7/27/2019 NV - Who Is Behind The Nevada Policy Research Institute

1/1

The State Policy Network (SPN) is an umbrella group of right-wing think tanks across the country. The Nevada PolicyResearch Institute (NPRI) is SPNs cookie-cutter think tank for Nevada. While NPRI claims to be focused on issues

important to the people of Nevada, they actually push an agenda dictated by its national right-wing funders and partners.While the institute has not registered any lobbyists in Nevada or with the federal government, NPRI remains active in

attempting to shape and influence public policy, both in and outside the Nevada statehouse. Despite NPRI's status as a501(c)(3) nonprofit, which prohibits it from participating in partisan political and campaign activity, NPRI has publishedpolicy guides for legislators, hostedright-wing "journalists"affiliated with the Franklin Center to publish agenda-driven

news, and lead advocacy efforts against labor unions.

- Las Vegas Sun journalistJon Ralsto

on NPRI's 2011 legislative report card

Block access to affordable healthcare forNevada citizens

Defund and privatize Nevada's publicschools through vouchers and charter

schools

Restrict workers' collective bargaining right

Repeal Nevada's minimum wage andprevailing wage laws

Oppose renewable energy proposals andrepeal pollution protections

Restrict workers and retirees right to sue aemployer for medical treatment when hur

on the job

Nevada Policy Research Institute: "Solutions 2013"

There has been muchspeculationover Las Vegas conservativemega-donor Sheldon Adelson's - who won NPRI's "Chairman

Award" award in 2007 - funding to NPRI, but the institute is notrequired to disclose its donors and does not do so voluntarily.NPRI'sfew known donorsshow that the institute has receivedsignificant funding, if not a majority, from out-of-state right-wing

special interests. The Koch-fundedDonors Capital Fund, known asthe "dark money ATM of the conservative movement," has

contributed over $1.2 million to NPRI. Other NPRI out-of-statefunders include the Coors family's Castle Rock Foundation (ofCoors Brewing Company) and the Roe Foundation (of SPN founder

Thomas Roe).

FUNDER BASED IN AMOUNT YEARS

Donors Capital Fund Virginia $1,262,432 2005-2011

Jaquelin Hume Foundation California $208,000 2003-2011

The Roe Foundation South Carolina $195,000 1998-2011

Castle Rock Foundation Colorado $110,000 1995-2010

JM Foundation New York $90,000 2002-2012

State Policy Network Virginia $43,000 2003-2010

NPRI has been the leader of the so-called "National Employee Freedom Week." This week is a coordinated effort by NPRIand number of right-wing organizations to try to get workers to drop their union membership, while using the publicity to attac

unions and workers' rights. The co-sponsors of the event included numerous other national and state-based right-winggroups, including the Heritage Foundation, Americans for Prosperity, the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation

Freedom Works, and several SPN think tanks.

Jon Ralston, of the Las Vegas Sun,criticized NPRIs 2011 Legislative ReportCardfor its unscientific methodology and politically skewed results. Ralston

charged that the authors capriciously gave some bills much more weight thanothers depending on how strongly the institution feels about the issue.

Governor Sandovals tax extensions, for example, were given 16 times moreweight than other bills.

http://www.npri.org/docLib/20120229_Solutions_2013.pdfhttp://www.npri.org/docLib/20120229_Solutions_2013.pdfhttp://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Nevada_Policy_Research_Institutehttp://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Nevada_Policy_Research_Institutehttp://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Nevada_Policy_Research_Institutehttp://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jun/29/think-tank-report-card-curves-right/http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jun/29/think-tank-report-card-curves-right/http://www.npri.org/docLib/20120229_Solutions_2013.pdfhttp://www.npri.org/docLib/20120229_Solutions_2013.pdfhttp://progressnownevada.pnstate.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=22508.0http://progressnownevada.pnstate.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=22508.0http://progressnownevada.pnstate.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=22508.0http://www.npri.org/events/page/past-anniversary-dinnershttp://www.npri.org/events/page/past-anniversary-dinnershttp://www.npri.org/events/page/past-anniversary-dinnershttp://www.npri.org/events/page/past-anniversary-dinnershttp://bridgeproject.com/?organization&id=281527http://bridgeproject.com/?organization&id=281527http://bridgeproject.com/?organization&id=281527http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/02/donors-trust-donor-capital-fund-dark-money-koch-bradley-devoshttp://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/02/donors-trust-donor-capital-fund-dark-money-koch-bradley-devoshttp://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/02/donors-trust-donor-capital-fund-dark-money-koch-bradley-devoshttp://employeefreedomweek.com/http://employeefreedomweek.com/http://employeefreedomweek.com/http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jun/29/think-tank-report-card-curves-right/http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jun/29/think-tank-report-card-curves-right/http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jun/29/think-tank-report-card-curves-right/http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jun/29/think-tank-report-card-curves-right/http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jun/29/think-tank-report-card-curves-right/http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jun/29/think-tank-report-card-curves-right/http://employeefreedomweek.com/http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/02/donors-trust-donor-capital-fund-dark-money-koch-bradley-devoshttp://bridgeproject.com/?organization&id=281527http://www.npri.org/events/page/past-anniversary-dinnershttp://www.npri.org/events/page/past-anniversary-dinnershttp://progressnownevada.pnstate.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=22508.0http://www.npri.org/docLib/20120229_Solutions_2013.pdfhttp://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jun/29/think-tank-report-card-curves-right/http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Nevada_Policy_Research_Institutehttp://www.npri.org/docLib/20120229_Solutions_2013.pdf