Education

Charter Reform Nears the Goal-line

  • James Paul
  • April 17, 2017

Charter school reform is advancing in Harrisburg. Long in the works, HB 97 (previously HB 530) is a sweeping bill that includes several important revisions to Pennsylvania’s charter school law.

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Health Care

Reforming Medicaid Is a Moral Imperative

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • April 17, 2017

Note: This op-ed was originally published in the Lancaster LNP. Do you know someone who desperately needs medical care but can’t access it? Few things are more heartbreaking. Helping people…

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When a Spending Increase Is a Massive Cut

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 11, 2017

Last June, the Pennsylvania legislature passed a $31.53 billion General Fund budget. In February, Gov. Wolf proposed a $32.34 billion budget. This $800 million increase has actually been labeled “…

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State Budget

Pennsylvania Deficit Watch: April 2017

  • April 10, 2017

Revenue collections fell below expectations for the fifth consecutive month. The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue reported collections of approximately $4.4 billion last week, which was $229.6 million less than…

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Public Union Democracy

Paycheck Protection: Where it Stands

  • Jessica Barnett
  • April 7, 2017

In February, the state Senate passed paycheck protection, which would shield taxpayers from subsidizing government union leaders’ political fundraising. Now it’s up to the House to protect the interests of taxpayers…

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Regulation

House Budget Represents a Step Towards Fiscal Stewardship

  • April 4, 2017

House Republicans committed to changing Pennsylvania yesterday. The caucus released its proposed 2017-18 budget, which stands in stark contrast to Gov. Wolf’s tax-and-spend proposals. The House Appropriations Committee has…

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Government Accountability

Paycheck Protection Benefits Teachers

  • Jessica Barnett
  • March 27, 2017

Providing one more reason Pennsylvania needs paycheck protection, the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) uses members’ dues to mislead teachers.   In the March 2017 publication of PSEA’s dues-funded…

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State Budget

Should Pennsylvania Strive to Become #51?

  • March 27, 2017

Political realities forced Gov. Wolf to scale back his record tax-and-spend proposals from the past two years. Still, he didn’t completely abandon his government-centric approach, opting to include $1…

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Committee Votes to Spend Smarter

  • March 24, 2017

Earlier this week, the House State Government Committee voted to tackle Pennsylvania’s spending problem. The committee advanced two pieces of legislation—HB 110 and HB 410. Both bills are…

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