Webinar: Impact on Agriculture
Webinar: Impact on Agriculture
Click here to download slides from the program in PDF format. The program may also be viewed and shared on Facebook and YouTube.
Jim Vokal Speaks with White House Office on CARES Act
Jim Vokal Speaks with White House Office on CARES Act
Today, I had the privilege and opportunity to participate in a White House “Listening Session” with the Office of American Innovation. Along with five other state think tank leaders, I was asked to provide feedback to the White House on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis as well the needed recovery efforts. Specifically, I was...
Nebraska’s Job Creation Emergency
Nebraska’s Job Creation Emergency
All over the country, governors used executive orders to reduce health care licensing restrictions in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Regulatory changes included waiving fees, granting recognition of out-of-state medical personnel licenses, allowing immediate licensure for students who had not quite completed their clinical program, and waiving certain testing requirements for nursing assistants. This temporary...
Flexibility for CARES Act gaining momentum in Congress
Flexibility for CARES Act gaining momentum in Congress
The CARES Act has received criticism since its enactment in late March, however, there is a growing consensus of lawmakers seeing that a change is needed to the original legislation. As written, the CARES Act only allows its $150 billion in aid to states and local governments to be used for new spending, not to...
Jobs Report Shows National Unemployment Impact
Jobs Report Shows National Unemployment Impact
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its Employment Situation Summary today, and the results are what we expected (for the month of April). Number of unemployed persons rose by 15.9 million to 23.1 million in April Unemployment rate rose to 14.7% (that’s a jump of 10.3 percentage points) Largest over-the-month increase in the history of the survey...
Platte Institute Coalition Letter Mentioned on C-SPAN
Platte Institute Coalition Letter Mentioned on C-SPAN
The Platte Institute and North Carolina-based John Locke Foundation are leading a coalition of states to encourage Congress to amend the CARES Act. This would provide states and local governments more flexibility with the federal relief dollars. Kokai offered these comments during an April 25, 2020, appearance on C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal.”
Nebraska-Iowa Rivalry on Display in Federal Relief Proposals
Nebraska-Iowa Rivalry on Display in Federal Relief Proposals
Last week Nebraska’s Representative Don Bacon (R) filed legislation aimed at helping local governments utilize the funding already allocated to states under the previously enacted CARES Acts. His bill, properly named the FLEX Act, gives states the flexibility they need (and many have asked for) to combat this crisis without spending more money. This coincides with a coalition...
Webinar: The CARES Act and Taxes
Webinar: The CARES Act and Taxes
Download the slides from this webinar in PDF format. The program may also be viewed and shared on Facebook and YouTube.
Responding to the COVID-19 Crisis: the Next 90 Days
Responding to the COVID-19 Crisis: the Next 90 Days
Our Goal: Protect the health, safety, and economic opportunity of all Nebraskans. Our Approach: As Nebraska’s Directed Health Measures are eased, working Nebraskans will need new and safe opportunities in a changed economy. For Nebraska to experience a full economic recovery, it will require a fertile environment for new businesses to start and existing firms...
How Much Money Is Coming to Nebraska?
How Much Money Is Coming to Nebraska?
It is a question many have been asking since Congress passed the historic CARES Act at the end of March. Since then there have been two other relief packages for a total cost of more than $2 trillion. But just exactly how much is being sent to Nebraska? Well, that is an important question on...
Thank You for “CAREing!”
Thank You for “CAREing!”
On March 27, President Trump signed the CARES Act into law, providing $2 trillion in financial aid to families and businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. $150 billion of this $2 trillion was allocated to states. The CARES Act specifies that the $150 billion in funds may be used for emergency expenses or for newly...
On Mask-Wearing, Rights, and Responsibilities
On Mask-Wearing, Rights, and Responsibilities
I thought the Omaha World-Herald got it right in this editorial highlighting the importance of wearing a mask in public during the health crisis. Wearing a mask to prevent the spread of illness seemed foreign to most Americans prior to COVID-19, and now with the political debates rising from the various state and local economic shutdowns, some...
Webinar: Laura Ebke, Institute for Justice & Goldwater Institute on Licensing Reform
Webinar: Laura Ebke, Institute for Justice & Goldwater Institute on Licensing Reform
Laura Ebke joins Meagan Forbes from the Institute for Justice and Heather Curry of the Goldwater Institute to discuss job licensing reforms in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Webinar: Laura Ebke and Shoshana Weissmann on Post-COVID Recovery
Webinar: Laura Ebke and Shoshana Weissmann on Post-COVID Recovery
Platte Institute Senior Fellow for Job Licensing Reform Laura Ebke joined a recent webcast along with R Street Institute’s Shoshana Weissmann as the two discussed the landscape for job licensing and regulatory reform in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.