Education
Lowering the Cost of Living Key To Winning Keystone State
Originally published at Newsweek What will it take for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris to win Pennsylvania—arguably the most important state in the 2024 election? The answer is simple. They must…
Read More: Lowering the Cost of Living Key To Winning Keystone StateMany Pennsylvanians face chronic unemployment, welfare dependency, and the cycle of poverty. This happens because labor incentives have been overridden by bad policies that keep millions out of the workforce and enact excessive red tape. We can reverse this trend by ending the practice of waiving work requirements on able-bodied Pennsylvanians with no dependents, removing barriers to employment for those seeking a fresh start, and creating a healthcare system without burdensome regulations.
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Taxes & Economy
New Evidence Shows Work is the Path to Prosperity
Poverty and unemployment are vicious cycles. The longer you remain unemployed, the harder it is to find work—and poverty becomes more entrenched. As the Urban Institute puts it, “long-term…
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Read More: New Evidence Shows Work is the Path to ProsperityCriminal Justice Reform
An Overview of Justice Reinvestment Initiative II
JRI II seeks to address high corrections spending, insufficient support for county probation, and inadequate pretrial and sentencing guidance. The result: fair and effective punishments that equip people for life after…
Fact Sheet
Read More: An Overview of Justice Reinvestment Initiative IICriminal Justice Reform
Milwaukee Study: School Choice Linked to Fewer Broken Families, Convictions
Former Pennsylvania Secretary of Public Welfare Helen O’Bannon once lamented “the family breaking up” as the root cause of an “untrained, unskilled” workforce, which increases “single, female heads of…
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Read More: Milwaukee Study: School Choice Linked to Fewer Broken Families, ConvictionsHealth Care
Work Requirements Can Help Solve Pa.’s Workforce Challenges
The mismatch between job openings, workers’ skills, and workers’ expectations is a hot topic in the national and state media. As our CEO Charles Mitchell pointed out…
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Read More: Work Requirements Can Help Solve Pa.’s Workforce ChallengesCriminal Justice Reform
Can Criminal Justice Reform Unite America?
The following op-ed first appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Are partisan division and political bickering unavoidable in American politics? The headlines make it seem so, but it’s not true.
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Read More: Can Criminal Justice Reform Unite America?Criminal Justice Reform
Pennsylvania State Budget Trends
On February 5, Governor Wolf will lay out his proposal for the 2019-20 state budget. Here are some key facts on spending trends, last year’s enacted budget, and challenges going…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Pennsylvania State Budget TrendsCriminal Justice Reform
Today’s Opportunities in the Spirit of King
It’s been a shame that we’ve collectively spent so much time this month talking about the wrong King (Rep. Steve King) and views that harken back to our worst…
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Read More: Today’s Opportunities in the Spirit of KingHealth Care
Arkansas Latest to Demonstrate Power of Work Over Poverty
Once again, incomes are rising, tax revenue is up, and welfare enrollment is shrinking thanks to work requirements. A recent analysis from the Foundation for Government Accountability finds Arkansas’s…
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Read More: Arkansas Latest to Demonstrate Power of Work Over PovertyCriminal Justice Reform
Punitive Occupational Licensing Laws Bar Pennsylvanians from Work
Pennsylvania’s occupational licensing laws are keeping two Philadelphia women out of work. Courtney Haveman and Amanda Spillane have sued the commonwealth after the Pennsylvania Cosmetology Board denied their cosmetology licenses…
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Read More: Punitive Occupational Licensing Laws Bar Pennsylvanians from WorkCriminal Justice Reform
Pa. Prison Population Plummets by Most in History
Pennsylvania’s prison population dropped by 1,068 individuals in 2018, according to new Department of Corrections numbers—the sharpest decline ever recorded. The number of incarcerated Pennsylvanians declined in six of…
Press Release
Read More: Pa. Prison Population Plummets by Most in HistoryCriminal Justice Reform
Tough on Crime, Smart on Justice
Commentators called it a “Christmas miracle.” In late December, Congressional Republicans and Democrats cooperated to pass the FIRST STEP Act, America’s most significant federal sentencing and prison reform…
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Read More: Tough on Crime, Smart on JusticeHealth Care
Federal Food Stamp Fix Good Fit for Pa.
Jobs and money form the foundation of many a New Year’s resolution. Now, due to proposed federal SNAP (food stamp) changes, hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians could experience a brighter…
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Read More: Federal Food Stamp Fix Good Fit for Pa.Criminal Justice Reform
The Next Step for Criminal Justice Reform
In an op-ed last week, CF’s president Charles Mitchell and former CF board chair Jane Janeczek offered an appraisal of the First Step Act signed by President Trump on…
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Read More: The Next Step for Criminal Justice ReformCriminal Justice Reform
The Justice Reinvestment Initiative II
The Justice Reinvestment Initiative recommends fair and effective punishments that equip offenders for life, while controlling costs and improving safety.
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Read More: The Justice Reinvestment Initiative IITaxes & Economy
Trump Administration’s Food Stamp Changes Could Affect 59 Pa. Counties
Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced plans to strengthen existing work requirements for work-capable adults in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or food stamps). The rule change…
Press Release
Read More: Trump Administration’s Food Stamp Changes Could Affect 59 Pa. CountiesCriminal Justice Reform
Smart on Crime Reforms in 2017-18
“If it's failed policy, we should have the courage to leave it and let it go.” This poignant quote from former Senator Stewart Greenleaf encapsulates the essence of recent…
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Read More: Smart on Crime Reforms in 2017-18Health Care
Affordable Care Act Struggles Continue: Sarah’s Health Care Story
Sarah is a social service worker from Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, where she and her husband also homeschool their four young children. For four years her family received insurance through Medicaid.
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Read More: Affordable Care Act Struggles Continue: Sarah’s Health Care StoryHealth Care
Pursuing Permanent Poverty Solutions: 2018-17 Welfare & Health Care Reforms
Today, we continue our recap of the 2017-18 legislature by looking at the largest and most poorly understood aspect of state government, welfare and health care. Human services spending amounts…
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Read More: Pursuing Permanent Poverty Solutions: 2018-17 Welfare & Health Care ReformsTaxes & Economy
Bureaucrats are Keeping Pennsylvanians Dependent on Food Stamps
Great things are happening in our economy, including more job opportunities and rising incomes. Yet, Pennsylvania is continuing to see near-record food stamp enrollment. The Census Bureau's newly-released American…
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Read More: Bureaucrats are Keeping Pennsylvanians Dependent on Food StampsHealth Care
Four Ways Pa. Lawmakers Can Reduce the Cost of Health Care
Bureaucracy just makes things worse. Case in point: Obamacare. Pennsylvanians have faced soaring health care costs and far fewer options ever since the law was passed. Thankfully, a…
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Read More: Four Ways Pa. Lawmakers Can Reduce the Cost of Health CareHealth Care
Welfare Program Restarts with No Proof of Poverty Alleviation & No Budget
After a six-year hiatus, Pennsylvania's General Assistance program is back in operation…without a budget. The Wolf administration's unilateral decision to resurrect a program, without identifying a funding source, is symbolic…
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Read More: Welfare Program Restarts with No Proof of Poverty Alleviation & No Budget