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Last week, CPAC’s Nolan Center for Justice was in Lansing, Michigan supporting efforts to implement a system of productivity credits into the prison system in the state. Used as a tool to incentivize those in prison to become the best versions of themselves, productivity credits offer opportunities to earn earlier release to parole by completing programs and classes that are proven to reduce their future risk of reoffending. Consideration for parole includes input from victims and prosecutors, and is focused on ensuring people released from prison are prepared to work and live in a law-abiding manner. CPAC supports holding individuals accountable for their actions, while providing pathways to reassimilate into their communities and support themselves and their families. We look forward to continuing our work to implement this system of credits that will make Michigan a safer place to live. Read the letter we sent to Michigan House Republican Leader, Matt Hall https://conservativejusticereform.org/cpac-letter-michigan-productivity-credits/

This week, the United States House of Representatives are expected to meet and decide on a new Speaker of the House to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy (CPAC Conservative 84%). In the week since McCarthy's ouster, two leading candidates have emerged, Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (CPAC Conservative 100%) and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (CPAC Conservative 91%). Since 1971, CPAC Foundation's Ratings of Congress have been the 'Gold Standard' for determining how well a Member of Congress follows through on voting for the conservative position on legislation. Paul Bedard of the Washington Examiner analyzed the endorsements of Jordan and Scalise by members based on their CPAC rating and came away with the following: "CPAC conservative ‘ratings’ give edge to Jordan over Scalise." “Clearly these endorsements give the ideological edge to Jordan and this vote has huge overtones on how intently grassroots conservatives believe the House majority is listening to their desire to fight against funding the weaponized bureaucracy.” -CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp Below is a full list of the current endorsements and the average CPAC Lifetime Conservative Rating for each candidates' supporters: Jordan Endorser CPAC Rating Average: 88% Rep. Mary Miller 100% Rep. Michael Cloud 100% Rep. Lauren Boebert 99% Rep. Greg Steube 99% Rep. Dan Bishop 99% Rep. Ralph Norman 97% Rep. Byron Donalds 97% Rep. Jeff Duncan 97% Rep. Chip Roy 97% Rep. Warren Davidson 96% Rep. Ronny Jackson 96% Rep. Jim Banks 95% Rep. Andy Harris 95% Rep. Ben Cline 94% Rep. Paul Gosar 94% Rep. Barry Moore 93% Rep. Virginia Foxx 93% Rep. Mark Green 92% Rep. Randy Weber 92% Rep. Glenn Grothman 92% Rep. Alex Mooney 89% Rep. Bill Posey 89% Rep. Troy Nehls 88% Rep. Bob Latta 88% Rep. Darrell Issa 86% Rep. Scott Fitzgerald 86% Rep. Kelly Armstrong 82% Rep. Lloyd Smucker 81% Rep. Dan Meuser 77% Rep. Nancy Mace 74% Rep. Michael Waltz 73% Rep. Troy Balderson 72% Rep. Mike Turner 66% Rep. Mike Carey 62% Rep. Nicole Malliotakis 60% Rep. Jeff Van Drew 53% Rep. Harriet Hageman N/A Rep. Max Miller N/A Rep. Anna Paulina Luna N/A Rep. Cory Mills N/A Rep. George Santos N/A Rep. Josh Brecheen N/A Rep. Russell Fry N/A Rep. Keith Self N/A Scalise Endorser CPAC Rating Average: 79% Rep. Lance Gooden 97% Rep. Debbie Lesko 92% Rep. Pat Fallon 89% Rep. August Pfluger 89% Rep. Jake Elllzey 88% Rep. Drew Ferguson 87% Rep. Buddy Carter 87% Rep. Rob Wittman 85% Rep. Austin Scott 85% Rep. Chuck Fleischmann 83% Rep. Sam Graves 83% Rep. Ken Calvert 82% Rep. Lisa McClain 81% Rep. Tom Emmer 80% Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer 80% Rep. Andy Barr 79% Rep. Ann Wagner 79% Rep. Julia Letlow 79% Rep. Mike Rogers 78% Rep. Larry Bucshon 76% Rep. Ashley Hinson 75% Rep. Vern Buchanan 73% Rep. Burgess Owens 73% Rep. Mike Kelly 73% Rep. Steve Womack 73% Rep. Dan Newhouse 70% Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks 67% Rep. Tony Gonzalez 66% Rep. Young Kim 65% Rep. Mario Diaz Balart 62% Rep. John James N/A

This week, the Center for Regulatory Freedom filed comments with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in the rulemaking regarding the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act that we have blogged about previously. In a statement to the Washington Examiner regarding that filing, I said the following: As this Administration has has moved with unprecedented speed to massively expand the power of the federal government through regulations, it has engaged in a "whole of government" approach to implement an extremist progressive agenda. It's not just the pushing of the abortion issue in a rulemaking which is supposed to be about protecting pregnant women, but it is also using the EEOC as an instrument in getting rid of the protections of religious freedom that Americans have enjoyed for centuries, just as this Administration has done in rulemakings at HHS and the Department of Education. This is why we felt it was essential for the CPAC Foundation and our Center for Regulatory Freedom to get involved. What is this "whole of government" approach we referenced, both in this statement in CRF's comments? It refers to the integrated and coordinated use of resources across different departments and agencies to address challenges or implement policy objectives. It contrasts with siloed or isolated actions that each agency might pursue on its own. The idea is to foster synergy and alignment across agencies, amplifying the impact of individual regulations. One recent example of this integrated approach can be seen in rulemakings at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The agency has been at the forefront of controversial decisions to narrow exemptions to federal requirements for medical practitioners regarding the provision or assistance with abortions. Specifically, the debate has focused on exemptions based on religious or conscience objections. In broadening the scope of who is required to provide or assist in abortions, HHS is signaling a shift in the way religious conscience objections are viewed within the realm of healthcare. Such a move can be seen as a deliberate act to prioritize access to abortion services over individual conscience protections, a topic that has long been a political hotbed. Similarly, the Department of Education has introduced rulemakings that narrow the types of speech protected on college campuses under the First Amendment’s protections of freedom of religion. By redefining what constitutes protected speech, especially in the context of religious expression, the Department is wading into deep waters of free speech and religious rights. This ongoing rulemaking by EEOC is yet another example - combining both the abortion issue and the religious freedom issue yet again. While on the surface, these rulemakings by HHS and the Department of Education may seem isolated, when viewed through the lens of a “whole of government” approach, they can be seen as part of a coordinated strategy to redefine the balance between individual rights (like freedom of religion and conscience) and broader societal goals (like access to abortion services or ensuring a certain campus environment). Expect that in the coming weeks and months, The CPAC Foundation's Center for Regulatory Freedom will be doing more on pushing back on this "whole of government" approach the Biden Administration is using to implement its extremist agenda.

Join us in Las Vegas, NV for CPAC's Investor Summit to Save America! This event will bring together the most important voices in the conservative movement who stand for American Values and Freedom. The summit will feature dozens of events led by top experts in their fields, including: Steve Bannon, Host of War Room; Ben Ferguson; Ambassador Ric Grenell, Former Director of National Intelligence; Kari Lake; Senator Mike Lee (UT); Dr. Robert Malone; Jim McLaughlin, Trump Pollster; Representative Burgess Owens; Kash Patel; Texas AG Ken Paxton and his wife Senator Angela Paxton; Chris Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax; Mercedes Schlapp; Matt Whitaker, former U.S. Attorney General and more. The CPAC Investor Summit to Save America will take place Wednesday, October 18th through Saturday, October 21st. Being surrounded by those who share common beliefs and values and who are passionate about the fight to Save America is beneficial to knowing that we are not in this battle alone.

Earlier this year, CPAC joined a broad coalition with other conservative groups urging Texas lawmakers to pass legislation which empowers parents with Education Savings Accounts (ESA) which can be used by parents to pick the best education option for their kids. After failing to pass ESA legislation during the regular session, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has called for a special session beginning on October 9th. Educational choice, popularized by Nobel Prize winning economist Milton Friedman, has become a leading policy among conservative legislators as a way to stand up to failing government schools and to put a stop to the growing embrace of Marxism in the classroom by teachers’ unions. The policy now enjoys overwhelming support, even across party lines. Numerous studies on parental choice in education demonstrate its successes in improving test scores and academic achievement both for students in alternative programs and those who remain in public schools. A study on the effectiveness of school choice found that school choice programs had a positive effect in 31 of 33 cases. A strong correlation between state school choice laws and academic improvement makes a compelling case for the implementation of comprehensive parental choice in education in every state. Parental choice in education has not only found success in suburban and urban areas. From 2007-2019, rural Arizonans saw a 21-point increase in math and reading test scores after K-12 Educational Scholarship Accounts (ESA) were introduced in 2011, while other schools across the country saw a decline by 2 points. Even post-pandemic, Arizona’s rural schools have seen a 9-point increase in test scores, while other rural areas outside Arizona dropped 17. Recently, North Carolina became the tenth state to pass a version of universal school choice. Texas Republicans should stick together in the upcoming special session to join the growing list of states that fund students, not systems, by passing universal school choice.

What happens when the federal government refuses to take trafficking seriously? Our communities are left exposed to danger, and victims are left behind. We saw, just this week, the consequences are very real as an Arizona Sheriff’s Deputy was seriously injured stopping a smuggler attempting to traffic children across our southern border. In the same state where law enforcement heroes are sacrificing life and limb to keep communities safe, survivors of this abuse have little recourse to sue their abusers and receive relief from the criminal justice system. We cannot bring an end to modern day slavery if we allow criminals to abuse our open borders and refuse to offer victims of trafficking a way back into society. Although many Federal and state officials are falling short, thankfully, we are not alone in this fight, as Senator Cruz (R-TX) is working to bring an end to this horrific crime. By increasing accountability for offenders and providing more resources for victims, the United States can set a true example on how to win the fight against traffickers.

It’s no secret that human trafficking has emerged as the fastest growing threat to public safety in America. But just how big of a problem has this become? To paint a picture, more than 1,000 kids have been reported missing in the state of Ohio in the last year alone. So, there’s little surprise that both conservatives and liberals believe trafficking is a crisis in America. Yet the Biden Administration has done little to solve the problem and worse yet has exacerbated it by allowing the open flow of trafficking across our southern border. Tim Ballard, the subject of the hit movie Sound of Freedom, has been on the front lines of the fight to save children and told the House Homeland Security Committee last week that these open borders are “feeding the growth” of child slavery in America. At the Center for Combatting Human Trafficking, we are working daily to hold Biden accountable for leaving our country vulnerable to invasion from cartels and ensuring we take steps to remove these criminal traffickers from harming this nation’s most important asset: our children.

Legacy giving is an easy way to create a lasting impact on CPAC's role in the conservative movement and the future of America. A planned gift provides you the opportunity to sustain your generosity after your lifetime, and make a powerful statement about the legacy you wish to leave. Cement your legacy as a defender of freedom and truth by joining our Legacy Giving program.

Last week, I had the opportunity to testify before the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They're proposing new fuel economy standards (also known as "CAFE" standards)--standards that would essentially destroy whatever remains of the family car. My first car was a station wagon. Yes, similar to Clark Griswold's "Family Truckster" from the Vacation movies. No, it didn't have wood paneling or come in "Metallic Pea", but it was a land yacht. And I loved it because I could carry all my friends. Did you ever wonder why the station wagon largely disappeared from the American marketplace? CAFE standards. While the earliest iterations of CAFE standards were enacted to deal with America's gas crisis of the 1970s, later iterations were centered on nebulous environmental reasons. Automakers, faced with a choice of giving up on popular station wagons or being penalized by the federal government, chose to phase them out in favor of minivans and so-called "crossover" SUVs (which can be categorized as trucks). Honestly, I'm one of those guys that loved my minivans, too. We had two of them over the years, and our second minivan lasted just under ten years and just over 300,000 miles before I had to give it up. As Dan Ackroyd's character in "Sneakers" put it, I always wanted a cool car that I could fit into. In his case, it was a Winnebago. In my case, it was a minivan. But the left hates minivans. They hate station wagons. I mean, they hate cars, generally, and want everyone on public transportation (everyone else, that is. They love their cars and will keep their cars). If people want control over where and how they go from point A to point B, then they can take bikes--regardless of the climate, the weather, whether they need to transport kids, etc. Thus these new CAFE standards--which go hand-in-hand with the Biden Administration's electric vehicle mandates. They will kill the family car (and the freedom that goes along with it). This, despite the fact that EVs lose money, their batteries are prohibitively expensive and require slave labor and massive environmental destruction to create. Despite the fact that last year, nearly 80% of new vehicle purchases were either a truck or SUV. Last week was all about truth telling (please check out my testimony on the Center for Regulatory Freedom's page here at CPAC). In a few months, we're going to ask you to do the same: tell the truth to the Biden Administration that you will not accept their destruction of the family car.

“Bidenomics” is wreaking havoc on American families. Inflation alone has the average American family now spending $709 more a month than it did two years ago. One of the key drivers of these increases has been the rapidly rising cost of energy, which under the Biden administration, has ballooned the price of gasoline by more than 50 percent. Earlier this year, CPAC supported Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s (CPAC Conservative 91%) House-passed H.R. 1 “The Lower Energy Costs Act” which would make massive leaps toward restoring American energy dominance. With the “The Lower Energy Costs Act” being held up by the Senate, it is vitally important for Congress to use the power of the purse to ensure policies which unleash the American energy sector and dampen the blow of inflation for American families are included in the budget. The Biden administration has made clear of their intentions to harm American energy producers and increase reliance on energy which makes us dependent on adversarial nations like China. As the Biden administration’s new rules and regulations have cost the Americans nearly $10,000 per household, it is imperative to provide immediate relief. Below are examples of the Biden Administration’s overreach in the energy sector. These rules and regulations should have their implementation defunded as a part of the FY24 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Bill: The DOI’s cancelation of oil and gas leases for National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWAR). The EPA’s Clean Power Plan 2.0; which is a clear attempt by the Biden administration to revive the illegal Clean Power Plan. The EPA’s proposed “Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Years 2027 and Later LightDuty and Medium-Duty Vehicles;” which would require that the majority of new cars and trucks sold in the United States be electric by 2032. The EPA’s rule under the “Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program,” which creates new costs on oil refiners which will be passed along to consumers with higher prices at the pump. The EPA’s proposed changes to the EnergySTAR program, which would eliminate efficient natural gas furnaces from the program. The BOEM’s “Risk Management and Financial Assurance for Outer Continental Shelf Lease and Grant Obligations,” which would deter oil production in the OCS. The DOE’s proposed “Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Conventional Cooking Products” which would attempt to phase-out and ban gas stoves. The DOE’s proposed “Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Water Heaters,” which uses junk economics to justify the costly new rule. The DOE’s proposed “Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Clothes Washers,” which would make washing cycles longer and clothes dirtier. The NHTSA’s proposed CAFE standards, which would limit the production of affordable and gas-powered vehicles. The BLM’s Conservation and Landscape Health rule; which would hinder access to public lands for energy and critical mineral development.

The Nolan Center for Justice recently teamed up with the Masters in Applied Economics Program at Florida State University. Graduate students conducted a cost benefit analysis of a clean slate law in Florida. Students found that the State of Florida stands to gain up to $95 million by implementing Clean Slate. Aside from the benefits to taxpayers, the Nolan Center believes that Clean Slate laws provide the opportunity for people to move on past a mistake and become productive members of their community. The Clean Slate team won the Best Applied Research at the annual symposium.

Over the last few months, CPAC has called on the North Carolina General Assembly to secure tax cuts and conservative policy wins for the people without linking these policies to special-interest projects. Thankfully, conservatives in the legislature stood their ground and were victorious. Because of them, North Carolina families can now rejoice as the recently-passed state budget brings the state's personal tax rate down to 3.99% by 2026, while implementing revenue triggers which could drop the rate as low as 2.49%. Additionally, in one of the most positive public policy trends currently sweeping through the country, North Carolina has become the tenth state to pass a version of universal school choice. This pro-family policy allows parents, rather than the government, to decide the best educational option for their kids. North Carolina's conservative legislators deserve credit for sticking together in this fight. They did not let the threats from special interest groups or Democrat Governor Roy Cooper stop them from putting together a package which delivers for North Carolina's families.