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Government Accountability
Pa. Supreme Court Protects Private Property in New Ruling
Harrisburg, Pa., July 22, 2026 — In a 7–0 unanimous decision, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, in Punxsutawney Hunting Club v. Pennsylvania Game Commission, sided with Pennsylvania landowners and ruled against warrantless searches on open fields. Under previous case law, the open…
Read More: Pa. Supreme Court Protects Private Property in New Ruling
Education
Commonwealth Foundation Releases Analysis on 2026-27 Budget Deal
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Releases Analysis on 2026-27 Budget Deal
Education
Pa. Lawmakers Pass 2026-27 State Budget, Blocking Shapiro’s Tax Hikes and Preserving Emergency Savings
Read More: Pa. Lawmakers Pass 2026-27 State Budget, Blocking Shapiro’s Tax Hikes and Preserving Emergency Savings
Education
Commonwealth Foundation Applauds Senate Republicans for Advancing Tax Relief and Expanding Educational Opportunity
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Applauds Senate Republicans for Advancing Tax Relief and Expanding Educational OpportunityEducation
Pennsylvania Schools Have a Student Shortage: Districts on Hiring Spree Even as Enrollment Falls
Harrisburg, PA – The Commonwealth Foundation, Pennsylvania’s leading free-market public policy research organization, reported today that despite declining public school enrollments, Keystone State school funding has significantly increased fueling a significant…
Press Release
Read More: Pennsylvania Schools Have a Student Shortage: Districts on Hiring Spree Even as Enrollment FallsTaxes & Economy
$2,000 Stimulus Payments Will Drive Excessive Spending and Inflation
August 2, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. — Today, Gov. Tom Wolf joined Democrat lawmakers in again calling for $2,000 direct payments to Pennsylvanians, this time using General Fund state tax…
Press Release
Read More: $2,000 Stimulus Payments Will Drive Excessive Spending and InflationEducation
Tax Credit Scholarship Expansion Big Win for Waitlisted Pennsylvania Kids, Amid Growing Demand
July 8, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. – The Pennsylvania legislature increased educational opportunities for Pennsylvania children, especially those from low- and middle-income homes, by including a $125 million expansion for tax…
Press Release
Read More: Tax Credit Scholarship Expansion Big Win for Waitlisted Pennsylvania Kids, Amid Growing DemandState Budget
PA Budget: Unsustainable spending, some big wins
July 7, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives today passed a state budget plan that exceeds Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget proposal by $300 million, with ongoing spending…
Press Release
Read More: PA Budget: Unsustainable spending, some big winsState Budget
Commonwealth Foundation Warns Governor: Don’t Inflate the Budget
June 22, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. — The Commonwealth Foundation today urged Pennsylvania state legislators to resist Gov. Tom Wolf’s efforts to “inflate the budget” in the face of skyrocketing inflation ravaging Pennsylvanians’…
Press Release
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Warns Governor: Don’t Inflate the BudgetEducation
Pa. Senate Committee Passes Lifeline Scholarships
June 21, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. —Today, the Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee approved a bill to extend Lifeline Scholarships to students in underperforming school districts. House Bill 2169, sponsored by…
Press Release
Read More: Pa. Senate Committee Passes Lifeline ScholarshipsTaxes & Economy
Commonwealth Foundation Applauds Senate Action to Reduce Corporate Net Income Tax
Harrisburg, Penn. – The Commonwealth Foundation today commended the Pennsylvania Senate’s passage of two bills that would reduce Pennsylvania’s corporate net income (CNI) tax. With the second-highest CNI tax rate in…
Press Release
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Applauds Senate Action to Reduce Corporate Net Income TaxRegulation
Pa. House Committee Passes Liquor Privatization Bill
June 8, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. — Wednesday, the Pennsylvania House Liquor Control Committee passed a bill that would end state control of liquor sales. House Bill 2272, sponsored by…
Press Release
Read More: Pa. House Committee Passes Liquor Privatization BillEducation
Pa. House Passes Lifeline Scholarship Bill
April 27, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. — Today, the Pennsylvania House passed a bill to offer Lifeline Scholarships to students in underperforming school districts. House Bill 2169, sponsored by Reps.
Press Release
Read More: Pa. House Passes Lifeline Scholarship BillRegulation
Pa. Senate Fails to Override Governor’s Veto
April 5, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. — Monday, the Pennsylvania Senate failed to override Gov. Tom Wolf’s January veto of SCR 1, the concurrent resolution rejecting the state’s entrance into the…
Press Release
Read More: Pa. Senate Fails to Override Governor’s VetoEducation
Pa. House Committee Passes Student Scholarship Bill
March 29, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. — Today, the Pennsylvania House Education Committee approved a bill to offer Lifeline Scholarships to students in underperforming school districts. HB 2169, sponsored by…
Press Release
Read More: Pa. House Committee Passes Student Scholarship BillEducation
Gov. Wolf Acts Unilaterally to Stifle Charter Schools
March 22, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. — On Monday, the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) approved Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed regulations for Pennsylvania charter schools. The governor pushed the new…
Press Release
Read More: Gov. Wolf Acts Unilaterally to Stifle Charter SchoolsTaxes & Economy
Two-Year Anniversary of Gov. Wolf’s Shutdown
March 18, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. — This weekend marks two years since Gov. Tom Wolf’s arbitrary, unilateral shutdown of Pennsylvania’s “non-life-sustaining” businesses. On March 19, 2020,…
Press Release
Read More: Two-Year Anniversary of Gov. Wolf’s ShutdownEducation
News Release: Pa. State Test Scores Confirm Decline in Student Learning
March 7, 2022, Harrisburg Pa. – After a multi-month delay, the Pennsylvania Department of Education released on Friday student test scores for the 2021 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment…
Press Release
Read More: News Release: Pa. State Test Scores Confirm Decline in Student LearningPublic Union Democracy
Study: Labor reforms save taxpayers billions and spark economic growth
Feb. 24, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. — A new Commonwealth Foundation report examines the impact Wisconsin’s Act 10 has had on balancing budgets, stimulating the economy, and enacting school choice legislation.
Press Release
Read More: Study: Labor reforms save taxpayers billions and spark economic growthState Budget
Five Takeaways from Gov. Wolf’s Budget
February 8, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. — In his final budget address Tuesday, Gov. Tom Wolf proposed an unaffordable spending increase while claiming the mantle of fiscal responsibility. Commonwealth Foundation Senior…
Press Release
Read More: Five Takeaways from Gov. Wolf’s BudgetState Budget
Credit Where Due: Fiscal Wins to Build on in the 2022 State Budget
February 7, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. — Gov. Tom Wolf has spent his final year in office claiming credit for fiscally-responsible policies enacted during his tenure, and he will attempt…
Press Release
Read More: Credit Where Due: Fiscal Wins to Build on in the 2022 State BudgetGovernment Accountability
Four Bills Would Empower Workers & Protect Taxpayer Resources
January 25, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. — Four bills approved by the House Labor and Industry Committee Tuesday could soon bring several key public-sector labor reforms to a House vote. Lawmakers…
Press Release
Read More: Four Bills Would Empower Workers & Protect Taxpayer ResourcesEducation
Pa. Senate Committee Passes School Choice Bill
January 19, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. — Today, the Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee approved a bill to expand Pennsylvania’s successful and popular tax credit scholarship programs. SB 527, sponsored by Sen. Mike…
Press Release
Read More: Pa. Senate Committee Passes School Choice BillEducation
Commonwealth Foundation Files Amicus Brief in Education Funding Lawsuit
January 19, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. — The Commonwealth Foundation has filed an amicus brief in an ongoing lawsuit over how Pennsylvania funds public schools. The brief argues, contrary to the plaintiffs’ depiction,…
Press Release
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Files Amicus Brief in Education Funding LawsuitGovernment Accountability
Study: Pa. Taxpayers on Hook for at Least $42 Million in Lobbying Costs
December 6, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa.—Pennsylvania taxpayers paid for at least $42 million in lobbying expenses from 2007–2020, according to two reports released today by the Commonwealth Foundation. The $42 million…
Press Release
Read More: Study: Pa. Taxpayers on Hook for at Least $42 Million in Lobbying Costs