Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA)

Activities and Legislation

State Child Labor Laws

In March 2023, the state of Arkansas passed a bill, sponsored and designed by the FGA, that would end work permits and age verification for workers under 16 years of age. According to the bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Rebecca Burkes (R), the bill, “came to me from the Foundation [for] Government Accountability.” ² Similar FGA-backed legislation that would impact state child labor laws has been introduced foin other states including Missouri, Ohio, Minnesota, and Georgia. ³ In addition, as of April 23, an FGA-designed bill in Iowa was passed by the state senate allowing for workers as young as 14 years old to work night shifts and 15 years of age to work on an assembly line. Several FGA-based child labor bills have received backlash and have lead to amendments: According to the Washington Post, the Arkansas bill’s passage was met with significant pushback which caused state lawmakers to pass a second piece of legislation intended to, “[increase] penalties on violators of the child labor codes,” impacted by the FGA-backed legislation. ² In addition, a similar child labor bill in Missouri had to be amended so that children 14-16 years of age are required to have parental permission before taking on a job, though the previous version approved by the FGA did not have such a requirement. ²

2025 Government Shutdown

In October 2025, during the federal government shutdown, FGA president and CEO Tarren Bragdon addressed Senate Republicans at a closed-door lunch hosted by Senator Rick Scott. Bragdon argued that the party would not face significant political consequences if it allowed the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium subsidies to expire at the end of the year, a position that placed him alongside conservatives opposed to extending the credits. His appearance underscored divisions within the Republican caucus, with some lawmakers expressing concern about rising premiums and the prospect of millions losing coverage. Bragdon had previously briefed Senate Republicans earlier in the year on proposals to reduce Medicaid spending, including the introduction of work requirements. ⁴

October 2025 “Bayou Briefing”

According to a report by Sludge, between October 7-8, 2025, the FGA hosted a “Bayou Briefing” conference in New Orleans, LA for Louisiana state Republican lawmakers to discuss how the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” to advocate for implementing right-of-center policy agendas regarding SNAP and Medicaid benefits, “permanent tax relief” and “school choice expansion.” During the conference, lawmakers were allegedly given a “full toolkit” of “state-specific to-do lists, model legislation, and sharpened messaging…to carry the One, Big, Beautiful Bill into battle and secure lasting victory.” ⁵