Every family, business owner, and taxpayer in Pennsylvania should be able to increase their financial security without undue interference from our state government. Free-market policies that limit taxes, allow entrepreneurs to innovate and create jobs, and offer stability to families will put our state on track to become a national leader. Policies that enact spending limits, cut taxes, and reduce regulations will help Pennsylvania avoid debt and restore sound fiscal planning that will benefit citizens in the years to come.

Education

‘Underfunded’ Pa. Schools Spend Nearly $16,000 Per Pupil

  • June 14, 2016

‘Underfunded’ Pa. Schools Spend Nearly $16,000 Per Pupil District Reserves Reach $4.3 Billion in 2014-15 as Attendance Declines June 14, 2016, HARRISBURG, Pa.—Contradicting the claim that Pennsylvania underfunds…

Press Release

Read More: ‘Underfunded’ Pa. Schools Spend Nearly $16,000 Per Pupil

Regulation

Corporate Welfare: The New Budget Hostage

  • June 10, 2016

Gov. Wolf is withholding approval of corporate welfare projects until lawmakers agree to advance his legislative agenda. According to a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review story, administration aides told Senate Republicans no…

Media

Read More: Corporate Welfare: The New Budget Hostage

Regulation

Latest Plan Could Grow the Pension Iceberg

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • June 10, 2016

On the heels of bipartisan wine reform, the PA House is reportedly considering a pension reform plan that could actually increase pension costs. Known as a stacked-hybrid plan, the current bill…

Media

Read More: Latest Plan Could Grow the Pension Iceberg

Regulation

5 Reasons to Continue the Push for Liquor Privatization

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • June 9, 2016

Some lawmakers and the media have labeled the latest liquor reforms as “historic” and “sweeping.” The Patriot-News described the reform as the “most substantial overhaul of Pennsylvania's liquor system…

Media

Read More: 5 Reasons to Continue the Push for Liquor Privatization

Regulation

Shell Cracker Plant Proves Taxes Matter to Job Creators

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Nathan Benefield
  • June 8, 2016

Workers hit by the natural gas slump in western PA received some much needed good news this week. Shell announced they will proceed with building a multibillion dollar chemical…

Media

Read More: Shell Cracker Plant Proves Taxes Matter to Job Creators

Regulation

Wolf’s Wine Signature a First Step Toward Privatization

  • June 8, 2016

Wolf’s Wine Signature a First Step Toward Privatization Pitfalls of Government-Run Liquor Remain Unaddressed June 8, 2016, HARRISBURG, Pa.—Gov. Wolf’s anticipated signature today on HB 1690, which allows…

Press Release

Read More: Wolf’s Wine Signature a First Step Toward Privatization

Education

Is $27 Billion Enough?

  • James Paul
  • June 8, 2016

Is $27 billion enough money for Pennsylvania's public schools? This is the question policymakers must answer before voting to raise taxes on …

Media

Read More: Is $27 Billion Enough?

Regulation

Wine Expansion Improves Convenience But Falls Short of Privatization

  • June 7, 2016

Wine Expansion Improves Convenience But Falls Short of Privatization Government Liquor Monopoly Remains Unaddressed June 7, 2016, HARRISBURG, Pa.—Today, the state House passed legislation allowing select grocery stores…

Press Release

Read More: Wine Expansion Improves Convenience But Falls Short of Privatization

Public Union Democracy

Pennsylvania’s Pension Funds Still on a Collision Course

  • June 3, 2016

If Pennsylvania were a ship, say the Titanic, then the iceberg that ship is bearing down on is the commonwealth’s public pension funds. At a combined $63.2 billion in debt,…

Media

Read More: Pennsylvania’s Pension Funds Still on a Collision Course

Regulation

Erase Corporate Welfare from the Budget

  • June 1, 2016

Pennsylvania’s tradition of concentrating economic power in the hands of a few has proven to be inadequate at best, and harmful at worst. Corporate welfare spending makes this concentration…

Media

Read More: Erase Corporate Welfare from the Budget

Regulation

Pennsylvania is Losing Ground

  • May 25, 2016

Pennsylvania’s economic performance wasn’t always subpar. In the first half of the twentieth century, the commonwealth’s personal income per capita exceeded the national average. It then descended into mediocrity. While Pennsylvania…

Media

Read More: Pennsylvania is Losing Ground

State Budget

Tax Hike Alternatives Could Spare Pennsylvanians’ Pocketbooks

  • May 24, 2016

Tax Hike Alternatives Could Spare Pennsylvanians’ Pocketbooks Taxpayers’ Caucus Report Unveils Billions in Savings   May 24, 2016, HARRISBURG, Pa.—As Gov. Wolf pushes for a multi-billion tax…

Press Release

Read More: Tax Hike Alternatives Could Spare Pennsylvanians’ Pocketbooks

Education

An Easy Way to Give School Budgets a Boost

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • May 19, 2016

“I want to put more education dollars in our classrooms, not our school buses,” said Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, while releasing an analysis of 19 school districts that exceeded…

Media

Read More: An Easy Way to Give School Budgets a Boost

State Budget

Bad Budget Trends Must Be Reversed

  • May 18, 2016

Government spending has gradually risen for decades, until it suddenly exploded during Gov. Ed Rendell’s tenure. After the profligacy of the Rendell years, spending growth stabilized, but it’s still on an…

Media

Read More: Bad Budget Trends Must Be Reversed

Regulation

New Plan Doesn’t Protect Taxpayers from Pension Politics

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 17, 2016

Today, the House State Government Committee passed a pension reform bill featuring an unproven “stacked hybrid” plan. This proposal falls short of the pension reform taxpayers needs to protect…

Media

Read More: New Plan Doesn’t Protect Taxpayers from Pension Politics

Regulation

Liquor Liberty Loophole for DNC

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 17, 2016

As Pennsylvania residents and visitors know quite well, our state's liquor laws are outdated. Pennsylvania remains one of only two states where the government completely controls the sale of wine and…

Media

Read More: Liquor Liberty Loophole for DNC

Taxes & Economy

The $20 Billion Energy Tax

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • May 13, 2016

More than ten years after its passage, Pennsylvania's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards continue to stunt our economy. The standards cost the state $4 billion annually, according to a study…

Media

Read More: The $20 Billion Energy Tax

Education

Sugary Drink Tax: Not So Sweet for Philadelphia

  • James Paul
  • May 11, 2016

Such a believer is Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney in universal preschool that he supports a punitive tax on low-income residents to pay for it. During his stint on City…

Media

Read More: Sugary Drink Tax: Not So Sweet for Philadelphia

Energy

Philly Should Reject Mayor’s Tax-a-Cola Plan

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • May 10, 2016

Mayor Kenney’s soda tax would nearly double the average cost of a 12-pack of soda – hitting hardest those who least can afford it, not to mention small retailers, bottlers,…

Commentary

Read More: Philly Should Reject Mayor’s Tax-a-Cola Plan

Health Care

Free Market Solution Expands Access to Care

  • James Paul
  • May 5, 2016

Harmful regulations prevent Pennsylvania’s nurse practitioners—highly-trained medical professionals who interpret diagnostic tests, treat chronic conditions, and prescribe medication—from doing what they do best: providing quality health care for patients in…

Media

Read More: Free Market Solution Expands Access to Care