Health Care

Hidden Human Services Spending

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • June 27, 2018

What’s the main driver of spending in Harrisburg? It’s not education. The main driver of costs is the Department of Human Services, which includes Medicaid, child services, nursing home care…

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State Budget

State Budget 2018: Policy Victories & Missed Opportunities

  • June 26, 2018

With a signed state budget, it’s time to review the policy victories and missed opportunities that define the 2018-19 spending package. Victories Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) expansion: Lawmakers approved…

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Education

Students Win Big with Tax Credit Scholarship Boost

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 26, 2018

The recently enacted state budget includes a $25 million increase in the successful and popular Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program. This increase is tremendous for families—given that…

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Education

Impact of ESAs Under HB 2228

  • Colleen Hroncich
  • June 26, 2018

Education is not one-size-fits-all. For children with special needs, this is particularly true. Ann and Tony Zanca of Florida know this first hand. Their 14-year-old son Ben has dealt…

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Regulation

Gov. Moves to Eliminate Handful of Occupational Licenses

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • June 22, 2018

Sally Ladd earned a living managing vacation rental properties in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. Her clients gladly pay Sally to manage their listings, but that livelihood was threatened when the…

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Education

Every Child Deserves the Opportunity to Succeed

  • June 21, 2018

The Ben Franklin Bridge is all that separates Pennsylvania students from Camden, New Jersey, where families choose from a diverse menu of schools. In 1999, New Jersey enacted the…

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State Budget

Six Things to Know About Pa. House Budget

  • June 19, 2018

The state budget is on the move. Earlier today the House Appropriations Committee voted to advance a $32.7 billion 2018-19 spending plan to the full House for its consideration. The…

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Taxes & Economy

Dueling Energy Subsidies are Equally Bad

  • Gordon Tomb
  • June 19, 2018

  Shortly after Pennsylvania lawmakers suggested subsidies for nuclear power plants, the federal government launched a new effort to subsidize not only nuclear power but other forms of energy…

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State Budget

How Lawmakers Can Revive Pa.’s Economy

  • June 18, 2018

A look at job growth and labor force trends over the past few years reveals the Keystone State’s economy to be stagnant or, at best, overshadowed by robust growth in…

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