Mackinac Center for Public Policy

NCLA Asks Appeals Court to Block Unlawful Biden Scheme Trying to Cancel Student Loan Debt

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 10, 2023
Congress, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Joe Biden, Law of the United Kingdom, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Democracy, Forgiveness, Same-sex marriage in the Sixth Circuit, Education, Cato, Organization, Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Administration, Cato Institute, Bangladesh Technical Education Board, IDR, Greenhouse effect (United States Supreme Court), Constitution, NCLA, Public policy, Supreme court, Administrative Procedure Act (United States), Fiat, Policy, PSLF, Ink

Moving on an accelerated schedule to deter court review, the Department of Education announced the unlawful plan in July before the ink was dry on the Supreme Court opinion striking down its old $430 billion student loan debt cancellation plan.

Key Points: 
  • Moving on an accelerated schedule to deter court review, the Department of Education announced the unlawful plan in July before the ink was dry on the Supreme Court opinion striking down its old $430 billion student loan debt cancellation plan.
  • On October 4, President Biden announced an additional $9 billion in student loan debt cancellation, including $5.2 billion for PSLF borrowers and $2.8 billion for IDR borrowers.
  • NCLA released the following statements:
    “The Supreme Court has declared unlawful the Administration’s $430 billion student loan program to cancel student loan debt by administrative fiat without involving Congress.
  • The Department of Education’s ongoing campaign to cancel billions of dollars of student loans by rewriting statutes is disgraceful and despotic.”

NCLA Asks Appeals Court to Block Unlawful Biden Scheme Trying to Cancel Student Loan Debt

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 10, 2023
Congress, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Joe Biden, Law of the United Kingdom, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Democracy, Forgiveness, Same-sex marriage in the Sixth Circuit, Education, Cato, Organization, Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Administration, Cato Institute, Bangladesh Technical Education Board, IDR, Greenhouse effect (United States Supreme Court), Constitution, NCLA, Public policy, Supreme court, Administrative Procedure Act (United States), Fiat, Policy, PSLF, Ink

Moving on an accelerated schedule to deter court review, the Department of Education announced the unlawful plan in July before the ink was dry on the Supreme Court opinion striking down its old $430 billion student loan debt cancellation plan.

Key Points: 
  • Moving on an accelerated schedule to deter court review, the Department of Education announced the unlawful plan in July before the ink was dry on the Supreme Court opinion striking down its old $430 billion student loan debt cancellation plan.
  • On October 4, President Biden announced an additional $9 billion in student loan debt cancellation, including $5.2 billion for PSLF borrowers and $2.8 billion for IDR borrowers.
  • NCLA released the following statements:
    “The Supreme Court has declared unlawful the Administration’s $430 billion student loan program to cancel student loan debt by administrative fiat without involving Congress.
  • The Department of Education’s ongoing campaign to cancel billions of dollars of student loans by rewriting statutes is disgraceful and despotic.”

NCLA Suit for Cato and Mackinac Center Contests Biden’s New Student Loan Debt Canceling Scheme

Retrieved on: 
Friday, August 4, 2023
Bangladesh Technical Education Board, IDR, Cato, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public policy, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Administrative Procedure Act (United States), Nonsense, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Cato Institute, Ink, Organization, Treasury, Congress, District court, O'Hara, U.S. Treasury, Administration, Complaint, Supreme court, Law of the United Kingdom, NCLA, Forgiveness, PSLF, Douglas v. U.S. District Court ex rel Talk America, Constitution, Security (finance), Lease

The plan would cancel even more debt prematurely at taxpayer expense for another 2.8 million IDR borrowers in the future.

Key Points: 
  • The plan would cancel even more debt prematurely at taxpayer expense for another 2.8 million IDR borrowers in the future.
  • The plan thus directly harms non-profit organizations that benefit from PSLF like Cato and the Mackinac Center and undermines Congress’ goals in enacting the PSLF program.
  • NCLA made similar standing arguments in its successful Biden v. Nebraska amicus curiae brief , in a now-closed federal lawsuit with the Cato Institute against the previous student loan debt cancellation plan, and in a continuing Mackinac Center suit challenging the Department of Education’s repeated student loan payment suspensions.
  • No amount of nonsense changes the essential fact Congress required debtors to make payments before receiving debt relief.”

Workers for Opportunity Names Legislative Leaders, Labor Reform Champions to National Board of Advisors

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Janus, Exercise, Employment, Senate, Public policy, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Number of U.S. Supreme Court cases decided by year, Workplace, Policy, Workforce, Multimedia, First, AFSCME, Supreme court, WFO, First Amendment to the United States Constitution, House, Financial adviser, Management, Nursing, Opportunity

MIDLAND, Mich., June 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Workers for Opportunity today named five inaugural members to a new board of advisors, whose policy expertise will steer ongoing labor policy reform in states across the nation.

Key Points: 
  • Newly installed advisory board members include:
    Workers for Opportunity's advisors are proven champions of employee freedom who have secured labor reform victories in their home states.
  • In the years since the Janus v. AFSCME decision, Workers for Opportunity has led state-level reform efforts to advance workplace freedom and safeguard workers' rights.
  • In 2023 alone, Workers for Opportunity celebrated major labor reform victories in both Florida and Tennessee.
  • I look forward to working alongside my fellow advisory board members to usher in a new era of labor reform with Workers for Opportunity at the helm."

Mackinac Center Asks Federal Court to Immediately Halt ED’s Unlawful Student Loan Payment Pause

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, May 11, 2023
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Employment, Public policy, United States Department of Education, HEROES Act, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Lawyer, Judgement, Education Act, Government, Congress, District court, COVID-19, Motion, NCLA, United States Department of the Treasury, PSLF, Douglas v. U.S. District Court ex rel Talk America, Security (finance), Education

This unauthorized, backdoor form of debt reduction disproportionately benefits high-income earners with larger loans, such as doctors and lawyers.

Key Points: 
  • This unauthorized, backdoor form of debt reduction disproportionately benefits high-income earners with larger loans, such as doctors and lawyers.
  • Congress suspended monthly payment obligations and interest accrual on federal student loans by law for six months in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • This unlawful ongoing student-loan payment pause fits a familiar pattern that already played out in the context of the federal eviction moratorium.
  • First, Congress enacts a temporary economic-relief program, then an administrative agency extends that program indefinitely, and finally courts step in to halt the unlawful scheme.”

Florida House Passes Historic Union Transparency Bill Backed by Workers for Opportunity

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, April 27, 2023
Sunlight, Opportunity, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Florida House of Representatives, Democracy, Teacher, WFO, Human, First Amendment to the United States Constitution, Representative, Workforce, Public policy, Florida House, Nursing

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Florida House of Representatives voted yesterday to pass SB 256, which increases union transparency and changes how union dues are collected for public employees. 

Key Points: 
  • Workers for Opportunity has spearheaded this collaborative effort with teachers, policymakers, the administration and in-state allies since 2019.
  • The legislation drew from Workers for Opportunity's proposed reforms giving employees more control over their paychecks and union representation.
  • "This bill gives Florida teachers a voice and a choice," said Senior Labor Policy Advisor Vincent Vernuccio.
  • By restoring the balance of power, this bill equips teachers, not union leaders, to chart their path forward."

NCLA and Mackinac Center Challenge Unlawful Extensions of Federal Student Loan Deferments

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, April 6, 2023
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The lawsuit, Mackinac Center for Public Policy v. U.S. Department of Education, Miguel Cardona, and Richard Cordray, was filed on behalf of the Center in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Key Points: 
  • The lawsuit, Mackinac Center for Public Policy v. U.S. Department of Education, Miguel Cardona, and Richard Cordray, was filed on behalf of the Center in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
  • When that statutory deferment period expired in September 2020, however, the department unilaterally extended it without congressional appropriation.
  • Congress enacted the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) in 2007 to help 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations like the Mackinac Center attract employees with a debt-relief incentive keyed to working ten years for nonprofits.
  • Just as the PSLF program benefits the states suing over the unlawful half-trillion in student loan debt cancellation, so too the Mackinac Center benefits as an employer from PSLF.

Governors, State Legislatures Line Up Behind Paycheck Protection

Retrieved on: 
Monday, April 3, 2023
Senate, Public policy, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Opportunity, Workforce, Multimedia, HB, WFO, Annual report, First Amendment to the United States Constitution, House, House Committee, Common Educational Proficiency Assessment, Education, Tutoring, Property management

MIDLAND, Mich., April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Measures to safeguard teachers' First Amendment rights and to protect their hard-earned paychecks are gaining momentum in statehouses across the country.

Key Points: 
  • In at least five different state legislatures, leaders have prioritized bills that would end the practice of automatically deducting union dues from teachers' paychecks.
  • HB 1445 and SB 256 end the practice of automatically deducting union dues from teachers' and most public employees' paychecks.
  • HB 329 and SB 281 provide state teachers the biggest pay increase in state history and also end the practice of automatically deducting union dues from teachers' paychecks.
  • SB 7 passed both the House and the Senate and has gone to the secretary of state for signature.

Michigan Students Plan School Choice Celebration at State Capitol for January 26

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, January 19, 2023
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Next week, students who benefited from the state's growing school choice options are sharing their inspirational stories at a high-energy rally at the State Capitol in Lansing.

Key Points: 
  • Next week, students who benefited from the state's growing school choice options are sharing their inspirational stories at a high-energy rally at the State Capitol in Lansing.
  • The event will be held on Thursday, January 26, 2023, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM in Heritage Hall of the Michigan Capitol (100 North Capitol Avenue in Lansing).
  • "This event will educate even more parents about our state's school choice offerings, while celebrating the transformational benefits of K–12 school choice."
  • National School Choice Week (NSCW) informs, inspires, and empowers parents to discover the K-12 education options available for their children.

Report Uses Flawed Research to Paint Michigan Neovoucher Proposal in a Positive Light

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, July 14, 2022
New, Policy, Research, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education, University, Legislation, Program, Review, Recycling

BOULDER, Colo., July 14, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- A recent Mackinac Center report claims that the proposed Michigan Student Opportunity Scholarship (MSOS) neovoucher program has the potential to create fiscal benefits for the state of Michigan and its school districts. Its conclusions were examined in a new review, however, and found faulty.

Key Points: 
  • BOULDER, Colo., July 14, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- A recent Mackinac Center report claims that the proposed Michigan Student Opportunity Scholarship (MSOS) neovoucher program has the potential to create fiscal benefits for the state of Michigan and its school districts.
  • Christopher Saldaa of the University of Wisconsin-Madison reviewed Michigan Student Opportunity Scholarships: Overview and Fiscal Analysis.
  • He found it to be more misleading than useful, with poorly grounded assumptions and a narrow use of research.
  • A group called " Let MI Kids Learn " is now attempting to revive it through a petitioning (signature-gathering) process unique to Michigan.