ALEC Celebrates Sunshine Week
This week, March 12-18, ALEC celebrates “Sunshine Week.” Sunshine Week was started in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors (now the New Leaders Association) to promote open, transparent government.
Transparency is key to ALEC’s educational efforts, and we have several model policies that ensure transparency from taxation to education to health care. Below are three model policies included in our publication, Essential Policy Solutions for 2023, which highlights our solutions to important issues the states and Washington, DC are faced with this year.
Truth in Taxation Act
Our Truth in Taxation Act aims to reduce the growth of property taxes by increasing transparency and accountability for elected officials. It does this by requiring notification of intent to increase the property tax rate at least ten days before holding a public hearing where citizens can voice their concerns and vote to approve the property tax increase.
Listen to ALEC Chief Economist and Executive Vice President of Policy Jonathan Williams discuss the need for transparency in property taxes on WMT Radio in Cedar Rapids, Iowa here.
Academic Transparency Act
Curriculum transparency and parental involvement in education has grown increasingly important over the past couple of years, and ALEC’s Academic Transparency Act seeks to address this issue. This model policy requires public schools to have procedures in place for the online disclosure of learning materials for grades Pre-K-12, which allows parents access to view what their child is being taught. Curriculum transparency is crucial for parents to have trust in their child’s school and make informed decisions regarding their education.
Hospital Price Transparency Act
Our Hospital Price Transparency Act aims to empower patients and lower the cost of health care by requiring healthcare facilities to disclose the prices of certain items and services provided by certain medical facilities and make them easily accessible to patients online, provide administrative penalties, and prohibit collective action of debt for noncompliant facilities.
To learn more about hospital price transparency, check out ALEC CEO Lisa B. Nelson and Health and Human Services Senior Director Brooklyn Roberts’ op-ed in the Orange County Register, To empower patients, price transparency is key.
To read more about ALEC’s model policies and priorities for 2023, check out Essential Policy Solutions for 2023.