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Education
Senate Education Committee Approves Bipartisan PASS Scholarships, Offering Lifeline to Students in Need
Harrisburg, Pa., May 6, 2025—Today, the Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee approved legislation to establish Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS) Scholarships. Similar to the popular Lifeline Scholarship proposal, PASS would…
Read More: Senate Education Committee Approves Bipartisan PASS Scholarships, Offering Lifeline to Students in Need
Prosperity
New Report: Gig-Workers Prefer Flexibility of Portable Benefits
Read More: New Report: Gig-Workers Prefer Flexibility of Portable Benefits
Education
Andrew Lewis on ‘This Week in Pennsylvania’
Read More: Andrew Lewis on ‘This Week in Pennsylvania’
Prosperity
Stephen Bloom joins RJ Harris in the Morning to Talk Tax Reform
Read More: Stephen Bloom joins RJ Harris in the Morning to Talk Tax ReformGovernment Accountability
Wolf’s Budget Borrows Billions and Attacks Schools of Choice
February 4, 2020, Harrisburg, Pa. — Today, Gov. Wolf outlined a massive spending and borrowing plan in his annual budget address. The $36.1 billion proposed General Fund Budget represents a…
Press Release
Read More: Wolf’s Budget Borrows Billions and Attacks Schools of ChoiceGovernment Accountability
Lawmakers Send Message to Wolf on Eve of Budget Address
February 3, 2020, Harrisburg, Pa. — Today, on the eve of Gov. Wolf’s sixth state budget address, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a much-needed fiscal reform called the…
Press Release
Read More: Lawmakers Send Message to Wolf on Eve of Budget AddressGovernment Accountability
CF Responds to Pa. House Speaker Mike Turzai’s Retirement
January 23, 2020, Harrisburg, Pa.—Today, Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Mike Turzai announced he will not seek reelection at the end of his term. Turzai, an outspoken…
Press Release
Read More: CF Responds to Pa. House Speaker Mike Turzai’s RetirementCriminal Justice Reform
Pa. Prison Population Plummets by Most in History — Again
January 21, 2020, Harrisburg, Pa.—Pennsylvania’s prison population dropped by 1,495 individuals in 2019, according to new Department of Corrections numbers—the sharpest decline ever recorded. The number of incarcerated Pennsylvanians…
Press Release
Read More: Pa. Prison Population Plummets by Most in History — AgainState Budget
Mid-Year Budget Briefing: $779 Million Projected Overspend
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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Read More: Mid-Year Budget Briefing: $779 Million Projected OverspendCriminal Justice Reform
CF’s 2020 Vision
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…
Media
Read More: CF’s 2020 VisionEducation
Pension Pacman Must Be Stopped
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…
Media
Read More: Pension Pacman Must Be StoppedCriminal Justice Reform
Crime Declines as Pa. Passes Criminal Justice Reforms
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…
Media
Read More: Crime Declines as Pa. Passes Criminal Justice ReformsEducation
Myles Goes to Washington
“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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Read More: Myles Goes to WashingtonTaxes & Economy
Poverty, Energy, and RGGI
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…
Media
Read More: Poverty, Energy, and RGGICriminal Justice Reform
Pa. Leading Nation on Smart Justice Reform
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
Read More: Pa. Leading Nation on Smart Justice ReformGovernment Accountability
How to Make an Easy Six Million
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
Read More: How to Make an Easy Six MillionCriminal Justice Reform
Pa. One Step Closer to Fairer Corrections System, Safer Communities with Bipartisan Justice Reforms
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
Read More: Pa. One Step Closer to Fairer Corrections System, Safer Communities with Bipartisan Justice ReformsEducation
Parents Protest Politicians’ Education Hypocrisy
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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Read More: Parents Protest Politicians’ Education HypocrisyTaxes & Economy
Feds Restore Foodstamp Rules: Providing a Pathway to Independence
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…
Media
Read More: Feds Restore Foodstamp Rules: Providing a Pathway to IndependenceEducation
We’re thankful!
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
Read More: We’re thankful!Education
My Unanswered Question for Governor Wolf
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
Read More: My Unanswered Question for Governor WolfRegulation
Economic Freedom and Flourishing in Pennsylvania
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…
Media
Read More: Economic Freedom and Flourishing in PennsylvaniaCriminal Justice Reform
Pa. Senate Passes Legislation Removing Employment Barriers
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
Read More: Pa. Senate Passes Legislation Removing Employment Barriers
Economic Growth Boosts Prosperity, not Minimum Wage Hikes
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
Read More: Economic Growth Boosts Prosperity, not Minimum Wage Hikes