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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
Sunlight is Always Welcome
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…
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Read More: Sunlight is Always WelcomeEducation
Harrisburg Children One Step Closer to the Quality Education They Deserve
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
Read More: Harrisburg Children One Step Closer to the Quality Education They DeserveState Budget
It Won’t Get Easier: Our Take on the State’s Five Year Outlook
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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Read More: It Won’t Get Easier: Our Take on the State’s Five Year OutlookRegulation
The O-Zone Hole
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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Read More: The O-Zone HoleState Budget
Pennsylvania’s Overspending: A $1 Billion-Per-Year Disaster in the Making
November 15, 2019, Harrisburg, Pa. — A new report from the Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office projects that state government will run annual deficits around $1 billion for…
Press Release
Read More: Pennsylvania’s Overspending: A $1 Billion-Per-Year Disaster in the MakingState Budget
Pennsylvania Needs the Ramsey Method
High debt, reckless spending, and impending financial ruin. That description fits both Pennsylvania and budget guru Dave Ramsey’s life before he achieved financial stability. The Ramsey method has helped millions of…
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Read More: Pennsylvania Needs the Ramsey MethodEducation
Gov. Wolf Makes History by Signing PA GI Bill
On Veterans Day, we remember how much military service members sacrifice for the rest of us. Last week, Gov. Wolf gathered with military members and lawmakers to thank them…
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Read More: Gov. Wolf Makes History by Signing PA GI BillTaxes & Economy
Pennsylvania’s Business Climate is a Gamble for Entrepreneurs
60, 61, 29, 45! While these might sound like Powerball numbers, they are actually state rankings that highlight just how lucky businesses in Pennsylvania aren’t. Across different measurements of the state’s business…
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Read More: Pennsylvania’s Business Climate is a Gamble for EntrepreneursEducation
3 Charter School Facts Gov. Wolf Hopes You Won’t Notice
Pennsylvania charter schools are “wildly ineffective.” They produce “abysmal results.” They “aren’t moving the needle” on test results. If you believe the detractors, charter schools are worse than pointless.
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Read More: 3 Charter School Facts Gov. Wolf Hopes You Won’t NoticeEducation
Conscientious Objectors to Choice
Once again, the most vulnerable in our Commonwealth are in a battle without fully realizing it. That was clear to me during my testimony before the Pennsylvania Senate’s Education…
Media
Read More: Conscientious Objectors to ChoiceEducation
Betsy DeVos Touts Education Freedom Scholarships During Harrisburg Visit
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ visit to Harrisburg Catholic Elementary School in September was a great opportunity to highlight school choice in Pennsylvania and beyond. But most national media outlets that…
Media
Read More: Betsy DeVos Touts Education Freedom Scholarships During Harrisburg VisitRegulation
Sparks Fly Over Creating a Carbon Tax in Pa.
Walk outs, tin foil hats, and shouts from the audience characterized a tense House Energy and Environmental Resources hearing on Governor Wolf’s executive order to join the Regional…
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Read More: Sparks Fly Over Creating a Carbon Tax in Pa.Education
Former PSEA Director Says Union Flip-Flopped on Charters
“When I was at PSEA we embraced charter schools.” Those are surprising words from former PSEA Executive Director Carolyn Dumaresq. And they carry even more weight, given she was…
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Read More: Former PSEA Director Says Union Flip-Flopped on ChartersRegulation
Wolf’s Wage Mandate will Harm Workers
Fewer jobs, reduced hours, cuts to take home pay. That’s what Pennsylvanians are facing now that Gov. Wolf’s overtime wage mandates are moving forward. Initially, Wolf wanted to increase the…
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Read More: Wolf’s Wage Mandate will Harm WorkersRegulation
Fleeing Philly
Roughly 60,000 people leave Philadelphia every year, significantly more than those who move in from other towns or cities according to a Pew Charitable Trusts survey.[1]…
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Read More: Fleeing PhillyEducation
Union Donations to Gov. Wolf Drown Out School Choice
Charter schools remain in the crosshairs of the teachers’ unions and their government allies. That much is made evident in the proposals, resolutions and other public statements the National Education…
Media
Read More: Union Donations to Gov. Wolf Drown Out School ChoiceEducation
Charter Schools Senate Hearing: Giving Parents Options Should Not Be Optional
Do charter schools work? That was the focus of a Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee hearing today. The 3-hour meeting featured five different panels discussing various aspects of charter schools…
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Read More: Charter Schools Senate Hearing: Giving Parents Options Should Not Be OptionalTaxes & Economy
Wolf Pollutes the Discussion on RGGI
Power plants aren’t the only things blowing smoke in Pennsylvania. Governor Wolf’s executive order forcing the state to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is based on deceptive “findings.” And…
Media
Read More: Wolf Pollutes the Discussion on RGGI
Miss Virginia: How One Mom’s Fight Led to Opportunity for Thousands
“MISS WALDEN!” The words of reproach thundered from the dais of a Congressional hearing room. But rather than shirk back at the rebuke from her congresswoman, Virginia Walden doubled down.
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Read More: Miss Virginia: How One Mom’s Fight Led to Opportunity for ThousandsEducation
Charter School 101
Nearly 140,000 Pennsylvania students attend charter schools. Despite their popularity, misconceptions about charter schools abound. Here are answers to some common questions about this public alternative to district schools.
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Read More: Charter School 101Government Accountability
The Cost of Secretly-Negotiated Government Union Contracts
Are Pennsylvanians a bottomless pit of cash? Government union leaders and Governor Wolf seem to think so. The two “re-negotiate” new labor contracts behind closed doors, and each time…
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Read More: The Cost of Secretly-Negotiated Government Union Contracts