Taxes & Economy

Education

Student Funding Reform

• February 17, 2015

Pennsylvania ranks among the nation’s leaders in education spending per student. Although spending levels are high, the system for distributing state funding is outdated. Weighted student funding (WSF) is a…

Fact Sheet

Government Accountability

Audio: Stepping Towards a Balanced Budget

• Jonathan Reginella
• February 12, 2015

This year, Pennsylvania lawmakers have the formidable task of eliminating a projected $1.7 billion budget deficit. Bob Dick, a CF policy analyst, spoke with Gary Sutton about what can be…

Media

Regulation

Long Term Problems are Big Opportunities for Change

• Elizabeth Stelle
• February 11, 2015

Pennsylvania added nearly two dozen new lawmakers in November, and there’s a new face in the Governor’s Mansion. Indeed, that face will look very new, as Tom Wolf is the…

Commentary

Education

Wolf’s Gas Tax Won’t Help Students, but Will Kill Their Job Opportunities

• February 11, 2015

Commonwealth Foundation Contact: 717-671-1901  Wolf’s Gas Tax Won’t Help Students, but Will Kill Their Job Opportunities Natural Gas Industry Already Pays Billions to Fund Government Good morning,…

Press Release

Health Care

Beyond Medicaid Expansion: Helping the Poor

• Elizabeth Stelle
• February 10, 2015

Yesterday’s announcement that Healthy PA will be rolled back in favor of full-scale Medicaid expansion misses the point. Instead of unraveling the few positive reforms incoporated in the original Medicaid waiver,…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Marcellus Shale Successes Continue

• Gordon Tomb
• February 10, 2015

The stories continue: more jobs, increased tax revenue and cheap energy, all from the free-market production of Marcellus Shale gas. Take last week’s report from the Central Pennsylvania…

Media

Criminal Justice Reform

Pennsylvania State Budget Toolkit

• February 6, 2015

The enacted $29 billion General Fund budget (a 1.88 percent increase over 2013-2014) and $71.4 billion total operating budget represent Pennsylvania’s highest spending levels ever—exceeding years when federal stimulus dollars…

Fact Sheet

State Budget

Pennsylvania State Budget Trends, 2015

• February 6, 2015

The enacted $29 billion General Fund budget (a 1.88 percent increase over 2013-2014) and $71.4 billion total operating budget represent Pennsylvania’s highest spending levels ever—exceeding years when federal stimulus dollars…

Fact Sheet

Regulation

Five Steps Toward a Balanced Budget

• February 5, 2015

The consequences of overspending have plagued Pennsylvania for years. This year is no different. Lawmakers are tasked with eliminating a projected budget deficit of nearly $1.7 billion, according to forecasts…

Memo

Regulation

Crisis Management: PA’s Public Pension Problem

• Matthew Brouillette
• February 5, 2015

Crisis management can be broken down into three general phases: identifying the problem, developing the best plan to fix it, and executing that plan while adjusting as needed. It’s a…

Commentary

Taxes & Economy

PA tax law wallops man who bought truck before moving

• February 3, 2015

Media Hit

Taxes & Economy

Audio: Wolf’s Campaign Rhetoric Meets Governing Reality

• Jonathan Reginella
• January 30, 2015

Governor Wolf has made some bold promises on his campaign trail, but very soon the campaign rhetoric will meet governing reality. CF’s President and CEO Matt Brouillette recently discussed…

Media

Health Care

Breaking Out of the Fortress & Into the Frontier

• James Paul
• January 30, 2015

What is the ultimate goal of health care reform? Is it to provide all Americans with insurance cards? Or is it to enhance access to quality care at more affordable…

Media

Energy

Shale Gas Fuels Pennsylvania Job Growth

• Nathan Benefield
• January 26, 2015

It’s indisputable that where there is Marcellus shale drilling there has been robust economic growth. Over the past six years, Pennsylvania counties with Marcellus shale drilling led the state in…

Commentary

Criminal Justice Reform

Corrections Reform Proves a Win-Win

• Elizabeth Stelle
• January 23, 2015

Unprecedented reductions in the prison population, $69.9 million in taxpayer savings, and lower recidivism rates all indicate that the 2012 corrections reforms are working. Earlier this month Don Gilliland over…

Media

Taxes & Economy

How to Help the Poor Leave Poverty Behind

• January 19, 2015

Making “the rich” pay higher taxes will miraculously help the poor. This antiquated idea is the conclusion of a recent paper released by the…

Media

Regulation

Doing Business in Pennsylvania Can Be Taxing

• January 12, 2015

This post was updated to reflect the most recent data available. Tax policy may not be as exciting as discussing Golden Globe winners, but few topics rise to the level…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Disappointed and Determined

• Matthew Brouillette
• January 12, 2015

Today, I am both disappointed and determined. I am disappointed that it is now a mathematical impossibility for any of the reforms you and countless other Pennsylvanians have demanded to…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Former Pennsylvanians Voted with their Feet

• Nathan Benefield
• January 5, 2015

Residents continued their exodus from Pennsylvania in 2014. The latest Census population estimates, released last month, show that Pennsylvania gained 5,913 in total population between July 2013 and July…

Media

Education

Super Six: Important ‘Wins’ for Taxpayers, Kids this Year

• Elizabeth Stelle
• December 30, 2014

Policymakers made significant strides over the past legislative session to increase school choice, save taxpayers from waste and abuse in unemployment compensation, and protect students. While critical reforms remain, it’s…

Media

Regulation

Government Falls Short in Subsidizing Job Creation

• December 12, 2014

“Incomplete, misleading, and unreliable”—that is how an Auditor General report described Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) efforts to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of your…

Media