I’m frustrated – again. It’s the time of year when we are all braving the heat and the release of countless budgets across the state. And the majority of the elected officials crafting and approving budgets are making the case not only for a Special Legislative Session to reduce property taxes, but reinforcing my number...
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...
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of research notes compiled by Platte’s second summer intern this year, Alexander Endorf, exploring the history and jurisdiction of the Public Service Commission in Nebraska. What are Public Service Commissions? Public service commissions, also called public utilities commissions or corporation commissions, are quasi-judicial agencies that regulate...
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...
The purpose of Platte Institute’s tax vision document is to lay out the principles that Platte Institute believes should guide the ongoing property tax reform efforts. First, we will lay out actions to avoid with explanation. Then we will argue for accomplishing fundamental policy deliverables that are necessary for the successful delivery of property tax...
A decade ago, Florida was far from the model for economic freedom from regulatory burden. The state ranked 8th among 44 states with 168,795 regulatory restrictions according to a review of states with the highest regulation count done by the Mercatus Institute at George Mason University. Florida now leads the nation in migration gains, even...
As previously discussed, economic statements are crucial for quantifying the impact of regulations and ensuring that state agencies thoroughly evaluate all options and understand the downsides before regulating the state’s economy. Furthermore, these reports should be independently reviewed to verify the legitimacy of the agencies’ findings. Texas, unsurprisingly, hits all the positive marks for impact...
Editor’s Note: As the 5th of 7 planned research notes by our summer intern, Stephen Trainer, this post discusses the concept of regulatory sandboxes. The Platte Institute has supported several regulatory sandbox efforts, including a comprehensive one (which would cover multiple industries) and the most recent one (LB587 in 2023/24), which provides for an “insuretech...
A few states outside the midwest provide promising templates for regulatory reform and modernization, a pressing issue for Nebraska. Idaho and Virginia notably embarked on a mission to unshackle citizens from a growing administrative state, as discussed by a Mercatus Study in 2019. Six years ago, Virginia passed the Regulatory Reform Pilot Program that tasked...
First introduced in 2009 and subsequently passed by the US House of Representatives in 2023, the REINS Act, formally known as the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act, represents a legislative endeavor to augment Congressional oversight concerning federal regulations with substantial economic ramifications. Specifically, it aims to empower Congress to assert greater...
The primary autoregulative process when state agencies begin promulgating rules and regulations is the cost-benefit analysis (CBA). Despite having many names across states, the CBA or impact statement is an important system in which agencies self-evaluate the effectiveness and scope of a proposed rule’s regulatory impact on business and government. Moreover, these reports play an...
Note: This Research Note is the first in a planned series of notes by Platte’s summer interns. Despite sharing a border, Iowa and Nebraska diverge on many legislative topics, especially the regulatory review process. Iowa has been noted to have “one of the best-designed review structures in the country,” according to the Institute for Policy...
Nebraska banks play a key role in the state’s strong economic success by providing credit and other financial services to individuals, businesses and communities. Banks carefully manage risk and the needs of the customers and communities they serve when making lending decisions. Unfortunately, special interest groups have proposed using the heavy hand of government to...
Iowa’s spending restraint has allowed the Hawkeye State to accelerate previously-enacted tax reforms. Thanks to a package of new tax reforms, Iowa’s income tax will be lowered to a flat 3.8% beginning in 2025, far less than half the state’s 8.98% top rate when Iowa’s tax reforms began. The Hawkeye State’s accelerating tax relief adds...