Rees Empey

Rees builds relationships with organizations and individuals in other states to export our policy innovations and extend our work's impact. He was born in Utah and raised in Missouri.

Before joining Libertas, he was a Criminal Justice Associate with the Utah Justice Coalition. Rees earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Utah State University. While pursuing his degree, he interned with the Utah State Legislature, the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, exit polled for the 2016 election, and studied abroad in China.

Aside from engaging in politics, Rees enjoys fishing, hiking, traveling, and reading.

Rees Empey's Articles

Nevada has made a bold bet on innovation—creating a new sandbox where property insurance startups can test solutions to wildfire risk and rising premiums.
This year, Kansas has become the second state to go straight from no sandbox to a universal sandbox. 
Missouri, also known as  The-Show-Me State, is known for more than just the Gateway Arch. This year, the state has shown the rest of the country how to promote innovation.  
After four years of effort, in 2024, Representative Kim Carver introduced House Bill 701, which established an insurance sandbox – the state’s first.  
The Cornhusker State, a state known for its expansive prairies and agriculture industry, just made a strong move in innovation. 
Regulatory sandboxes are an issue that Libertas Institute has researched extensively, and we stand ready to help your state pursue this reform opportunity as we have with Montana. For groups or legislators in other states looking to work on the issue, we’d love to help!