Tag: Beacon Impact

Beacon Impact’s Jordan Long Praises Gov. Lee’s Tennessee Education Freedom Act

Tennessee Star Staff

On Monday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy, Beacon Impact Director of Government Relations Jordan Long discussed why he supports Gov. Lee’s Tennessee Education Freedom Act. Long dives into the importance of expanding educational choice and the success of the existing program in three counties, highlighting the potential for exponential growth statewide and emphasizes the need for accountability measures.  The Beacon Impact lobbyist also shares his valuable insights into the proposed legislation and its potential impact on education in Tennessee. This is a must-read for the parents of school-aged children who are looking at the future of their children’s education. TRANSCRIPT Michael Patrick Leahy: Tell us a little bit about Beacon and Beacon Impact and how long they’ve been around and what the main mission is. Jordan Long: So Beacon started as the Tennessee Center for Research and Policy and we’re actually going to celebrate our 20th anniversary next year at Beacon. After it was the Tennessee Center for Research and Policy, it was rebranded to “Beacon.” We’re part of the State Policy Network, so when you think of places like Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute, we are essentially a Tennessee version of those organizations,…

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Representative Harshbarger Introduces Bill to Reform Occupational Licensing: ‘Freedom to Work Act’

Corinne Murdock

Representative Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01) introduced the “Freedom to Work Act” on Wednesday – a bill to reform occupational licensing.

The Freedom to Work Act would require federal executive agencies to review their authorities, regulations, or policies that directly impose occupational licensing requirements or cause state, local, or tribal governments to adopt occupational licensing requirements. Then, those agencies would have to identify any changes that would either rescind or offer the least restrictive alternative to any occupational licensing requirements.

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Beacon Center Launches Advocacy Organization to Better Promote Free Market

Wendy Wilson

The Nashville-based Beacon Center of Tennessee on Wednesday announced that it has formed a new nonprofit that will serve as the free market think tank’s advocacy partner. Called Beacon Impact, the new nonprofit was set up to promote reform at the state Capitol and within communities. While the new entity is a 501(c)(4) organization, meaning it can endorse candidates as well as engage in unlimited lobbying, the nonpartisan Beacon Center has no plans to break with past practice and start promoting political candidates and parties. Instead, the nonprofit is charged with “focusing exclusively on advocating for the policy ideas developed by the Beacon Center,” according to a news release. The Beacon Center itself is a 501(c)(3) organization, meaning it has a limited ability to lobby. Justin Owen, the CEO of both organizations, said in a statement: The Beacon Center has a solid track record of developing policy solutions grounded in the principles of free markets, individual liberty, and limited government. We have also successfully shepherded many of these solutions into law. But it’s not enough. We need the ability to advocate for meaningful reform both inside and outside the state Capitol, in the halls of the legislature and local governments,…

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