Media

Education

Changing Lives with Education Savings Accounts

• James Paul
• April 20, 2016

Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) empower parents to personalize the academic experience for their children, as CF explains in a recent policy brief. But ESAs are about more than school…

Media

State Budget

Take the Budget off Autopilot

• April 18, 2016

As Pennsylvania inches closer to another budget battle, you’re likely to hear the term “structural deficit” used more often. The term is defined as a multi-year shortfall between projected spending and revenue…

Media

Education

Give Children the Best: Education Savings Accounts

• James Paul
• April 14, 2016

Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) empower parents to design the best educational experience for their children. How do they work? Funding otherwise earmarked for K-12 education is deposited into an…

Media

Government Accountability

Historic Victory for Transparency

• Elizabeth Stelle
• April 14, 2016

Gov. Tom Wolf just signed Senate Bill 644, empowering the Independent Fiscal Office to estimate the cost of government union contracts before they are finalized. Matthew Brouillette, president and…

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Government Accountability

Pa. Brings Transparency to State Union Contracts

• April 14, 2016

Pa. Brings Transparency to State Union Contracts Gov. Wolf Signs Historic Reform Shining Light on Collective Bargaining Costs    April 14, 2016, HARRISBURG, Pa.—Gov. Tom Wolf today signed…

Press Release

State Budget

Five Ways to Avoid Another Budget Hostage Crisis

• April 13, 2016

The state budget impasse may be over, but Pennsylvanians are still reeling from Gov. Wolf’s budget vetoes. The Times-Tribune reports the Women’s Resource Center of Scranton, which serves domestic…

Media

Government Accountability

Commonwealth Foundation Board Names New President and CEO

• April 12, 2016

Commonwealth Foundation Board Names New President & CEO Executive Vice President Charles Mitchell to Take Helm on July 1 April 12, 2016, HARRISBURG, Pa.—The Commonwealth Foundation Board of…

Press Release

Government Accountability

Poll: Wolf Approval Plummets, Far Lower Than Corbett or Rendell at Same Point

• April 7, 2016

Poll: Wolf Approval Plummets, Lower Than Corbett or Rendell at Same Point 35 Percent Approve, 52 Percent Disapprove in Latest Q-Poll   April 7, 2016, HARRISBURG, Pa.—Following the…

Press Release

Education

Wolf’s Cockamamie Concoction

• Nathan Benefield
• April 6, 2016

Matt Brouillette pointed out in his latest commentary that Gov. Wolf  is taking a “lone-wolf” approach to governing. The latest example is his unilateral action to distribute school funding…

Media

Government Accountability

Transparency Bill Awaits Governor’s Signature

• April 6, 2016

Last month, Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled his “Government that Works” plan to reform contracting practices and increase transparency in government. Now, the state Legislature has given Wolf…

Media

Government Accountability

Will Wolf ‘Walk the Walk’ on ‘Government That Works’?

• April 6, 2016

Will Wolf ‘Walk the Walk’ on ‘Government That Works’? Government Transparency Bill Awaits Governor’s Signature   April 6, 2016, HARRISBURG, Pa.—Last month, Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled his “Government…

Press Release

Government Accountability

Brouillette to Step Down as Commonwealth Foundation President for New Venture

• April 5, 2016

Brouillette to Step Down as Commonwealth Foundation President for New Venture 14-Year Tenure Saw Exponential Growth of State’s Free-Market Think Tank April 5, 2016, HARRISBURG, Pa.—After 14 years…

Press Release

Regulation

Wolf’s False Choice

• March 31, 2016

If lawmakers don’t raise taxes, Pennsylvanians should brace for drastic cuts to education and human services. This myth is promoted endlessly by the Wolf Administration to justify taking…

Media

Regulation

Rhetoric vs. Reality

• March 25, 2016

Pennsylvania’s nine-month budget saga has concluded, but not everyone is pleased with the ending. The Philadelphia Inquirer published a caustic editorial criticizing state lawmakers for failing to surrender…

Media

Regulation

Audio: State Worker Costs & EPA Mandates Burden Pennsylvanians

• Catherine Fitzhugh
• March 25, 2016

State employee compensation costs have soared to nearly $93,000 per worker per year, with health care and pensions the largest contributors. Meanwhile, costly EPA mandates on carbon and mercury…

Media

March Madness Union Dues Scam

• March 25, 2016

To flush their political coffer with cash, the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculty (APSCUF) runs a dues rebate campaign annually. APSCUF designs the rebate campaign by first…

Media

Education

The Final Piece of Budget Business in Limbo

• James Paul
• March 24, 2016

After nine months of gridlock, Gov. Tom Wolf finally surrendered his 2015 quest for higher taxes on families and small businesses. On Monday morning, Pennsylvania will enjoy a completed state…

Media

State Budget

Victory Over Wolf Tax Hikes

• Elizabeth Stelle
• March 23, 2016

Pennsylvania's 267 day budget impasse has finally come to an end…with a taxpayer victory! HB 1801 will become law without Tom Wolf's signature. The governor refuses to sign the budget,…

Media

Education

Taxpayers Win As Wolf Allows Budget to Become Law

• March 23, 2016

Taxpayers Win As Wolf Allows Budget to Become Law Gov. Abandons 2015-16 Tax Hikes, Releases Record Funding for Cash-Strapped Schools March 23, 2016, HARRISBURG, Pa.—After keeping Pennsylvania in budget…

Press Release

Health Care

Improving Health Care Access While Cutting Costs

• James Paul
• March 23, 2016

Is it possible to improve health care access while also cutting a costs? Yes—according to a recent study by Edward Timmons of the Mercatus Center. Writing in U.S.

Media

Health Care

6 Reasons Obamacare is a Failure

• Elizabeth Stelle
• March 23, 2016

Lower costs? Improved access? Six years later, the Affordable Care Act still falls painfully short of these noble goals. Years after most of the ACA's “goodies” have been implemented,…

Media