Across the States

Maui Fires & Restricting American Uranium with Joe Trotter

August 23rd, 2023  |  17 mins 21 secs

alec, fire, joe trotter, maui, uranium

Joe Trotter, ALEC's Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force Director, sits down with Lars Dalseide to discuss the probable causes of the fires in Maui and how President Biden's decision to designate one of America's richest uranium deposits as a national monument severely restricts the country's ability to become energy independent.

How the Jones Act Impacts Maritime Commerce and National Security

July 17th, 2023  |  30 mins

alec, cato institute, colin grabow, defense, jones act, karla jones, national security, trade

ALEC Federalism, Homeland Security & International Relations Task Force Senior Director Karla Jones sat down with Colin Grabow, Research Fellow at the CATO Institute Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, to discuss The Jones Act and its implications on maritime commerce and national security.

The Latest Threat to the Colorado Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights

July 12th, 2023  |  9 mins 37 secs

alec, lars dalseide, nick stark, tabor, taxes

An upcoming ballot measure in Colorado would allow massive expansion in government spending and weaken the Colorado Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), the nation’s strongest taxpayer protection. At the tail end of Colorado’s legislative session, Governor Jared Polis signed a property tax bill that now requires voter approval. If approved, TABOR would be gutted in exchange for a small short term cut to property taxes. Known as Proposition HH, this proposal tempts voters with the promise of property tax cuts, while its real purpose is to water-down TABOR’s revenue and spending limits.

Ben Murrey, Director of Fiscal Policy at the Independence Institute described the package as a “boondoggle of a property tax plan.” According to The Center Square, it would decrease TABOR refunds by 23%.

TABOR is the gold standard for tax and expenditure limits (TELs). Since its adoption by voters as a state constitutional amendment in 1992, it has helped to restrain the growth of government and returned billions of dollars to Colorado taxpayers.

The attacks on TABOR aren’t new. The property tax “cut” is only the latest gimmicky attempt to unleash the leviathan of big government on hard-working Coloradans.

His Excellency Marek Magierowski, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the US on the Ukraine War.

June 28th, 2023  |  27 mins 47 secs

alec, global cooperation, international relations, karla jones, marek magierowski, poland, ukraine

ALEC's Karla Jones speaks with His Excellency Marek Magierowski, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the United States.

We are honored to share Karla Jones' thought-provoking conversation with His Excellency Marek Magierowski, the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the United States. Their conversation centers on the ongoing war in Ukraine, examining its impact from both a European and, more specifically, a Polish perspective.

Poland's historical and geographical proximity to Ukraine has positioned it as a significant stakeholder in the region's stability. This conversation offered an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by Poland and its perspective on the situation.

Transparency in Health Care: Brooklyn Roberts Explains

June 26th, 2023  |  5 mins 1 sec

alec, brooklyn roberts, health, healthcare, prices, transparency

Know what you're paying when going to the hospital? What a medication cost? What an operation cost? If not then your state probably needs a little health care transparency. Lars Dalseide sits down with ALEC's Health and Human Services Task Force Director Brooklyn Roberts to discuss state actions being taken to promote price transparency for when patients are choosing their health care.

Artificial Intelligence Accountability: Jake Morabito Explores NTIA’s AI Accountability Policy

June 21st, 2023  |  6 mins 1 sec

ai, alec, jake morabito, lars dalseide, ntia

Jake Morabito, ALEC Communications and Technology Task Force Director, sat down with Lars Dalseide to discuss comments ALEC submitted to the National Telecommunications & Information Administration’s (NTIA) proposed Artificial Intelligence (AI) Accountability Policy RFC.

Canadian Wildfires Flood Eastern Seaboard with Smoke and Haze

June 9th, 2023  |  8 mins 16 secs

alec, canada, fire, joe trotter, lars dalseide, smoke

With smoky skies littering the eastern seaboard, the quality of Canada's forest management policies have come into question. Lars Dalseide sits down with ALEC's Energy, Environment, Agriculture Task Force Director Joe Trotter to discuss the current cloudy situation and how Canada could make better environmental choices.

135: America’s Continuing Baby Formula Crisis

April 12th, 2023  |  29 mins 58 secs

alec, baby formula shortage, cato, free markets, free trade, gabriella beaumont smith, karla jones, trade policy

As part of Women’s History Month, ALEC Senior Task Force Director Karla Jones sits down with one of the nation’s foremost experts on international trade Gabriella Beaumont‐Smith of the Cato Institute’s Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies. They look at the international trade aspects of the ongoing baby formula crisis in the United States.

134: America's Fentanyl Overdose Epidemic

March 24th, 2023  |  24 mins 12 secs

brooklyn roberts, epidemic, fentanyl, karla jones, overdose

A personal story about the Fentanyl crisis here in America.

How States are Creating Universal Education Freedom

March 13th, 2023  |  43 mins 33 secs

across the states, alec, american legislative exchange council, education freedom, education freedom moment, school choice, universal savings accounts

ALEC Education and Workforce Task Force Director Andrew Handel and ALEC Executive VP of Policy Jonathan Williams host a policy hour on the Education Freedom Moment in the United States.

132: Combating Human Trafficking

February 6th, 2023  |  58 mins 53 secs

In recognition of January as National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, ALEC’s Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development (CIED) Task Force hosted a webinar addressing this issue.

131: How State Reforms Can Address Problems in Vision Care

January 20th, 2023  |  13 mins 6 secs

healthcare, optometric, vision care

How state legislatures can deal with problems of vision care providers. Join ALEC Senior Task Force Director Brooklyn Roberts for a solutions-oriented discussion with the American Optometric Association.

130: Anesthesiology w/ Mike MacKinnon, Jenny Schmitt and Brooklyn Roberts

June 14th, 2022  |  38 mins 46 secs

On this episode of Across the States, Matt Fisher sits down with Jenny Schmitt, an accomplished advocate for the Nurse Anesthesiology profession, and Mike MacKinnon, the CEO of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology. Together with ALEC's Director of Health and Human Services task force, Brooklyn Roberts, they discuss the significance of anesthetics and why it plays a critical role in healthcare.

129: Liberalism and Free Speech on Campus

June 9th, 2022  |  18 mins 21 secs

Matt Fisher hosts a conversation between Rikki Schlatt, Andrew Handel and Cherise Trump about free speech on campuses and the battle for the First Amendment in higher education.

128: Charter Schools and Educational Freedom

June 2nd, 2022  |  30 mins 53 secs

127: What is Blockchain? w/ Leo Briceno

May 5th, 2022  |  24 mins 4 secs

If you’ve discussed cryptocurrencies or talked to people who work in the digital technologies space, “blockchain” is a term you’ve likely heard before. But what does it actually mean? Join Leo Briceno on this episode of Across the States as he interviews Yan Pritzker, the CTO of Swan Bitcoin and a blockchain expert, and Jonathon Hauenschildchild, ALEC’s Communications and Technology Task Force Director, to learn the fundamentals of what blockchain actually is and how it works.