FREEDOMWORKS 06/14/2015

Not the Court's Job to Change How the Law is Written- by Michael Greibrok The time is near: later this month the Supreme Court will issue its ruling on King v. Burwell. The case centers around the question of what the phrase “established by the state” means, and how it affects eligibility for subsidies. Plaintiffs contend that the words take their literal meaning, only exchanges set up by the state are eligible for subsidies. The government’s position is that the words do not really mean what they say, and that the federal government is also included as a state for subsidy purposes. Read more here... Is Your State At Risk For An ObamaCare Exchange?- by Sam Martin FreedomWorks' State Civil Asset Forfeiture Scorecard Shows Dire Need for Reform- by Jason Pye via Townhall The presumption of innocence is a fundamental principle of the American legal system. When someone is accused of a crime, the burden is rightfully on the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt before a punishment is meted out. But another area of the law, known as civil asset forfeiture, allows law enforcement and prosecutors to bring cases against property, rather than individuals, believed to be connected to a crime. The property owner may never be convicted, or even charged, of a crime, but their property can still be taken away in forfeiture proceedings where they must prove the innocence of their property. Read more here... Walker's Budget Makes Important Education Reforms - by Logan Albright As Scott Walker tours the country on his campaign for the presidency, he has not forsaken his state, turning in a budget that would make important reforms in education policy. It’s beyond the scope of this piece to analyze the budget in full - it contains rather more spending and borrowing than most conservatives would like - but in the area of education reform it takes some pretty important steps forward. Most importantly, the budget would prohibit the State Superintendent, a vocal proponent of Common Core, from advertising or promoting the standards to local school districts. This is important because, while school districts in Wisconsin are permitted to opt out of the standards, few have done so as a result from pressure from the Department of Public Instruction. Walker’s budget would relieve that pressure, and allow schools to determine their own destiny. Last July, Walker came out strong against the standards, saying “Today, I call on the members of the state legislature to pass a bill in early January to repeal Common Core and replace it with standards set by people in Wisconsin.”  Read more here...   Register for FreedomFest and get $100 off with the promo code FWFF15 today: http://freedomfest.com/register-now/ Here are three conservative bills the House Judiciary Committee's justice reform initiative should consider- by Jason Pye The House Judiciary Committee announced the formation of a criminal justice reform initiative that will examine various pieces of legislation that would address issues including over-criminalization, sentencing reform, and prison reform. This is not new territory for the committee. Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) established an Over-Criminalization Task Force in the last Congress, led by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), that held a dozen hearings where members heard testimony and assessed the approximately 4,500 federal crimes currently on the books. The new initiative will largely continue the work of the previous task force, and take a broader look at the justice system. Read more here... Empower Flint: CL Bryant Chats With Pastor Jeffery Hawkins- by Trey Grover A Big Win for School Choice in Nevada - by Logan Albright One of the most exciting school choice options for parents just got a big boost in Nevada, with Governor Brian Sandoval signing into law the most comprehensive Education Savings Account plan in the country. Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) are an improvement over charter schools and vouchers, because they allow for cost transparency and the ability of parents to shop around in search of the best deal for their children. They also tend to be more flexible than other forms of school choice legislation. Read more here... Internet remains tax free, for now... - by Erin Aitcheson On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 235, better known as the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act (PITFA). The pro-consumer legislation received bipartisan support that permanently bans multiple and discriminatory taxes at the state and local levels on internet access services. The House bill was sponsored by Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and had 188 co-sponsors and 50 senators supporting a similar bill in the Senate. The passage of the bill comes in the wake of the October 1 deadline where another temporary extension would have had to be implemented. “But Tuesday’s proposal would put the law in place for the long term, removing any sunset date.” Read more here... Sign up for the FreedomWorks Morning Update If you want an update like this newsletter twice a week, be sure to sign up for the FreedomWorks Morning Update! The Morning Update is your tool to keep up-to-date with all the threats to your freedom. Sign up here. Make freedom work, Iris Somberg Press Secretary, FreedomWorks