Media

State Budget

Despite Name-Calling, Wolf’s Tax Hike is the Largest

• Nathan Benefield
• January 22, 2016

The Wolf administration continues to deny basic facts about their original proposed tax hike. Instead of responding with facts, the governor's staff relies on name-calling and personal attacks. The Altoona Mirror…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Attack Ads Funded by Taxpayer-Collected Union Dues

• Gina Diorio
• January 22, 2016

Seeing a political attack ad on TV is nothing new. You probably roll your eyes and change the channel. But what if you learned you unwittingly helped put that ad…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Million-Dollar Ad Attack Ads Funded by Union Dues

• January 21, 2016

Million-Dollar Attack Ads Funded by Taxpayer-Collected Union Dues America Works USA’s Ads Make Case for Paycheck Protection   January 21, 2016, Harrisburg, Pa.—Seeing a political attack ad on…

Press Release

Criminal Justice Reform

2012 Corrections Reform Still Paying Off

• Nathan Benefield
• January 20, 2016

Yesterday, Gov. Wolf and Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel announced that Pennsylvania’s prison population declined last year by the largest amount since 1971. The number of imates declined by…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Voting for Your Union

• Elizabeth Stelle
• January 19, 2016

Imagine if a political party could stay in power for four decades without facing reelection. Thankfully, we have regular elections in this country. But for Pennsylvania teachers, this is reality.

Media

Public Union Democracy

Give Public Workers the Right to Re-elect

• January 19, 2016

Give Public Workers the Right to Re-elect Less than 1 Percent of Teachers had Chance to Elect Their Union January 19, 2016, Harrisburg, Pa.—As the country prepares for a…

Press Release

Education

Wolf’s $3 Billion Education Cut

• James Paul
• January 18, 2016

Upon finally approving the majority of a state budget, Gov. Tom Wolf admonished the General Assembly for “cutting $95 million from public schools.” Yet it is the governor himself who…

Media

Education

Do Record-High Graduation Rates Matter?

• James Paul
• January 18, 2016

In America’s high schools, test scores are stagnant while graduation rates are soaring. How can both be true? A December press release from the Department of Education…

Media

Government Accountability

Shhh… State’s Fiscal Code Hides Earmark Secrets

• January 13, 2016

Shhh… State’s Fiscal Code Hides Earmark Secrets Budget Companion Bill Picks Winners at Lobbyists’ Behest January 14, 2016, HARRISBURG, Pa.—On Tuesday, the Pa. House passed a “fiscal code” which…

Press Release

Government Accountability

Fiscal Code Packed with Earmarks

• James Paul
• January 12, 2016

Pennsylvania's fiscal code is intended to provide lawmakers with instructions for spending funds appropriated in the state budget. But it is also ground-zero for a host of earmarks that funnel limited…

Media

State Budget

Fiscal Code Protects Kids and Jobs

• Elizabeth Stelle, Nathan Benefield
• January 12, 2016

Today, the Pennsylvania House passed a revised fiscal code, HB 1327, to implement parts of the state budget. The fiscal code explains how revenues will be distributed, including transfers…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Pay Up or Get Fired

• Gina Diorio
• January 12, 2016

Imagine being told you have a choice: Write a check for $450 to an organization you don’t support, or lose your job. For tens of thousands of teachers across Pennsylvania…

Media

Freedom on the horizon for Pa. teachers?

• Brittney Parker
• January 12, 2016

Media

State Budget

Charting Pennsylvania’s Budget Future

• January 11, 2016

Believe it or not, the state is approaching the unofficial start of a new budget cycle. Gov. Wolf plans to roll out his proposal for the 2016-17 budget on February…

Media

Top Blog Posts of 2015

• January 7, 2016

We wrote 303 blog posts last year, but which were the most popular? We’ve taken the five most-read blogs by our readers and counted them down. 5.) Wolf’s Unfair…

Media

Education

Governor Wolf’s Budget Hostages

• Elizabeth Stelle
• January 6, 2016

Tom Wolf finally admitted he held school children hostage in hopes of higher taxes: “We're now at a point where I don't want to hold the children of Pennsylvania hostage.” But…

Media

Public Union Democracy

A Governor’s Resolution List for 2016

• January 5, 2016

Last year, Gov. Tom Wolf promised he would take state government in a “different direction” and grow the middle class. He pledged to do this by making Pennsylvania a magnet for…

Media

Education

Wolf’s Newest Education Funding Scheme

• James Paul
• January 5, 2016

When Gov. Wolf finally agreed to sign the majority of an emergency funding bill, it remained unclear how his administration would distribute the increased education funding approved by the…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Union Dues Fund New Political Attack Ads

• Nathan Benefield
• January 5, 2016

America Works USA launched a new round of political attack ads opposing the latest state budget. These highly misleading ads again talk about “cuts to education.” However, the…

Media

Regulation

Is Gov. Wolf Ignoring Credit Rating Agencies?

• Nathan Benefield
• January 4, 2016

Last week, Gov. Wolf once again resorted to defending his latest budget vetoes citing the fear of credit rating downgrades. Oddly, he seems to miss that pension reform and…

Media

Regulation

The EPA’s Plan Will Hike Your Electricity Bill

• Gordon Tomb
• December 30, 2015

A new analysis from NERA Economic Consulting projects Pennsylvania electricity bills will increase between 10 and 19 percent from 2022 to 2033…

Media