FREEDOMWORKS 05/28/2015

1. Hawaii Healthcare Exchange on the Hook for Millions - by Patrick Roux
In March, the state of Hawaii was notified that it was out of compliance with the Affordable Care Act because its Health Connector – the state-run insurance exchange - wasn’t financially stable at the outset of the year. Plagued by technical difficulties, a lack of enrollment, and higher-than-expected costs, Hawaii’s exchange is in danger of becoming the latest to fail, which would force the state to default to the federal exchange website.
Already, the federal government has restricted grant money to Hawaii and will be taking over the state exchange’s IT functions to allow residents to enroll in coverage through the Federal marketplace. Governor David Ige is negotiating with the Federal Government to release the grant money and avoid closure of the Hawaii marketplace. Read more here...

2. Executive Spying Goes Further than the Patriot Act - by Logan Albright
On Sunday, the Senate will vote on reauthorizing Section 215 of the Patriot Act, the controversial section that allows the bulk collection of telephone metadata. Actually, it doesn’t allow it, according to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, but everyone is still acting like it does and framing the debate accordingly.
Some people are pushing for the House-passed USA Freedom Act, which purports to end bulk surveillance, while others want to sunset Section 215 altogether, in the hopes of pulling the rug out from NSA spies. What few people want to acknowledge, however, with the notable exception of Sen. Rand Paul, is that Section 215 is only a small piece of a larger mass-surveillance puzzle. It could go away tomorrow, and law enforcement agencies could still scoop up your data – not just metadata, but actual content – with legal impunity. Read more here...

3. Where is the left on corporate bailouts? - by Adam Brandon via The Hill
Conservatives have been leading the charge to end an outdated corporate welfare program. The question everyone should be asking is: where have all the anti-corporation liberals gone?
We’re always told that Republicans are the Party of Big Business, forever eager to sell out ordinary middle-class families to the interests of megacorporations run by billionaire tycoons. And most people still believe it. But when it comes to ending actual corporate welfare, a lot of Democrats are mysteriously silent. Exhibit A: the U.S. Export-Import Bank. Read more here...
4. The Ex-Im Bank Has Got to Go - by Trey Grover

5. Governor Snyder Wants Smart Justice for Michigan - by Michael Greibrook
This week Governor Snyder announced his priorities to reform Michigan’s justice system in a speech made at Goodwill Industries, a company that helps train and employ former prisoners. The governor stressed his reforms are not about being weak on crime, rather, they are about creating a smart justice system.
The state’s prison budget stands at $2 billion and this represents between 20-25% of the state’s general fund. At a cost of $35,000 a year to house a prisoner, any reduction in the prison population would leave more for funds for programs like education and transportation, or provide an opportunity to lower taxes. Read more here...
6. Texas continues to pass meaningful justice reforms that will ease cost burdens on taxpayers - by Jason Pye 
Doug Deason is a successful businessman from Dallas, Texas, whose life could have turned out much differently. When he was 17, Deason, who was raised in a wealthy family, and his friends raided a liquor cabinet at a neighbor's home. He was arrested, plead to a misdemeanor criminal trespassing charge, and sentenced to probation.
He completed the sentence required by the court and, due to his family's financial standing, was able to have his record expunged. "Every time I filled out an application for college, a loan, a mortgage, employment, etc.," Deason told members of a Texas Senate committee in April, the Dallas Morning Newsreports, "I never had to 'check the box' and it reminds me of how blessed I am that I was granted the opportunity to redeem my life." Read more here...
7. FCC transparency bills gain positive progress during subcommittee vote - by Erin Aitcheson
The name of the game was transparency during Wednesday’s Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing, where several proposed draft bills were voted to move forward to the full committee. The proposed bills were introduced in light of the FCC’s recent Open Internet Order, a massive new regulatory regime that prompted many complaints about the process under which it was released. Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden opened the hearing with remarks on the overwhelming need for the FCC to change its decision making process in such a way as to increase transparency and consumer access. Chairman Walden stated, “[t]he FCC’s work doesn't only impact the industries that it regulates, but as daily consumers of communications services, our own lives as well.”
In today’s society, technology touches almost every part of our lives. We use it daily and we use it constantly. Recognizing this, Chairman Walden emphasized in his opening statement, “[t]his is why it is so important to make sure that the FCC functions in an effective, transparent manner.” Over the years and as technology has progressed, the FCC continuously “falls short of the standard for a well-run agency.” Read more here...
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Iris Somberg
Press Secretary, FreedomWorks