The Blog at MSPC

Every year, millions of Americans make one of the biggest decisions of their lives: whether to stay where they are or move somewhere they believe offers greater opportunity. They aren’t just choosing a new home. They’re choosing a different set of public policies.

Wyoming families and students have a huge reason to celebrate. As of July 6, they can apply for up to $7,000 for costs related to private or homeschooling for K-12 students for the 2026/2027 school year.

Government officials should strive to maximize voter participation on important issues, and requiring tax increases to be considered at a primary or general election does just that.

Hospital price transparency is not political; it’s the only fair, compassionate, and honest way to operate our healthcare system.

Data centers have the potential to be an economic boon to the regions in which they are built, along with laying the groundwork for advances in medicine, national defense, and other research. Slowing data center development must be done based on local context, including the consumption levels of the data center and regional water availability.

For Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming – the 2025 rankings reinforce the idea that fiscal conservatism is no longer simply a political slogan in the region, but a defining component of economic strategy and regional identity. It’s also a reminder for Washington of the important fiscal reforms needed.

The rule rescission brings common sense back to federal land management while also protecting the livelihoods of thousands who responsibly make a living on our shared inheritance.

Civic participation in the United States has been weakening for years, and rural states like Montana and Wyoming feel those effects more intensely.

Those states that prioritize fiscal discipline and a low regulatory and tax burden are doing well. The opposite is true if a state fails to keep its fiscal and regulatory house in order.

Education choice in Wyoming and throughout the United States has the potential to usher in an era of learning focused on student success, tailored to their individual needs. This decision is a great start towards that goal.

Public trust erodes when voters believe democratic decisions are only respected when they align with elite opinion.

It is right that Wyoming legislators chose to make it easier for many of those who power Wyoming’s economy in construction, transportation, health care and other fields to more easily earn a well-paid living with a safety net without having to give up the flexibility of contract work.

In states where every dollar and opportunity matters, such as Wyoming and Montana, improving transparency could be just as important as expanding access, ensuring that students who attend college truly benefit from it.

A temporary gas tax suspension is not a radical proposal. It’s a pragmatic one. It acknowledges that while we argue about the future of energy, people still have to live in the present.

Our republic needs to continue to support the importance and power of the states, and the Electoral College is a prime pillar of that ideal.

Wyoming legislators should make strengthening the Public Records Act and other government transparency initiatives their center of attention in next year’s legislative session. This would build on the progress made this session for medical cost transparency.

Lawmakers across our region were very busy during the 2026 Legislative Sessions. More than 2,300 combined bills were introduced in Washington (1,157), Idaho (817), and Wyoming (335). There wasn’t a legislative session this year in Montana. Several of Mountain States Policy Center’s (MSPC) recommendations were among those to make it across the finish line.

This year, Idaho lawmakers introduced more than 800 pieces of legislation—again. That’s not a one-off spike. It’s part of a clear trend: more bills, more activity, and more output from a citizen legislature that was never designed to operate at this scale.

Despite a massive hydroelectric advantage, Washington will continue to become more expensive due to its energy tax and regulatory policies, while Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming are likely to see the cost curve bend with their support for bringing more nuclear power online.

The data suggests that the consequences are measurable—in dollars, in jobs, and in opportunity.