Beacon Impact

Reining in the Unchecked Power of the Administrative State with the Tennessee Regulatory Freedom Act

Reining in the Unchecked Power of the Administrative State with the Tennessee Regulatory Freedom Act

THE PROBLEM The Administrative State has outsized power in Tennessee. Unelected state agencies can impose major costs through administrative rulemaking without full legislative approval or sufficient input from the businesses and industries affected by such rules. These rules can carry significant compliance costs, reshape entire industries, and function like laws, but are imposed without a […]

Bringing Transparency to Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying

Bringing Transparency to Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying

THE PROBLEM Local governments should work for the taxpayers who elect them. Unfortunately, through the practice of taxpayer-funded contract lobbying, that is not always the case. Local government entities like county commissions and school boards frequently hire contract lobbyists on the taxpayers’ dime to fight legislation that would benefit the very taxpayers who fund them. […]