In case you missed it…
Transparency
The Nevada Supreme Court on Wednesday heard oral arguments in NPRI’s lawsuit against the Nevada Public Employee Retirement System (PERS). The Institute was forced to sue in 2015 after PERS refused to disclose public-record information — just the most recent attempt by the agency to circumvent the letter and spirit of Nevada’s public record laws. NPRI Transparency Director Robert Fellner, at the hearing, said the court seemed to be receptive to the argument that the public is entitled to the information PERS has tried so hard to conceal. (Read more)
Fiscal and taxes
Ignoring objections from his own party, libertarian groups and the overwhelming majority of economists, President Donald Trump has decided to go forward with punitive tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. The unilateral executive action is being done under the color of “national security” — a precedent that some have not only questioned, but worry could prove to be a very slippery slope. Already, free-market proponents in Congress are trying to evaluate what, if anything, they might be able to do to undo Trump’s ill-advised tariffs. (Read more)
Cronyism
In a move that is not too distanced from satire, cities and states have fallen over themselves in the last year in an effort to lure Internet retailing giant Amazon into their respective communities. (Watch this video for Reason’s humorous take on the issue.) Las Vegas, eventually cut out of the running, was apparently no exception. According to public records, Vegas was willing to grant Amazon 84 acres in the city’s downtown, along with a slew of other goodies. (Read more)
Criminal justice
Bipartisanship is not dead. In Connecticut, at least one good policy proposal won widespread approval: A bill ending the use of civil asset forfeiture unless accompanied by a criminal conviction. Civil asset forfeiture is the practice in which law enforcement agencies are able to confiscate property they argue may be tied to a crime — even if no criminal charges are levied against the owner. Connecticut’s law — which won unanimous support in the House and Senate — is a major step toward ensuring due process rights for property owners. (Read more)
Labor unions
Why should employees have the right to opt-out of a union? Well, in short, it’s because public sector unions are inherently political, and no American should be forced to support a cause with which they disagree. (Watch the video)
Continuing series on special education
Don’t miss the latest installment of Fixing Special Ed, NPRI Senior VP Steve Miller’s in-depth series documenting the abuse, law-breaking and deception that too frequently now characterizes public school districts’ administration of special education. Part 4 reveals the record tampering, state and federal law violations and illegal actions the Clark County School District resorted to, in an effort to avoid accountability to parents and students. (Read the series here)