About the show
People spend far too much time looking just at the federal government. The same is true with podcasts. Instead, the discussions hosted on Across the States focus on state issues and state solutions within state capitols, by state legislators and with state policy experts.
The American Legislative Exchange Council is the country's largest voluntary membership organization of state legislators in the United States. It acts as a forum to exchange ideas and develop state-based solutions.
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Episodes
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57: The Blaine Amendment Decision w/ the Institute for Justice
September 9th, 2020 | 9 mins 35 secs
What are the Blaine Amendments, how does the Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue Supreme Court Case affect school choice in the states and is your state impacted? Listen in on this episode featuring Education Choice Attorney at the Institute for Justice David Hodges, ALEC Director of the Education and Workforce Development Task Force Scott Kaufman and host Dan Reynolds to find out more.
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56: Vaccine Development During a Global Pandemic w/ Rep. Oliverson and Pfizer
September 2nd, 2020 | 36 mins 32 secs
Because of COVID-19, a vaccine and the topic of vaccines are on everyone’s mind. Joining the podcast to discuss the development of a COVID-19 vaccine is Pfizer Global COVID Vaccine Medical Lead David Swerdlow and Texas State Representative Tom Oliverson, who is a medical professional. Pfizer has committed to deliver millions of vaccine doses by the end of 2020, and it has been operating within a unique regulatory environment because of COVID.
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55: New MLK, Civil Rights Curriculum Initiative for the States
August 26th, 2020 | 21 mins 9 secs
There is currently an opportunity and a need to reinforce the history and the teachings that are based on Dr. King’s non-violent social justice philosophy. This means the adoption of a special curriculum. Fortunately, there is one highlighting MLK and the civil rights movement, and it has already been implemented in multiple states. Today’s podcast discussion covers this curriculum. Guests include: ALEC Vice President of Policy Advancement Sherry Street, Texas State Representative Tan Parker, Howard University Associate Provost and Assistant Vice-President for Enrollment Management Anthony Jones and Institute of World Politics Chair of Law and Human Rights Dr. Matthew Daniels.
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54: Localism, Youth Involvement in Government and 100 Years of 19th Amendment w/ State Legislator of the Month Rep. Tory Arnberger
August 19th, 2020 | 16 mins 4 secs
State Legislator of the Month Rep. Tory Arnberger works hard every day as a young state legislator to advance the principles of limited government and federalism in Kansas. And during the pandemic, she’s lead her constituents with an emphasis on local control in the face of state mandates and discussions on education in the COVID-19 era. Now, she joins host Dan Reynolds to discuss this and more.
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53: New ALEC Report Rich States, Poor States: A Primer
August 12th, 2020 | 30 mins 17 secs
In this special episode of Across the States Dan Reynolds is joined by two ALEC policy experts to discuss the newest edition of Rich States, Poor States: the ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index – which released today. Report co-author, ALEC EVP for Policy and Chief Economist Jonathan Williams and Senior Director of the ALEC Center for State Fiscal Reform Lee Schalk discuss the background of the report, the two state rankings it awards and most importantly, how state leaders can use this year’s findings to advance economic growth following a global pandemic.
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52: How to Fix the Safety Net w/ FGA
August 4th, 2020 | 29 mins 21 secs
Balancing state budgets is always important, but during the pandemic, doing it right is even more important. On the podcast today to discuss this is FGA Director of Government Affairs Roy Lendardson, FGA Senior Fellow Scott Centorino and ALEC Executive Vice President of Policy Jonathan Williams. Listen in on how the federal government has handcuffed states with “fraud by design” welfare programs, how states can actually improve budgets while still keeping welfare programs and more.
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51: Certificate of Need Laws w/ Pacific Legal Foundation
July 20th, 2020 | 13 mins 48 secs
What are Certificate of Need laws and how do they affect businesses across the country? Anastasia Boden, Senior Attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation, weighs in on CON laws and COVID-19, how the Pacific Legal Foundation is defending individual liberty in the states and what states can do now to protect medical freedom.
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50: Criminal Justice Solutions w/ MI Rep. Graham Filler
July 9th, 2020 | 14 mins 14 secs
This episode of Across the States, recorded in early 2020, takes us back to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), where host Dan Reynolds sits down with MI Representative Graham Filler, a speaker at the event and Chair of the MI House Judiciary Committee, to discuss criminal justice solutions at the state level. Following the FIRST STEP Act, based on ALEC model policy, what is the “second step” states can take to lower recidivism rates in America? Rep. Filler weighs in.
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49: Education Reform w/ Jim Blew from the U.S. Department of Education
July 2nd, 2020 | 21 mins 5 secs
In this special episode of Across the States recorded at the U.S. Department of Education in early 2020, host Dan Reynolds sat down with Jim Blew, Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, and Sherry Street, ALEC Vice President of Policy Advancement to highlight the work done advocating for education choice. What’s the reality behind charter schools, what does education reform look like today and how might it look in the years to come? One thing is clear from both the federal and state perspective: it should be about empowering the educators, the parents and the students.
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48: The Road to Higher Taxes w/ Stephen Haner
June 26th, 2020 | 18 mins 54 secs
On this episode of Across the States, host Dan Reynolds is joined by Senior Fellow of State and Local Taxes at the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy Stephen Haner, ALEC Vice President of Policy Jonathan Williams and ALEC Center for State Fiscal Reform Legislative Manager Skip Estes. The Thomas Jefferson Institute recently released a brochure, The Road to Higher Taxes, which outlines the nearly two dozen changes in Virginia tax laws passed by the 2020 General Assembly. Now in the podcast studio, the group defines what this will mean for taxpayers come July 1.
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47: State Labor Reforms for Public Sector Unions w/ Vincent Vernuccio
June 23rd, 2020 | 16 mins 25 secs
In the 2018 case Janus v. AFSCME, the Supreme Court reshaped the interaction between public sector employees and unions, affirming the 1st Amendment rights of individual employees. Joining host Dan Reynolds to discuss this landmark decision, its ramifications and the “Post-Janus” environment today is Vincent Vernuccio, Senior Fellow at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.
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46: Youth Involvement in State and Local Government w/ State Legislator of the Month Del. Joshua Higginbotham and TPUSA
June 19th, 2020 | 17 mins 29 secs
Youth involvement in free enterprise and individual liberty will play a crucial role in COVID-19 recovery and onward. On the podcast to discuss this is State Legislator of the Month and 23-year old WV Del. Joshua Higginbotham, who recently sponsored a bill reclassifying 911 telecommunication operators as emergency workers. Also joining the podcast to speak on the important participation of youth in politics is Turning Point USA COO Tyler Bowyer.
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45: A Free Market Approach to Content Moderation w/ John Samples
June 16th, 2020 | 21 mins 49 secs
Social media and free speech: they truly go hand in hand. Knowing this, Facebook recently started funding an oversight board made up of independent individuals as a non-governmental and free market solution to oversee content moderation on the platform. Joining host Dan Reynolds to discuss this is John Samples, a member of the new oversight board and Cato Institute Vice President, and Jonathon Hauenschild, Director of the Communications and Technology Task Force at ALEC.
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44: Social Media and the Section 230 Executive Order w/ Ash Kazaryan and Carl Szabo
June 12th, 2020 | 35 mins 27 secs
President Trump’s executive order, social media and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. To discuss these hot topics, and why they’re so important right now, host Dan Reynolds is joined by TechFreedom Director of Civil Liberties Ash Kazaryan, NetChoice VP and General Counsel Carl Szabo and ALEC Communications and Technology Task Force Director Jonathon Hauenschild.
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43: Protecting Patients’ Rights During COVID-19 w/ MI Rep. Johnson and the Mackinac Center
June 9th, 2020 | 18 mins 20 secs
With the increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations, ensuring patients’ rights and wishes are not being disregarded protects individual liberty across the states. In response to the responsibility to uphold these wishes and rights is the COVID-19 Patient Rights to Life Resolution from the Mackinac Center. On the podcast to discuss this resolution and why it matters is Mackinac Center Health Care Policy Advisor Greg George, Michigan State Representative Steve Johnson and ALEC Health and Human Services Task Force Director Brooklyn Roberts.
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42: The US Trade Deficit w/ Christine McDaniel
June 5th, 2020 | 23 mins 23 secs
Joining host Dan Reynolds on this episode of Across the States to discuss the trade deficit in the United States is Christine McDaniel, Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center and Karla Jones, Senior Director of the Federalism and International Relations Task Force at ALEC.