In case you missed it…

Education:

Legislators are weighing the possibility of decentralizing the Clark County School District, by adopting a so-called “empowerment” model for 357 public schools. The empowerment model gives individual schools more autonomy over their budgets and curriculum, encouraging more parental involvement and restricting centralized planning from CCSD headquarters. (Read more)

Fiscal and taxes:

We hear plenty about the $19 trillion national debt — but there’s another number that should be on everyone’s mind: $3.4 trillion. That’s how much America’s public sector pension plans are estimated to have in unfunded liabilities. According to a study from the Hoover Institution, without substantive reform to the system this massive funding hole threatens to pull countless municipalities and states into Detroit-style bankruptcy. (Read more)

Economic development:

Electric car company Faraday Futures finally broke ground on their new manufacturing plant in the Apex industrial park this week. Despite the fanfare and glowing press coverage, it is worth pointing out that the company’s projected release date for a commercially available electric car has been moved from 2017, to sometime “in the next couple of years.” (Read more)

Small business and job creation:

When it takes eight times as long to become a make-up artist than an EMT in Nevada, something is wrong. Licensing requirements are a barrier to entering the workforce — especially for low-income workers. Hairdressers, make-up artists and even interior decorators are just a few of the careers that require government licensure. Even more outrageous than the over-regulation of relatively harmless industries, is the absurd and often arbitrary amount of time and money required to obtain government approval. (Read more)

Healthcare:

Health insurance providers are warning that losses related to Obamacare reforms are becoming unsustainable. “Either insurers will drop out [of Obamacare exchanges] or insurers will raise premiums,” said Larry Levitt with the Kaiser Family Foundation. Massive spikes in premium costs are expected next year, giving regulators for the “Affordable Care Act” significant reason to worry about the system’s overall sustainability. (Read more)

Sharon J. Rossie

NPRI President