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House Testimony: EPA Grossly Overstates Economic Benefits of Regulation , James M. Taylor, The Heartland Institute
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is grossly overstating the economic benefits of its various environmental restrictions, environmental expert Richard Trzupek told the Energy and Environment Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
Trzupek, a chemist and environmental consultant, and policy advisor to The Heartland Institute, told the House subcommittee in June 6 written testimony that EPA routinely claims enormous economic benefits are created by its regulations. Those benefits, Trzupek explained, rest on far-fetched claims regarding “premature deaths avoided” and gains in worker productivity. (read more)
Maryland Law Protects Social Networking Passwords , Kenneth Artz, The Heartland Institute
Maryland has become the first state to enact a law prohibiting employers from requesting or requiring that an applicant or employee disclose a user name or password to personal social media sites. Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) signed the bill into law in May, and it will become effective October 1. (read more)
Consumer Power Report: Why States Are Rejecting Obama’s Medicaid Expansion , Benjamin Domenech, The Heartland Institute
Over the past week, we’ve heard from a wide variety of liberal sources amazed at the idea that states would reject the billions in “free money” from the federal government to expand their Medicaid programs under President Barack Obama’s health care law. Indeed, the federal matching rate for the expansion – which covers people at 100 to 138 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) – is quite generous, set at 100 percent federal tax money for 2014–2016, 95 percent in 2017, 94 percent in 2018, 93 percent in 2019, and 90 percent in 2020 and beyond. (read more)
Flood Insurance Program Extended With Important Reforms, Steve Stanek, The Heartland Institute
President Barack Obama has signed into law a five-year extension of the National Flood Insurance Program that includes a number of important reforms that program critics believe could improve its financial performance and reduce environmental harm. (read more)
IRS Hears Charter School Concerns on Pension Rule Change, Joy Pullmann, The Heartland Institute
The Internal Revenue Service held a hearing on a proposed pension rule change that could kick approximately 90,000 charter school teachers out of state pensions.
Since the IRS entered the proposal in the Federal Register last November, it received at least 2,312 public comments. Ninety-five percent of those were by people concerned about impacts to charters. (read more)
Obama Wants One-Year Extension of Bush-Era Tax Rates, But Only for Some, Steve Stanek, The Heartland Institute
President Barack Obama has asked Congress to take up legislation that extends for one year the Bush-era tax rates for families earning less than $250,000 annually. Republican leaders have pledged to take up legislation to extend the lower tax rates for everyone, including those earning more than $250,000. (read more)
Lawsuit Abuse Fortnightly: Woman held at knifepoint in Woodridge Center Mall plans to sue township for $5M , Tom Haydon, The Star-Ledger
A New Jersey woman held hostage at knifepoint in a shopping mall until a township police officer shot and killed her captor plans to sue the local township for $5 million, alleging she was psychologically injured as a result of the police officer’s actions. (read more)
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