R Street Institute

"Another major problem with the DPA is that, in using it to circumvent red tape, it is increasingly used to entrench a sort of political class. In a free market, profit motivates continuous improvements to productivity and delivers abundance. But under the DPA, being politically connected and receiving political favors via the DPA is more important to business profitability. Instead of encouraging productivity, the government incentivizes businesses to invest in lobbying." https://lnkd.in/eKdMKEax Philip Rossetti #energy #energypolicy

"This model also has been tried in the United States, most prominently in the tough-as-nails prison in Chester, Pa., just south of Philadelphia. As Vital City reports, 'the rates of serious, adjudicated misconduct are meaningfully lower when the unit is compared to other general population housing units at the facility. Conflict and violence are also exceedingly rare.' Recidivism rates appear to be dropping. The latest data shows California recidivism rates falling somewhat to 42%, as prisons have had less overcrowding and state officials have focused more on rehab programs. Research shows that prisoners who participate in re-entry programs have a 13% lower rate of recidivism than others, per CDCR data reported by CalMatters. Consider the San Quentin proposal as a prison-wide re-entry program." Orange County Register Steven Greenhut https://lnkd.in/eS2aHQva  

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink says he has “told the members of the Trump team that we’re going to run out of electricians as we build out AI data centers. We just don’t have enough.” These centers are a critical part of building America’s leadership in AI. Occupational licensing reform can help. Here is how: https://lnkd.in/ex-uK_vd Shoshana Weissmann The Dispatch #labor #ai #technology

Innovation, freedom, knowledge creation, and diffusion have been the recipe for American technology dominance in decades past. AI has the potential to usher us into a new era of innovation and progress on a variety of fronts, many of which we can scarcely imagine right now. But if America adopts these proposed Multistate AI Policymaker Working Group laws, it will devastate our country’s economy, technology, science, medicine, discourse, and ability to generate knowledge. Dean Ball Mercatus Center at George Mason University Adam Thierer https://lnkd.in/ezDyFjwa #ai #tech #techpolicy

"Lawmakers have a chance to support the economy and grant more than half a million people a new lease on life—a win-win by almost any measure. In Missouri, expungement is currently petition-based, requiring expensive lawyers and lots of paperwork. The process is so arduous that only 1 percent of qualified residents ever manage to seal their record. Despite some upfront costs, Clean Slate will benefit Missouri taxpayers by replacing a wasteful, antiquated bureaucracy with an automated digital system." Logan Seacrest #cleanslate #criminaljustice #publicpolicy

"While scaling back government incentives encouraging risky development is essential, it cannot happen in isolation. To ensure enough housing remains available, state and local governments must also remove unnecessary barriers to building in safer, less sensitive, more desirable locations. That’s why state and local governments must reform restrictive zoning, housing, building, and historical preservation rules, and mandates placed on landlords. While there is a government role in ensuring that uses of land don’t cause huge problems for their neighbors, the basic principle of private property means that people who own land should enjoy a very strong legal presumption in favor of building what they want where they want to. Real-world models show that this can work: cities like Houston that have minimal regulations provide a full-spectrum of urban amenities — great art museums, big-league sports teams and top universities — with rents that are half and home prices that are a quarter of those in regulation-happy cities like San Francisco and Portland, Oregon. These policies aren’t perfect — Houston has real flooding problems, for example — but they point a way toward better policies and safer cities. Eli Lehrer #zoning #climate #publicpolicy

"A better solution would be to build a system via state and federal policy changes that allow methadone access via [opioid treatment programs] and qualified healthcare providers, such as permitting addiction specialist physicians to prescribe methadone and pharmacies to dispense it. This would 'expand availability to an additional 12% of urban, 18% of suburban, and 16% of rural tracts.' And by providing a competitive, expert physician-driven alternative to OTPs, it would align with the Trump administration’s recent efforts at promoting the best readings of underlying statutes and reducing regulations that interfere with competition. It would also lead to more flexibility, more provider autonomy, and more options, thereby ensuring truly patient-centered care." Stacey McKenna #harmreduction #opioidcrisis #publicpolicy

"Housing First programs, first promoted by George W. Bush but facing criticism by the current administration, have proven effective for promoting long-term stability. While housing does not treat mental health or substance use issues, the stability it provides can help people engage in recovery if effective treatment is available. While effective treatment options that improve public safety, reduce drug use and overdose, and improve stability do exist, many remain out of reach due to excessive bureaucratic red tape. Removing government barriers and aligning regulations with federal guidance would provide gold-standard medication to those suffering from opioid use disorder. The federal government can also help improve access to this treatment. Further, extending and expanding telehealth for treatment would ensure patients in rural areas have better access to expert providers. Medicaid has been proven to help individuals with substance use disorder access services and remain drug-free. Anticipated changes to the Medicaid program should prioritize these communities alongside other vulnerable populations. Preventing homelessness is critical. Given the connection between physical health, mental health, and homelessness, improving treatment options and accessibility in our communities will help people stay housed and likely reduce encampments. Lawmakers should look to their local communities for successful innovative solutions, such as a voucher program for people on the verge of homelessness or removing regulatory barriers that hinder affordable housing developments." Lisel Petis Stacey McKenna #DOGE #homelessness #policy

Congress needs to craft a "learning period moratorium" as a way to deal with the explosion of AI regulatory proposals. I explain how it would work in this new R Street Institute filing to the House Energy & Commerce Committee Privacy Working Group RFI Exploring a Data Privacy & Security Framework. https://lnkd.in/e-KxzEw5 #techpolicy #AI #artificialintelligence

ICYMI: R Street Institute joined American Society of Addiction Medicine - ASAM and a number of pharmacy and public health associations in asking the Trump administration to apply its DOGE degregulatory work to onerous regulations on methadone. These DEA regulations do not reflect a plain reading of the law and keep far too many people away from this lifesaving medication for opioid use disorder. https://lnkd.in/gJ2iCQFX