The Platte Institute for Economic Research is a

free market In economics, a free market is an economic system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of government or any ot ...

advocacy group and

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...

headquartered in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

.Margaret Reist
Platte Institute supports tax credits for private scholarship donations
''Journal Star'' (March 3, 2015).Nebraska report calls for review of state regulations
Associated Press (February 13, 2018). The group is

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

.Paul Hammel
Groene in 'position of power'
BH News Service (February 5, 2017).

Overview

The organization was established in 2007 by

Pete Ricketts John Peter Ricketts (born August 19, 1964) is an American politician serving as the 40th governor of Nebraska since 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party. Ricketts is the son of Joe Ricketts, founder of TD Ameritrade. He is also, with o ...

, who was later elected governor of Nebraska. Ricketts was president of the institute. Ricketts' co-founder was

Mike Groene Michael K. Groene ( ; born August 10, 1955) is a politician from the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. In 2014, he was elected to the Nebraska Legislature, representing a district in the southwestern part of the state, including ...

, who became a member of the group's board. As of 2016, its CEO was Jim Vokal. Several former members of Nebraska's unicameral state legislature have taken jobs with the Platte Institute, including

Nicole Fox Nicole Arianna Abuhamada (née Fox, born March 6, 1991) is an American model and actress, best known as the winner of Cycle 13 of ''America's Next Top Model''. Biography Fox graduated from Monarch High School. As of 2009, she was a sophomor ...

and Laura Ebke. The Platte Institute is part of the

State Policy Network The State Policy Network (SPN) is a nonprofit organization that serves as a network for conservative and libertarian think tanks focusing on state-level policy in the United States. The network serves as a public policy clearinghouse and advises ...

, a network of conservative think tanks.

Issues

Taxes, economy, housing, and land use

In 2008, the Platte Institute, along with Ernie Goss of

Creighton University Creighton University is a private Jesuit research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate and undergra ...

, issued a report that concluded that Nebraska, as of 2006, had the eight-highest

tax burden In economics, tax incidence or tax burden is the effect of a particular tax on the distribution of economic welfare. Economists distinguish between the entities who ultimately bear the tax burden and those on whom tax is initially imposed. The t ...

among the

50 states The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of 50 states, a federal district ( Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States), five major territories, and various minor islands. Both the states and the United ...

. The report's authors argued that Nebraska should cut 1.2% each year from state and local taxes so that the state's tax burden reach the national average by 2016. The Platte Institute has promoted the reduction of occupational and

business licensing Business licenses are permits issued by government agencies that allow individuals or companies to conduct business within the government's geographical jurisdiction. It is the authorization to start a business issued by the local government. A ...

requirements in Nebraska, collaborating on these efforts with the ACLU of Nebraska and state Senator Laura Ebke, among others. The group has advocated for

prison reform Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, improve the effectiveness of a penal system, or implement alternatives to incarceration. It also focuses on ensuring the reinstatement of those whose lives are impacted by crimes ...

and reducing Nebraska's incarceration rate. Along with the ACLU and the Council of State Governments Justice Center, the group has promoted the use of enhanced probation, treatment, and community supervision as

alternatives to incarceration Decarceration in the United States involves government policies and community campaigns aimed at reducing the number of people held in custody or Electronic monitoring in the United States, custodial supervision. Decarceration, the opposite of Inc ...

. The group has supported deregulation in Nebraska, arguing that many industries and sectors are subjected to excessive state regulation. Along with the Sierra Club, the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

' Nebraska chapter, and other groups, the Platte Institute joined the "Missing Middle Omaha" housing campaign to support the building of higher-density "missing middle" housing in Nebraska. In 2011, the organization opposed a bill to change the Nebraska Commission of Industrial Relations, the state body that adjudicates disputes between public-sector workers and employers. The instituted argued that the bill would not substantially reduce government spending, and objected to a provision of the proposal that would allow the commission to

subpoena A subpoena (; also subpœna, supenna or subpena) or witness summons is a writ issued by a government agency, most often a court, to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of ...

private businesses to compare public-sector and private-sector wages. The Platte Institute is a major supporter of the "Blueprint Nebraska" tax proposal. The plan, which had been in development since 2018, was introduced into the

Nebraska Legislature The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators", the Nebraska Legislature is the sm ...

in 2022 by state Senator

Mike McDonnell Mike McDonnell (born January 15, 1966) is an American politician who serves in the Nebraska Legislature, representing the 5th district. He is a registered Democrat. Early life and education McDonnell was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He graduated ...

, but did not pass.Paul Hammel
Blueprint Nebraska tax plan likely won't be debated this year
'' Nebraska Examiner'' (February 23, 2022). The bill would cut the

state income tax In addition to Federal government of the United States, federal Income tax in the United States, income tax collected by the United States, most individual U.S. states collect a state income tax. Some local governments also impose an income tax, ...

(lowering the state's top income rate and eliminating state income tax for wage-earners who earned less than $50,000) and offset the lost revenue by expanding the

state sales tax Sales taxes in the United States are taxes placed on the sale or lease of goods and services in the United States. Sales tax is governed at the state level and no national general sales tax exists. 45 states, the District of Columbia, the te ...

(by eliminating sales tax exemptions, and taxing services that are currently untaxed).Paul Hammel & Dan Crisler
Blueprint Nebraska seeks income tax cuts, other tax reforms, to boost economy
''Omaha World-Herald'' (August 17, 2021). Under the proposal, Nebraska's current tax exemption for doctors' bills and medical equipment would be reduced, and currently untaxed services (including auto repairs, plumbing, roofing, legal services, accounting services, haircuts, and event and concert tickets) would be taxable. The bill would also establish student loan forgiveness programs.

Health care

The Platte Institute opposed accepting

Medicaid expansion In the context of American public healthcare policy, Medicaid coverage gap refers to uninsured people who reside in states which have opted out of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), who are both ineligible for Medicaid unde ...

under the

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Pres ...

. In 2009, it commissioned a study about the cost of health care by Arduin, Laffer & Moore Econometrics. The study advocates for shifting more health-care costs onto patients.

County government

In 2009, the Platte Institute released a study which recommended reducing the number of Nebraska's counties, which stands at 93, as an administrative cost-saving measure.

Education

The Platte Institute has advocated

school choice School choice is a term for education options that allow students and families to select alternatives to public schools. The most common in the United States, by both the number of programs and by the number of participating students are scho ...

measures. In 2010, it commissioned a report on

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

s in Nebraska by the

Pacific Research Institute The Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy (PRI) is a California-based free-market think tank which promotes "the principles of individual freedom and personal responsibility" through policies that emphasize a free economy, private initiat ...

(PRI). In 2011, it commissioned another report by the PRI to promote

virtual school An online school (virtual school or e-school or cyber-school) teaches students entirely or primarily online or through the Internet. It has been defined as "education that uses one or more technologies to deliver instruction to students who are se ...

s in Nebraska.

References

External links

{{Portal, Conservatism
Official website
Economic advocacy groups in the United States Organizations established in 2007 Organizations based in Omaha, Nebraska Political and economic think tanks in the United States Conservative organizations in the United States