In my ongoing effort to encourage conservatives to get to know their local conservative policy shops, here’s a sampling of recent work by state-based think tanks:

* The Manhattan Institute’s Empire Center for New York State Policy hasn’t given up hope that one of the nation’s most mismanaged state governments can get its fiscal act together. Earlier this month, Empire Center scholars released a detailed plan to excise $30 billion in low-priority state spending over the next three years. The ideas include pay freezes, Medicaid reforms, changing rules that bid up the cost of construction projects, and privatizing state assets ranging from golf courses to insurance funds.

* The Mackinac Center for Public Policy just published a piece showing that Michigan could save billions of tax dollars in the coming years by moving state employees into health savings accounts.

* The Pacific Research Institute has created a new site, CalWatchDog, to investigate wasteful spending and government mismanagement in California. Early scoops involve such issues as the destruction of public records, voter fraud, and jobs programs.

* Too many students are waiting in line for educational opportunity because of artificial constraints on charter schools, argues the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

* The John Locke Foundation’s media unit, Carolina Journal, has been covering the creation of a new commission to study the health and retirement systems for North Carolina’s teachers and state employees. Billions of dollars in unfunded liabilities for taxpayers are at stake.

If you aren’t familiar with the conservative think tank in your state, it’s easier to find. Go to the State Policy Network site, access the directory, and just click on your state. You’ll be glad you did.