The Blog at MSPC

Ada County officials have significantly increased development impact fees to pay for transportation projects, passing an ordinance to charge

Montana families seeking flexible education options for students with special needs received disappointing news last week when a District Co

Did you know that Wyoming is only one of four states in the U.S. with a completely government-run workers’ compensation insurance system? Wa

Remember when Americans were told that the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) would lower health care costs and that if you liked

States and local governments across America have collectively accumulated over $6 trillion in liabilities, roughly $5 trillion of which are

Just as low-quality steel will lead to a lower quality chassis of a car, poorly educated American workers will lead to a drop in quality of

Across the country, raising the minimum wage continues to be a topic of conversation. Some claim that raising the minimum wage to $20 would

What’s good for the goose is also good for the gander, or so the saying goes. But this adage never seems to hold true for the federal land discussion, even when an alliance could benefit both sides of the debate.

During his recent speech at the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho (ATI) conference, Governor Little noted how “C.O.W.s” are one of the state’s current challenges, but also an opportunity.  

This will be a momentous decision, so it is not too early to begin public discussion now. Moreover, Montanans are entitled to hear all sides of the issue: All too often, opinion makers have celebrated the existing state constitution without admitting that it has flaws.

The Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit is a new refundable tax credit program that allows parents to apply for a tax credit of up to $5,000 for each eligible student, and up to $7,500 for each eligible special needs student, for qualified education expenses.

Decades of federal forest managers pursuing suppression-focused tactics led to a logjam of unmanaged forests waiting to ignite. Current federal policies barely chip away at the buildup, with only 0.08% of public lands treated with prescribed fire. A rate far below the accumulation of vulnerable fuels on public lands in the mountain states.

The Wyoming Supreme Court made the right decision earlier this month to pause education mandates from Laramie District Judge Peter Froelicher that seemed more like royal decrees. Legislators can now wait until the appeal to his February 26 order is decided in the Wyoming Supreme Court, which heard arguments in the case on November 12.

The Tax Foundation's State Competitiveness Index reveals which states are taxpayer-friendly for both individuals and businesses. States are ranked based on income, sales, excise, property, capital gains, corporate, payroll, estate, and VAT consumption taxes.

As statistics refute themselves, regulations harm more than protect, and trade barriers exasperate challenges facing domestic producers, the government’s role in farming is only adding to the red.

One of America’s most respected constitutional scholars, his addition represents a major advance for MSPC and significantly expands the organization’s legal and constitutional research capacity.

The decision may put to rest objections in the Montana legislature to calling for a “convention of states” to address the federal government’s dysfunction.

Roughly three out of four businesses say they’ve been hit directly by the recent sales tax on services or B&O tax increases. More than half are raising prices because of it. The rest are just absorbing the blow and hoping things calm down.

Whether and where to attend college can be a life-changing decision with significant impacts on an individual's future job opportunities and potential debt liabilities. Students, parents, and policymakers all have a vested interest in ensuring the return on investment is worth the considerable expense. 

A small group of agitators may be determined to intimidate parents, but the rest of Idaho shouldn’t let them. These meetings belong to families. The conversation belongs to the community.