Media

Government Accountability

State Budget Should Consider Pa. Freedom Index

• December 16, 2015

State Budget Should Consider Pa. Freedom Index Commonwealth Ranks Mediocre 21st in Economic Freedom  December 16, 2015, HARRISBURG, Pa.—Pennsylvania may be home to the cradle of liberty, but…

Press Release

Health Care

Celebrating Crummy Care

• Elizabeth Stelle
• December 15, 2015

Midnight is the enrollment deadline for the hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians who want to remained insured through healthcare.gov. To no one's surprise, the rush to enroll has led to another…

Media

Regulation

House Pension Compromise Is Step in Right Direction

• Elizabeth Stelle
• December 15, 2015

The pension reform bill is quickly making its way through the Pa. House. The latest iteration, SB 1071, mirrors the Senate's version (SB 1082; read our summary here),…

Media

State Budget

Spending Increases in the “Framework Budget”

• Nathan Benefield
• December 15, 2015

As pointed out yesterday, one of the six sticky items in the Pennsylvania budget negotiations is how much taxpayer money to spend. The $30.788 billion “framework budget” passed by…

Media

Is Pennsylvania’s Income Tax Too Low?

• December 14, 2015

Is an income tax hike in Pennsylvania’s future? Over the weekend, Charles Thompson of PennLive reported on the possibility, citing multiple sources who would not rule out a personal…

Media

State Budget

Six Unresolved Issues in PA Budget

• Nathan Benefield
• December 14, 2015

The PA House is back in session this week, “sorting through hundreds of pages of legislation” related to the state budget. As Bob points out, while passing a…

Media

State Budget

Crisis Budgeting Isn’t Governing

• December 13, 2015

By vetoing budget after budget, denying funds to schools and nonprofits, and even holding up scholarships for low-income students to attend schools of their choice, Gov. Wolf has done…

Media

Senate’s Watered-Down Wine Plan: A Missed Opportunity

• December 10, 2015

Last night, the Senate Law and Justice Committee advanced legislation making modest changes to Pennsylvania's irrational alcohol laws. The good: Limited wine expansion. Establishments with a restaurant or…

Media

Are WAMs Back in the Budget?

• December 9, 2015

Bad news for good government: After reforms a few years ago eliminated “WAMs” in the state budget, these discretionary funds seem to have been resurrected. On Monday, the state Senate…

Media

State Budget

Senate Budget Hides Millions in ‘Walking-Around Money’

• December 9, 2015

Senate Budget Hides Millions in ‘Walking-Around Money’ Budget Plan Flush with Slush Fund Increases December 9, 2015, HARRISBURG, Pa.—The state Senate’s $30.8 billion budget plan rushed through Monday…

Press Release

State Budget

House Budget Lives within Taxpayers’ Means

• December 8, 2015

House Budget Lives within Taxpayers’ Means $30.3 Billion Plan Avoids Overspending & Excessive Taxation December 8, 2015, HARRISBURG, Pa.—Yesterday, the Senate rushed through a $30.8 billion budget that…

Press Release

Regulation

Latest Pension Bill a Mixed Bag

• Elizabeth Stelle
• December 8, 2015

Yesterday the State Senate passed a revised pension reform bill (SB 1082) including a side-by-side hybrid, with a smaller defined benefit pension and a defined contribution…

Media

State Budget

5 Ways the Seant’s ‘Wolf-Lite’ Budget Will Disappoint Taxpayers

• December 7, 2015

5 Ways Senate’s ‘Wolf-Lite’ Budget Will Disappoint Taxpayers Walking-Around Money Gets Big Boost in $30.8 Billion Budget December 7, 2015, HARRISBURG, Pa.—Today, the state Senate passed a $30.8…

Press Release

Regulation

With Details, Wolf Budget “Framework” Looks Even Worse

• Nathan Benefield
• December 7, 2015

Now that the Pennsylvania Senate has begun passing legislation, taxpayers can finally see what’s in Gov. Wolf’s “framework” for a new budget. Based on the passage of SB 1073 and…

Media

State Budget

17,496 Reasons to Reject Higher Taxes

• Gina Diorio
• December 7, 2015

How high would you say Pennsylvania’s state and local tax burden is per family of four? $5,000?$10,000? Maybe even $15,000? If you guessed the latter, you’d be close – but…

Media

State Budget

Do New Budget Plans Protect Taxpayers?

• Nathan Benefield
• December 7, 2015

Details of a proposed budget “framework” are slowly emerging. The Senate has advanced a General Fund spending plan, which seems to have Gov. Wolf’s support, of about $30.79…

Media

State Budget

A Brief History of Wolf’s Tax Hikes

• Nathan Benefield
• December 6, 2015

Yesterday, the State House of Representatives announced they were moving off the latest Wolf tax hike proposal and onto a new plan that called for less spending and fewer…

Media

Regulation

Prohibition Never Ended

• December 4, 2015

Tomorrow marks 82 years since the official end of Prohibition. Yet, Pennsylvania is still dealing with its own version of Prohibition in the form of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. The…

Media

State Budget

Taxes: Isn’t $17,000 Per Family of Four Enough?

• December 4, 2015

Taxes: Isn’t $17,000 Per Family of Four Enough? Pennsylvanians Already Overburdened with State & Local Taxes December 4, 2015, HARRISBURG, Pa.—Did you know Pennsylvania’s state and local tax burden…

Press Release

State Budget

Quiz: Are You a Budget Gridlock Guru?

• December 2, 2015

Are you a budget gridlock guru? Check out the quiz below to see if you're up to speed on the latest in Pennsylvania's historic budget impasse.    …

Media

State Budget

Wolf’s “Pressure” Causes Real Pain

• Elizabeth Stelle, Nathan Benefield
• December 2, 2015

After five months without a state budget, three failed tax hike plans, and two vetoed stop-gap plans, Gov. Wolf refuses to abandon his harmful strategy of holding children, abuse victims,…

Media