President Trump is working with Congressional leaders to produce one “big beautiful bill” that will set the tax and spending baselines for a decade. The bill would be enacted through the Senate’s budget reconciliation process, likely along slim partisan lines. Such a federal package would likely contain a complement of policies, from tax changes to...
The “Nebraska Technology & Freedom Policy Primer” is a document designed to analyze and enhance the technology policy landscape in Nebraska. This AI-driven primer comprehensively examines the technological ecosystem, identifying challenges and proposing solutions. Its goal is to foster innovation, economic growth, and the development of a talented workforce. As the first of its kind...
The Frasier Institute recently published its Economic Freedom of North American 2024 report. The study looks at indices of economic freedom from around the world. It compiles them into scorings of economic freedom that can compare states within their countries and across country borders. For instance, one set of scores allows us to compare Nebraska,...
This week, the Government Committee will hear the last of our GOAT (Government Oversight, Accountability, and Transparency) bills. LB662, carried by Senator Andersen, is identified as a “Federal Funds Inventory.” The bill would require annual reporting of federal funds received by agencies participating in the state budget process. The report would require the agency to...
The Platte Institute has joined with six state senators to roll out a package of bills aimed at modernizing and streamlining Nebraska’s regulatory environment to be as efficient and accountable as possible. The GOAT (an acronym for Government Oversight Accountability and Transparency) is a bipartisan effort of senators representing urban and rural districts around the...
As we approached the 2025 Legislative session, the Platte Institute commissioned some polling to see whether Nebraskans were with us on one of our 2025 priorities: regulatory modernization and reform. We asked questions similar to those asked in a survey another policy institute asked in Wisconsin, found here. We wanted to compare the results in...
Check out our new video to see how the Platte Institute is advocating for a state style REINS Act in Nebraska. In Nebraska, our strong communities and thriving economy depend on a regulatory system that empowers growth, innovation, and opportunity—not one bogged down by unnecessary red tape. But every year, new rules and mandates are...
The Platte Institute began its work in occupational licensing policy in earnest in 2016. Our 2018 review highlighted the many reasons for improving the licensing environment for Nebraskans seeking employment. In 2018, the Platte Institute celebrated the passage of LB299, the Occupational Board Reform Act (OBRA), which has since seen the review of every occupational...
Nebraska was an early mover in regulatory reform, but there is still room for improvement. The State RegData project, in a first-of-its-kind inventory of state regulations, found that in 2017, the state of Nebraska had 100,627 regulatory restrictions on the books—that is, terms within regulatory text that create legal obligations or prohibitions, such as the...
Ratemaking is one of the oldest and most important responsibilities of many Public Service Commissions (PSCs) around the US. While the issue isn’t as important as other regulatory tools for the Nebraska Public Service Commission (NePSC) due to the state’s size and the commission’s limited jurisdiction, this research note will provide an overview of ratemaking...
Last week, the Mercatus Center of George Mason University released its 2024 edition of “Snapshots of State Regulations.” As with most rating systems, this allows states to compare themselves to other states and examine particular strengths and weaknesses in their systems. These strengths and weaknesses explain good and bad rankings and provide focus areas for...
While there are many aspects of institutional design to consider with Public Service Commissions (PSCs), like jurisdiction, responsibilities, and agency structure, the commissioner selection process is the most important because it affects who leads the agencies. Should decision-makers be representatives of the people’s will, political appointees who understand the broader system, or knowledgeable technocrats? State...
The Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) traces its roots to the Nebraska Board of Railroad Commissioners (which two years later became the Board of Transportation), an agency created by the legislature in 1885 to investigate claims of unfair practices by railroads in the state. The Nebraska State Railway Commission was established by constitutional amendment in...
The last couple of weeks of June is often a time of great interest for those who watch the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) because they mark the release of the final decisions for cases that were heard during the court term. The Court begins hearing cases for the term in October, and...