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State Budget

Adventures in State Budget Wonderland

• April 26, 2017

In Lewis Carroll’s classic wonderland tale, Alice famously asks the Cheshire Cat, “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” the…

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Health Care

A New Wave of Welfare Reform

• Elizabeth Stelle
• April 26, 2017

Governors across the country are proposing game-changing welfare reforms and Pennsylvania should follow their example. Yesterday, Maine submitted a waiver to the federal government asking for permission…

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Regulation

News Release: House Passes Significant Liquor Reform Bills

• April 26, 2017

Yesterday, the House passed significant liquor reforms designed to end state government’s senseless stranglehold on the wine and liquor industry. Sponsored by House Speaker Mike Turzai, HB 975 builds…

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Taxes & Economy

News Release: Senate Committee Advances Vape Tax Fix

• April 26, 2017

Today, in the latest attempt to fix an onerous tax responsible for as many as 100 vape shop closures across the state, the Senate Finance Committee advanced SB…

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Government Accountability

Senate Moves Key Transparency Measures

• Nathan Benefield
• April 25, 2017

Today the Senate's State Government Committee advanced three bills to open up government collective bargaining negotiations to the public. SB 168, sponsored by Sen. Pat Stefano, would require all levels of government…

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Regulation

Following Zippo’s Lead on Pensions

• Elizabeth Stelle
• April 21, 2017

Zippo’s recent retirement plan transition is another example of why Pennsylvania state government should do the same. As Zippo CFO Don Hall said, defined contribution plans like 401(k)s carry…

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State Budget

Pa.’s Economic Outlook is Poor but Not Permanent

• April 21, 2017

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) released its annual Rich States, Poor States’ report, which includes economic rankings for each state. Unfortunately, the news isn’t good for Pennsylvania. The state…

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State Budget

News Release: Pa. Spends Nearly One-Third of Year Working to Pay Taxes

• April 20, 2017

April 18 was this year’s tax return filing deadline, but how long do Pennsylvanians work to earn enough to pay their total tax bill? In 2017, that date—dubbed Tax Freedom…

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Public Union Democracy

Top 10 Recipients of Government Union Money

• Jessica Barnett
• April 19, 2017

Government unions wield enormous influence in Pennsylvania politics. Since 2010, the commonwealth’s largest government unions have spent over $71 million on politics—including $26 million in political action committee (PAC)…

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Regulation

News Release: House Committee Advances Major Liquor Reforms

• April 18, 2017

Bills Would Break Government Stranglehold Over Wine & Liquor Sales Today, the House Liquor Committee advanced two bills to the floor that represent a…

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Regulation

The Strong Case for?and Weak Case Against?Pension Reform

• April 18, 2017

Pennsylvania’s public pension plans are woefully underfunded, with enough assets to cover just 60 percent of liabilities. This poor financial showing has relegated the commonwealth to the bottom of the Tax Foundation’s ranking of…

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Health Care

Senate Acts to Improve Health Access, Lower Costs

• James Paul
• April 18, 2017

All Pennsylvanians deserve access to quality, affordable health care. That's why it was encouraging to see the Senate advance SB 25 out of the Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure Committee.

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Education

Charter Reform Nears the Goal-line

• James Paul
• April 17, 2017

Charter school reform is advancing in Harrisburg. Long in the works, HB 97 (previously HB 530) is a sweeping bill that includes several important revisions to Pennsylvania’s charter school law.

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Health Care

Reforming Medicaid Is a Moral Imperative

• Elizabeth Stelle
• April 17, 2017

Note: This op-ed was originally published in the Lancaster LNP. Do you know someone who desperately needs medical care but can’t access it? Few things are more heartbreaking. Helping people…

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When a Spending Increase Is a Massive Cut

• Nathan Benefield
• April 11, 2017

Last June, the Pennsylvania legislature passed a $31.53 billion General Fund budget. In February, Gov. Wolf proposed a $32.34 billion budget. This $800 million increase has actually been labeled “…

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State Budget

Pennsylvania Deficit Watch: April 2017

• April 10, 2017

Revenue collections fell below expectations for the fifth consecutive month. The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue reported collections of approximately $4.4 billion last week, which was $229.6 million less than…

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Public Union Democracy

Paycheck Protection: Where it Stands

• Jessica Barnett
• April 7, 2017

In February, the state Senate passed paycheck protection, which would shield taxpayers from subsidizing government union leaders’ political fundraising. Now it’s up to the House to protect the interests of taxpayers…

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Regulation

House Budget Represents a Step Towards Fiscal Stewardship

• April 4, 2017

House Republicans committed to changing Pennsylvania yesterday. The caucus released its proposed 2017-18 budget, which stands in stark contrast to Gov. Wolf’s tax-and-spend proposals. The House Appropriations Committee has…

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News Release: ‘Ghost Teacher’ Ban Passes Senate Committee

• March 29, 2017

Nearly 25% of Pa. School Districts Authorize Ghost Teachers March 29, 2017, HARRISBURG, Pa.—Today, the Senate Education Committee passed SB 494 banning “ghost teachers” who drain resources from…

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Government Accountability

Paycheck Protection Benefits Teachers

• Jessica Barnett
• March 27, 2017

Providing one more reason Pennsylvania needs paycheck protection, the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) uses members’ dues to mislead teachers.   In the March 2017 publication of PSEA’s dues-funded…

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State Budget

Should Pennsylvania Strive to Become #51?

• March 27, 2017

Political realities forced Gov. Wolf to scale back his record tax-and-spend proposals from the past two years. Still, he didn’t completely abandon his government-centric approach, opting to include $1…

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