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Education
Public Schools Increased Spending to $23,000 Per Student, Ballooned Reserves While Enrollment Declined
Harrisburg, Pa., May 15, 2025 — Pennsylvania school districts increased overall revenue collected in 2023–24 to $23,000 per student, while expanding general fund reserves to $7.4 billion, according to new…
Read More: Public Schools Increased Spending to $23,000 Per Student, Ballooned Reserves While Enrollment Declined
Energy
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments on RGGI
Read More: Pennsylvania Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments on RGGI
Education
Senate Education Committee Approves Bipartisan PASS Scholarships, Offering Lifeline to Students in Need
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
The Transportation Committee Cerberus
Rep. Joe Markosek wants to become the next Cerberus of the General Assembly. Of course, that title is currently held by Rep. Babette Josephs for bottling up…
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Read More: The Transportation Committee CerberusGovernment Accountability
What can we cut?
An anonymous poster to GrassrootsPA defends the recently enacted state budget against criticism from the Commonwealth Foundation, along with that in other comments. The budget…
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Read More: What can we cut?State Budget
Will this budget’s ink be red in 2009?
No, that’s not our headline, but Pete DeCoursey‘s at Capitolwire.com…
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Read More: Will this budget’s ink be red in 2009?Taxes & Economy
We hold these truths to be self evident
Independence Day video from the Evergreen Freedom Foundation…
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Read More: We hold these truths to be self evidentGovernment Accountability
More Spending, More Debt, Less Transparency
Commonwealth Foundation expresses disappointment in overall budget deal HARRISBURG, PA — Today, the Commonwealth Foundation provided its perspective on the FY 2008-09 budget agreement making its way to the governor’s…
Press Release
Read More: More Spending, More Debt, Less Transparency
Budget Details Revealed
The House Appropriations Committee (both Democrats and Republicans) released the line items in the budget late into the night on Thursday. They will attempt to vote on the legislation today…
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Read More: Budget Details RevealedState Budget
New budget may mean deficit, higher taxes
Marc Levy of the AP reports that the new $28.2 budget agreement may, according to Senate officials (both Republicans and Democrats), result in a budget deficit of $1 billion…
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Read More: New budget may mean deficit, higher taxesRegulation
Soccer Score: Team owners: 50 million, Taxpayers: 0
Props to state Rep. RoseMarie Swanger, and 71 state House members, who attempted to end the use of taxpayer funds for a soccer stadium. Here is our recent…
Media
Read More: Soccer Score: Team owners: 50 million, Taxpayers: 0Health Care
Questionable Benefits of State Mandates for Health Insurance
The Pacific Research Institute a new study on the cost of health insurance mandates. As would be expected (see our commentary on autism and slacker mandates), they find…
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Read More: Questionable Benefits of State Mandates for Health InsuranceEducation
Philadelphia private school managers a failure or success story?
The Fordham Institute blasts a Philadelphia Inquirer story calling the Philadelphia public school’s removal of six private managers a “blow to the experiment”: Kristen Graham of…
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Read More: Philadelphia private school managers a failure or success story?Regulation
Don’t know much about history?
In another example of professional licensing run amok,…
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Read More: Don’t know much about history?State Budget
PA Budget Secrecy
Pete DeCoursey of Capitolwire asks an interesting question. Since lawmakers are likely to vote on the budget tomorrow (given they don’t want to come in on the 4th and they…
Media
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CorridorOne: Every Rose has its Thorn
When we last heard mention of CorridorOne, the proposed transit rail line in the Harrisburg area that no one will ride, supporters were defending federal earmarks – because subverting…
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Read More: CorridorOne: Every Rose has its ThornRegulation
How long will PA’s smoking ban last?
Of course, Pennsylvania’s criminalization of smoking in private establishments hasn’t even gone into effect yet, but Jeremy Richards writes in the Heartland Institutes’s Budget & Tax News that “History…
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Read More: How long will PA’s smoking ban last?State Budget
New borrowing in budget deal
While we are still waiting to see many of the details on the budget agreement, here are the numbers on borrowing that have been revealed. The new agreement…
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Read More: New borrowing in budget dealGovernment Accountability
The state budget: Secret sham
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review editorializes on the secret nature of the budget negotiations and the wheeling and dealing that occurs behind closed doors.
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Read More: The state budget: Secret shamEducation
Shady Accounting at the Pennsylvania Department of Education
Allegheny Institute’s latest policy brief reveals how the Pennsylvania Department of Education classifies federal monies as local tax revenue. “By making it appear that the local revenue…
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Read More: Shady Accounting at the Pennsylvania Department of Education
EZ Come, EZ Go! at the Turnpike Commission
The second episode of PIKE TV, EZ Come, EZ Go!, looks at how the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is spending your toll dollars … and its not just…
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Read More: EZ Come, EZ Go! at the Turnpike Commission
Leasing the turnpike is a better way for Pa
Former PA Transporation Secretary (and Turnpike Commissioner) Howard Yerusalim on the Turnpike lease in the Philadelphia Inquirer: Already, similar public-private lease arrangements are working in Indiana and the…
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Read More: Leasing the turnpike is a better way for PaState Budget
Budget Deal Reached
While taxpayers and state workers slept, lawmakers shook hands on a budget deal. John Micek has some of the details, as does the Patriot News. General Fund budget:…
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Read More: Budget Deal ReachedTaxes & Economy
Congressional Guardian of Worker Freedom Rankings
Alliance for Worker Freedomhas released an index rating members of Congress by their votes on worker freedom or for the big labor agenda. Here are the House ratings.
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Read More: Congressional Guardian of Worker Freedom Rankings