Reason Foundation

Data centers should be regulated by the same laws, policies, and rules that apply to other commercial enterprises, with exceptions made only to address fundamental differences. The power demands of the largest data centers are a key difference. The House passed the Ratepayer Protection Act yesterday, legislation that would set federal advisory standards that data centers pay for their own infrastructure upgrades to connect to electric grids.

The fuel tax remains an exceptionally efficient revenue stream, collected at the wholesale and distributor level at a range of 1% to 5% of revenue, but its base is eroding. Average new vehicle fuel economy in the United States has increased by nearly 19% in two decades, and states are starting to feel the impact on their transportation budgets. States that have indexed their fuel tax rates to inflation or other variables have slowed but not stopped that decline.

In This Issue: Articles, Research & Spotlights California Legislature Passes Pension Increase for Police and Fire Evaluation Identifies Opportunities for Reform of Texas Pensions Allegheny County, Penn., Debates Causes of Pension Debt How to Insulate Pensions from Political Temptations News in Brief Quotable Quotes on Pension Reform Reason Foundation in the News Articles, Research & Spotlights California Undermines Pension Reforms with Benefit Boost for First Responders The California...

Government agencies are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce administrative burdens and improve public services. When agencies apply AI to practical, well-defined tasks, it can speed up routine work. This can free public employees to focus on complex cases and provide direct services. However, AI can also produce errors or unfair outcomes when government agencies use it to influence decisions about people’s rights, benefits, or safety without adequate testing and oversight.

While most students nationwide still attend traditional public schools, this is beginning to change in some districts where growing education marketplaces have ended traditional public school monopolies. In some cases, most students are choosing schools other than their residentially assigned ones, leaving districts’ robust infrastructure underutilized.

Priced managed lanes, otherwise known as express toll lanes, are separate lanes on urban highways that charge their users variable-rate tolls. The tolls are designed to limit use just enough so the managed lanes remain free-flowing, even during peak travel times when the general-purpose lanes are congested.

Rising costs and inflation, along with increased fuel efficiency and electric vehicle adoption, have created a major problem for state transportation revenues. Many states are examining funding alternatives to fuel taxes, such as mileage-based user fees, to help bridge the gap between transportation system needs and revenue projections.

In this issue: Concession fees for express toll lanes Future of the Highway Trust Fund Texas express toll lanes P3 success New findings on truck user fees Autonomous trucks progress in California Getting serious about highway safety News Notes Quotable Quote Concession Fees for Express Toll Lane Projects Last month, the Tennessee Department of Transportation selected as its public-private partnership developer for its I-24 express toll lanes, a joint venture of Cintra and Transurban under a...

A version of the following public comment was submitted to the Texas Senate Committee on Local Government on September 1, 2026. Our research finds that the current approach toward increasing Texas’ homestead exemption is more likely to redistribute the cost of government than reduce it. Despite several increases in the property tax homestead exemption, total property tax levies have continued to rise.

Local governments across the country raise billions of dollars a year through court fines, fees, and forfeitures. In some jurisdictions, that revenue has become a fixture of the municipal budget. When police departments and courts come to depend on citation revenue to fund basic operations, the incentives of public safety and revenue generation can come into direct conflict, with consequences for public safety and trust in law enforcement.