the surest fire ways for a government to look like it's doing something is to commission a report. President Joe Biden's hotly anticipated executive order on cryptocurrency released last week was chock full of such time-buying busywork for [...]
The post Reason: Biden Has His Eye on Bitcoin appeared first on James Madison Institute.
There’s a lot about politics, economics and culture that seems eerily reminiscent of the 1970s right now. For starters, ABBA has a new album. We’re, again, playing foreign-policy chess with Russia. In the ‘70s, Russia — then the Soviet Union — invaded Afghanistan, leading to a U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics. Today, Russia has [...]
The post News Press: Guest opinion: It may feel like the 1970s, but let’s not bring back 1970s economic policies appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Statement from The James Madison Institute’s President and CEO Dr. Robert McClure on the passing of Bob Williams: On Tuesday evening, the country lost a patriot and the conservative movement lost a giant in the battle for liberty. Bob Williams was the Founder and Senior Fellow of the Freedom Foundation and a nationally recognized expert [...]
The post STATEMENT RELEASE: The James Madison Institute Honors the Life of Bob Williams appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMarch 14, 2022CONTACTLogan Elizabeth Padgett850-386-3131 THE JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE APPLAUDS THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE ON 2022 SESSION ACCOMPLISHMENTS TALLAHASSEE – With the passage of a $112 billion state budget, the Florida Legislature concluded the 2022 session and adjourned “sine die” on Monday.We congratulate Speaker Chris Sprowls, President Wilton Simpson, and the members of the [...]
The post STATEMENT RELEASE: The James Madison Institute Applauds The Florida Legislature On 2022 Session Accomplishments appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Click here to read the full PDF.
The post Florida Voters Want to Protect Public Employees’ First Amendment Rights appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On this episode of Spill the Tea, Bob and Sal discuss the Russia vs. Ukraine conflict, the State of Union address, the MLB collective bargaining issue, an update on the 2022 Florida Legislative Session, Tik Tok, Wordle, and other topics.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 12 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
For some union leaders, however, the prospect of change is jarring. Florida has a consistent and laudable record of protecting public employees from union coercion. And the Sunshine State has long ensured that workers, whether in the public or private sector, cannot be fired for withdrawing from a union. But now our state’s employee protections [...]
The post Bob Rommel, Sal Nuzzo: Schooling teachers’ unions on workplace freedom appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On this episode of Spill the Tea, Dr. Bob McClure and guest host Bill Mattox give an update on the 2022 Florida Legislative Session and discuss the Russia/Ukraine conflict, the Winter Olympics, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other topics.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 11 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
The government controls on the traditional banking system also apply to custodial cryptocurrency services. Things are getting pretty wild up in Canada. While other countries are removing their COVID restrictions, our neighbors to the north have decided to invoke emergency powers to seize the bank accounts of those who oppose lockdowns and mandates. Meanwhile, state media is prowling through [...]
The post Reason: Bitcoin Can Fix Financial Deplatforming of Canada’s Truckers—But It Won’t Be Easy appeared first on James Madison Institute.
February 16, 2022 Florida Trend, the Sunshine State’s highly respected “Business Authority,” has joined the “Decision 2022: Before You Vote” televised debate project as a key partner in the planned general election faceoffs this fall for Governor and U.S. Senator. The longest-running televised debate project in Florida’s modern history expects national interest in the debates [...]
The post STATEMENT RELEASE: Florida Trend Joins Partnership for “Before You Vote” Televised Debate Project in Races for Governor, U.S. Senate appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI's Bob McClure and Sal Nuzzo discuss a Florida Legislative Session update, Joe Rogan, Whoopi Goldberg and cancel culture, the upcoming Superbowl, and the hypocrisy surrounding Covid-19 and politicians.
The post Spill the Tea: Episode 10 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
The Olympics are here again! So soon? It's not your imagination: the 2020 games in Japan wrapped up in 2021 due to COVID postponement. And speaking of COVID, the 2022 games are in China. The Chinese Communist Party is certainly hoping to spiff up their image after these bruising past two years, and I don't [...]
The post Dear Olympics Media: Please Spare Us Your Fawning Over China’s Digital Surveillance appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Buyers and sellers are able to make informed decisions and act in a manner best suiting their needs — this is free market capitalism at its core. One of the single most fundamental elements of our economic success is the notion of property rights. Combined with free market capitalism and the rule of law, they [...]
The post Tampa Bay Times: When I buy a ticket to a game or concert, I should be able to resell it appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Millions of Americans used telehealth for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic and polling consistently shows that patients remain likely to use it in the future. A recent survey found that 63% of respondents who had used telehealth plan to increase their use even after the pandemic ends. The rapid rise in telehealth adoption was enabled by [...]
The post Real Clear Policy: Make Regulatory Reforms to Keep Expanded Access to Care appeared first on James Madison Institute.
In the November issue, I suggested that one key to business success is treating others well: offering customers a better value proposition than they can find elsewhere and offering employees more attractive employment than they can find elsewhere. Otherwise, customers vanish, and they don’t tell their friends about their great experience. And employees quit. And [...]
The post Gulfshore Business: To will the good: Let economics make you more loving appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Florida’s future rests on the rights of parents to choose what schools best fit the needs of their children. We believe that parents, not administrators, should hold the power to decide and to determine where, when, and at what institution their child or children will attend for their education. We also know that each child [...]
The post Miami’s school-choice partnership will strengthen Florida’s tech economy | Opinion appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Click here to read the full PDF What is a regulatory sandbox? A regulatory sandbox is a tailored environment in which innovative businesses can experiment with new products and services and fast-track cutting-edge technologies to market with the guidance and advice of regulatory experts.[1] Prospective businesses fill out an application detailing their idea, the risks [...]
The post Fast Facts: Florida Should Consider an Industry-Neutral Regulatory Sandbox appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI's Sal Nuzzo and Logan Padgett discuss Covid-19 restrictions for kids, the 2022 Florida session, WWIII, the IRS, The NFL playoffs, what they're binging on Netflix and other topics.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 9 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
A House Energy Subcommittee Hearing entertains dangerous and disingenuous rhetoric against technologies for freedom. If you are a government that wants to stop bitcoin, what can you do? Can you make people think it is killing the planet? Authoritarian governments try. The Chinese Communist Party—ever the tree-huggers—clamped down on cryptocurrency last year in part because of [...]
The post Reason: Authoritarian Governments Ban Bitcoin Mining. The U.S. Shouldn’t Join Them. appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 10, 2021 CONTACT: Logan Elizabeth Padgett 850-386-3131 JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE RELEASES NEW REPORT ON INSURANCE REFORM TALLAHASSEE – The James Madison Institute (JMI) has released a new report entitled “Battening Down: Policy Reforms to Avoid a Florida Insurance Meltdown” examining the rise in Florida’s insurance costs and detailing several recommendations [...]
The post STATEMENT RELEASE: JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE RELEASES NEW REPORT ON INSURANCE REFORM appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Facing a national surge in homicide rates, police departments — now more than ever — must be adequately equipped to respond to crime in a manner most effective to protect the public. This means ensuring officers have the resources and bandwidth to focus on the most serious crimes. With the Legislative Session beginning this week, [...]
The post Sal Nuzzo: Protecting public safety in 2022 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Even though he does not always drink Dos Equis, Bart Danielsen is quite possibly the Most Interesting Man in the World of Education Policy today. Or at least the Most Unlikely Man. Danielsen is a business school professor who specializes in real estate. He’s an expert in housing patterns, not pedagogical practices. And when Danielsen [...]
The post Gainesville Sun: Unlikely scholar discovers way to revitalize neighborhoods, schools appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Happy 2022! On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, JMI's Bob McClure and William Mattox talk about JMI's latest research in school choice, Governor DeSantis' State of the State, Covid-19 restrictions in Ireland vs Florida, Novak Djokovic, the Golden Globes, the NFL playoffs, and other topics.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 8 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
The U.S. dominated the mining marketplace in 2021. It's something of a running joke that China bans bitcoin every year. It's not hard to see why the famously centralized Chinese state might look askance at a fundamentally decentralized and uncontrollable tool for monetary sovereignty, especially at a time when the CCP is rolling out its much-vaunted "digital [...]
The post China’s Bitcoin Crackdown Is Good For America appeared first on James Madison Institute.
You are our last line of defense. On Dec. 28, prior to heading out for the holiday long weekend, President Joe Biden did something that very few politicians do when confronted with a difficult reality. In this case, he was asked a question about his administration’s response to the latest wave of COVID-19 spread impacting [...]
The post J. Robert McClure: Five words of encouragement for Florida policymakers appeared first on James Madison Institute.
By Christian Cámara Click here to read the full PDF. INTRODUCTION Florida’s pro-growth business environment, as well as its climate, low taxes, and position as the gateway to Latin America have encouraged the flow of people and capital into the state and created enviable levels of economic and population growth. In 2014 Florida surpassed New [...]
The post “Battening Down: Policy Reforms to Avoid a Florida Insurance Meltdown” appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Migration to Florida — America’s Promised Land — is being fueled in part by a very interesting factor: school choice. An exodus is underway from New York City and its surrounding environs. Many Jews are leaving the Big Apple and moving to the Sunshine State. And their migration to Florida — America’s Promised Land — [...]
The post Florida Politics: William Mattox: Making Florida the new ‘promised land’ for education-minded families appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 4, 2022 CONTACT: Logan Elizabeth Padgett 850-386-3131 JAMES MADISON INSTITUTE RELEASES NEW REPORT ON SCHOOL CHOICE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TALLAHASSEE – The James Madison Institute (JMI) has released a new report entitled Becoming America’s ‘Education Destination’ detailing how universal K-12 scholarships can brighten Florida’s future. The report, written by JMI’s Director [...]
The post STATEMENT RELEASE: NEW REPORT ON SCHOOL CHOICE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Click here to read the full policy brief An exodus is underway from New York City and its surrounding environs. Many members of the Jewish community are leaving the Big Apple and moving to the Sunshine State. And their migration to Florida – America’s Promised Land – is being fueled in part by a single [...]
The post Becoming America’s ‘Education Destination:’ How Universal Scholarships Can Brighten Florida’s Future appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Florida’s elected officials continue to prove that they are true leaders and champions in protecting the safety and business interests of our state — this time as it relates to the questionable alignment and investments of American companies directly with the Chinese government. For far too long, the federal government has not appropriately held China [...]
The post Orlando Sentinel: DeSantis, Rubio standing up to fight foreign influence | Commentary appeared first on James Madison Institute.
December 22, 2021 Contacts: Jim Fogler (845)219-9400 Dr. J. Robert McClure (850)509-2111 “Before You Vote” Statewide Televised Debate Project Returns for 2022 Cycle With Planned General Election One-hour Specials in Races for Governor, U.S. Senate Less than one year from Florida’s exciting 2022 general election, a diverse and dynamic coalition of nonprofit, nonpartisan organizations today [...]
The post Joint Release: “Before You Vote” Statewide Televised Debate Project Returns for 2022 Cycle With Planned General Election One-hour Specials in Races for Governor, U.S. Senate appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Politicians attack dollar-backed cryptocurrencies called “stablecoins” and the decentralized finance it enables. The United States federal government is pretty insecure these days. Inflation is high, discontent higher, and no one is quite sure how to sort out our monetary mess. Government agents will not examine their bad choices and change course. They will instead lash out at "wreckers" [...]
The post As U.S. Establishment Fails Financially, Leaders Try to Make Cryptocurrencies the Scapegoat appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On this episode of Spill the Tea, Sal and Bob talk about their favorite Christmas movies, inflation, the Omicron variant, new Covid-19 restrictions for kids in NYC, college football playoffs, National Signing Day, Urban Meyer, and more.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 7 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
WhatsApp and iMessage are not as private as you might think. Most message apps tout their privacy features in some way. It is common to hear marketing language about "end-to-end encryption" and "private messaging" for basically every communications app out there. While it's great that encryption has become a selling point for the public, not [...]
The post Reason: Secret Documents Show Which Message Apps Are the Most FBI-Proof appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On this episode of Spill the Tea, Dr. Bob McClure and Logan Padgett talk about real Christmas trees vs. fake trees, the price of gasoline, birth rates declining for the sixth year in a row, the Great Resignation, the Omicron Covid-19 variant, and other topics.
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 6 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Meet the new hype cycle about new tools for online decentralization. Technological improvements have tended to follow a predictable pattern of initial excitement, subsequent disappointment, and eventual resurgence called a hype cycle. First, a new technology is dreamed or introduced, and suddenly everyone can't stop talking about how it is going to change everything forever. These [...]
The post Reason: What Is Web3 and Why Is Everyone Suddenly Talking About It? appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On the latest episode of Spill the Tea, Dr. Robert McClure and Sal Nuzzo discuss the Florida Legislature's Special Session on vaccine mandate bans, the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, inflation, the cost of a turkey in 2020 vs. 2021, whether it's acceptable to decorate for Christmas prior to Thanksgiving, the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, and [...]
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 5 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
By J. Robert McClure III November 18, 2021 Daniel Webster didn’t know Valentin Mendez when Webster was elected in 1996 as the first Republican Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives since reconstruction. He couldn’t have known him – because Valentin hadn’t been born yet. But the designation of Speaker Webster, a result of Republicans taking the majority in the Florida House, would [...]
The post A Quarter Century of Conservative Florida Governance Points to This Moment appeared first on James Madison Institute.
The United States Government controls a sprawling financial surveillance system that attracts little notice or mention outside of industry and policy circles. The roots of this surveillance infrastructure were seeded in the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, which initially intended to clamp down on money laundering but has since expanded to encompass matters such as terrorist [...]
The post Metaculus Journal: What Is the Future of American Financial Surveillance? appeared first on James Madison Institute.
The timing seems perfect. Should I seek to get a Bright Futures scholarship? It’s one of the first questions that a Florida high school student asks when thoughts turn toward college. And while there are three variations of these scholarships — the Academic, the Medallion, and the Gold Seal Vocational — every Floridian knows the [...]
The post Florida Politics: Let’s rename Florida’s K-12 scholarships for Mary McLeod Bethune appeared first on James Madison Institute.
As the election results in Virginia and elsewhere demonstrate, many parents are upset with how American history and civics are being taught in schools. And it’s hard to blame them. Some feel we are tearing down our nation’s past. Others believe we are not doing enough to tell the history of all Americans, particularly those [...]
The post Heritage: Solving the Civics Crisis Begins at Home appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Businesses have strong incentives to treat others well. Think first about how a business serves customers. A business will never succeed if it’s not relentlessly thinking about how to care for existing and future customers even more effectively than it or its competitors do currently. Many newv entures fail because they ignore one simple requirement: [...]
The post Gulfshore Business: What Should Caring Businesses Care About? appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On this episode of Spill the Tea, JMI's Sal Nuzzo and special guest Logan Padgett discuss the 2022 Election Day results from the Virginia Governor's race, along with Seattle's police abolitionist local races and a ballot amendment in Minneapolis to eliminate the police department. Sal and Logan also talked about new Florida Governor's race [...]
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 4 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Click here to read the latest edition of The Messenger!
The post 2021 Messenger- Edition 2 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
A good way to know you’re living through high inflation is when you’re discouraged from talking about it. I hope you squirreled away that cool 16 cents you saved on your Fourth of July barbeque this year. Across the board, prices seem to be going up, up, up. Gas is more expensive (up 42.7 percent). [...]
The post Reason: Beware People Trying to Dismiss Jack Dorsey’s Inflation Analysis as Disinformation appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOctober 28, 2021CONTACTLogan Elizabeth Padgett850-386-3131 JMI RELEASES FALL 2021 EDITION OF THE JOURNAL TALLAHASSEE- Today, The James Madison Institute released the Fall 2021 edition of The Journal, JMI's annual publication of articles from all policy areas that align with JMI's efforts. This latest edition of The Journal focuses on the future of Florida. It includes 24 individual [...]
The post STATEMENT RELEASE: JMI Releases Fall 2021 Edition Of The Journal appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Fall 2021| Number 64 Click here to read the full PDF version of The Journal Cover Story A Dedication to George Gibbs By: Dr. J Robert McClure The 'Big Sort' Is On Christopher C. Hull COVID, Crime, and Cost are driving Americans to Florida. Will the Sunshine State’s newcomers leave their old state’s politics behind? [...]
The post The 2021 Journal appeared first on James Madison Institute.
In our world of touch-free payments and digital wallets, many take cash for granted. It’s slow, it can be lost, and it doesn’t even have a rewards program. Some businesses have stopped accepting cash altogether, perhaps because it is seen as cumbersome and unnecessary. We should push against the move to a cashless society. Dollar [...]
The post Democrats’ Cash Protection Plan Has Something for Everyone appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On this episode of Spill the Tea, JMI's Dr. Robert McClure and Sal Nuzzo discuss the 2022 Gubernatorial race, the Biden admin's IRS proposal, the Jacksonville Jaguar's first win, Kyrie Irving, Allison Williams, Rich Rolovich, and other's pushing back against vaccine mandates. Sal and Dr. McClure also discuss inflation and the U.S. Post Office's [...]
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 3 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
With “keyword warrants,” anyone who queries certain terms on search engines will get caught in the surveillance dragnet. It's been 20 years since 9/11, which means it's also been 20 years since America's public debates about government surveillance under laws like the PATRIOT Act. It's a bit amusing to look back and see commentators clashing [...]
The post The Government’s Secret ‘Google Search’ Warrant Trap appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Our message for Florida’s policymakers as they return — keep your foot on the gas. Taylor Ann Drew was an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) employed by a local hospital in Tallahassee when the Florida Legislature passed two specific policy reforms that changed the course of her career. In 2018, the Legislature passed Direct Primary Care, [...]
The post Sal Nuzzo: Policymakers, keep your foot on the gas … appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 11, 2021 CONTACT: Logan Elizabeth Padgett lpadgett@jamesmadison.org (850)386-3131 STATEMENT RELEASE: JMI Releases 2022 Policy Priorities Today, The James Madison Institute released its 2022 Policy Priorities, which detail a robust and visionary set of initiatives for the next year that reinforce our principles of limited government and economic liberty. The 2021 Florida [...]
The post STATEMENT RELEASE: JMI Releases 2022 Policy Priorities appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Click here to read the full list of JMI's 2022 Policy Priorities! 2022 JMI Policy Priorities The Future IS Florida… Turning the page from 2020 to 2021, it wouldn’t have been out of line to feel a sense of relief or optimism for the onset of a new year and to plan for a return [...]
The post 2022 Policy Priorities appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On this episode of Spill the Tea, JMI's Dr. Robert McClure and Sal Nuzzo discuss California's decision to mandate vaccines for kids to attend public school, Senator Lauren Book's bill to repeal the tax on diapers, the harassment of Senator Krysten Sinema in a public restroom because of her position on Biden's "Build Back [...]
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 2 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 4, 2021CONTACT Emerson W. George 850-386-3131 emerson@jamesmadison.org TALLAHASSEE – Today, following the announcement of First Lady DeSantis’ breast cancer diagnosis, the policy team at The James Madison Institute released the following statements in support of Florida’s First Lady: “First Lady DeSantis has been steadfast in her fight for the women of [...]
The post STATEMENT RELEASE: JMI Policy Team Release Statements in Support of Casey DeSantis’ Breast Cancer Diagnosis appeared first on James Madison Institute.
Recently, I read Leon County Commissioner Kristin Dozier’s column discussing the proposal to use $20 million of taxpayer dollars, through Blueprint 2020, for improvements to Doak Campbell Stadium. Dozier was joined by three other members of the Blueprint Agency in opposing the request, which ultimately was approved by the full board. In her column, she [...]
The post Blueprint vote was a political outcome orchestrated by a political process | Opinion appeared first on James Madison Institute.
On this episode of Spill the Tea, Sal and Bob talk about Governor DeSantis' announcement to end FSA testing and Common Core, upsets in week three of college football, out-of-touch celebrities at the Met Gala, and the lack of masks at the Emmys. Make sure to subscribe to get notification of future episodes! [...]
The post Spill the Tea- Episode 1 appeared first on James Madison Institute.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 15, 2021 CONTACT Logan Elizabeth Padgett 850-386-3131 JMI RELEASES NEW EDITION OF 'CELEBRATE FREEDOM' CIVICS CURRICULUM TALLAHASSEE – Today, The James Madison Institute (JMI) released the newest edition of its civics education curriculum Celebrate Freedom in partnership with the Tampa Bay Times Newspaper in Education (NIE) and the Florida Press Education Services, Inc. JMI released the 12-page [...]
The post STATEMENT RELEASE: JMI Releases New Edition of Celebrate Freedom Civics Curriculum appeared first on James Madison Institute.