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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 Opportunity
Statement: Democrats Flee Labor Hearing to Support Public Sector Union Officials
November 15, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. — Today, Democratic members of the House Labor and Industry Committee walked out of a public hearing covering a collection of government labor reform bills.
Press Release
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Commonwealth Foundation Promotes Jennifer Stefano to Executive V.P.
November 1, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. – Commonwealth Foundation, Pennsylvania’s free-market think tank, today announces that Jennifer Stefano has been promoted to the position of Executive Vice President. Her appointment took…
Press Release
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Pa. General Assembly passes House Bill 1861
Today, both chambers of the Pa. General Assembly passed House Bill 1861 unanimously. It will now go to Gov. Tom Wolf for his signature or veto. Commonwealth Foundation Vice…
Press Release
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Pa. Earmark Spending Hits All-Time High
August 26, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa.— A new Commonwealth Foundation analysis shows a steep increase in earmarks in the 2021–2022 state budget. Approximately $5.5 billion in both federal and state…
Press Release
Read More: Pa. Earmark Spending Hits All-Time High
New Research Shows Pathway to Fiscal Stability for States
July 13, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. — A new Commonwealth Foundation study investigating the impacts of Taxpayer and Expenditure Limits (TELs) has found that the policies can ward off tax increases…
Press Release
Read More: New Research Shows Pathway to Fiscal Stability for States
School Choice Expands in Pennsylvania Budget
June 25, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. — Lawmakers today unveiled a deal on the next fiscal year’s state budget, which the governor is expected to sign. The budget includes an increase in the cap…
Press Release
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New Study: Pa. K-12 Scholarship Bill Would Create Billions in Economic Benefits
June 15, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. — A new study from the Commonwealth Foundation and the American Federation for Children shows that Pennsylvania’s tax credit scholarships are a powerful tool for…
Press Release
Read More: New Study: Pa. K-12 Scholarship Bill Would Create Billions in Economic Benefits
Gov. Wolf Falsely Claims Pa. Ed. Funding is Low
Yesterday, Gov. Wolf held a press conference at the Capitol discussing the claim that Pennsylvania is “45th in education funding.” Thankfully, that is not true, as the facts plainly show. According…
Press Release
Read More: Gov. Wolf Falsely Claims Pa. Ed. Funding is Low
Education Reform to Be Voted on By Pa. Senate Committee
June 7, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee will vote today on a bill that would increase children’s access to high-quality education. The Excellence in Education…
Press Release
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Analysis: More COVID Aid Went to Education Than Healthcare in Pa.
June 3, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. – Commonwealth Foundation has completed an analysis of the distribution of federal relief funds in Pennsylvania during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other findings, it shows that public education has been the biggest winner—even being allocated more than health…
Press Release
Read More: Analysis: More COVID Aid Went to Education Than Healthcare in Pa.
First Popular Referendum Against State Executive Overreach Succeeds
May 19, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. — Voters in Pennsylvania have enacted two constitutional amendments that will limit a governor’s emergency powers in the first such popular referendum in the country,…
Press Release
Read More: First Popular Referendum Against State Executive Overreach Succeeds
5 Reasons Why the Emergency Powers Amendments Are Needed
May 4, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. — Today, members of the Wolf administration held press conferences addressing the emergency powers constitutional amendments on the May primary ballot and Gov. Wolf announced…
Press Release
Read More: 5 Reasons Why the Emergency Powers Amendments Are Needed
PA’s Economic Recovery Falling Behind
April 19, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. — Key economic indicators show that Pennsylvania is falling behind in its effort to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. While our unemployment rate remains unacceptably high…
Press Release
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Despite Pandemic, Pa. School Districts Fiscally Healthy—Sitting on Billions
March 10, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. — A new analysis of Pennsylvania school district finances done by the Commonwealth Foundation shows that the vast majority of districts are likely fiscally…
Press Release
Read More: Despite Pandemic, Pa. School Districts Fiscally Healthy—Sitting on Billions
Pa. Emergency Powers Amendment Going to People
Feb. 4, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa.,— On March 6, 2020, Gov. Tom Wolf proclaimed a disaster emergency in Pennsylvania, granting himself the extraordinary power to supersede many state laws to…
Press Release
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Wolf’s Big, Bad Budget Leaves Families Behind
Feb. 3, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. —Following Gov. Tom Wolf’s pre-recorded state budget address, Commonwealth Foundation Vice President Nathan Benefield, who has been studying the state budget for more than a…
Press Release
Read More: Wolf’s Big, Bad Budget Leaves Families Behind
New Report: Rebuilding Pennsylvania’s Economy
Jan. 25, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. — A new Commonwealth Foundation report proposes a series of public policies aimed at helping Pennsylvania recover from the COVID-19 economic downturn. The Race…
Press Release
Read More: New Report: Rebuilding Pennsylvania’s Economy
Constitutional Amendment Would Restore Oversight of Gov.’s Emergency Powers
Jan. 13, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. — The Pennsylvania House State Government Committee has passed House Bill 55, which proposes a constitutional amendment preventing a governor from extending a disaster…
Press Release
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Pa. House Committee Passes Taxpayer Protection Bill
Jan 13, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. — Today the House State Government Committee advanced the Taxpayer Protection Act, which would put guardrails on state spending growth to protect Pennsylvanians from…
Press Release
Read More: Pa. House Committee Passes Taxpayer Protection Bill
Earmarks Double to $120 Million in State Budget
December 8, 2020, Harrisburg, Pa. — Pennsylvania lawmakers and Gov. Wolf used a shadowy process to bury $120 million of earmarks in the new state budget. That’s double last year’s…
Press Release
Read More: Earmarks Double to $120 Million in State Budget
Education Stimulus Bill Subject of Senate Hearing
Oct. 5, 2020, Harrisburg, Pa. — Today, the Senate Education Committee will hold a hearing on a bill that would make a $1,000 per-student stimulus available to eligible families to help…
Press Release
Read More: Education Stimulus Bill Subject of Senate Hearing