News Release

Florida Senate passes needed reforms to Citizens Property Insurance Comments Off

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (April 25, 2013) – The R Street Institute today commended the Florida Senate for passing by a 24-15 margin legislation to promote depopulation of the state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Sponsored by Sen. David Simmons, R-Maitland, S.B. 1770 would create a clearinghouse through which tens of thousands of Citizens’ 1.3 million policies could [...]

News Release

R Street commends committee passage of electronic privacy bill Comments Off

WASHINGTON (April 25, 2013) – The R Street Institute today commended the Senate Judiciary Committee for reporting out the most significant update to U.S. electronic privacy law in the past quarter century. Under S. 607, sponsored by Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, Fourth Amendment protections codified by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act [...]

R Street’s morning round-up for April 25, 2013

Blog Post

R Street’s morning round-up for April 25, 2013 0

Congress may exempt itself from Obamacare: Politico Senate panel this morning unanimously passed the Leahy-Lee electronic privacy reform bill: Senate Judiciary Committee Michigan panel hosts a hearing today on no-fault reform: House Insurance Committee Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says Senate will take up the Farm Bill in May: The Hill Iowa State economist Bruce [...]

No ‘Midnight’ After This Election

Op Ed

No ‘Midnight’ After This Election Comments Off

The following was co-authored with Sam Batkins, director of regulatory policy at the American Action Forum. It is not uncommon for presidential administrations to issue a large number of regulations in the interregnum between Election Day and the inauguration. These are often called “midnight regulations” because, for outgoing presidents, they are a final effort to [...]

Fraud is Michigan’s ‘other’ auto insurance problem

Blog Post

Fraud is Michigan’s ‘other’ auto insurance problem 0

As legislative work picks up in earnest on Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s plan to reform the state’s woeful no-fault auto insurance system, we wanted to call attention to a less-noticed provision of the proposal that could nonetheless have a significant impact on runaway costs in the Wolverine State. While the most noteworthy and contentious plank [...]

R Street’s morning round-up for April 24, 2013

Blog Post

R Street’s morning round-up for April 24, 2013 0

Yesterday’s hack of the Associated Press Twitter account briefly erased $200 billion in market value: Wall Street Journal Left-right coalition pushes for property insurance reform in Florida: Tallahassee Democrat George Mason’s Bryan Caplan on why free-market advocates need to take unemployment seriously: EconLog Bill introduced to end wasteful Brazil Cotton Institute payments: Rep. Ron Kind [...]

Spending Without Stimulus

Op Ed

Spending Without Stimulus Comments Off

Growing up I attended a religious high school, which I found as enjoyable as a daily visit to the dentist. Nevertheless my parents sent me there because the school was academically rigorous. I struggled through classes, but my GPA salvation came via my ability to ace all religion classes, required every semester. The religion courses [...]

Letter to Senate Judiciary Committee on ECPA Amendments Act

Policy Brief

Letter to Senate Judiciary Committee on ECPA Amendments Act Comments Off

April 22, 2013 The Honorable Patrick J. Leahy Chairman Senate Judiciary Committee The Honorable Charles Grassley Ranking Member Senate Judiciary Committee Dear Chairman Leahy and Ranking Member Grassley, We, the undersigned companies and organizations, are writing to express our support for Chairman Leahy’s and Sen. Lee’s ECPA Amendments Act, S. 607, which the Committee will [...]

R Street’s morning round-up for April 23, 2013

Blog Post

R Street’s morning round-up for April 23, 2013 0

Conservatives are spearheading criminal justice reform in the states: Washington Free Beacon The Internet sales tax will hit consumers: The Foundry Daily Beast’s Megan McArdle asks, how much did shutting down Boston cost?: The Daily Beast The Tax Policy Center finds Obama budget raises taxes on poor and middle class: Tax Policy Center Environmental Working [...]

Electronic privacy law is due for an update

Blog Post

Electronic privacy law is due for an update 0

As the intense debate over S. 743, the so-called “Marketplace Fairness Act,” progresses in the Senate, Internet activists and privacy advocates should remember that the MFA isn’t the only important piece of Internet legislation being considered by the chamber this week. Last Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee began consideration of S. 607, the Electronic Communications [...]