2 Nov 2008

Election 2008: State Initiatives with Regulatory Content
Health Care

by Richard Belzer

in Legislation

Health care is a major domestic policy issue in this year's federal election campaigns. Two States have initiatives on the ballot concerning health care. They reflect very different public policy perspectives.

Arizona's is a constitutional amendment that would prohibit the legislature from enacting any law that would restrict the right to purchase legal health care services.

Montana's is a statute that would expand the State's Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and authorize new regulations mandating coverage.

The text of the Arizona and Montana initiatives is reprinted below.

8 Mar 2008

Virginia's New "Voluntary Tax" on Its "Bad" Drivers, Part 4:
The backlash wins

by Richard Belzer

in Regulatory Economics, Regulatory Policy

Washington Post staff writer Tim Craig reports that the Virginia legislature is expected to repeal the law that authorized the voluntary tax on bad Virginia drivers. The action follows a Virgina Supreme Court decision issued on February 29 declaring unconstitutional the legislature's other 2006 transportation policy innovation -- the creation of unelected regional authorities with the power to levy taxes. More...

18 Feb 2008

Taxing Illegal Markets to Raise Revenue:
To plug a budget deficit, NYS Governor Spitzer proposes to tax illegal drugs

by Richard Belzer

in Regulatory Economics

New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer has proposed to plug part of an expected $4.4 billion budget deficit by enacting a tax on illegal drugs. Similar laws have been enacted elsewhere to enable law enforcement to charge drugs distributors and dealers with another form of tax evasion. (Chances are they already evade federal and state income taxes.)

Are there any conditions in which this proposal could raise significant revenue? More...

8 Jan 2008

Cancer Risks from Air Toxics:
Remarkably small, even when exaggerated

by Richard Belzer

in Regulatory Economics, Regulatory Science

The Los Angeles Times reports that cancer risks in Southern California from air toxics declined in 2006 by 17%. Any decline in cancer risk is good news. How good is it? More...

7 Dec 2007

Can States Regulate Immigration? Part 7
Oregon to consider authorizing in-state tuition for illegal aliens

by Richard Belzer

in Regulatory Economics, Regulatory Policy

The Associated Press reports that Oregon's Board of Higher Education is considering a plan that would offer in-state tuition to qualified graduates of Oregon high schools who are not in the U.S. legally. More...

16 Nov 2007

Can States Regulate Immigration? Part 4b
NY Governor abandons 3-tiered driver license plan

by Richard Belzer

in Regulatory Economics, Regulatory Policy

This week, New York Governor Elliot Spitzer abandoned his plan for a three-tiered driver license program that would have allowed illegal aliens to obtain an inferior-form license. More...

15 Nov 2007

Can States Regulate Immigration? Part 6
New Jersey

by Richard Belzer

in Regulatory Policy

The Associated Press reports that a recent change in law enforcement policy has had discernible effects in New Jersey. More...

7 Nov 2007

Can States Regulate Immigration? Part 5
Results from the 'election market' in Virginia

by Richard Belzer

in Regulatory Policy

Economists often treat elections as markets; candidates are the "supply," voters provide the "demand," and the outcome determines which "product" the public "buys." Perhaps second only to traffic, immigration has become the top local issue in Prince William County, Virginia. We've posted on Prince William County's efforts to indirectly regulate the numbers of illegal aliens whjo reside in the county.

Yesterday elections were held statewide in Virginia. What did the market say? More...

4 Nov 2007

Can States Regulate Immigration? Part 4
An update on the New York State driver license controversy

by Richard Belzer

in Legislation, Regulatory Economics, Regulatory Policy

We recently posted times on various States' efforts to indirectly regulate immigration by supplementing federal immigration law (e.g., Oklahoma), or alternatively, to refuse to leverage State or local resources to enforce these laws (e.g., Illinois). We also looked at New York Governor Spitzer's September change in driver license policy that enabled illegal aliens to obtain valid driver licenses. We concluded that, whatever its merits as a policy, this did not appear to be a significant change from current practice because New York State's proof of identity standards would remain unchanged.

Spitzer's policy change stirred considerable controversy, so we went back to examine the issue in greater detail. Recently, Spitzer revised New York State driver license policy in a very significant way, and a comparison of the two policies reveals much more about how New York is addressing immigration issues. More...

15 Oct 2007

Can States Regulate Immigration? Part 3:
Reporting errors in today's Washington Post page one story

by Richard Belzer

in Regulatory Policy

Washington Post staff writer Anthony Fiaola has a Page One commentary on actions State and local governments have taken or are considering to regulate immigration within their borders. Fiaola's article contains mostly unattributed opinions (e.g., "some see obstacles"; "some observers fear"; "some observers are alarmed"; "others argue"; "others assert") and few facts or analysis. Because he is the Post's New York City bureau chief and not a beat reporter on immigration issues, he is especially prone to reporting error. We correct his more obvious mistakes. More...

28 Jul 2007

Can States Regulate Immigration? Part 3
Prince William County, Virginia

by Richard Belzer

in Regulatory Economics, Regulatory Policy

On July 10, the Board of Supervisors of Prince William County, Virginia, approved an ordinance concerning the enforcement of federal immigration law within its borders. Prince William County is a southern suburb of Washington, DC. More...

21 Jul 2007

Virginia's New "Voluntary Tax" on Its "Bad" Drivers, Part 3:
The backlash continues

by Richard Belzer

in Regulatory Economics, Regulatory Policy

We've posted here and here on Virginia's new "voluntary tax" on so-called abusive drivers, the funds from which are earmarked for highway improvements. The law continues to provoke controversy, we think in part because defenders of law persist in applying economic logic that even people untrained in economics understand is faulty. More...

19 Jul 2007

Can States Regulate Immigration? Part 2
Oklahoma's HB 1804

by Richard Belzer

in Legislation

Oklahoma's HB 1804 was enacted this spring and becomes effective on November 1, 2007. More...

16 Jul 2007

Can States Regulate Immigration? Part 1
State and local regulatory initiatives

by Richard Belzer

in Regulatory Economics, Regulatory Policy

Recent federal legislation to change immigration law foundered in the Senate. We posted the original bill to our document library because it was not online elsewhere. We then attempted to perform an objective analysis of its components. We were hampered by its length and complexity, the speed at which the debate was proceeding, and frequent (and unreported) changes in its text. Now that the dust has settled we can examine some of the provisions of the major bills. Leaving aside what ought to be done about immigration, what effects would these provisions have had if they were enacted? More...