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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…
Read More: Public Schools Increased Spending to $23,000 Per Student, Ballooned Reserves While Enrollment Declined
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 BenefitsRegulation
Audio: Fixing the State’s Broken Pension System
Public pensions have created one of the worst financial crises in Pennsylvania’s history—a monstrous, $50 billion debt that Gov. Wolf can no longer ignore. To prevent the crisis from…
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Read More: Audio: Fixing the State’s Broken Pension System
Legislation would save parents from child-care benefits ‘cliff’
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Read More: Legislation would save parents from child-care benefits ‘cliff’
Commonwealth Foundation: 30,000 jobs that won’t pay under Wolf’s budget — some job-seekers better off if Wolf did nothing
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Read More: Commonwealth Foundation: 30,000 jobs that won’t pay under Wolf’s budget — some job-seekers better off if Wolf did nothing
134 Billion Reasons to Embrace Debt Reform
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Read More: 134 Billion Reasons to Embrace Debt Reform
It’s time state got out of retail liquor business
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Read More: It’s time state got out of retail liquor businessHealth Care
State-Run Health Exchanges: A Terrible Track Record
Governor Wolf is taking a big risk. His administration is preparing a Pennsylvania-operated Obamacare exchange if exchange subsidies from the federal exchange, or healthcare.gov, are ruled illegal by the…
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Read More: State-Run Health Exchanges: A Terrible Track RecordTaxes & Economy
Reforming the Welfare Benefits Cliff
Imagine you’re a single mom earning $47,000 a year (or $22.59 an hour) working full-time as an assistant manager at large department store. Your boss pulls you aside with great…
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Nurses: Regulations hamper health-care efficiency in Pennsylvania
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Read More: Nurses: Regulations hamper health-care efficiency in Pennsylvania
Let’s try this again: Want to shrink government? Get Alabama out of the retail liquor business
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Read More: Let’s try this again: Want to shrink government? Get Alabama out of the retail liquor businessState Budget
134 Billion Reasons to Embrace Debt Reform
Every Pennsylvanian’s share of state and local debt increased by 20 percent over the last twelve years. In 2002, per capita debt totaled $8,693. Today, the total is a shade…
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Read More: 134 Billion Reasons to Embrace Debt ReformRegulation
The Monster at the end of this Blog Post
One of my favorite children’s books is titled “The Monster at the end of this Book.” In it, Grover (of Sesame Street fame) pleads with the reader not…
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Read More: The Monster at the end of this Blog PostRegulation
Senate Pension Reform: Sustainable for Taxpayers, Fair to Public Employees
For Immediate Release Commonwealth Foundation Contact: 717-671-1901 Senate Pension Reform: Sustainable for Taxpayers, Fair to Public Employees Critical Retirement Bill Heads to the House, Positioned for…
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Read More: Senate Pension Reform: Sustainable for Taxpayers, Fair to Public Employees
PA Senate advances historic pension legislation projected to save billions
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Read More: PA Senate advances historic pension legislation projected to save billionsGovernment Accountability
Audio: Bills Shine Light On Union Contract Negotiations
Public sector union contracts are a huge cost for the state government, and they have also become a conflict of interest for Gov. Wolf. He will be negotiating contract deals with…
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Read More: Audio: Bills Shine Light On Union Contract Negotiations
Legislation would save parents from child-care benefits ‘cliff’
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Read More: Legislation would save parents from child-care benefits ‘cliff’Education
House Expands Indispensable Scholarship Programs
In a sweeping, bipartisan vote, members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives approved a substantial increase to the state’s cherished scholarship programs—the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC)…
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Read More: House Expands Indispensable Scholarship ProgramsRegulation
Senate Tackles Growing Crisis, Advances Responsible Pension Reform
For Immediate Release Commonwealth Foundation Contact: 717-671-1901 Senate Tackles Growing Crisis, Advances Responsible Pension Reform Bill Stops Sending More Public Employees Into Broken Retirement System May…
Press Release
Read More: Senate Tackles Growing Crisis, Advances Responsible Pension ReformRegulation
It’s Not Enough Just to Say No…
“It’s not good enough to just say no and continue with the same old same old.” So said Gov. Tom Wolf during his budget address, making clear his administration is…
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Read More: It’s Not Enough Just to Say No…
One New Jersey Food Industry Union Boss Was Paid $600,000 in 2014
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Read More: One New Jersey Food Industry Union Boss Was Paid $600,000 in 2014