I refuse to believe that Nebraska (or the country) is as divided as the political class would have us believe. By political class, I refer not only to those actually in elected office but those who take up so much bandwidth on social media talking about nothing but what's going... Continue reading

{EDIT: Following some Twitter comments, I feel compelled to add that my views here are based on policymaking practicalities, not on the essence of the argument. Unlike with defining where stop signs should be placed or what speed limits are for everyone, culture war-related legislation doesn't typically "fix" the problems... Continue reading

Fifteen years ago (in 2007), I started a blog that followed and became part of the "Ron Paul Revolution" in the GOP from 2007 to 2012. In 2014, I was elected to the Nebraska legislature, and the increasingly rare blog posts faded into oblivion, with "RedStateEclectic" going the way of... Continue reading

Jim Vokal spoke on the CARES Act in a White House virtual meeting. Continue reading

All over the country, governors used executive orders to reduce health care licensing restrictions in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Regulatory changes included waiving fees, granting recognition of out-of-state medical personnel licenses, allowing immediate licensure for students who had not quite completed their clinical program, and waiving certain testing requirements... Continue reading

Scroll through the assorted blog posts on this page, or take a look at the Platte Institute website, or at our Twitter or Facebook pages, and you'll see that we continue to look forward to helping Nebraska develop good policy in the post-COVID-19 reality. From our first big webinar offering... Continue reading

I suspect that we've all been just a little out of sorts lately. While I personally work from home most of the time, I'm usually able to do that work without kids in the house--and I usually jump in the car and run to the grocery store, or downtown to... Continue reading

The last week or so has been something of a whirlwind here in Nebraska, as cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) started to show up. Events have been canceled, schools have closed, state basketball tournaments have been modified to have no meaningful fan presence, colleges have moved toward remote classes, and some... Continue reading

I noted last week that recent research by the Goldwater Institute suggests that universal recognition enacted in Arizona was showing significant benefits for both the state's labor market and for workers seeking to continue to practice their occupation in a new location. A new policy report from Arizona State's Center... Continue reading

Here's an interesting story about the silliness of some occupational licensing boards. A man trained in electrical engineering, questions the formulas used for timing red lights in Oregon, after his wife gets a ticket for moving through the intersection to make a right turn on a yellow (the light turned... Continue reading

A friend sent me a link to this story yesterday, and here in beef country, it seems like something we should know about. It would seem that an entrepreneur in the Sandhills--eager to provide a high-value product--is being stymied by "red tape" and the federal government. Big surprise, right? Since... Continue reading

Universal Recognition for occupational licensing burst onto the scene almost a year ago when Arizona enacted its "universal recognition" bill last April. Pennsylvania became the second state to enact universal recognition in late July of 2019. This year, more than a dozen states, including Nebraska, saw legislation introduced (although none... Continue reading

A recent analysis by the Archbridge Institute found that in neighboring Iowa, occupational licensing requirements added between 1993 and 2012 was associated with a 4.7% reduction in economic mobility and a 10.9% increase in income inequality. Growth in occupational licensing is associated with fewer opportunities for workers to earn more... Continue reading

Today (Tuesday, February 25) marks Day 30 of Nebraska's 60-day legislative session this year. Halfway there. In reality, probably a little over halfway, because Speaker Scheer has typically tried to close the session out between days 57 and 59. If you look at the Legislative Calendar found here, you'll see... Continue reading

Sometimes, circumstances remind me of songs, and the John Lennon song "Imagine" came to mind as I was reading the articles I link to below. This article popped up in my Google alerts yesterday. It appears that a couple of legislators in Tennessee have decided to float a very bold... Continue reading

On Thursday, I testified on two bills before the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee of the Nebraska Legislature. The first one I testified on was Senator Andrew La Grone's (LD49) LB1187, which would provide for "universal recognition" of occupational licenses of people who move to Nebraska from other states.... Continue reading

This op-ed, posted recently in The Hill, suggests that licensing is not just about reducing "red tape"--it's also about giving people real opportunities to lift themselves from poverty. Licensing laws are barriers that can put your dreams on hold for years. They also make us less safe. Individuals who have... Continue reading

An article published by Reason Magazine today points out the insidious nature of many states' occupational licensing frameworks. The Hillsbourough County Sheriff's office conducted a 9-month "sting" operation, which resulted in the arrest of 118 men and women. The sting, according to Patch, saw sheriff's deputies pose as homeowners seeking... Continue reading

When I was running for the Legislature (both times), property taxes where high on peoples' minds. I tried to listen to their concerns, and some comments I heard while watching the legislative coverage several days ago (and then again today) reminded me of some of the things that I'd heard,... Continue reading

Senator Steve Erdman dropped a surprise in the hopper on the last day of bill introduction. And his surprise is designed to decrease the "shakedown effect" that many Nebraskans feel when it comes time to pay property and income taxes. LB300CA--a proposal for a "Constitutional amendment to prohibit all forms... Continue reading

John Stossel describes some of the problems with occupational licensing and the opportunity to "make good" for those who have had problems with the law. Nebraska's Occupational Board Review Act (LB 299, 2018), did not totally eliminate restrictions for licensures, but it now gives potential license-seekers the ability to pre-inquire... Continue reading

While most of us wouldn't argue that some occupations in the medical field shouldn't be regulated in some way, one of the arguments that I often make when engaged in discussions about the need for occupational licensing is that in the 21st century, the more important consumer standard for whether... Continue reading

Adam went through a list of bills that caught his eye--either positively or negatively--during the first three days of bill introduction in the Legislature. Before Day 4 kicks off, I thought I'd mention a few bills that had me saying "hmm." First, I should probably note that just about all... Continue reading

As a "hobbyist" genealogist for the last 10 years, there's always been one branch of the family tree that's been a bit of a mystery. I started my hobby as the result of Ancestry.com commercials at about this time of year--I remember my family watching "A Christmas Story" and these... Continue reading