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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…
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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
Talk of Universal Health Care Grows
Washington Post on Pennsylvania and other states’ plans for universal health insurance. Twice the article compares health insurance mandates to auto insurance: Some plans mandate that every individual…
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How Pennsylvania keeps health care costs high
Wal-Mart has rolled out a program to sell prescription drugs for $4; however Pennsylvania won’t allow this. Instead, the states requires Wal-Mart to charge a minimum of $9…
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Turnpike machinations: Head-spinning logic
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review editorial on how the Turnpike is only NOW — because of their potential abolition — interested in running itself more like a business.
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Ode to RendellCare
Philadelphia Inquirer story on Rendell’s health care plan, it is a pretty gushy story, with the Commonwealth Foundation providing the lone voice of reason. Pat Toomey’s editorial in…
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New Pa. House members get free cars
Nearly half of the new state legislators are taking taxpayer-funded cars, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports (see list of lawmakers, vehicles, and price tag here). The quandry some have…
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Public Health Insurance is Not Sustainable
Fraser Institute study reports that “health insurance costs are growing faster than our ability to pay.” While this may sound like a report that would support Governor Rendell’s “…
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Making the same mistakes?
John Fund in today’s Wall Street Journal on the mistakes of Gov. Schwarzenegger’s health care plan — all of the points could equally apply to Gov. Rendell’s proposal. For…
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RendellCare!
AP story on Rendell’s health care proposals, including universal health care (“Cover All Pennsylvanians”). For more details, go to the Governor’s Health Care Reform site. FYI, several months…
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Pork Lovers in Academe on a Diet
Chronicle of Higher Ed article (subscription) on how universities are coping without pork projects for the rest of the fiscal year. For anyone who shed tears over Harry Reid’s…
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Rendell’s Pension Reform Plan?
From the Patriot News report on the state employees contract deal came this tidbit: Rising pension costs also were discussed in negotiations, but Budget Secretary Michael Masch said those…
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State workers have it good in Pennsylvania
Tony Phyrillas in the Pottstown Mercury.
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Tax Shifts Considered
Both the Camp Hill School District and Cumberland Valley School District are considering shifting from property taxes to an income tax (PIT for Camp Hill and EIT for…
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Turnpike readies for battle over sale, lease
Patriot News story on how the Turnpike Commission is busy hiring lobbyists and PR representives to fight a potential turnpike lease – use of public money for lobbying and…
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State worker contract agreement reached
From the Central Penn Business Journal:The contract will increase employee health-care contributions from 1 percent to 3 percent [of salary] in the next four years. It includes pay…
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Lawmakers cash in on way out
Patriot News article on the thousands collected in “per-diems” by local retiring lawmakers; local being emphasized because (particularly in the case of former Senator Chip Brightbill, who collected $17,000…
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State’s with Worst Roads
AOL.com article on states with the worst roads – Pennsylvania ranks 2nd worst among the 50 states, ahead only of hurricane-ravaged Louisiana. Just another reason why we should…
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The Box is in at WHP
Sunday’s Patriot News coverage of THE BOX on WHP.
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Earmark Entertainment
Wall Street Journal article on how US Senate Democrats are opposing the earmark reform passed by House Democrats.
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Cost of a Legislator
Someone called our office for this information, and I wrote his email down wrong, so I am posting in here, in case he sees it, and because it is ineresting…
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More on the Minimum Wage
NCPA Analysis points out that a national minimum wage affects some regions more than others – particularly when comparing Red States to Blue States. Specifically, principle supporters Nancy Pelosi…
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House Already Reforming Itself
The PA House Republicans spent much of the past week discussing how best to enact reform – and deciding their first step would be to create a new caucus…
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