Media

House Committee Approves Bill Notifying Public Employees of Constitutional Rights

• March 18, 2019

March 18, 2019, Harrisburg, Pa. — Today, the state House Labor and Industry Committee passed the  Employee Rights Notification Act (HB 785), sending it to the full House. The legislation, sponsored…

Press Release

Criminal Justice Reform

Milwaukee Study: School Choice Linked to Fewer Broken Families, Convictions

• Marc LeBlond
• March 15, 2019

Former Pennsylvania Secretary of Public Welfare Helen O’Bannon once lamented “the family breaking up” as the root cause of an “untrained, unskilled” workforce, which increases “single, female heads of…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Union Leader Lies Prove Need for Notification

• March 15, 2019

“It is a condition of employment with this company that you become a member in good standing with Local 1776.” That’s UFCW president Wendell Young, IV, writing to John Kabler…

Media

Public Union Democracy

UFCW Lies, Forcing Workers to Join

• March 14, 2019

“I absolutely love my job, I love the people I work with, I love the customers. Everything about it is magnificent, except one thing.” That one…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Unions Renew Attack on Election Privacy

• March 11, 2019

The principle of secret ballot elections has existed since the second century B.C. in ancient Rome. Now, over two thousand years later, union special interests want to strip government workers…

Media

Taxes & Economy

First Do No Harm to Pa.’s Energy Sector

• Gordon Tomb
• March 7, 2019

Pennsylvania’s energy industry is growing, but state government intervention through new taxes or special interest bailouts would threaten the positive trends of job growth and low energy prices. Pennsylvania ranked…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Do Union Members Sign in Blood?

• Jessica Barnett
• March 6, 2019

Flagrantly violating a U.S. Supreme Court decision, Pennsylvania government union leaders are rejecting many workers’ efforts to resign from their unions. While they’re keeping workers trapped, union officials continue siphoning…

Media

Education

Philadelphia Parents Rally for Opportunity Scholarships

• Marc LeBlond
• March 5, 2019

Last week, Philadelphia parents and community leaders gathered in support of the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) program. The event was sponsored by Educational Opportunities for Families (EOF) and…

Media

Health Care

Work Requirements Can Help Solve Pa.’s Workforce Challenges

• Elizabeth Stelle
• March 4, 2019

The mismatch between job openings, workers’ skills, and workers’ expectations is a hot topic in the national and state media. As our CEO Charles Mitchell pointed out…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Pennsylvania Lawmakers Agree: Workers Should Know their Choices

• Jessica Barnett
• March 1, 2019

We recently highlighted our concerns that, in the name of “neutrality,” Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) Chairman Tim Holden rejected a proposal to inform state liquor store workers of…

Media

State Budget

Rein in Spending, So Pa.’s Economy Can Race

• Colleen Hroncich
• March 1, 2019

My daughter recently started horseback riding lessons. She’s learning how to hold the reins with enough give for the horse to move but tight enough that the horse follows her directions. Like…

Media

Education

ESAs: Step by Step

• Colleen Hroncich
• February 28, 2019

Pennsylvania taxpayers are very generous in their support for education. We rank ninth in the nation for per-pupil funding at almost $18,000 per pupil —$3,900 more than the national average.

Media

Education

Cyber Report Strikes Out

• Colleen Hroncich
• February 26, 2019

Although my grandfather, Danny Murtaugh, managed the Pittsburgh Pirates, I don’t pretend to be a baseball expert. But you don’t grow up in a baseball family without knowing you…

Media

Education

Five Reasons Families Demand Opportunity Scholarships

• Marc LeBlond
• February 25, 2019

Last week Senator Mike Regan introduced legislation to expand Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs. The reason is simple. Tax credit scholarships…

Media

Tax Credit Scholarships Change Lives

• February 24, 2019

I want to paint a picture for you about where I came from. And how a great education changed my life. I grew up in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood in…

Media

As Wolf Holds Secret Contract Talks, State Workers Average $100,000+ in Compensation

• February 21, 2019

February 21, 2019, Harrisburg, Pa.—With most state employee contracts expiring in June, Gov. Wolf and government employee union leaders are negotiating behind closed doors over agreements worth more than $3…

Press Release

Public Union Democracy

Despite Obstacles to Resignation, Union Rolls Decline

• February 21, 2019

Imagine having to pay a middleman just to keep your job. More than 5 million government workers in America had to do just that—until last June, when the Supreme Court…

Media

Regulation

5 Facts on the Proposed Nuclear Power Bailout

• Nathan Benefield
• February 20, 2019

Should Pennsylvanians pay more for electricity to benefit nuclear power companies? A group of lawmakers are proposing a new category to our renewable energy mandates known as the Alternative…

Media

West Virginia Leaves Students Without Options

• Colleen Hroncich
• February 19, 2019

Last month, hundreds of students gathered at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School outside of Pittsburgh to celebrate National School Choice Week. With music, dance acts, and peppy speakers, participants…

Media

Education

Penn Hills: A (Tragic) Love Story

• Lenny McAllister
• February 15, 2019

I’m a Penn Hills guy. I’ve lived in some of the most unique and dynamic places in the nation, yet I’ve never been around as many talented, genuine, and engaging…

Media

A New Legislative Solution for Pennsylvania’s Opportunity Gap

• Marc LeBlond
• February 15, 2019

The Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs have offered lifelines to hundreds of thousands of low to moderate-income Pennsylvania students. Yet many thousands more…

Media