Policy Briefs
View all policy studies.-
The current status of Texas Central’s proposed high-speed rail line linking Dallas and Houston
The high-speed rail vision Texas Central outlined in 2013 of easy land acquisition, quick construction, minimal opposition, and low costs is vastly different from the grim reality that caused the company to abandon its project in 2022.
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State policy agenda for telehealth innovation
This report examines all 50 states in four key areas where there's an opportunity to maximize the potential of telehealth services.
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K-12 open enrollment in Wisconsin: Key lessons for other states
Wisconsin's public school open enrollment program serves over 70,000 students and can be a model for other states.
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Fines and fees: Consequences and opportunities for reform
The use of fines and fees to directly fund courts, law enforcement agencies, or other government activities can result in undesirable conflicts of interest.
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Public education funding without boundaries: How to get K-12 dollars to follow open enrollment students
How to ensure state and local education funds flow seamlessly across district boundaries.
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Freight rail deregulation: Past experience and future reforms
Advancing the public interest demands that regulators consider the unique characteristics of the industry in question and its role in the broader economy over the long-run.
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Public schools without boundaries: Ranking every state’s K-12 open enrollment policies
Only 11 states have mandatory open enrollment laws that allow students to easily transfer to other public schools and 26 states allow public schools to charge tuition to public school transfer students.
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How text message reminders can help reduce technical parole and probation violations
This report's findings suggest that sending text message reminders for scheduled appointments could reduce canceled and missed parole and probation appointments by as much as 21% and 29%, respectively.
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How state reforms changed federal enforcement of marijuana prohibition
While formal federal marijuana law has persisted unchanged amid state-level reforms, federal marijuana enforcement on the ground has changed dramatically.
