<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Mountain States Policy Center]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mountain States Policy Center]]></description><link>https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sat, 10 Oct 2026 14:30:51 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Vote now for the 2026 Sawtooth Leadership Academy scholarship]]></title><description><![CDATA[From protecting children online to managing public lands, this year’s Sawtooth Leadership Academy finalists have taken on some of the most pressing policy questions facing the Mountain States. ]]></description><link>https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/post/vote-now-for-the-2026-sawtooth-leadership-academy-scholarship</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac440840600a80a1a6c513f</guid><category><![CDATA[Newsroom]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:19:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f1dfe7_ee59e412cdb94d2f84d60c9cb745b40f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>MSPC Newsroom</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to protect Montana rivers without more red tape]]></title><description><![CDATA[The goal should be straightforward: keep Montana’s rivers healthy, accessible, and productive for the people and communities that depend on them—today and for generations to come.]]></description><link>https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/post/montana-s-rivers-are-an-economic-asset-how-do-we-keep-them-healthy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6abd4f3a6b3ed45d65f87e6e</guid><category><![CDATA[Natural Resources/Energy]]></category><category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category><category><![CDATA[Montana]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 07 Oct 2026 14:56:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a52f4c_4552592720a04ef792df985d369761b0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_980,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Emily Strasburg</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The biggest housing reforms are happening in your backyard]]></title><description><![CDATA[States and local governments are the policymakers holding the sledgehammers to significantly address the housing crisis by removing barriers to supply. ]]></description><link>https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/post/congress-focuses-on-housing-regulations</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6abc2d3ffb101ff39f945564</guid><category><![CDATA[Business Climate]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2026 15:50:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a52f4c_12c81bcf75824203af5e78eef1207b54~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Madilynne Clark</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ballot Guide 2026: Wyoming's Initiative 1 (Property taxes)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Under the proposal, homeowners would need to have lived in Wyoming for at least one year and occupied their primary residence for at least six months of the previous tax year. The exemption would apply to the residential structure, excluding land.]]></description><link>https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/post/ballot-guide-2026-wyoming-s-initiative-1</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac3e3ffbe2a50557c8ed041</guid><category><![CDATA[Budget/Tax]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wyoming]]></category><category><![CDATA[Newsroom]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2026 14:00:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f1dfe7_ef84d9514f2d4dc5a8bc05b111fbda74~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>MSPC Newsroom</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ballot Guide 2026: Washington's Initiative 645 (Income tax repeal)]]></title><description><![CDATA[The study highlights a distinction voters should understand: the $1 million exemption is established in statute, rather than protected by the state constitution. Lawmakers could change that exemption through future legislation, potentially extending the tax to additional taxpayers.]]></description><link>https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/post/ballot-guide-2026-washington-s-initiative-645</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac3e2d00600a80a1a6b8844</guid><category><![CDATA[Budget/Tax]]></category><category><![CDATA[Washington]]></category><category><![CDATA[Newsroom]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2026 17:51:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f1dfe7_316a13d77ea44a6299f56370f0fd4ca6~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>MSPC Newsroom</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[New federal rules put Education Freedom Tax Credit on track ]]></title><description><![CDATA[With the federal rules now on the table, Washington's remaining question is no longer how the program will work. It is whether the state will participate. Taxpayers and students in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming are already set up to benefit from the new federal Education Freedom Tax credit.]]></description><link>https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/post/new-federal-rules-put-education-freedom-tax-credit-on-track</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6abfde00bfee4e7d2cf93653</guid><category><![CDATA[Education]]></category><category><![CDATA[Budget/Tax]]></category><category><![CDATA[Idaho]]></category><category><![CDATA[Washington]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wyoming]]></category><category><![CDATA[Montana]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2026 14:07:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a52f4c_210e83ca0fb24095a97acc205e4a35ca~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Meg Goudy</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Idaho teachers union budget mess is its own fault - will members demand accountability?]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Idaho Education Association is cutting roughly 13% of its staff, eliminating four organizer positions, closing all five of its regional offices and scaling back its annual Summer Institute. In other words, it is dealing with a major budget mess. And it has no one to blame but itself.]]></description><link>https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/post/idaho-teachers-union-budget-mess-is-its-own-fault-will-members-demand-accountability</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac1b1f02291ee73d35dd54f</guid><category><![CDATA[Education]]></category><category><![CDATA[Idaho]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 04 Oct 2026 02:19:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f1dfe7_6a3cb9632c444fc1a303029f93cdade4~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_900,h_600,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Chris Cargill</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Fact Check: Washington's income tax initiative doesn't "cut" government programs]]></title><description><![CDATA[Politicians and the media are claiming approval of Initiative 645 will "cut funding" for public schools, higher education and health care. There's only one problem - it's not true.]]></description><link>https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/post/fact-check-washington-s-income-tax-initiative-doesn-t-cut-government-programs</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6abffe39bfee4e7d2cf976a3</guid><category><![CDATA[Washington]]></category><category><![CDATA[Budget/Tax]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2026 02:58:52 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_036d89f7b1174ba39df609b78d154317~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Chris Cargill</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Washington State Supreme Court tramples on citizens’ initiative power ]]></title><description><![CDATA[It is vital for the judicial branch to hold the legislative branch to the same standard it uses to override citizen-approved ballot measures. If the legislature is going to pass omnibus tax bills and policy “hot messes,” the people should be free to exercise their right of initiative to respond. ]]></description><link>https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/post/washington-state-supreme-court-tramples-on-citizens-initiative-power</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6abd2c46662ccaa92fe9144a</guid><category><![CDATA[Natural Resources/Energy]]></category><category><![CDATA[Governance]]></category><category><![CDATA[Washington]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2026 14:31:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a52f4c_e6deaedd75f344d6ab2b6407c85ceb9d~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Madilynne Clark</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[New Study: What it would take to eliminate Idaho's local property taxes]]></title><description><![CDATA[The study finds a statewide, one-size-fits-all solution would be especially difficult because Idaho counties have vastly different property values and retail economies.]]></description><link>https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/post/new-study-what-it-would-take-to-eliminate-idaho-s-local-property-taxes</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ab9bc5de3d65231930952ca</guid><category><![CDATA[Budget/Tax]]></category><category><![CDATA[Idaho]]></category><category><![CDATA[Newsroom]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2026 04:10:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f1dfe7_261bf376cfc8498ea5b37bbaefec1f28~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>MSPC Newsroom</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Medicare For All" would require massive tax increases ]]></title><description><![CDATA[“Medicare For All” has an estimated cost of $32 trillion dollars for the first ten years. Tax increases would be in the neighborhood of 20 percent, with a serious detrimental impact on the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).]]></description><link>https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/post/medicare-for-all-would-require-massive-tax-increases</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ab1a413a6d8d9eec9335987</guid><category><![CDATA[Health Care]]></category><category><![CDATA[Budget/Tax]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 30 Sep 2026 14:19:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a52f4c_c218459e336e4341bf92b2a750bbf268~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_540,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Dr. Roger Stark </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Objections to Montana income tax cuts were wrong then, and are wrong now]]></title><description><![CDATA[You may have heard objections to Governor Gianforte’s proposal to move Montana to a flat income tax. We’ve heard those objections before. Experience proved that they were wrong then. And they are wrong now. Here are the facts.]]></description><link>https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/post/objections-to-montana-income-tax-cuts-were-wrong-then-and-are-wrong-now</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6abbc778b1030c5e8acdc2b3</guid><category><![CDATA[Budget/Tax]]></category><category><![CDATA[Montana]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 29 Sep 2026 14:20:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_4c5d659d152b44f591e440b3d3589c54~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rob Natelson</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What the fraud? New Wyoming ranking causes concern]]></title><description><![CDATA[Here’s one statistic Wyoming should seek to shed: being first in the Mountain West in Small Business Administration (SBA) pandemic loan fraud on a per capita basis.]]></description><link>https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/post/what-the-fraud-new-wyoming-ranking-causes-concern</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aad77a373e456c0a3addb70</guid><category><![CDATA[Business Climate]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wyoming]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 29 Sep 2026 14:03:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a52f4c_b9abb46f26b44e09926908527ab1ba9a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_640,h_640,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marta Mossburg </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Washington’s I-645: Repealing the new 9.9% income tax with a current statutory million-dollar exemption ]]></title><description><![CDATA[By adopting I-645, voters would have the opportunity to restore the state’s “competitive advantage” of no personal income taxes while working to increase faith in Washington’s business climate.]]></description><link>https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/post/washington-s-i-645-repealing-the-new-9-9-income-tax-with-a-current-statutory-million-dollar-exempt</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ab44293b2161adb0c758e0f</guid><category><![CDATA[Budget/Tax]]></category><category><![CDATA[Washington]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 28 Sep 2026 14:08:26 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a52f4c_c59bf4c67a9142559931c7559f0f00c3~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Jason Mercier</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Taxpayer money for government employee compensation demands real transparency ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Open collective bargaining should be the default when government officials are negotiating public services and government salaries with taxpayer dollars. Especially when those dollars are already stretched thin.]]></description><link>https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/post/taxpayer-money-for-government-employee-compensation-demands-real-transparency</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ab18b4cb85b920cf894c35d</guid><category><![CDATA[Budget/Tax]]></category><category><![CDATA[Education]]></category><category><![CDATA[Governance]]></category><category><![CDATA[Washington]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 14:14:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a52f4c_d00c1b0635db4d89839fa170c1dfcade~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Meg Goudy</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The only thing we have to fear is government AI intervention itself]]></title><description><![CDATA[Government should protect individual rights and hold people responsible when they cause actual harm. But punishing harmful conduct is different from controlling the underlying technology.]]></description><link>https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/post/the-only-thing-we-have-to-fear-is-government-ai-intervention-itself</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ab3614e09ec856a564e35e5</guid><category><![CDATA[Innovation & Technology]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2026 05:46:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/nsplsh_a196725616aa4bdabad8fb0b2f940055~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Chris Cargill</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Wyoming Supreme Court mostly stays in its lane on education policy]]></title><description><![CDATA[The people elect members of the state house and senate to represent their will. This decision allows the legislature to exercise its proper authority over how the K-12 public school system should be financed and the policies it should use to achieve lasting student success. ]]></description><link>https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/post/wyoming-supreme-court-mostly-stays-in-its-lane-on-education-policy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ab2af7209ec856a564cc09d</guid><category><![CDATA[Education]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wyoming]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2026 16:48:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_d6419b63aa564644b495cc0581fb754e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Marta Mossburg </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Which state leads the way for educational freedom? ]]></title><description><![CDATA[ In 2025 alone, Idaho, Wyoming, Tennessee, Texas, and other states created or significantly expanded private education-choice programs.]]></description><link>https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/post/which-state-leads-the-way-for-educational-freedom</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ab1ab1e92bad082c0610637</guid><category><![CDATA[Education]]></category><category><![CDATA[Idaho]]></category><category><![CDATA[Washington]]></category><category><![CDATA[Wyoming]]></category><category><![CDATA[Montana]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 21 Sep 2026 22:25:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a52f4c_ed300913b12246ed9ffcce131b2ffa7a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_660,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Meg Goudy</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Taking the next steps to grow Montana’s workforce ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Montana’s economy has momentum. Smart workforce and tax policies can help ensure that momentum becomes a lasting opportunity.]]></description><link>https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/post/taking-the-next-steps-to-grow-montana-s-workforce</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aac4a71262dc41108469eb0</guid><category><![CDATA[Business Climate]]></category><category><![CDATA[Montana]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 21 Sep 2026 15:21:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6d5410a9d7e74d1aa21c8e29020be0e5.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Emily Strasburg</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[New Study: It's time to let nuclear energy meet our region's power needs]]></title><description><![CDATA[Electricity consumption could grow 300% over the next decade, while overall U.S. electricity demand is expected to increase by about 3.5% annually through 2040. The study warns that without additional dependable generation, parts of the country could face shortages of dispatchable power during peak summer demand hours by 2030.]]></description><link>https://www.mountainstatespolicy.org/post/new-study-it-s-time-to-let-nuclear-energy-meet-our-region-s-power-needs</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aadf898d27bfbbf45f69474</guid><category><![CDATA[Newsroom]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 19 Sep 2026 02:54:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f1dfe7_8e878901495844f1b494a215f99a4327~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>MSPC Newsroom</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>