New Report Estimates Medical Device Tax Will Cost Massachusetts Employers Over $422 Million Per Year Controversial Provision of Federal Health Law Impacts Hundreds of Companies, Will Lead to Research and Development Cuts, Layoffs, Higher Prices BOSTON – As part of the financing for the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), Massachusetts businesses face a 2.3 percent excise tax on medical devices that went into effect on January 1st, 2013. According to a new Pioneer Institut[...]

Pioneer’s new research director (former state Inspector General) Greg Sullivan is the author of the new policy brief outlining concerns with procurement of the MBTA’s commuter rail contract.  It’s the first in a series he will be releasing on this issue. The brief argues that since labor expenses account for more than 70 percent of the costs of the commuter rail system, addressing that issue head-on represents a major opportunity for long-term savings. Greg includes information on “s[...]

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Civil War Historian To Deliver Keynote At Event On U.S. History Education Study urges states to adopt high-quality state U.S history standards, passage of U.S. Citizenship Test as public college admissions requirement BOSTON – Pulitzer Prize-winning Civil War historian and Princeton University Professor Emeritus James M. McPherson will deliver the keynote address at “The Legacy of Lincoln: U.S. History in American Schooling,” a Pioneer Institute forum mar[...]

STUDY: TIE NEW FUNDING TO PERFORMANCE, IMPLEMENTATION OF TRANSPORTATION REFORM Phasing in additional money based on MassDOT performance will improve service Massachusetts’ aging transportation infrastructure needs about $2.6 billion in new investment over six years that would come in stages based on the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s (MassDOT’s) performance on a series of publicly accessible metrics and implementation of reforms included in a 2009 state transportation law and earli[...]

Gregory Sullivan Joins Pioneer Institute as Research Director Influential think tank welcomes former Massachusetts Inspector General BOSTON, MA – Pioneer Institute announced today that Gregory W. Sullivan will become the organization’s new Research Director. Sullivan begins his position on April 2nd. “We are pleased to have Greg Sullivan join the Pioneer team,” said Stephen D. Fantone, the Institute’s Chairman and CEO of Optikos Corporation. “His experience and integrity further build Pion[...]

Pioneer Files Request for the Administration to Release Its Report on the Impact of The Federal Health Law on Massachusetts’ Small Businesses The report is known to indicate that the ACA will cause “extreme premium increases” for small businesses BOSTON – Today Pioneer Institute filed a Freedom of Information Request (FOIA) for all drafts of a March 2012 Division of Insurance (DOI) initiated special examination report that looked at the impact that certain changes require[...]

New study recommends re-establishing an independent state Charter School Office (CSO), raising the statewide charter cap, and providing charter operators with the support they need to start and run a school.[...]

Online or virtual learning is growing rapidly across the United States, but those interested in starting an online school should first define their mission and target audience, because the size and nature of the student body will dictate subsequent decisions, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute.[...]

Pioneer's annual review of the Governor’s budget proposal.[...]

The Massachusetts Legislature should require the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to reinstate passage of the U.S. history MCAS exam as a high school graduation requirement and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education should provide teachers in grades 6-10 with examples of specific texts that could be assigned to prepare students to read a seminal historical text such as Federalist #10 in grade 11 or 12, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute.[...]