State Policy
Celebrating
15 Network
Years
1992-2007
Engaged Board
Accomplished Goals
DanN Mead Smith
This article was adapted from Dann
Mead Smith’s presentation at the
November 8-9, 2006 SPN Board Leader-
ship Training Conference in Charleston,
South Carolina.
When you consider the many keys to a successful orga-
nization, look no further than your board of directors.
When the Washington Policy Center (WPC) set out to
double its budget, staff and impact five years ago, having
a dedicated board was deemed essential. In retrospect,
now that we have accomplished our first set of goals, we
can confidently say the work and support of our board has
been instrumental to our achievements.
If you want a successful organization,
board members should be more
than just people you meet
with four times a year.
Be assured, there is not a “one-size fits all approach” on
how state think tanks should utilize their board members;
each organization is different. The same is true regarding
the number of board members you have. Currently WPC
has 25. That said, consider the following a case study. As I
have learned, if you want a successful organization, board
members should be more than just people you meet with
four times a year.
When we set out to double our staff of five and increase
our budget from $400,000 to $1 million, I recognized
Post Office Box 5208 • Richmond, California 94805-5208
Phone: (510) 965-9700 • Fax: (510) 965-9701 • spn@spn.org • www.spn.org
SPN News  January / February 2007
State Policy Network
Strategies for State Think Tanks - January / February 2007
that an active board could serve as an extension of our
small staff. We decided the best way to engage our
board members would be through active committees,
which I think is somewhat unique within the SPN com-
munity. Washington Policy Center has the following
committees:
• Executive
• Research
• Development
• Communications/Marketing
• Nominating
• Finance
• Annual Dinner
You need not have a large board for a committee system to
work. Simply choose the greatest needs of your organization
and set up committees around those areas. Maybe your staff
is stronger in the research and communications area, so a
development and finance committee might be the areas to
focus your board.
A board matrix can help you decide what your needs are
when selecting new members rather than only adding your
top donors. We choose board members based on individual
skills that can enhance the organization and broaden the
outreach to all segments of the surrounding community.
Every board member is on at least one committee, with
many serving on two or three. Using committees helps our
board members find their role and create a stronger “buy
in” to our organization. An effective board member is far
more than just a donor.
Accomplished Goals, continued on page 5
State Policy
Network
Microsoft Vista
System Requirements
Nicole Williams, SPN Management & Technology Advisor
Many SPN Members have asked whether it makes sense to
upgrade to Microsoft Vista, the new Windows operating system.
This system offers features such as:
• Improved search and
organization tools
• A desktop RSS reader
• “Gadgets” – in response
to Apple’s Widgets
• Windows Flip and Flip 3D,
which allow users to rotate
through open documents
and preview the first page
Many institutes will consider upgrading to Windows Vista,
but this decision should not be made lightly. An organization’s
computers need to be ready to run the robust new operating
system. A partial upgrade within the organization will add net-
work administration and maintenance time. Employees will have
to learn to use the system. Most importantly, the first six months
of most operating system releases include major bug fixes. Thus,
waiting could greatly reduce your IT headaches.
If you want to upgrade to Windows Vista, follow these simple
steps and the process should go smoother.
1. Talk through the deployment process with your network
administrator to determine if there are reasons not to upgrade.
2. Assess the organization’s computers. Each one should have:
a. 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor.
b. 1 GB of system memory.
c. Support for DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver,
128 MB of graphics memory (minimum), Pixel Shader 2.0
and 32 bits per pixel.
d. 40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space.
3. Research what other network administrators are saying about
Windows Vista.
4. Evaluate the timing within your organization’s production
schedule. If it is high production time, schedule the upgrade
for later. This will allow employees to learn the new system
and still meet deadlines.
Detailed information on Windows Vista can be found at
www.microsoft.com. Questions? Please contact me at
williams@spn.org.
SPN News  January / February 2007
SPN News
State Policy Network
January / February 2007
Vol 8 • Issue 1
SPN News reports on issues of importance to state-based,
market-oriented, non-profit public policy research organiza-
tions. Drawing from current updates and events from within
the industry, the publication provides timely information
on the most pressing issues facing public policy state think
tank executives. State Policy Network publishes SPN News
six times a year. Individual copies can be ordered from the
State Policy Network offices at (510) 965-9700. All images
used in this issue are owned by their respective copyright
holders. All rights reserved.
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of State Policy Network is to provide strategic
assistance to independent research organizations devoted
to discovering and developing market-oriented solutions to
state and local public policy issues.
STATE POLICY NETWORK™
Tracie Sharp, President
Tonya R. Barr, Outreach Coordinator
Jennifer Butler, Vice President
Patrick McDougal, Program Coordinator
Daniel Montgomery, Graphic Designer
Kathleen O’Hearn, Program Assistant
Kurt T. Weber, Senior Advisor
Nicole Williams, Management & Technology Advisor
Event Management by
Doner Fundraising: 
Kate Doner
Samantha Ramsey, Lauren Sneed
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Thomas A. Roe, Founding Chairman (1927 — 2000)
Gaylord K. Swim (1948 — 2005)
Theodore D. Abram.................................... Jeld-Wen Foundation
Whitney L. Ball.......................................................... Donors Trust
Carl Helstrom (Chairman)............................The JM Foundation
Gisèle Huff (Treasurer).....................Jaquelin Hume Foundation
Barbara Wells Kenney (Secretary).......Lillian S. Wells Foundation
Adam Meyerson................................... Philanthropy Roundtable
Lawrence W. Reed................Mackinac Center for Public Policy
Tracie J. Sharp (President)..........................State Policy Network
Bridgett G. Wagner.............................. The Heritage Foundation
Thomas Willcox..................................... Thomas Roe Foundation
P.O. Box 5208, Richmond, CA 94805
Phone: (510) 965-9700 • Fax: (510) 965-9701
www.spn.org • spn@spn.org

Competent Boards,
Successful Organizations
This article is adapted from Carl Helstrom’s pre-
sentation at the November 8-9, 2006 SPN Board
Leadership Training Conference in Charleston,
South Carolina.
A competent board is critical to an organi-
zation’s success. The board helps shape the
organization’s character and is ultimately
responsible for its governance. All the nonprofit
organizational problems I’ve seen essentially boil
down to poor or weak leadership. Today I’d like
to focus on some common nonprofit manage-
ment problems, briefly discuss the “nonprofit
life cycle theory,” and, highlight what I consider
to be the most important attributes of strong
boards and board members.
Founder’s syndrome is probably the most preva-
lent problem. Any organization takes entrepre-
neurial energy and zeal to start. Many times only
the founding entrepreneur’s personality, personal
contacts and abilities enable the organization to
survive out of the start-up phases.
The goal is to create an organization for the
long run, one that can survive beyond the entre-
preneur’s influence. You might be surprised how
tough it is for organizations and entrepreneurs
to allow this. Larry Reed (Mackinac Center) and
I are familiar with a national think tank whose
entrepreneurial founder died decades ago, yet his
ghost still haunts the organization.
Myopia, or shortsightedness, is also common.
All of us tend to focus on the minutiae of current
problems and put larger, future challenges aside.
Nonprofit board members and managers need to
think big and far ahead.
Factionalism plagues many nonprofit boards. It
takes a lot of work to make a team out of a group
of volunteers who are only connected by their
State Policy
Network
By Carl Helstrom
interest in the nonprofit’s mission. Dissension in
major decision-making will cripple the board and
the organization. Board
Management
The goal is to create an Resources
organization for the long run, one BoardSource
that can survive beyond the www.boardsource.org
entrepreneur’s influence. BoardSource is a membership
organization that focuses on
increasing the effectiveness
of nonprofit groups by
It’s common to analyze nonprofit management
strengthening their boards of
problems in terms of failure, but some nonprofits
directors. This website offers
have fundamental struggles with success. Often many resources that can
they can’t handle successes they have spent years either be downloaded for free
working to attain. It is vital to prepare for success or purchased through the
as well as failure. on-line store.
The boards of younger organizations often have Free Management Library
www.managementhelp.org
an inordinate obsession with major donors, land-
With over 5,000 links on
ing the Big Kahuna or a Sugar Daddy who will 650 topics, this website
underwrite the organization’s mission and pro- contains a comprehensive
grams completely year after year. In reality, most collection of resources about
major donors usually contribute substantially only leadership and management
to organizations they start, in situations in which of for-profit and nonprofit
they can have substantial control over operations, organizations. The Library
contains information on life
or after many years of intimate involvement with the
cycles and other organization
organization at less substantial levels. The strongest management theories.
nonprofits have diverse funding bases that take hard
work and perseverance to build. TCC Group
tccgrp.com/know_briefing.html
These and other nonprofit management problems This consulting firm develops
cause organizations to drift away from their mis- strategies and programs to
enhance the efficiency and
sions and result in squandered resources and poor
effectiveness of nonprofit and
productivity.
philanthropic organizations.
TCC Group’s website includes
Life Cycle Theory newsletters, briefing papers
Throughout this Board Leadership Training Con- and articles about life cycles
ference, we’ve discussed the life cycle approach to and other methods to
nonprofit management. This theory views organi- assist organizations identify
zational development in cycles of growth and decline opportunities, solve problems
Competent Boards, continued on next page
January / February 2007  SPN News
 State Policy
Network
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii board member Jeff Crawford (l) and Sam Adams
Alliance president John Tillman share a moment of levity at the November SPN
Board Leadership Training Conference in Charleston, S.C.
— start-up, growth, maturity and eventually stagnation,
demise, or renewal. It focuses on building capacity, deal-
ing with change and meeting future challenges.
The life cycle theory appeals to me, because it’s like
organizational “tough love.” It offers basic tools to
analyze and solve difficult organizational problems
realistically. It encourages straightforward self-assess-
ment, based on personal honesty, openness to change
and constructive criticism.
I believe the life cycle theory is complementary to
our market-based view of the world, because it utilizes
some of the best concepts we work for and promote:
innovation, respect and responsibility, customer sat-
isfaction and market awareness, and other attributes
of the free society.
If nonprofit boards can cultivate these character-
istics or habits, they are likely to succeed. Their
commitment to excellence will filter throughout
the organization’s programs, employees, volunteers
and supporters.
Attributes of a Strong Board
Essentially, all nonprofits have the same organiza-
tional challenges and are best served by board members
with the following traits.
SPN News  January / February 2007
Passion. They are inspired and confident about the
organization’s mission and goals and bring great energy
to their efforts on its behalf. They are enthusiastic, but
cooperative and willing to work hard with fellow board
members, staff and volunteers.
Prescient. They develop the ability to see the big
picture and avoid micro-management of the board or
staff. They can visualize both short-term and long-term
goals and what it takes to achieve them. They can plan
ahead realistically.
Prudent. They seek what is good and ethical for the
organization and promote the principle that in any
situation they themselves and the organization will do
what is right. Their decisions and actions are moral and
beneficial. For freedom lovers, this means the means
must justify the ends.
Professional. They are respectful and responsible for
themselves and the organization they represent. They
treat colleagues, employees and volunteers respectfully
and do not take advantage of their special positions of
leadership.
A board’s commitment to
excellence will filter throughout the
organization’s programs, employees,
volunteers and supporters.
Patient. They understand that most charitable and phil-
anthropic goals take a lot of time to accomplish, usually
much more than originally anticipated. Their commit-
ment to the organization’s mission, goals and programs
is strong enough to weather bad times as well good. We
have to be incredibly patient to achieve our ideals.
The ultimate goal of any serious nonprofit group is to
build organizational capacity, defined as competence
and performance. If a nonprofit can attract board
members with these characteristics, change can be dealt
with gradually and deliberately and any challenges the
organization encounters will be manageable.
Carl Helstrom is chairman of State Policy Network and
executive director of The JM Foundation and the Milbank
Foundation for Rehabilitation in New York City. He can be
reached at carlhelstrom3@aol.com.

Accomplished Goals
continued from page 1
(In addition to our standing committees, Washington
Policy Center has established advisory boards. Each of
our research centers’ advisory boards are chaired by a
WPC board member and made up of outside business
and community leaders with expertise in health care,
transportation and the environment.)
Each committee meets two to three times a year and
in most cases works with a staff member who oversees
that particular area. Committee assignments are based
on skill and interest, energizing board members and
providing invaluable expertise to the organization. For
example, our research director works with the research
committee, our operations manager works with the
finance committee and so forth. It is important to note,
these committees work as partners/advisors with staff
not as managers of staff.
Below are select examples of how committees have
been helpful in our growth.
Marketing. Our website was in need of a significant
redesign. One of our new board members recently left
Microsoft, and was a new member of this committee.
He said he had a great contact for us who would be will-
ing to consult pro-bono on a new design — the head of
Microsoft.com.
Development. For the last three Decembers, at our
final board meeting of the year, the development com-
mittee chair hands out a list of our top donors with a
brief background on their giving and involvement with
WPC. He asks each board member to take a page with
them (three to four names) and call their list before the
end of the year to simply thank the contributors for
their support. Countless supporters I meet with the
following year tell me how much they appreciated the
call — and how impressed they were that our board
members took the time to thank them.
Finance. Once we started to grow and actually had
some money in the bank, as well as funds from our
capital campaign, we had the good problem of needing
an investment policy, which was the last thing I was
thinking of five years ago. I needed financial expertise.
I looked to our board, which includes two former
CFOs, a former treasurer from one of Seattle’s largest
non-profits and a CPA from a large firm.
Annual Dinner. For 14 years our organization held
an annual dinner that attracted a well-known national
speaker, drew around 350 attendees, raised enough
State Policy
Network
money to cover about one month’s expenses and helped
us gain recognition in the larger community. As part
of our plan to take the organization to the next level,
the board wanted to increase the size of our dinner.
We did this in 2002 when we decided to pursue Rudy
Giuliani as our keynote speaker. It was a huge success
in large part because of the board’s involvement; it
helped the staff plan the event, decide the agenda and
members sold tables and tickets to their contacts. The
board continues to play a large role in this major event,
which in 2006 was attended by 950 people and netted
over $250,000. Each think tank could benefit from
such a signature event and this is an effective way for
all board members to contribute.
Commonwealth Foundation president Matt Brouillette clarifies a point during a
session, led by Evergreen Freedom Foundation CEO Lynn Harsh, at the November
SPN Board Leadership Training Conference in Charleston, S.C.
Now that we have a $1 million annual budget and
staff of 10, we are focused on our next phase of growth:
establishing full-time research centers through a
three-year, $4.2 million capital campaign. Once again
our board was instrumental in getting this project off
the ground and their previous involvement put us in
this position to launch a major campaign. Two board
members made significant initial contributions and
now co-chair the campaign. All board members have
pledged to the campaign and have committed their
support to it, which is one key to success before you
approach your other donors.
As I look ahead to our future plans, I am proud and
thankful to have a strong, active and passionate board.
I know this partnership with our staff is why we will
continue to be successful.
Dann Mead Smith is president of the Washington Policy
Center in Seattle. He can be reached at dmeadsmith@
washingtonpolicy.org.
January / February 2007  SPN News
StatePolicy
State PolicyNetwork
Network
State Updates
January/February 2006
Alaska
As part of its continuing work
with the Sustainable Develop-
ment Working Group of the Arctic
Council, the Institute of the
North is collaborating on an Arctic
Information & Communications
Technologies Assessment for
the eight nations comprising the
Arctic Council. The assessment is
scheduled to be completed by the
fall of 2008. Interim co-chairs for
the report include representatives
from the University of Lapland
(Finland) and the University of
Alaska (USA). A draft table of
contents includes chapters on
access ­— availability of ICTs in the
Arctic, application, and the human
dimension, including cultural and
language issues, local needs and
demand. Case studies will help to
identify gaps and trends, leading
to recommendations for policy
options. As one of two secretariats
– Canada hosts the other – the
Institute was invited by CISCO
Systems to showcase the project
in Scandinavia as part of the Nobel
Prize festivities. AICTA goals for
a connected Arctic are: to increase
the human and social capital in the
North, to contribute to sustainable
economic development in the
High North and to improve the
quality of life in the Arctic.
www.institutenorth.org
Arizona
The Goldwater Institute is proud
to announce the launch of a Span-
ish language outreach initiative.
SPN News  January / February 2007
A new website, www.instituto-
goldwater.org, will make Gold-
water Institute research available
in Spanish. At the end of 2006,
Goldwater released two first-of-
their-kind studies. “Defining the
Fundamental Principles of the
Arizona Constitution” provides a
blueprint for consistent interpre-
tation of the State Constitution in
favor of limited government and
individual liberty. “How to Win
the War on Poverty: An Analysis
of State Poverty Trends” examines
the relationship between tax rates
and poverty levels in each state
during the 1990s. Author Matthew
Ladner, PhD found states with low
tax burdens were more success-
ful at reducing poverty than high
tax states. An interactive map at
www.goldwaterinstitute.org
assigns letter grades to all 50 states
for overall performance in poverty
reduction. Another Institute first
Baseball aficionado and political
commentator George Will poses at the
Goldwater Institute’s recent gala event
“Dinner on the Infield.”
was “Dinner on the Infield,” a gala
event held on Chase Field, home
of the Arizona Diamondbacks. At
the dinner, Pulitzer Prize-winning
journalist George Will received the
2006 Goldwater Award. The previ-
ous Award winner was Chilean
economist Dr. José Piñera.
Arkansas
Incoming Democratic Gov.-elect
Mike Beebe told news media his
proposal to phase-out the state
sales tax on groceries is “non-nego-
tiable.” Phasing out the grocery tax
over a multi-year period is the first
priority in a 12-point plan released
by the Arkansas Policy Founda-
tion in December. Mr. Beebe cited
the Policy Foundation’s research
in a 2005 opinion while serving as
Arkansas attorney general. Other
points in the Policy Foundation
plan include dynamic scoring of
the grocery tax phase-out, cycli-
cal analysis in revenue estimation,
performance-based budgeting
and performance reviews. The
plan argues against turning back
the clock on recent progress on
charter schools and public school
transparency in Arkansas.  tion requirements in three years
www.reformarkansas.org   be granted a full scholarship to
California
The Pacific Research Institute
(PRI) recently celebrated its annual
gala dinner in San Francisco with
keynote speaker Christopher
Buckley, author of Thank You for
Smoking and Forbes Life magazine
editor.  PRI’s Sally Pipes provided
a critique of the new Massachu-
setts health plan in the policy
paper, “Questionable Cure for a
Questionable Crisis.”  PRI’s Envi-
ronmental Studies department
released “Sense and Sequestra-
tion,” a policy paper explaining
the carbon sequestration cycle.  Connecticut fiscal policy. In Feb-
In addition, PRI hosted a school
board training seminar in San
Francisco in conjunction with the
California School Board Associa-
tion. www.pacificresearch.org 
Connecticut
The Yankee Institute released a
new study in January, “Free Col-
lege for High School Students,”
by executive director Dr. Lewis
M. Andrews. It recommends
that every high school student
who finishes his or her gradua-
any of Connecticut’s twelve com-
munity colleges. When the cost of
two years of community college
($5,000) is subtracted from the
per pupil cost of Connecticut high
schools, the savings to taxpayers
can be as high $10,000 for every
student who receives a scholarship.
Further, the policy can be imple-
mented by most school boards
without any enabling legislation
from the state. Copies are available
for $2.95 each; call (860) 297-4271
or write info@yankeeinstitute.org.
In December, Yankee released
“The Fiscies,” the Institute’s annual
awards for the best and worst in
ruary 2007, Yankee will release
the first-ever analysis of media
coverage of Nutmeg State taxes

Pacific Research Institute’s 2006 Gala Dinner speaker Christopher Buckley,
author of Thank You for Smoking and Forbes Life magazine editor, pauses for a
picture with Institute president Sally Pipes.
and spending. Later in the year, the
Institute will examine the failures
of Connecticut’s “economic devel-
opment” programs.
www.yankeeinstitute.org
Florida
Launching James Madison Insti-
tute’s star-studded month of Octo-
ber, Steve Moore of the Wall Street
Journal editorial board headlined
the Tampa Member Luncheon.
Following close on its heels, the
Institute partnered with Florida
State University’s Stavros Center
for the Advancement of Free Enter-
prise and Economic Education to
host best-selling author and ABC
news correspondent John Stossel
for a limited-seating luncheon and
evening student event. Activities in
November and December focused
on policymakers. James Madison
staff and scholars testified before
the U.S. Department of Interior’s
Minerals Management Service
regarding oil drilling in the Gulf
and before the Florida Property
Tax Reform Committee regard-
ing free market solutions to curb
escalating property taxes. Clos-
ing the year on an inspiring note,
the Institute had the honor of
hosting Larry Reed, president of
Michigan’s Mackinac Center, for
several days in which he shared his
wealth of experiences and insights
with board members and staff. In
many ways, 2006 was a record-set-
ting year for The James Madison
Institute and the potential for 2007
looks even better, as we celebrate
20 years of spreading the message
of liberty!
www.jamesmadison.org
Georgia
How do we improve on 2006, a
year we hosted the national “Pre-
serving the American Dream” con-
ference, President Bush, Gov. Mitt
Romney and U.S. Senator John
McCain, among other noteworthy
events? In between, the Georgia
Public Policy Foundation found
time to testify on statewide video
franchising, TABOR, health care
reform, eminent domain and to
release a massive transportation
study with the Reason Foundation
on congestion relief for Atlanta.
The Foundation’s award-winning
“Report Card for Parents” will be
out soon, followed by the much-
anticipated announcement of the
“No Excuses Schools.” Education
expert Holly Robinson and the
Best Practices Committee of the
Governor’s Finance Task Force
completed the state’s Elementary
School Model, now posted at
www.ie2.org. A rural K-12 charter
school the Foundation is helping
establish has earned local approval
and awaits a state OK. For 2007,
the Foundation will help legisla-
tors develop a case for eliminating
Georgia’s income tax and continue
our work on health care, educa-
tion, video franchising, TABOR
and transportation, energy and
water policies. And, oh, yes, we’ll
continue our campaign for less
government and more freedom!
www.gppf.org
Hawaii
Want to live and
work in Hawaii? The
Grassroot Institute
of Hawaii is expand-
ing its efforts and is
now recruiting for
a full-time executive director.
Contact Dick Rowland at (808)
591-9193. One military charter
school startup has been stymied
by the government education
establishment. The recent election
has resulted in a resurrection of
the race-based Akaka bill, which
will require major efforts. We have
established the Director Center for
Science, Climate and Environment
headed by Michael Fox, PhD who
has spent an earlier 30-year career
in nuclear energy. He is available
to help you in matters of science
(mfox@grassrootinstitute.org). We
are using a Beacon Hill Institute
STAMP model to illustrate to the
January / February 2007
State Policy
Network
legislature the benefits of tax cuts
and harm of tax increases. Prog-
ress is slow but effective. Small
groups seem to work best.
www.grassrootinstitute.org
Indiana
The Indiana Policy Review Foun-
dation will explore financing
options for Indiana’s public school
system in the wake of Republican
Gov. Mitch Daniels announce-
ment in December that he would
fight for all-day kindergarten as an
entitlement. Previously, the Foun-
dation argued, if proponents were
sincerely interested in children,
independent of special interests
such as the teacher union, they
could pay for the program by
setting the pay for public school
teachers at the regional average
rather than the elevated Indiana
average. www.inpolicy.org
Iowa
Public Interest Institute staff con-
tinued our efforts to promote lim-
ited government and free market
principles by traveling around
the state this fall and speaking to
various organizations. Institute
president Dr. Don Racheter spoke
to the Siouxland Chamber of
Commerce and the Republican
Central Committee of Mahaska
County.  Senior research analyst
Amy Frantz and research analyst
John Hendrickson spoke before
Rotary Clubs in Pella and Mt.
Pleasant.  The Public Interest Insti-
tute also distributed over 4,000
copies of Iowa Government and
Politics to high school students
this year. This 12-unit curriculum,
 SPN News
State
StatePolicy
PolicyNetwork
State Updates
Network
Wall Street Journal editorial board member Steve Moore (r) discusses education
policy with James Madison Institute board member John Kirtley (l) at JMI’s Tampa
Membership Luncheon.
authored by Dr. Racheter, is part of
the Institute’s Iowa Civics Project
which began in 1996 to help educa-
tors help students learn about state
and local government in Iowa. The
Institute will provide a copy of the
Iowa Civics Project, at no charge,
for each student, for any govern-
ment teacher, school (private or
public) or parent of home school-
ers in the state. Civic education
is important to the future civic
involvement of today’s students
— who are tomorrow’s leaders.
www.limitedgovernment.org
Kansas
In November, the Flint Hills
Center for Public Policy opened
offices in Wichita, giving the
virtual organization a physical
location. The new address is 250
N. Water, Wichita, Kansas 67201.
Our outreach efforts have contin-
ued to build support for health
care and education reform. This
fall, Flint Hills’ op-eds appeared
more than fifty times in newspa-
pers throughout the state. Greg
Schneider’s latest policy brief sum-
SPN News  January / February 2007
marizes other states’ approach to
Medicaid reform and points the
way towards reform in The Sun-
flower State. Flint Hills continues
to enlarge its Medicaid Handbook
providing a comprehensive tool for
Medicaid reform in Kansas. John
LaPlante’s paper “Charter School
Primer: A Variety of Options Can
Serve Students, Education” will be
released this month. The Center
is building a charter school initia-
tive and continues to expand its
efforts to promote charter school
policy during the coming legisla-
tive session.
www.flinthills.org
Kentucky
A November 17 New York Times
article that featured Lawrence W.
Reed of the Mackinac Center and
mentioned the Bluegrass Institute
created quite a stir in Kentucky.
Our largest (and arguably most
liberal) newspaper, the Louisville
Courier-Journal, is preparing to
publish the “rest of the story” very
soon. In a two-hour interview with
our director of policy & commu-
nications Jim Waters, the reporter
made it patently clear that he is
trying his best to denigrate our
credibility for his readers. As Brer
Rabbit once advised his adversary,
“Go ahead…throw me in that
briar patch, Brer Fox!” Kentucky’s
30-day legislative session begins
in January in which we will be
prepared to promote/defend why:
parents of special-needs children
deserve public scholarships; Ken-
tucky’s minimum wage should not
be increased; the administration of
the state’s prevailing wage system
should be reformed; Kentucky’s
eminent domain legislation should
prevent “blight” from being used
by municipalities to easily take
private property with little or no
compensation; and the Bluegrass
State’s Certificate of Need (CON)
law should be abolished.
www.bipps.org
Maine
The Maine Heritage Polic y
Center (MHPC) is proud to
announce the addition of two full-
time staff members. In August,
Heather Noyes joined MHPC as
director of development, execu-
tive assistant Sandy Cleveland
came aboard in September. MHPC
published two new Maine View
reports, “How Local Government
Can Thrive with Spending Limits”
and “Maine Personal Income: An
Analysis of the Private and Public
Sector Components.” Addition-
ally, one Maine Issue Brief was
printed, “Higher Property Taxes
for Seasonal Residents is Bad
Tax Policy.” Copies of the Maine
Economic Atlas are now avail-
able. MHPC put the wraps on the
two-year research project that
highlighted nearly 100 economic
indicators for each of Maine’s
497 municipalities. The Atlas
used proprietary software to map
the data, providing for a user-
friendly data book. Write info@
mainepolicy.org to obtain a copy.
www.mainepolicy.org
Massachusetts
The single most productive year
in the history of the Pioneer
Institute was 2006. Among the
papers released was: “An analysis
of competitive, long-term leasing
of state ice rinks to private enti-
ties,” which concluded, through
private maintenance and opera-
tion, rinks are open longer, used
more and have received more
capital investment than when
they were operated by the state.
We published two analyses of the
Commonwealth’s public employee
pension system. The conclusions:
loopholes have added approxi-
mately $3 billion to the state’s
$13 billion unfunded liability
and, by operating 106 separate
pension systems, local retirement
boards have squandered potential
investment gains amounting to
$1.6 billion due to returns con-
sistently lower than those earned
by the state’s Public Retirement
Investment Trust (PRIT). Also
published were two analyses of
local school district evaluations
that were compiled by the state
Office of Educational Quality and
Accountability. The conclusion:
after 13 years and $40 billion of
education reform in Massachu-
setts too many districts have
not met Education Reform Act
mandates. Districts have taken the
money, but bucked accountability.
www.pioneerinstitute.org

Michigan
The Mackinac Center and the free-
market movement received inter-
national attention in The New York
Times when president Lawrence
W. Reed was touted for his role
in mentoring think tanks around
the globe. The November 17 and
18 series, at nearly 4,000 words,
included a front-page, above-the-
fold story and was the culmination
of nearly a year’s effort on the part
of reporter Jason DeParle, who
accompanied Reed and Mackinac
Center executive vice president
Joseph G. Lehman to Nairobi,
Kenya. Scholarship by senior legal
analyst Patrick J. Wright, senior
environmental analyst Russ Hard-
ing and policy analyst Kenneth M.
Braun addressed ballot measures,
and Michigan voters subsequently
passed a property rights initiative
and rejected a mandatory
K-16 annual school fund-
ing increase on Election
Day. MichiganScience, a
Mackinac Center quarterly
science and policy journal,
premiered November 15,
while Diane S. Katz, direc-
tor of science, environment and
technology policy, co-authored a
policy brief examining a directive
from Gov. Jennifer Granholm call-
ing for mercury emissions reduc-
tions. In November, the Center
filed an amicus brief with the U.S.
Supreme Court in two Washing-
ton education cases, Davenport v.
Washington Education Association
[WEA] and Washington v. WEA.
www.mackinac.org
Mississippi
The Mississippi Center for Public
Policy is preparing for its “Gov-
erning by Principle” campaign to
coincide with the 2007 campaigns
for governor, lieutenant governor,
the entire legislature and other
statewide and regional offices. The
goal is to ensure all candidates – as
well as the media and the general
public – understand the principles
that should underlie the policy
decisions made by public officials.
MCPP will publish quick-read
materials and distribute them
throughout the campaign, and will
conclude with a policy seminar in
November for newly elected legis-
lators. www.mspolicy.org
Missouri
The Show-Me Institute continued
to receive media attention for the
two minimum wage studies it pub-
lished last October. The St. Louis
Post-Dispatch and other Missouri
newspapers quoted vice president
of operations Jason Hannasch and
board member Michael
Podgursky about the per-
nicious effects of mini-
mum wages. The studies’
authors appeared on three
television and four radio
stations. One of the stud-
ies has received 27,000 web hits
since publication, and former
White House advisor Gregory
Mankiw linked to it on his weblog.
National hotel and restau-
rant associations cov-
ered the study in their
trade publications.
Immediately before
the November elec-
tions, the St. Louis
Post-Dispatch ran an op-ed by the
Institute’s editor Tim Lee and Justin
Hauke. Lee and Hauke proposed a
state-level earned income tax credit
as a better-targeted alternative to
the minimum wage. In December,
the Institute brought the Wall
Street Journal’s senior economics
writer Stephen Moore to Missouri
to unveil his study on repealing
the state’s income tax. Moore and
co-author Richard Vedder, PhD
show how Missouri could phase
out this economically harmful tax
in fourteen years.
www.showmeinstitute.org
New Mexico
The Rio Grande Foundation
is becoming a force to be reck-
oned with in New Mexico’s policy
debates. Recently, despite the
strong support of the mayor and
most of Albuquerque’s City Coun-
cil, the Foundation and a newly-
organized group of taxpayer activ-
ists succeeded in stopping a plan to
spend $270 million on a streetcar
system. Data provided by the
Foundation, such as pointing out
that the streetcar would cost $30
million per mile while the City
spends $35 million annually on
its entire bus system, was widely
credited as making the difference.
Within weeks, the council and
mayor postponed the streetcar
plan indefinitely. In addition, the
Rio Grande Foundation has been
making the case for constitutional
taxpayer protections for New
Mexicans. Tax and expenditure
January / February 2007
State Policy
Network
limits will be introduced
this legislative session. The
Foundation also hosted
Mackinac Center presi-
dent Lawrence W. Reed
for a series of events with
donors and policymakers.
Another recent event featured the
Cato Institute’s director of Health
Policy Studies Michael Cannon,
who discussed ways to reform New
Mexico health care.
www.riograndefoundation.org
New York
The Empire Center for New
York State Policy posted on its
website a comprehensive analysis
breaking down legislative salaries
by state. The posting – which also
included a state-by-state look
at per-member spending and a
comparison of legislative budgets
nationwide – preceded the New
York State Legislature’s return
to Albany for a special session
on December 13. With the 2006
election behind them, some state
lawmakers were pushing for a pay
raise, their first in nearly a decade.
The Empire Center analysis, using
data from the National Confer-
ence of State Legislatures, showed
lawmakers in New York receive
the third-highest base salaries
nationwide, at $79,500. The infor-
mation attracted the attention of
New York’s media and was cited in
numerous news stories statewide.
Meanwhile, there was no action
taken by lawmakers on December
13 to raise their pay.
www.empirecenter.org
North Carolina
John Locke Foundation (JLF)
research continues to poke holes
in proposals to increase North
 SPN News
State
StatePolicy
PolicyNetwork
State Updates
Network
Carolina state government power.
Recent reports have targeted overly
broad mercury regulations, hidden
electricity taxes, proposed sales tax
hikes and public school testing fail-
ures. Local governments also take
a beating for subsidizing golf, plan-
ning traffic roundabouts and push-
ing wasteful school construction
programs. JLF Headliner events
help Tar Heels discuss major issues
with well-known speakers. Jour-
nalists John Fund and Matthew
Continetti recently shared insights
about federal government waste
and corruption. John Gizzi and
David Keene helped make sense of
November election results, while
Anthony Zinni offered his pre-
scription for success in Iraq. Juan
Williams offered thoughts about
phony African-American leaders.
The foundation’s sister group, The
John W. Pope Center for Higher
Education Policy, has added staff as
it expands its reputation as a uni-
versity watchdog. JLF has doubled
its suite of regional websites, with
additions in North Carolina’s Triad
and Triangle regions. Investigative
reporters from the monthly Caro-
lina Journal newspaper have raised
questions about suspect land deals
involving state government.
www.johnlocke.org
Ohio
The many Ohio politicians search-
ing for their principles, at the
recent urging of voters, are find-
ing the Buckeye Institute to
be a good place to begin their
hunt. For example, the Institute’s
recently released 2006 Ohio Piglet
SPN News 10 January / February 2007
Book is now the most frequently
viewed Buckeye product by web
browsers with state government
IP addresses. Together with our
Porker of the Month, Ohio Spend-
o-Meter and new state spending
limit, the Buckeye Institute is
changing for the better the way
Ohio politicians think about taxes
and spending. Ohio continues
to be a leader in school choice.
Close to 80,000 Ohio children are
enrolled in either a charter school
or one of three education voucher
programs, and Buckeye works daily
to grow this number. Our schol-
ars proposed changes in Ohio’s
statewide K-12 voucher program
to make it more parent-friendly.
These were adopted into law with
the result that the “EdChoice” pro-
gram enjoyed one of the best first-
year sign up rates of any voucher
program in the nation. Our latest
policy project, a special education
voucher modeled after Florida’s
McKay Scholarship, is at the top
of Buckeye’s legislative agenda for
the 2007 session.
www.buckeyeinstitute.org
Oklahoma
This spring, every college-bound
high school senior in Oklahoma
is eligible to win thousands of
dollars in scholarships for pen-
ning a prize-winning essay. The
Oklahoma Council of Public
Affairs (OCPA) is holding its
eighth annual Citizenship Essay
Contest, which will present a total
of $12,000 to five winners. The
contest question asks students
to select their favorite American
hero and explain the importance of
this individual. Since the contest’s
inception, OCPA has presented
nearly $75,000 in scholarships.
Numerous colleges and univer-
sities partnered with OCPA to
match scholarships as part of
the popular program. In 2006,
OCPA continued to publish its
flagship publication, Perspective,
which is circulated to thousands
of citizens and opinion leaders
every month, and OCPA’s award-
winning website (www.ocpathink
.org) had thousands of visitors each
week and continued to be an effec-
tive communication tool. During
the upcoming 2007 legislative
session, the Council’s policy objec-
tives are: comprehensive lawsuit
reform, income tax relief and an
online searchable database of gov-
ernment expenditures. To help in
these endeavors, OCPA recruited
four outstanding interns from col-
leges across the region.
Oregon
Over the past few months, Cas-
cade Policy Institute has released
a number of policy papers which
were distributed to all Oregon
lawmakers and state media out-
Cascade Policy
Institute OREGON
lets, as well as the general public.  compliance with new account-
Highlighting the work of our
individual policy centers, these
reports covered: tobacco tax rev-
enues, tourism taxes, prevailing
wage laws, Oregon’s judiciary, sin
taxes, health insurance, health
care, carbon trading, natural
area bond measures, low income
mobility, assets and inequality,
alternative energy, social security
and safety nets.  Throughout the
spring, Cascade will continue to
release policy papers on taxes,
health care, social security, educa-
tion reform and asset building in
low-income communities to sup-
plement the grassroots advocacy
work conducted by the Institute’s
team of program directors.  Cas-
cade also has maintained a regular
presence in the state capitol offer-
ing public policy presentations and
education programs to legislators
and capitol staff. 
www.cascadepolicy.org
The Oregon Better Govern-
ment Project’s (OBGP) mission
is to improve the accountability,
prioritization and transparency
of government in Oregon. OBGP
will fulfill its mission by promoting
the effective use of tools available
to citizens, among them the ability
to monitor the activities of govern-
ments through public records and
open meetings laws, and the power
to propose changes at the ballot.
Currently, the OBGP has three
main activities. The Open Gov-
ernment Initiative educates and
assists Oregonians in the use of
freedom of information requests.
This will allow citizens to uncover
instances where public resources
have been misused and act on
behalf of the public where neces-
sary. The Unfunded Liabilities
Databank catalogs public entities’
ing standards for disclosure of
unfunded liabilities and funding
plans. Finally, The Initiative &
Referendum Resource provides
information to citizens concern-
ing I & R rules at the Oregon state
and local levels. By providing
education on the effective use of
these tools we will foster greater
citizen involvement, a necessity in
maintaining government integrity.
www.bettergovernmentproject
.blogspot.com

Pennsylvania
The Allegheny Institute’s analysis
and recommendations for improv-
ing efficiencies and reducing costs
for Allegheny County’s transit
system played an important role
in the Governor’s Transportation
Reform and Funding Commission’s
findings. The Commission rec-
ommends outsourcing, cutting
service on low-volume routes, fare
hikes and other important effi-
ciency measures long-advocated
by the Allegheny Institute. It will
no longer be business as usual with
the transit system simply going
to the state capital and asking for
emergency bailouts.
www.alleghenyinstitute.org
The year 2006 was a watershed
year in Pennsylvania politics. As
a result of voter dissatisfaction
with the political status quo, 32
incumbent legislators decided to
retire instead of risking defeat at
the ballot box, 17 ended up losing
in the May primary election and
another eight were removed from
office in the November general
election. When members of the
House and Senate return for a
new legislative session in 2007,
the Commonwealth Founda-
tion is well positioned to influ-
ence a newly made-over General
Assembly.  On the policy agenda
are spending limits, public-private
partnerships in transportation,
educational choice, pensions and
retiree health care reform and
welfare and Medicaid reform.
In January, the Commonwealth
Foundation launched a weekly
radio program on the largest sta-
tion between Philadelphia and
Pittsburgh, WHP 580 AM.  “The
Box: Inside, Outside, and On with
Matt Brouillette” can be heard live
every Saturday morning from 8:00-
9:00am on the Internet at
www.TheBoxProgram.com.  bers of the business community
www.commonwealthfoundation.org
In January, the REACH Founda-
tion released its latest version of
“Transforming Education in Penn-
sylvania: The Latest Facts About
the Educational Improvement
Tax Credit Program.” Foundation
staff members anticipate wide
use of the information in order to
help educate the 55 new General
Assembly members coming to
Harrisburg at the start of the new
two-year legislative session. The
Foundation also plans to host a
new member orientation session
focused on school choice in early
February to educate freshmen leg-
islators on the benefits that school
choice can bring to the citizens
of Pennsylvania. REACH started
the New Year by welcoming Stacy
Henninger as its new director of
communications. Before joining
REACH, Ms. Henninger held
top communications positions at
the American Lung Association,
Goodwill Industries and United
Way of Clarion County (PA).
REACH will hold its annual school
choice rally at the capital on Tues-
day, May 8. Last year’s rally saw
over 1,600 children, parents and
school choice supporters attend
a day of celebration and outreach
with their elected officials.
www.paschoolchoice.org
South Carolina
South Carolina Policy Council
(SCPC) president Ed McMullen
participated in a televised state-
wide debate on property tax relief,
which has was a major issue in the
state in 2006, and will continue to
be debated in the 2007 legislative
session.  SCPC also held a briefing
with key policy makers and mem-
to discuss Medicaid and outline
ideas for major reform policies.  Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
On the education front, an SCPC
study was quoted heavily in a state-
wide story about South Carolina’s
achievement gap.  In November,
SCPC hosted its annual board of
directors’ retreat, at which legisla-
tive leaders discussed key issues for
the upcoming legislative session.
www.scpolicycouncil.com
Tennessee
The Tennessee Center for Policy
Research (TCPR) influenced
three policy successes in 2006.
After leading the charge against
wasteful and ineffective military
sponsorships in NASCAR, the
Marines and Coast Guard decided
to discontinue their involvement in
auto racing, saving taxpayers $8.5
million a year. Following TCPR’s
recommendation that the gover-
nor end the practice of using gas
tax money to pay for waste in the
state budget, Gov. Bredesen agreed
to reserve all gas tax revenue for
road maintenance and repair proj-
ects. A year after TCPR exposed
the cost of subsidizing expensive,
state-owned golf courses, the
Tennessee Legislature is seriously
considering closing insolvent
courses. TCPR launched its Tax
Burden Calculator. This online tool
allows the user to compare their
yearly local tax amount with what
they would pay if they moved to
a nearby region, and encourages
tax rate competition between
January / February 2007
State Policy
Network
municipalities. Visit www.tennes-
seepolicy.org to see the calculator.
On February 7, TCPR hosts John
Stossel, who will highlight educa-
tion reform solutions to legislators
and activists in Nashville.
Texas
recently launched in Austin with
Michael Quinn Sullivan as presi-
dent. TFR’s mission is to create
and sustain a system of strong
fiscal stewardship within state
government, through cultural and
political change. “With so many
vested interests lobbying to spend
the taxpayers’ dollars, the hard-
working Texans asked to foot the
bill need to be represented,” said
Sullivan, formerly vice president
of Texas Public Policy Foundation.
TFR will initially be engaged in
seeking to ensure the $15 billion
surplus is returned to taxpayers
in the form of tax relief. Further,
TFR will promote a series of
budget and tax reforms, includ-
ing: reducing the impact of the
new business tax; reforming the
spending cap; protecting “dedi-
cated” revenues for their designed
purposes; requiring lawmakers
to provide greater budget detail;
enacting reforms to the current
appraisal system; and, promoting
transparency in spending. The
organization’s website and blog is at
www.empowertexans.com.
Three current Texas Public Policy
Foundation (TPPF) staffers have
been promoted: Bill Peacock, vice
president of administration; Mary
11 SPN News
State
StatePolicy
PolicyNetwork
State Updates
Network
Katherine Stout, vice president of
policy; and Shari Hanrahan, vice
president of outreach. Bill and
Mary Katherine will continue as
research directors for Economic
Freedom and Health Care, respec-
tively, and Shari will continue
as director of development. The
Foundation is also adding a new
director of media and govern-
ment relations and a second policy
analyst in the Center for Economic
Freedom. In December, TPPF held
Policy Primer events in Houston
and San Antonio to share the
urgency of strengthening eminent
domain laws. Steven Anderson
with the Institute for Justice and
Bill Peacock shared the podium in
both cities. Texas Solicitor General
Ted Cruz gave opening remarks
in San Antonio, where Leonard
Gilroy with the Reason Founda-
tion joined the panel. Legislators,
including several House of Repre-
sentative committee chairs, played
a major role in both standing-room
only presentations. TPPF’s most
recently released papers examine
career and technology education,
parole and prison crowding, and
private property. Foundation
publications in 2006 topped 80!
www.tppf.org
Utah
The Sutherland Institute has
launched Defining Conservatism,
an original series designed to help
shape the identity and elucidate
the meaning
of conserva-
tism in Utah.  21-64 working years will steadily
“We believe
th at m o s t
Utahns,
like most
Americans,
Lyall Swim are conser-
SPN News 12 January / February 2007
vative in their hearts,” observes
Paul T. Mero, president of Suther-
land.  “The irony is that many
don’t really understand what that
means.  This allows politicians
and business leaders to shroud
themselves in the label when
useful, even if the policies they
pursue are not conservative ones.”  Accumulating Obligations:
The Defining Conservatism series
includes short biographies of key
historical figures, especially those
from the American conservative
intellectual movement. It also
focuses on authentic conserva-
tive principles of government and
on the analysis of public policy
from a conservative perspective.  this outcome. The most obvious
These essays can be read at www.
sutherlandinstitute.org. In Octo-
ber, Sutherland welcomed Lyall
Swim to the Institute team as the
new director of operations. Prior
to Sutherland, Lyall was a human
resources manager at Proctor &
Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio. He
began his career doing investor
and public relations in the software
and semiconductor industries.  Institute’s January 18 State House
Vermont
On December 7 the Ethan Allen
Institute released its new report,
Off the Rails, at a state capital news
conference. The report, produced
with the help of 23 state business
and economic leaders, spells out
the consequences of demographic
changes under way. Vermont
will soon become the nation’s
oldest state; the proportion of
its population in the productive
shrink. But very generous educa-
tion and human service spending
will require ever-higher revenues
from a stagnant tax base. By 2030
the public school cost per pupil is
projected to be $33,400 in current
tion, Tertium Quids, a 501(c)4,
hosted a conference in Colonial
Williamsburg that outlined the
critical need for political leaders
to articulate a vision. First, we
took a retrospective look at the
Off the Rails Contract with America – what was
Changing Demographics, intended, what was accomplished,
Changing Economics,
where it fell short. The rest of the
conference introduced a direction
How Will Vermont Cope with a Challenging Future?
December 2006
November 2006
for fiscal policy, property rights
An Ethan Allen Institute Report
and education reform in the Com-
 | Off The Rals
monwealth of Virginia. Speakers
2005 dollars. These two categories at the conference included Sandy
will consume essentially 100% Froman, president of the National
of all state revenues. The report Rifle Association, former Con-
offers strategies for preventing gressman Dick Armey, U.S. Sena-
tor George Allen and syndicated
is to curb state spending, refrain columnist Cal Thomas.
from creating new programs, www.virginiainstitute.org
lower tax rates and reduce oner-
ous regulation to produce taxable
economic growth. Over the next Washington
three months the Institute will host The Evergreen Freedom Foun-
meetings throughout the state to dation’s First Amendment cases
discuss the report’s findings and against the state teachers’ union
the possible strategies for avoid- are now before the U.S. Supreme
ing a catastrophic outcome. The Court (Davenport v. Washington
Education Association [WEA] and
Round Table presented the issue to Washington v. WEA). The state
legislators. www.ethanallen.org attorney general and a group of
nonunion teachers (with help from
EFF and National Right to Work
Virginia Foundation) sued the WEA for
Earlier this year, The Heritage illegally using nonmember union
Foundation and the Virginia dues for political purposes, with-
Institute for Public Policy held out getting permission as required
a news conference in the Vir- by law. The New York Times hailed
ginia Capitol to release a jointly the cases as the “most prominent”
published report, 21 st Century of those granted review earlier this
Highways: Innovative Solutions to year, and the Wall Street Journal
America’s Transportation Needs. said “[It] could be the most impor-
The Speaker of the House of the tant First Amendment decision
Virginia General Assembly was so in years.” Michael Barone writes,
impressed with this report that he “Congratulations to the Evergreen
invited three of the authors who Freedom Foundation, which has
contributed to the study to speak fought to get the law implemented
at a meeting of the Republican over the powerful opposition of
Caucus. In September, the Virginia the WEA.” Over 30 prominent
Institute and its sister organiza- individuals and organizations filed

The Evergreen Freedom Foundation
published the above 20-page case
handbook in its efforts to secure First
Amendment rights for teachers against
their unions.
amicus briefs in support of the
nonunion teachers, including the
United States Solicitor General, six
state attorneys general and numer-
ous public policy organizations
and public interest law firms. Oral
arguments took place on January
10. Information about the case
is available at www.teachers-vs-
union.org. www.effwa.org
Washington Policy Center (WPC)
was active during the election sea-
son publishing studies on all state
ballot issues. Our Center for Small
Business & Entrepreneurship
concluded a month-long small
business forum tour throughout
the state. The seven forums were
attended by over 500 small busi-
ness owners and covered issues
facing businesses including health
care, taxes, regulations and the
Washington Policy Center’s Carl
Gipson on the Tri-cities NBC affiliate
KNDU during WPC’s Small Business
Forum.
ballot initiatives. The forums were
held with the cooperation from
Chambers around the state. Greg
Porter of Berntson Porter & Com-
pany, PLLC was elected as the new
chairman of the board. Mr. Porter
began his two-year term in De-
cember He has served on WPC’s
board since 2003 and has chaired
its last three annual dinners, which
set records for attendance and
revenue.  In 1985 he co-founded
Berntson Porter & Company in
Bellevue, one of the largest CPA
firms in the Puget Sound region.
Visit www.washingtonpolicy.org
for current projects and upcoming
legislative issues, including WPC’s
call for a tax cut by the legislature
given our state’s $2 billion sur-
plus and a new study on eminent
domain reform with the Institute
for Justice.   law tradition’s concept of goods,
West Virginia
We are pleased to announce the
formal launch of West Virginia’s
first free market think tank ,
The Public Policy Foundation
of West Virginia. A nonprofit
research and education organi-
zation that conducts scholarly
research and analysis of state
and local issues, the Foundation’s
mission is to advance sound
policies based on the principles
of free enterprise, individual
liberty, limited government and
traditional American values. Our
first project is the book Unleash-
ing Capitalism in West Virginia,
with expected publication in mid-
February. We are honored to have
enlisted scholars and experts such
as: Russell Sobel, PhD and Pete
Leeson, PhD both of West Virginia
University, whose work has been
published by the Cato Institute,
and from Marshall University
Mike Hicks, PhD and Fulbright
Scholar Rob Capehart, who previ-
ously served as the state’s secretary
of Tax and Revenue.
www.westvirginiapolicy.com
National
The Acton Institute recently pub-
lished a new monograph, The Good
That Business Does. One of the
major political challenges of the
modern era has been to manage
the integration of business into
the life of the civil community.
Similarly, Christian social thinkers
have struggled to integrate busi-
ness activity into their account of
morality, justice and the common
good. While the disciplines of
economics and law teach us much
about the character of contempo-
rary business, their descriptions
are limited. Drawing on the natural
this monograph offers a fuller
treatment of the role of business
in society and its moral obliga-
tions. It upholds the importance
of business’s fulfillment of private
goods, and also outlines the ways
in which it contributes to the
common good. The monograph
can be purchased for $6 at
www.acton.org/bookshoppe.
Alliance for School Choice
reports, after a year packed with
victories for school choice across
the country, the holidays ended on
a high note with a win for students
in Washington, D.C. In mid-
December, Congress approved
legislation raising the household
income eligibility renewal limit
for students ­ — meaning more
than 300 schoolchildren will be
able to keep their scholarships. In
addition to the D.C. victory, the
year boasted victories in educa-
tion reform from Arizona to Ohio
with expansion of existing pro-
grams and new programs passed
for low-income, foster care and
special needs students. Due in no
small part to the collaboration of
non-profits and organizations in
January / February 2007
State Policy
Network
every state, the Alliance for School
Choice thanks the State Policy
Network for your support of better
educational options for children.
Here’s to each of you and the many
more victories to come!
www.allianceforschoolchoice.org
The Cato Institute continues to
expand its reach with several new
scholars.  In October, Andrei Illari-
onov, who served as chief economic
adviser to the Kremlin from 2000 to
2005, joined Cato as a senior fellow
as part of the newly launched Center
for Global Liberty and Prosperity,
which will expand Cato’s role in pro-
moting economic freedom around
the world. Other recent additions
are Sigrid Fry Revere, director of
bioethics studies, and Adam Schaef-
fer, policy analyst for the Center for
Educational Freedom. During the
month of November alone over a
million listeners tuned into Cato’s
daily podcasts. They can be heard
through iTunes or www.cato.org.
The New York Times and The Econo-
mist have recently covered the Cato
policy analysis “The Libertarian
Vote” by executive vice president
David Boaz and David Kirby, which
analyzes polling data and finds a
significant number of voters with
libertarian views. In early 2007, Cato
will publish two significant books
in its fight for limited government
and free markets: Leviathan on the
Right by Michael Tanner and The
Improving State of the World by
Indur Goklany. www.cato.org
The Claremont Institute offers
two annual fellowship programs for
ambitious conservatives interested
in learning more about the prin-
ciples of the American Founding
and constitutional government.
The Publius Fellowship program
brings together highly qualified
13 SPN News
State
StatePolicy
PolicyNetwork
State Updates
Network
college seniors, recent college
graduates and graduate stu-
dents pursuing careers in
politics, scholarship
or journalism. Pub-
lius Fellows meet with
Claremont Institute senior
fellows and other distin-
guished visiting scholars
to study American politi-
cal thought and American
politics. The 2007 seminar
runs June 22-July 6. Applica-
tions may be downloaded from
www.claremont.org/publius, and
are due March 9. The Lincoln Fel-
lowship program is a week-long
seminar on the principles of the
American Founding for ambi-
tious, civic-minded professionals
who work in the area of national
public policy. The 2007 seminar is
August 4-12. Applications may be
downloaded from www.claremont.
org/lincoln, and are due April
28.  Both programs will be held
at the Island Hotel in Newport
Beach, California. Up to fifteen
fellows will be awarded for each
program, which includes a stipend,
travel expenses, lodging and meals.  attitudes related to values such as
For more information, please call
(909) 621-6825 or write programs@
claremont.org.
www.claremont.org  able to some, but these vague
Consumers for Health Care
Choices (CHCC) held its first
annual Awards Banquet in Wash-
ington, DC on December 10, along
CHCC Chair Stormy Johnson, MD (l),
presents Life Time Achievement Award
to J. Patrick Rooney, former Chairman,
Golden Rule Insurance Company.
SPN News 14 January / February 2007
with its second Annual Members
Meeting and a Consumer
E d u c a t i o n Wo r k-
shop on December
11. Award winners
were Mark McClellan,
MD, PhD for Pioneer in
Public Policy; John Good-
man, PhD for Pioneer in
Health Economics; Robert
Berry, MD for Pioneer in
Medical Practice; and J. Patrick
Rooney for Lifetime Achieve-
ment. CHCC is interested in work-
ing with state-based think tanks
to take its Consumer Education
Workshop on the road in 2007. For
more information, see our website
or contact Greg Scandlen at greg@
chcchoices.org.
www.chcchoice.org
Until this summer, the National
Council for Accreditation of
Teacher Education (NCATE), a
major accreditor of America’s
schools of education, required
would-be teachers to demon-
strate “dispositions” that proved
they were “guided by beliefs and
caring, fairness, honesty, respon-
sibility, and social justice.” This
language may sound unobjection-
and politically loaded “disposi-
tions” allow schools to evaluate
students based on their political
beliefs. “Social justice” is a subjec-
tive concept; one person’s social
justice may be another’s totalitari-
anism. For a school to mandate a
common vision of social justice
violates both a student’s freedom
of conscience and his fundamental
right to seek his own truth.  Under
pressure from the Foundation for
Individual Rights in Education
(FIRE), the National Association
of Scholars and American Council
of Trustees and Alumni, NCATE
withdrew a commitment to “social
justice” from its evaluative crite-
ria this June. This past fall, FIRE
focused its efforts on eliminating
similar “disposition” requirements
enforced by Columbia University’s
Teachers College and the Council
on Social Work Education.
www.thefire.org
The Foundation for Research on
Economics and the Environment
(FREE) has designed a new confer-
ence series, Environmental Stew-
ardship for Religious Leaders, mod-
eled on its 16-year-old program for
federal judges. There is growing
awareness among religious groups
that environmental stewardship is
important. Unfortunately, many
religious leaders don’t understand
the complementarities between a
market economy and environmen-
tal conservation. FREE’s focus is
on the incentives and information
generated by alternative policy
proposals. Some have profoundly
negative consequences for social
well-being; others better harmo-
nize environmental quality with
responsible liberty and economic
progress. Our goal for this program
is to increase the understanding of
religious leaders as they approach
environmental policy. These lead-
ers are influential nodes in a net-
work of congregations, providing
a conduit to disseminate market-
based environmental ideas con-
sistent with American ideals. With
them, we will explore how a culture
that values secure property rights,
civil society and responsible pros-
perity can foster a healthy environ-
ment and promote social justice.
For more information, contact
Pete Geddes at (406) 585-1776 or
pgeddes@free-eco.org.
www.free-eco.org
FreedomWorks is pleased to
announce that Steve Forbes, a
former presidential candidate and
publisher of Forbes magazine, has
joined its board of directors. Forbes
will lend his voice and efforts to our
mission of promoting lower taxes,
less government and more free-
dom. Forbes will work with Chair-
man Dick Armey to promote the
2007 Freedom Agenda throughout
the country. Forbes stated, “I expect
great things from this organization
as it reenergizes the American
conservative movement and helps
to define the 2008 presidential
campaign under the excellent lead-
ership of Dick Armey.”
www.freedomworks.org
Grace-Marie Turner, president
of the Galen Institute, has been
working for the past 18 months as
a member of the federal Medicaid
Commission to bring fresh ideas
for reform to this joint federal-
state program that is seriously
in need of modernization. The
Commission accepted many of the
recommendations offered by the
Galen Institute that are designed
to give states more flexibility to
match the needs of their citizens
with the resources of the state.
We recommended measures that
would reform the crazy financing
scheme that states use to game
the system, proposals that would
encourage more private insurance
rather than further expansion of
Medicaid and coordinating care
for the poor elderly who often
get stuck in a bureaucratic trap
between Medicare and Medicaid.
Visit www.galen.org/statehealth.
asp?docID=935 to learn about the
innovative Medicaid Advantage
program we developed, which is
a centerpiece of the report. The
Medicaid Commission’s final
 State Policy
Network

National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation

The U.S. Supreme Court accepted an appeal
filed by National Right to Work Foundation
attorneys in Davenport v. Washington Educa-
tion Association (WEA) for 4,000 Washington
non-union teachers forced to pay union dues.
Oral argument was heard on January 10, 2007;
a ruling is expect by June.
The High Court reviewed the Washington State
Supreme Court’s outrageous decision creat-
ing a dangerous new precedent that union
officials somehow have a First Amendment
right to spend on politics the mandatory dues
paid by non-union members. The Washington
court used this novel rationale to strike down
the last operative provision of the well-meant,
but ineffective, state campaign finance law
sometimes called “paycheck protection,” which
intended to limit the misuse of forced dues for opening and went on the offensive – asking
certain political activities. the High Court to clarify that its 45-year-old
“dissent is not to be presumed” statement
The dismal track record of state paycheck
does not apply to non-union members. Union
protection laws makes it increasingly clear
officials have exploited that phrase from a
that this regulatory approach is imprudent,
1961 ruling to justify forcing employees, who
and now Washington’s law has become a
resign union membership, to take the addi-
platform to create an even larger problem.
tional affirmative step of objecting annually to
If upheld, the Washington State Supreme
prevent the use of their forced dues on politics
Court decision in Davenport v. WEA may
and other non-bargaining functions. A victory
open the door for union lawyers to under-
on this argument would significantly advance
mine 22 states’ Right to Work laws, which
the battle for employee freedom: Thousands
make union affiliation and dues payment
of non-union members in non-Right to Work
strictly voluntary.
states would automatically be entitled to
While the appeal is primarily a legal rescue annual dues rebates of hundreds of dollars
mission that should never have been nec- each. www.nrtw.org
essary, Right to Work attorneys found an

report was issued December 31,
2006. We encourage our colleagues
to make governors and legislators
aware of it so they can advocate for
change. www.galen.org
The Lucy Burns Institute recently
joined SPN as an associate member.
Named after the American suffrag-
ette and women’s rights advocate,
who lived from 1879 to 1966,
the Institute’s mission is to: help
citizens identify and combat waste,
fraud and corruption occurring
within local taxing entities such
as cities, counties and school dis-
tricts; promote awareness about
taxpayer-funded lobbying and
campaign efforts conducted by
local and state taxing entities;
enhance understanding of the
ways in which taxpayer-funded
lobbying may lead to the promo-
tion of special-interest agendas
over the public good; and conduct
research and issue public policy
studies regarding ways to enhance
ethics, transparency and account-
ability at local and state levels of
government.
Is America becoming a nation of
separate and unequal families?
Manhattan Institute William
E. Simon Fellow and City Jour-
nal contributing editor Kay S.
Hymowitz explores this question
in her well-researched collection of
essays titled Marriage and Caste in
America. She examines the break-
down in marriage over the past 40
years and shows how the separa-
tion of marriage from children is
intricately connected to the high
rate of poverty and inequality in
America. For example, 36 percent
of female-headed families are
below the poverty line compared
with six percent of married-couple
families in poverty. For more infor-
mation, visit www.manhattan-
institute.org/marriage_and_caste.
Manhattan Institute scholars Jay
P. Greene and Marcus Winters
released a new study on January
31, “How Much Are Public School
Teachers Paid?” In December,
Editorial Projects in Education,
the publisher of Education Week,
released a study naming Jay P.
Greene’s graduation rate research
as the 11th most influential study
in education.
www.manhattan-institute.org
The National Center for Policy
Analysis (NCPA) is pleased to
announce that Robert D. McTeer,
Jr. joins the National Center for
Policy Analysis as a distinguished
fellow. McTeer, currently chancel-
lor of the Texas A&M University
System and former president of
the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
and a member of the Open Market
Committee, will lead the NCPA’s
work on economic policy issues
ranging from fiscal and monetary
policy to tax reform. McTeer will
also work periodically on educa-
tion issues. www.ncpa.org
The National Institute for Labor
Relations Research (NILRR) has
just released two studies that make
for interesting reading. In “Com-
pulsory Unionism in Everything
But Name . . . ,” NILRR connects
the dots between an 11-year-old
AFL-CIO internal assessment
on how Big Labor might destroy
existing state Right to Work laws

January / February 2007 15 SPN News

State
StatePolicy
PolicyNetwork
State Updates
Network
and the ongoing campaign by
AFL-CIO state federations to
advance so-called “Agency Shop”
legislation to require non-dues
paying workers under union con-
tracts to pay agency fees to union
locals. Another new study, “Why
Are Workers Still Dangling in the
’Blue Eagles’s’ Talons?” questions
why workers, over 71 years after
the discredited National Recovery
Act (NRA) was overturned by the
U.S. Supreme Court, are still cor-
ralled into cartels similar to those
the NRA established for businesses.
www.nilrr.org
Despite losses in three states
whose ballots featured compre-
hensive tax and expenditure limi-
tation proposals, a post-election
National Taxpayers Union Foun-
dation (NTUF) analysis showed
that other initiatives fared better.
Nearly 100 proposals on state bal-
lots had an impact on taxpayers,
including debt issues and govern-
ment reforms; of the 46 measures
that pertained only to limiting or
reducing tax or spending burdens,
31 were enacted. The “New Direc-
tion for America” plan proposed by
the incoming Democratic Majority
points toward heavier burdens on
taxpayers, according to a study
that NTUF released in Novem-
ber Some 20 proposals carried
a calculable price tag, and their
enactment in total would increase
the yearly federal budget by $79.1
billion. For the fifth year running
NTUF sponsored an online “Tax
Refund Finder” that allows citizens
to search more quickly and con-
veniently for “lost” refunds than
the IRS’ version. Intense planning
is already underway for National
Taxpayers Conference, to be held
at the Renaissance Hotel in Wash-
ington, DC, June 14-16, 2007. This
SPN News 16 January / February 2007
unique event focuses on training
taxpayers to be effective activists
in their own communities.
www.ntu.org
In September, the Progress &
Freedom Foundation (PFF) hosted
a CEO Luncheon, featuring Com-
cast CEO Brian Roberts with an
introduction by U.S. Senator Ted
Stevens. In his remarks, Roberts
asked policymakers to focus on
video competition when consider-
ing an update of the 1996 Telecom
Act. Also in September, PFF Senior
Fellow and Senior Vice President
for Research Thomas Lenard testi-
fied before two U.S. House Com-
merce subcommittees on ICANN
and Internet governance. In his
testimony, Lenard warned against
a multilateral governance arrange-
ment. PFF’s Digital Age Commu-
nications Act Project released its
report on institutional reform at
an event in November, marking
the final draft working group report
to be released from the project.
Also in November, economist and
scholar Scott Wallsten joined PFF
as director of communications
policy studies. Also this past fall,
PFF fellows filed amicus briefs in
two high-profile cases: the KSR vs.
Teleflex patent case and two in U.S.
Circuit Courts of Appeals regarding
the indecency fines levied against
FOX and CBS. More information
on the above activities can be found
on the PFF website, www.pff.org.
The Tax Foundation is pleased to
announce that
Lisa Hazlett
has joined its
staff as direc-
tor of devel-
opment. She is
the founder of
Lisa Hazlett the Montana
The newly-built Reagan Ranch Center, a project of the Young America’s
Foundation, in downtown Santa Barbara, California.
Policy Institute and has extensive
experience working with legisla-
tors, local public officials and com-
munity leaders in a variety of areas,
particularly the Taxpayer Bill of
Rights, education policy and the
needs of the disabled. She previ-
ously served as director of founda-
tion strategy for the Institute for
Humane Studies and the Mercatus
Center at George Mason Univer-
sity and vice president for external
affairs for the Buckeye Institute in
Ohio. Lisa is a native of Jackson-
ville, Florida and currently resides
in Arlington, Virginia. She holds a
Bachelor of Arts degree from the
University of North Florida and a
Master of Business Administration
from the Davis School of Business
at Jacksonville University.
www.taxfoundation.org
The Young America’s Foundation
Reagan Ranch Center is another
way to ensure that increasing
numbers of young Americans
understand and are inspired by
the ideas of individual freedom, a
strong national defense, free enter-
prise and traditional values. The
22,000 square-foot Reagan Ranch
Center in Santa Barbara includes
classrooms, a theater, meeting
rooms, a library of conservative
resources, Reagan Ranch memo-
rabilia, Reagan Ranch offices and
more. The Reagan Ranch Center
has hosted events featuring former
Secretary of the Department of
Housing and Urban Development
Jack Kemp, Attorney General Ed
Meese, Reagan speechwriter and
author Peter Robinson and others
since opening its doors for student
programs last June. Through its
programs, Young America’s Foun-
dation reaches new, young audi-
ences with the conservative ideas
President Reagan so cherished. In
2007, the Foundation will host its
Reagan Ranch High School Confer-
ence in Santa Barbara; a Midwest
Conservative Student Conference
in Minneapolis; and in Washing-
ton, DC, its 29th annual National
Conservative Student Conference
and 10th Gratia Houghton National
High School Leadership Confer-
ence, among many other student
programs. For more information
about Young America’s Foundation
events and programs, call 800-
USA-1776 or visit www.yaf.org.
State Policy Network
Member Directory
QAlabama
Alabama Policy Institute
Gary J. Palmer, President
402 Office Park Drive, Suite 300
Birmingham AL 35223
P (205) 870-9900 • F (205) 870-4407
www.alabamapolicy.org
garyp@alabamapolicy.org
WAlaska
Institute of the North
Ben Ellis, Managing Director
935 West Third Avenue
Anchorage AK 99501
P (907) 343-2445 • F (907) 343-2466
www.institutenorth.org
bellis@institutenorth.org
E Arizona
Alliance for
School Choice
Clint Bolick
President and General Counsel
5080 North 40th Street, Suite 375
Phoenix AZ 85018
P (602) 468-0900 • F (602) 468-0920
www.allianceforschoolchoice.org
lmoser@allianceforschoolchoice.org
Goldwater Institute
Darcy A. Olsen, President and CEO
500 East Coronado Road
Phoenix AZ 85004
P (602) 462-5000 • F (602) 256-7045
www.goldwaterinstitute.org
dolsen@goldwaterinstitute.org
RArkansas
Arkansas Policy Foundation
Greg J. Kaza, Executive Director
111 Center Street, Suite 1200
Little Rock AR 72201
P (501) 537-0825
www.reformarkansas.org
kaza@reformarkansas.org
TCalifornia
Claremont Institute
Brian T. Kennedy, President
937 West Foothill Blvd., Suite E
Claremont CA 91711
P (909) 621-6825 • F (909) 626-8724
www.claremont.org
bkennedy@claremont.org
Horowitz Freedom Center
Michael Finch, Executive Director
4401 Wilshire Blvd., 4th Floor
Los Angeles CA 90010
P (323) 556-2550 x-212
F (323) 556-2559
www.horowitzfreedomcenter.org
mfinch@horowitzfreedomcenter.org
National Tax
Limitation Committee
Lewis K. Uhler, President
151 North Sunrise Avenue, Suite 901
Roseville CA 95661
P (916) 786-9400 • F (916) 786-8163
www.limittaxes.org • ntlc@surewest.net
Alabama - Maryland
Pacific Legal Foundation
M. David Stirling, Vice President
3900 Lennane Drive, Suite 200
Sacramento, CA 95834
P (916) 419-7111 • F (916) 419-7747
www.pacificlegal.org
mds@pacificlegal.org
Pacific Research Institute
Sally C. Pipes, President and CEO
755 Sansome Street, Suite 450
San Francisco CA 94111
P (415) 989-0833 • F (415) 989-2411
www.pacificresearch.org
spipes@pacificresearch.org
Reason Foundation
David C. Nott, President
3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 400
Los Angeles CA 90034-6064
P (310) 391-2245 • F (310) 391-4395
www.reason.org • dnott@reason.org
Y Colorado
Independence Institute
Jon Charles Caldara, President
13952 Denver West Pkwy., Suite 400
Golden CO 80401
P (303) 279-6536 • F (303) 279-4176
www.i2i.org • jon@i2i.org
U Connecticut
Yankee Institute
Lewis M. Andrews, Executive Director
PO Box 260660 - Trinity College
Hartford CT 06126
P (860) 297-4271 • F (860) 987-6218
www.yankeeinstitute.org
lew@yankeeinstitute.org
O Florida
James Madison Institute
J. Robert McClure III
President and CEO
PO Box 37460
Tallahassee FL 32315-7460
P (850) 386-3131 • F (850) 386-1807
www.jamesmadison.org
bob@jamesmadison.org
PGeorgia
Georgia Public
Policy Foundation
T. Rogers Wade
President and CEO
6100 Lake Forrest Drive, Suite 110
Atlanta GA 30328
P (404) 256-4050 • F (404) 256-9909
www.gppf.org • trw@gppf.org.
Southeastern Legal Foundation
Shannon L. Goessling
Executive Director
6100 Lake Forrest Drive NW
Suite 520
Atlanta GA 30328-3837
P (404) 257-9667 • F (404) 257-0049
www.southeasternlegal.org
info@southeasternlegal.org
A Hawaii J Kentucky
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii Bluegrass Institute for
Richard O. Rowland, President Public Policy Solutions
Christopher Derry, President
1314 South King Street, Suite 1163
PO Box 51147
Honolulu HI 96814
Bowling Green KY 42102
P (808) 591-9193 • F (808) 356-1690
P (270) 782-2140 • F (305) 675-0220
www.grassrootinstitute.org
grassroot@hawaii.rr.com www.bipps.org • derry@bipps.org
G Iowa LMaine
Public Interest Institute Maine Heritage
Don Racheter, President Policy Center
600 North Jackson Street William G. Becker, III
Mt. Pleasant IA 52641 President and CEO
P (319) 385-3462 • F (319) 385-3799 PO Box 7829
www.limitedgovernment.org Portland ME 04112
racheter@limitedgovernment.org P (207) 831-4674 • F (207) 773-4385
www.mainepolicy.org
wbecker@mainepolicy.org
DIllinois
Heartland Institute Maine Public Policy Institute
Joseph L. Bast, President and CEO Robert Chatfield, Chairman
19 South LaSalle, Suite 903 27 State Street, Suite 68
Chicago IL 60603 Bangor ME 04401
P (312) 377-4000 • F (312) 377-5000 P (207) 689-5981 • F (207) 862-2433
www.heartland.org • jbast@heartland.org www.policyforme.org
info@exitstage.com
Illinois Policy Institute
Gregory K. Blankenship, Director
718 South Seventh Street, Suite 305
Z Maryland
Springfield IL 62703 Calvert Institute
for Policy Research
P (217) 544-4759
George W. Liebmann
www.illinoispolicyinstitute.org
greg@illinoispolicyinstitute.org Executive Director
8 West Hamilton Street
Sam Adams Alliance Baltimore MD 21201
John Tillman, President P (410) 752-5887 • F (410) 539-3973
www.calvertinstitute.org
20 North Wacker Drive, Suite 3330
george.liebmann2@verizon.net
Chicago IL 60606
P (312) 920-0080 • F (312) 920-0090
www.samadamsalliance.org Consumers for
Health Care Choices
Greg Scandlen, Founder
FIndiana 442 North Potomac Street
Indiana Policy Review Foundation Hagerstown MD 21740
T. Craig Ladwig, Director P (301) 606-7364
www.CHCChoices.org
PO Box 5166
Greg@CHCChoices.org
Fort Wayne IN 46895
P (260) 483-3994
Free State Foundation
www.inpolicy.org • ipr@iquest.net
Randolph May, President
Milton & Rose D. Friedman 10701 Stapleford Hall Drive
Foundation Potomac MD 20854
Robert C. Enlow, President P (301) 299-3182 • F (301) 299-5007
One American Square, Suite 2420 www.freestatefoundation.org
Box 82078 rmay@freestatefoundation.org
Indianapolis IN 46282
P (317) 681-0745 • F (317) 681-0945 Maryland
Public Policy Institute
www.friedmanfoundation.org
Christopher B. Summers, President
rcenlow@friedmanfoundation.org
PO Box 195
Germantown MD 20875-0195
H Kansas P (240) 686-3510 • F (240) 686-3511
Flint Hills Center for www.mdpolicy.org
Public Policy csummers@mdpolicy.org
George H. Pearson, Director
250 North Water, Suite 216
Wichita, KS 67202
P (316) 636-5027
www.flinthills.org
george.pearson@flinthills.org
November / December 2006 17 SPN News
State Policy Network
X Massachusetts
Beacon Hill Institute
David G. Tuerck, PhD
Executive Director
Suffollk University, 8 Ashburton Place
Boston MA 02108-2270
P (617) 573-8750 • F (617) 720-4272
www.beaconhill.org
dtuerck@beaconhill.org
Pioneer Institute
James Stergios, Executive Director
85 Devonshire Street, 8th Floor
Boston MA 02109
P (617) 723-2277 • F (617) 723-1880
www.pioneerinstitute.org
jstergios@pioneerinstitute.org
C Michigan
Acton Institute
Kris Alan Mauren, Executive Director
161 Ottawa NW, Suite 301
Grand Rapids MI 49503
P (616) 454-3080 • F (616) 454-9454
www.acton.org • kmauren@acton.org
Mackinac Center for
Public Policy
Lawrence W. Reed, President
PO Box 568, Midland MI 48640
P (989) 631-0900 • F (989) 631-0964
www.mackinac.org • reed@mackinac.org
VMinnesota
Center of the
American Experiment
Mitchell B. Pearlstein PhD, President
1024 Plymouth Bldg., 12 South 6th Street
Minneapolis MN 55402
P (612) 338-3605 • F (612) 338-3621
www.amexp.org
Mitch.Pearlstein@americanexperiment.org
Citizens’ Council
on Health Care
Twila Brase RN, President
1954 University Ave.West, Suite 8
St. Paul MN 55104
P (651) 646-8935 • F (651) 646-0100
www.cchconline.org • twila@cchconline.org
Freedom Foundation
of Minnesota
Annette T. Meeks, President
19 South First Street, B-1501
Minneapolis MN 55401
P (612) 747-7941 • F (612) 339-0228
www.freedomfoundationofminnesota.com
annettemeeks@gmail.com
BMississippi
Mississippi Center
for Public Policy
Forest M. Thigpen, President
PO Box 13514, Jackson MS 39236
P (601) 969-1200 • F (601) 969-1600
www.mspolicy.org • thigpen@mspolicy.org
N Missouri
Show-Me Institute
Jason Hannasch,
Vice President for Operations
7777 Bonhomme Avenue, Suite 2150
Clayton MO 63105-6319
P (314) 726-5655 • F (314) 726-5656
www.showmeinstitute.org
jason.hannasch@showmeinstitute.org
SPN News 18 November / December 2006
Member Directory Massachusetts - Texas
M Montana Manhattan Institute for Foundation for Individual
Policy Research Rights in Education
Foundation for Research
on Economics & the Lawrence J. Mone, President Gregory Lukianoff, President
Environment (FREE) 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York NY 10017 601 Walnut Street, Suite 510
John A. Baden PhD, Chairman P (212) 599-7000 • F (212) 599-3494 Philadelphia PA 19106
www.manhattan-institute.org P (215) 717-3473 • F (215) 717-3440
662 Ferguson Road, Bozeman MT 59718 mb@manhattan-institute.org www.thefire.org • greg_lukianoff@thefire.org
P (406) 585-1776 • F (406) 585-3000
www.free-eco.org • jbaden@free-eco.org REACH
u North Carolina Andrew T. LeFevre, Executive Director
wNevada John Locke Foundation PO Box 1283, Harrisburg PA 17108
John M. Hood, President
Nevada Policy Research P (717) 238-1878 • F (717) 703-3182
200 West Morgan Street, Suite 200 www.paschoolchoice.org
Institute
Raleigh NC 27601 alefevre@paschoolchoice.org
Sharon Rossie, President P (919) 828-3876 • F (919) 821-5117
1700 Desert Inn Road, Suite 450 www.johnlocke.org • jhood@johnlocke.org
Las Vegas NV 89109 f South Carolina
P (702) 222-0642 • F (702) 227-0927 South Carolina
www.npri.org • sr@npri.org o Ohio Policy Council
Buckeye Institute for Edward T. McMullen Jr., President
eNew Hampshire Public Policy Solutions 1323 Pendleton Street
Cornerstone Policy Research David J. Hansen, President Columbia SC 29201
88 East Broad Street, Suite 1120 P (803) 779-5022 • F (803) 779-4953
Karen Testerman, Executive Director
Columbus OH 43215-3506 www.scpolicycouncil.com
136 North Main Street, Suite 2 P (614) 224-4422 • F (614) 224-4644 mcm@scpolicycouncil.com
Concord NH 03301 www.BuckeyeInstitute.org
P (603) 672-4735 • F (603) 228-6069 dhansen@buckeyeinstitute.org
www.nhcornerstone.org H South Dakota
Cornerstone.Policy.Research@verizon.net Great Plains Public
p Oklahoma Policy Institute
Josiah Bartlett Center Oklahoma Council of Ronald Williamson, President
for Public Policy Public Affairs
PO Box 88138
Charles M. Arlinghaus, President Brandon Dutcher, Vice President of Policy Sioux Falls SD 57109-8138
PO Box 897 1401 North Lincoln Boulevard P (605) 332-2641 • F (605) 338-3458
Concord NH 03302-0897 Oklahoma City OK 73104 www.greatplainsppi.org
P (603) 224-4450 • F (603) 224-4329 P (405) 602-1667 • F (405) 602-1238 contact@greatplainsppi.org
www.jbartlett.org • arlinghaus@jbartlett.org www.ocpathink.org
brandondutcher@yahoo.com
h Tennessee
rNew Jersey Tennessee Center for
Center for Policy a Oregon Policy Research
Research of New Jersey Cascade Policy Institute Drew Johnson, President
Gregg M. Edwards, President John A. Charles, Jr., President PO Box 121331, Nashville TN 37212
5 Overlook Road 4850 SW Scholls Ferry Road, Suite 103 P (615) 383-6431 • F (615) 383-6432
Bloomsbury NJ 08804 Portland OR 97225 www.tennesseepolicy.org
P (609) 273-6333 • F (908) 479-4570 P (503) 242-0900 • F (503) 242-3822 drew@tennesseepolicy.org
gmedwards@earthlink.net www.cascadepolicy.org
john@cascadepolicy.org
j Texas
t New Mexico Oregon Better Institute for Policy Innovation
Rio Grande Foundation Government Project Thomas A. Giovanetti, President
Paul J. Gessing, President Matt Evans, Executive Director 1660 S. Stemmons Freeway
PO Box 2015 19210 SW Martinazzi, PMB 422 Suite 475, Lewisville TX 75067
Tijeras NM 87059 Tualitin, OR 97062 P (972) 874-5139 • F (972) 874-5144
P (505) 264-6090 • F (505) 213-0300 P (503) 692-9530 • F (503) 692-9538 www.ipi.org • tomg@ipi.org
www.riograndefoundation.org www.bettergovernmentproject.blogspot.com
pgessing@riograndefoundation.org wagontire@yahoo.com National Center
for Policy Analysis
y New York s Pennsylvania John C. Goodman, President
Atlantic Legal Foundation 12770 Coit Road, Suite 800
Allegheny Institute Dallas TX 75251-1339
William H. Slattery, President for Public Policy P (972) 386-6272 • F (972) 386-0924
60 East 42nd Street, Suite 2102 Jake Haulk PhD, President www.ncpa.org • john.goodman@ncpa.org
New York NY 10065 305 Mt. Lebanon Boulevard, Suite 208
P (212) 867-3322 • F (212) 867-1022 Pittsburgh PA 15234 Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
www.atlanticlegal.org P (412) 440-0079 • F (412) 440-0085 Michael Quinn Sullivan, President
whslattery@yahoo.com www.alleghenyinstitute.org 919 Congress Avenue, Suite 1135
jake@alleghenyinstitute.org Austin TX 78701
Empire Center for New
York State Policy P (512) 236-0201 • F (512) 236-0221
Commonwealth Foundation www.empowertexans.com
Edmund J. McMahon Jr., Director Matthew J. Brouillette, President msullivan@empowertexans.com
PO Box 7113 225 State Street, Suite 302
Albany NY 12224 Harrisburg PA 17101 Texas Public Policy Foundation
P (518) 434-3100 • F (518) 434-3130 P (717) 671-1901 • F (717) 671-1905 Brooke L. Rollins, President
www.empirecenter.org www.commonwealthfoundation.org
ejm@empirecenter.org 900 Congress Avenue, Suite 400
Brouillette@commonwealthfoundation.org Austin TX 78701
P (512) 472-2700 • F (512) 472-2728
Foundation for Education
www.texaspolicy.com
Reform & Accountability
brollins@texaspolicy.com
Thomas W. Carroll, President
PO Box 1108, Clifton Park NY 12065
P (518) 383-2598 • F (518) 383-2841
www.nyfera.org • tcarroll@nyfera.org
State Policy Network
kUtah
Sutherland Institute
Paul T. Mero, President
15 West South Temple Street, Suite 1600
Salt Lake City UT 84101
P (801) 355-1272 • F (801) 355-1705
www.sutherlandinstitute.org
pmero@sutherlandinstitute.org
lVermont
Ethan Allen Institute
John McClaughry, President
4836 Kirby Mountain Road
Concord VT 05824
P (802) 695-1448 • F (802) 695-1436
www.ethanallen.org • eai@ethanallen.org
z Virginia
Americans for Limited
Government Foundation
Raymond Wotring
9900 Main Street, Suite 303
Fairfax VA 22031
P (703) 383-0880 F (703) 383-5288
www.getliberty.org • info@getliberty.org
Atlas Economic
Research Foundation
Alejandro A. Chafuen PhD, President
2000 North 14th Street, Suite 550
Arlington VA 22201
P (703) 934-6969 • F (703) 352-7530
www.atlasUSA.org
alex.chafuen@atlasUSA.org
Center for Individual
Freedom Foundation
Jeffrey L. Mazzella, Executive Director
113 South Columbus Street, Suite 310
Alexandria, VA 22314
P (703) 535-5836 • F (703) 535-5838
www.cfif.org • info@cfif.org
Donors Trust
Whitney L. Ball, Executive Director
111 North Henry Street
Alexandria VA 22314
P (703) 535-3563 • F (703) 535-3564
www.donorstrust.org • whitb@aol.com
Galen Institute
Grace-Marie Turner, President and Trustee
PO Box 19080
Alexandria VA 22320-0080
P (703) 299-9205 • F (703) 299-0721
www.galen.org • gracemarie@galen.org
Institute for Justice
William H. Mellor JD, President
901 North Glebe Road, Suite 900
Arlington VA 22203
P (703) 682-9320 • F (703) 682-9321
www.ij.org • wmellor@ij.org
Landmark Legal Foundation
Eric Christensen, VP for
Development & Communications
19415 Deerfield Avenue, Suite 312
Leesburg VA 20176
P (703) 554-6100 • F (703) 554-6119
www.landmarklegal.org
eric@landmarklegal.org
Member Directory Utah - Wisconsin
Leadership Institute
Morton Blackwell, President
1101 Highland Street, Arlington VA 22201
P (703) 247-2000 • F (703) 247-2001
www.leadershipinstitute.org
morton.blackwell@leadershipinstitute.org
Mercatus Center
Lawson Bader, Vice President
3301 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 450
Arlington VA 22201
P (703) 993-4930 • F (703) 993-4935
www.mercatus.org • lbader@gmu.edu
National Legal and Policy Center
Peter Flaherty, President
107 Park Washington Court
Falls Church VA 22046
P (703) 237-1970 • F (703) 237-2090
www.nlpc.org • pflaherty@nlpc.org
National Taxpayers Union
John Berthoud, President and CEO
108 North Alfred Street
Alexandria VA 22314
P (703) 683-5700 • F (703) 683-5722
www.ntu.org • ntu@ntu.org
National Right to Work
Legal Defense Foundation
Stefan Gleason, Vice President
8001 Braddock Road, Springfield VA 22160
P (703) 321-8510 • F (703) 321-9613
www.nrtw.org • shg@nrtw.org
Thomas Jefferson Institute
Michael W. Thompson, President
9035 Golden Sunset Lane
Springfield VA 22153
P (703) 440-9447 • F (703) 455-1531
www.thomasjeffersoninst.org
mikethompson@erols.com
Virginia Institute for
Public Policy
John Taylor, President
7326 Early Marker Court
Gainesville VA 20155
P (703) 753-5900 • F (703) 753-1900
www.virginiainstitute.org
JTaylor@virginiainstitute.org
Young America’s Foundation
Ronald Robinson, President
110 Elden Street, Herndon VA 20170
P (800) 872-1776 • F (703) 318-9122
www.yaf.org • rrobinson@yaf.org
x Washington
Evergreen Freedom Foundation
Bob Williams, President
PO Box 552, Olympia WA 98507
P (360) 956-3482 • F (360) 352-1874
www.effwa.org • bwilliams@effwa.org
Washington Policy Center
Dann Mead Smith, President
PO Box 3643, Seattle WA 98124-3643
P (206) 937-9691 • F (206) 938-6313
www.washingtonpolicy.org
dmeadsmith@washingtonpolicy.org
´ Washington, DC
American Legislative
Exchange Council
Lori Roman, Executive Director
1129 - 20th Street NW, Suite 500
Washington DC 20036
P (202) 466-3800 • F (202) 466-3801
www.alec.org • lroman@alec.org
Americans for Prosperity National Center for Policy
Michelle L. Korsmo, Executive Vice President Analysis - D.C. Office
1726 M Street, NW, 10th Floor Brian Williams
Director of Legislative Affairs
Washington DC 20036
601 Pennsylvania Ave NW, #900-South
P (866) 730-0150 • F (202) 419-1830
Washington DC 20004
www.americansforprosperity.org
P (202) 220-3082 • F (202) 220-3096
mkorsmo@afphq.org
www.ncpa.org
Americans For Tax Reform Brian.williams@ncpa.org
Grover G. Norquist, President
1920 L Street NW, Suite 200 National Center for
Washington DC 20036 Public Policy Research
P (202) 785-0266 • F (202) 785-0261 Amy M. Ridenour, President
www.atr.org • gnorquist@atr.org 501 Capitol Court NE, Suite 200
Washington DC 20002
America’s Future Foundation P (202) 543-4110 • F (202) 543-5975
David Kirby, Executive Director www.nationalcenter.org
1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1250 aridenour@nationalcenter.org
Washington DC 20036
P (202) 331-2261 Tax Foundation
www.americasfuture.org Scott A. Hodge, President
kirby@americasfuture.org 2001 L Street, NW, Suite 1050
Washington DC 20036
Capital Research Center P (202) 464-6200 • F (202) 464-6201
Terrence Scanlon, President www.taxfoundation.org
1513 16th Street, NW shodge@taxfoundation.org
Washington DC 20036
P (202) 483-6900 • F (202) 483-6990
www.capitalresearch.org
cWest Virginia
contact@capitalresearch.org The Public Policy Foundation
of West Virginia
Cato Institute Jim Shaffer, Director
Susan E. Chamberlain, VP Government Affairs P.O. Box 1118
1000 Massachusetts Avenue NW Morgantown, WV 26507
Washington DC 20001-5403 P (304) 598-1120 • F (304) 296-2291
P (202) 789-5287 • F (202) 842-3490 www.westvirginiapolicy.com
www.cato.org • schamber@cato.org jimshaffer@adelphia.net
Center for Education Reform vWisconsin
Jeanne R. Allen, President
The Lucy Burns Institute
1001 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite 204 Leslie Graves, President
Washington DC 20036
P (202) 822-9000 • F (202) 822-5077 301 S. Bedford St., Suite 6
Madison WI 53703-3691
www.edreform.com • cer@edreform.com
P (608) 255-0688 • F (608) 255-0788
l.graves@lucyburns.org
Citizens Against
Government Waste
David E. Williams, Vice President for Policy Parents in Charge Foundation
Eric O’Keefe, President
1301 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite 400
Washington DC 20036 10 East Doty Street, Suite 800
P (202) 467-5300 • F (202) 467-4253 Madison WI 53703
www.cagw.org • dwilliams@cagw.org P (608) 441-5748 • F (608) 441-5749
www.picfoundation.org
Competitive Enterprise Institute eoke@mhtc.net
Fred L. Smith Jr., President
Taxpayers Network
1001 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 1250 Incorporated
Washington DC 20036
P (202) 331-1010 • F (202) 331-0640 Amy McGee Polasky
Executive Director
www.cei.org • fsmith@cei.org
721 Cardinal Lane, Suite 105
FreedomWorks Green Bay, WI 54313
P (920) 434-3100 • F (920) 434-4177
Matthew B. Kibbe, President and CEO
www.taxpayersnetwork.org
1775 Pennsylvania Avenue NW 11th Floor apolasky@taxpayersnetwork.org
Washington DC 20006-5805
P (202) 783-3870 • F (202) 942-7649 Wisconsin Policy
www.freedomworks.org
Research Institute
mkibbe@freedomworks.org
James H. Miller, President
Heritage Foundation 216 Green Bay Road, Suite 205
Bridgett G. Wagner Thiensville WI 53092-1657
Director, Coalition Relations P (262) 242-6409 • F (262) 242-6459
www.wpri.org • wpri@wpri.org
214 Massachusetts Avenue NE
Washington DC 20002
P (202) 608-6050 • F (202) 546-8328
www.heritage.org
bridgett.wagner@heritage.org
November / December 2006 19 SPN News
 Mark your 2007 calendar!

SPN Leadership Development Breakfast

Thursday, April 26, 2007 / 8:00 AM - 11:30 AM

The Breakfast is prior to the start of The Heritage Foundation’s 30th Annual Resource Bank.
This management and resource development training seminar is part of SPN’s comprehensive
Leadership Development Initiative, which is designed to improve the effectiveness of market-
oriented policy institutes and the management and leadership skills of their leaders.
Loews Hotel – Philadelphia / 200 Market Street / Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
www.loewshotels.com/hotels/philadelphia (215) 627-1200

Honolulu, Hawaii
May 23-24, 2007
Join us for two days of workshops and brainstorming with free market think tank
leaders from the Pacific Rim. Panel topics include property rights and intellectual
property; global capital; privatization and regulatory reform; and free market
environmentalism/climate change. One representative per SPN member group may attend
at no charge. Each additional non-profit attendee is $150. All other registrations are $250.
Conference sponsors: State Policy Network, Americans for Tax Reform, International Policy
Network, Asian Forum Japan, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii and Lion Rock Institute.
Sheraton Waikiki Hotel / 2255 Kalakaua Avenue / Honolulu, Hawaii
www.sheraton-waikiki.wcom (808) 921-4611

SPN 15th Annual Meeting - Portland, Maine

October 10-12, 2007
Portland Marriott at Sable Oaks / 200 Sable Oaks Drive / Portland, Maine
www.marriott.com/property/propertypage/PWMAP (800) 752-8810

For more information, or to register for these events,

please visit www.spn.org/events.

PO BOX 5208
Richmond, CA 94805