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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
Election Day Live Chat
Join Commonwealth Foundation staff and PA Independent reporters, as well as invited bloggers, to discuss the Pennsylvania primary election results and happenings throughout the day. Post your questions and…
Media
Read More: Election Day Live ChatRegulation
Violations Carry a Hefty Price in the Marcellus Shale
In a recent Citizen Voice article, Scott Perry, the director of Oil and Gas Management at the DEP explains how costly environmental infractions can be for drilling companies. The…
Media
Read More: Violations Carry a Hefty Price in the Marcellus ShaleRegulation
Republicans Talk about Privatizing State Parks
Recently, there has been some speculation about whether Pennsylvania Republican lawmakers are considering leasing the state parks to private companies to operate. Competitively contracting management of our state park…
Media
Read More: Republicans Talk about Privatizing State ParksGovernment Accountability
Rendell’s No-Bid State Forest Lease
Last week, Gov. Rendell announced 32,896 acres of state forest land had been leased to Anadarko Petroleum for drilling for $120 million. The no-bid deal was for land previously…
Media
Read More: Rendell’s No-Bid State Forest LeaseRegulation
F&M Poll Shows Voters Support Liquor Store Privatization
The latest Franklin & Marshall College poll spends, not surprising, a good deal of time on election-related questions, but has a few related to current policy proposals in Harrisburg. …
Media
Read More: F&M Poll Shows Voters Support Liquor Store PrivatizationTaxes & Economy
The Price of Wind
The Wall Street Journal has a good article about how wind generation drives up electric rates in Massachusettes, and will continue to do so as alternative energy mandates are…
Media
Read More: The Price of WindGovernment Accountability
How Rendell Gets Shills
In each of their “budget updates” (see: this one or this one) the Department of Public Welfare ends with this line “For information on…
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Read More: How Rendell Gets ShillsTaxes & Economy
Bad Pennsylvania Policy Spreads to DC
In the past couple of weeks, debate in Washington has ramped up over implementing national alternative energy mandates. Senator Jeff Bingaman has included the standards in his American Clean…
Media
Read More: Bad Pennsylvania Policy Spreads to DC
Drillers spending millions to influence Harrisburg, study finds
Media Hit
Read More: Drillers spending millions to influence Harrisburg, study findsGovernment Accountability
Fact Checking Special Interests’ Attack on Natural Gas
Misinformation spewed continually at Common Cause’s press conference on natural gas campaign contributions (see CF News Release) held today at the Capital. Here are…
Media
Read More: Fact Checking Special Interests’ Attack on Natural GasTaxes & Economy
Re: What About Jobs of Other Colors?
Katrina’s post on Friday that highlighted Energy Ventures Analysis’s job destruction realism about Pennsylvania’s proposed alternative energy mandates is buttressed by similar research elsewhere, including …
Media
Read More: Re: What About Jobs of Other Colors?Health Care
Obama Concedes CF was Right About Slacker Mandate
I hate to toot my own horn (wink wink), but a few months ago, I wrote that a “slacker mandate” included in the federal health care bill would fail…
Media
Read More: Obama Concedes CF was Right About Slacker MandatePublic Union Democracy
Special Interests Denounce “Special Interests”
HARRISBURG, PA (05.11.10) — The Commonwealth Foundation expressed disappointment today that special interest groups which demand taxpayer subsidies for certain energy companies are attacking Pennsylvania’s natural gas companies for simply…
Press Release
Read More: Special Interests Denounce “Special Interests”
Should municipal governments be abolished in favor of county control?
Media Hit
Read More: Should municipal governments be abolished in favor of county control?Education
PA School Districts Have $2.5 Billion in Reserves
PA Independent highlights the $2.5 billion school districts have in reserve accounts – $1.8 billion in “undesignated reserves.” To put that it lay terms – it’s a lot of…
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Read More: PA School Districts Have $2.5 Billion in ReservesTaxes & Economy
Appraising the Candidates on Energy: Mandates Over Markets
PA gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett recently put out a policy paper on energy praising markets: “a properly structured market place can effectively incentivize alternative energy investments – perhaps even…
Media
Read More: Appraising the Candidates on Energy: Mandates Over MarketsTaxes & Economy
Talking Transportation Funding
PA Independent’s Eric Boehm talks with State Rep. Rick Geist about Pennsylvania transportation funding in their latest podcast. For more info on transportation funding, check out our…
Media
Read More: Talking Transportation Funding
Transportation policy needs realistic redirection
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Read More: Transportation policy needs realistic redirection
What does the city of Erie’s refuse fee pay for?
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Read More: What does the city of Erie’s refuse fee pay for?