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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 ReformRegulation
Gov. Moves to Eliminate Handful of Occupational Licenses
Sally Ladd earned a living managing vacation rental properties in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. Her clients gladly pay Sally to manage their listings, but that livelihood was threatened when the…
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Read More: Gov. Moves to Eliminate Handful of Occupational LicensesEducation
Every Child Deserves the Opportunity to Succeed
The Ben Franklin Bridge is all that separates Pennsylvania students from Camden, New Jersey, where families choose from a diverse menu of schools. In 1999, New Jersey enacted the…
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House-Passed Spending Plan Holds Line on Taxes
Today, the Pennsylvania House passed a $32.7 billion 2018-19 spending plan in an overwhelming, bipartisan vote (188-10). The legislation, House Bill 2121, avoids tax increases and pulls back from…
Press Release
Read More: House-Passed Spending Plan Holds Line on TaxesState Budget
Six Things to Know About Pa. House Budget
The state budget is on the move. Earlier today the House Appropriations Committee voted to advance a $32.7 billion 2018-19 spending plan to the full House for its consideration. The…
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Read More: Six Things to Know About Pa. House BudgetTaxes & Economy
Dueling Energy Subsidies are Equally Bad
Shortly after Pennsylvania lawmakers suggested subsidies for nuclear power plants, the federal government launched a new effort to subsidize not only nuclear power but other forms of energy…
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Read More: Dueling Energy Subsidies are Equally BadState Budget
How Lawmakers Can Revive Pa.’s Economy
A look at job growth and labor force trends over the past few years reveals the Keystone State’s economy to be stagnant or, at best, overshadowed by robust growth in…
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New Legislation Tackles the EITC and OSTC Waiting List
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…
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Read More: New Legislation Tackles the EITC and OSTC Waiting ListEducation
EITC In Context
Pennsylvania’s Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) provide tax credit scholarships to low and moderate-income students. These scholarships are lifelines for tens of…
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Troubling Features of Pa. Teacher Contracts
Union-negotiated collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) dictate the compensation packages and workplace conditions of over 100,000 teachers in Pennsylvania's 500 school districts—regardless of their union membership. As the “exclusive representative” of all teachers…
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Read More: Troubling Features of Pa. Teacher ContractsState Budget
PA Legislature Moves to Protect Taxpayers from Habitual Overspending
Today, the Senate State Government Committee took a positive step toward putting Pennsylvania’s finances back on solid ground by passing the Taxpayer Protection Act (TPA) or House Bill 110—sponsored…
Press Release
Read More: PA Legislature Moves to Protect Taxpayers from Habitual OverspendingState Budget
Time for Welfare Work Requirements
Yesterday, welfare work requirement bills HB 2138 and HB 1659 moved out of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. This move ensures welfare reform will be a focus…
Media
Read More: Time for Welfare Work RequirementsRegulation
Government Job Creation is a Myth
Can government create jobs? If you ask Gov. Tom Wolf, you won’t get a straight answer. On the one hand, Wolf promised Amazon millions—likely billions—in taxpayer subsidies to build a…
Media
Read More: Government Job Creation is a MythState Budget
5 Reasons We Need the Taxpayer Protection Act Now
Gov. Wolf has been pretty optimistic about Pennsylvania’s finances going into budget negotiations for fiscal year 2018-19. Although it’s true the state is not staring down a $2 billion…
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Read More: 5 Reasons We Need the Taxpayer Protection Act NowEducation
Scholarship Organizations Bring Educational Freedom to Thousands
Pennsylvania’s tax credit scholarship programs are lifelines for thousands of children around the state. At best, these children would be stuck in schools that aren’t meeting their education needs. At…
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A Choice for All Students
Barbara “Annie” Jackson waitresses at Roxy's Café just a short walk away from the Capitol building in Harrisburg. Eight months pregnant, Annie serves steaming plates of eggs and mugs of hot coffee…
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The Truth about Education Spending in PA
Data from Pennsylvania's Department of Education refute the persistent myth that Pennsylvania public schools are underfunded. See the charts below for 2016-17 statistics on school spending, an update on where Pa.
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A Career for Life: Toni’s Work Story
DuBois resident Toni Prescott Flanders knows the value of hard work. As a teenager she worked alongside her mom, who owned a restaurant. But Toni wanted more than a job.
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Read More: A Career for Life: Toni’s Work StoryTaxes & Economy
More Evidence Raising the Minimum Wage is Bad for Pa.
In his 2018-19 budget proposal, Governor Wolf mandates a 65 percent increase to the state’s minimum wage, from $7.25 to $12 per hour. The governor reiterated his support for this…
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Read More: More Evidence Raising the Minimum Wage is Bad for Pa.Public Union Democracy
Government Union Efforts to Restrict Workers’ Rights
June will bring a U.S. Supreme Court decision potentially restoring First Amendment rights to millions of public sector workers. The response from government union leaders? Schemes to continue—and further restrict—public…
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Read More: Government Union Efforts to Restrict Workers’ RightsRegulation
Save Nuclear Jobs with Less Government, Not Corporate Welfare
Increased production of low-cost natural gas has reduced the price of electricity to levels below which many Pennsylvania nuclear plants can compete. With about 3,000 jobs at stake, Senator…
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Read More: Save Nuclear Jobs with Less Government, Not Corporate WelfareEducation
Education Choice Saves Tax Dollars
Transparency in education funding and charter school reform are good ideas, yet this push for reform is being used to spread misinformation about educational opportunities. Namely, the idea that…
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