Media

State Budget

Mid-Year Budget Briefing: $779 Million Projected Overspend

• Andrew Abramczyk
• January 2, 2020

This week is the midpoint of the commonwealth fiscal year, which ends on June 30. Every year, as required by law, the Office of the Budget gives a mid-year budget briefing…

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Criminal Justice Reform

CF’s 2020 Vision

• January 1, 2020

The Commonwealth Foundation’s mission sounds pretty simple: transform free-market ideas into public policies so all Pennsylvanians can flourish. Accomplishing that mission—with a divided government, powerful special interests, and a diverse…

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Education

Pension Pacman Must Be Stopped

• Andrew Abramczyk
• December 31, 2019

Next fiscal year Pennsylvania school districts will pay $4.9 billion into PSERS, the state teachers’ pension fund.1 Less than one quarter of that amount will fund new benefits earned by…

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Criminal Justice Reform

Crime Declines as Pa. Passes Criminal Justice Reforms

• Jessica Barnett
• December 30, 2019

Responsible, smart reforms are paying dividends in Pennsylvania’s correction system—and recently passed reforms aim to build upon this success. The state Department of Corrections released a statement and…

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Education

Myles Goes to Washington

• December 22, 2019

“School choice opens up doors that would otherwise be slammed shut. As a young African American male in a low-income neighborhood it’s more likely I would be a dropout…

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Taxes & Economy

Poverty, Energy, and RGGI

• Tirzah Duren
• December 19, 2019

Despite living in one of the richest countries and one of the largest energy producers in the world, many Americans still struggle to pay their energy bills. Roughly 1 in 3 Americans report…

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Criminal Justice Reform

Pa. Leading Nation on Smart Justice Reform

• December 18, 2019

December 18, 2019, Harrisburg, Pa. – Today, the Pa. Legislature passed two bills that firmly establish Pennsylvania as a national leader on criminal justice reform. Senate Bills 500 and…

Press Release

Pa. Kids Deserve Opportunity!

• December 16, 2019

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Media

Government Accountability

How to Make an Easy Six Million

• Andrew Abramczyk
• December 10, 2019

A week ago the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office announced charges against Wing Tat Chiu and Ivy Hiu-Ying Li, a married couple whom they accuse of earning $6 million in illegal…

Media

Criminal Justice Reform

Pa. One Step Closer to Fairer Corrections System, Safer Communities with Bipartisan Justice Reforms

• December 9, 2019

December 9, 2019, Harrisburg, Pa. – Today, the House Judiciary Committee took an important step toward making Pennsylvania’s corrections system more efficient, more cost-effective, and better equipped to protect public…

Press Release

Education

Parents Protest Politicians’ Education Hypocrisy

• Marc LeBlond
• December 9, 2019

Sen. Elizabeth Warren is the latest in a long line of politicians to take advantage of school choice for their own kids—Sen. Warren sent her son to private schools…

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Taxes & Economy

Feds Restore Foodstamp Rules: Providing a Pathway to Independence

• Elizabeth Stelle
• December 6, 2019

Pennsylvanians are experiencing the lowest unemployment rates on record and wages are rising, including wages at the lower end of the pay scale. Across the country 16 states have restored…

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Education

We’re thankful!

• November 28, 2019

And the winner of “Biggest Home State Win” is … the Commonwealth Foundation! You can imagine the excitement of CF staff when we recently found out we’d won a prestigious…

Media

Education

My Unanswered Question for Governor Wolf

• Marc LeBlond
• November 26, 2019

Governor Wolf continues to use divisive rhetoric that places all the blame for Pennsylvania’s education woes on public charter schools. During his recent press conference at the Pennsylvania Association of…

Media

Regulation

Economic Freedom and Flourishing in Pennsylvania

• Tirzah Duren
• November 25, 2019

We live in a free country, but when it comes to our economy, Pennsylvanians aren’t free. Unpredictable regulation makes owning a business a huge risk in Pennsylvania, and when it…

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Criminal Justice Reform

Pa. Senate Passes Legislation Removing Employment Barriers

• Jessica Barnett
• November 23, 2019

Individuals like Ericka Miller and Amanda Spillane are one step closer to having a fair opportunity to pursue success and live their American dream. On Thursday, the state Senate…

Media

Economic Growth Boosts Prosperity, not Minimum Wage Hikes

• Nathan Benefield
• November 20, 2019

November 20, 2019, Harrisburg, Pa. — Today, the Pennsylvania Senate passed legislation to hike the commonwealth’s minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $9.50 per hour by 2022. Commonwealth Foundation Vice…

Press Release

Government Accountability

Sunlight is Always Welcome

• November 20, 2019

Pennsylvania’s two state-wide public pension systems are deeply underfunded. They only have about sixty cents in assets available for each dollar of promised payouts, which means they are at…

Media

Education

Harrisburg Children One Step Closer to the Quality Education They Deserve

• November 19, 2019

Financial mismanagement. Student violence. State receivership. FBI investigation. These are the headlines Harrisburg families have been confronting for years—even decades. That's why the House Education Committee advanced legislation, HB 1800, sponsored…

Press Release

State Budget

It Won’t Get Easier: Our Take on the State’s Five Year Outlook

• Andrew Abramczyk
• November 18, 2019

Last week the Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) presented its annual set of fiscal and economic projections for the next five years. The full report and summary presentation are available…

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Regulation

The O-Zone Hole

• Andrew Abramczyk
• November 15, 2019

State and national governments sometimes designate “Economic Opportunity Zones,” geographic areas wherein they give tax breaks to incentivize investment. If opportunity zones are such a great idea, though, why not…

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