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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 OpportunityPublic Union Democracy
Commonwealth Foundation Supports Advancement of Senate Bill 399
Harrisburg, Pa., September 19, 2023 – Today, the Pennsylvania Senate State Government Committee advanced Senate Bill 399, a critical piece of legislation that brings urgently needed transparency to the…
Press Release
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Supports Advancement of Senate Bill 399Regulation
New Study: Pennsylvania’s Overregulation Harms Economy and Costs Jobs
Harrisburg, Pa., September 19, 2023 — Reducing Pennsylvania state regulations by 36 percent would increase the state’s gross domestic product by $9.2 billion a year, a new Commonwealth Foundation…
Press Release
Read More: New Study: Pennsylvania’s Overregulation Harms Economy and Costs JobsEducation
Education Pioneer David Hardy Tells Harrisburg to Pass Lifeline Scholarships
Harrisburg, Pa., September 14, 2023 — Philadelphia education pioneer and Commonwealth Foundation Distinguished Senior Fellow David Hardy delivered powerful testimony to the state Senate Education Committee on Monday, reminding lawmakers that the…
Press Release
Read More: Education Pioneer David Hardy Tells Harrisburg to Pass Lifeline ScholarshipsTaxes & Economy
Jennifer Stefano: All that’s lost when teens don’t work
Philadelphia Inquirer columnist and Commonwealth Foundation Executive Vice President Jennifer Stefano, in her recent column, laments the decline of teenage employment and the life lessons that teenagers miss when they don’t…
Press Release
Read More: Jennifer Stefano: All that’s lost when teens don’t workEducation
Commonwealth Foundation Applauds Senate, Urges House to Act on Educational Choice
Harrisburg, Pa., August 30, 2023 — The Pennsylvania Senate reconvened today and passed legislation necessary to complete parts of the long-overdue state budget. Returning to session three weeks earlier than…
Press Release
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Applauds Senate, Urges House to Act on Educational ChoiceEducation
Back-to-school Report Showcases Latest Pa. Education Trends
Harrisburg, Pa., August 22, 2023 — Pennsylvania public school spending soars as enrollment drops and school hiring increases, according to a new Commonwealth Foundation back-to-school policy backgrounder that highlights…
Press Release
Read More: Back-to-school Report Showcases Latest Pa. Education TrendsEducation
Pa. Public Schools Spend More Per Child Than the National Average
Harrisburg, Pa., August 22, 2023 — Pennsylvania per-student education spending is the seventh highest in the nation, according to a new report that analyzes education trends. According to the…
Press Release
Read More: Pa. Public Schools Spend More Per Child Than the National Average
Gov. Shapiro’s Unfinished Budget Already in the Red
Pennsylvania faces a minimum $900 million deficit, while billions more remain in limbo. Harrisburg, Pa., August 10, 2023 – Gov. Josh Shapiro’s incomplete inaugural budget runs—as it stands—a projected $900…
Press Release
Read More: Gov. Shapiro’s Unfinished Budget Already in the RedRegulation
Gov. Shapiro’s First Six Months the Least Productive in 50 Years
Harrisburg, Pa., August 8, 2023 –Gov. Josh Shapiro has overseen the least productive freshman legislative session in at least 50 years, a new Commonwealth Foundation analysis has found. In the first…
Press Release
Read More: Gov. Shapiro’s First Six Months the Least Productive in 50 YearsEducation
Underserved students face uncertain future following Gov. Shapiro’s budget decision
Harrisburg, Pa., August 3, 2023 – Commonwealth Foundation Senior Vice President Nathan Benefield issued the following statement following Gov. Josh Shapiro’s decision to line-item veto the Pennsylvania Award for Student…
Press Release
Read More: Underserved students face uncertain future following Gov. Shapiro’s budget decisionEducation
Jennifer Stefano: Forget I-95, Gov. Shapiro should slash the bureaucracy for everybody
Gov. Josh Shapiro should expand the use of bureaucracy-slashing tactics like those that helped expedite I-95 repairs, columnist and Commonwealth Foundation Executive Vice President Jennifer Stefano wrote Monday in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Press Release
Read More: Jennifer Stefano: Forget I-95, Gov. Shapiro should slash the bureaucracy for everybodyEducation
Democrat House Legislator Calls on Governor, Colleagues to Support School Choice in State Budget
Harrisburg, Pa., Aug. 1, 2023 – Democrat State Rep. Amen Brown today voiced his support for including school choice legislation in the final state budget deal. Brown’s statement of…
Press Release
Read More: Democrat House Legislator Calls on Governor, Colleagues to Support School Choice in State BudgetEducation
What They Are Saying: Brutal Headlines for Shapiro, Strong Support for Scholarships
Harrisburg, Pa., July 28, 2023 – Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has found himself in hot water after he reneged on a key campaign promise to implement Lifeline Scholarships. His decision…
Press Release
Read More: What They Are Saying: Brutal Headlines for Shapiro, Strong Support for ScholarshipsEducation
Commonwealth Foundation Statement On Senate-Shapiro Budget Progress
Harrisburg, Pa., July 28, 2023 – Commonwealth Foundation Senior Vice President Nathan Benefield issued the following reaction today on Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward’s statement that the Senate continues to work…
Press Release
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Statement On Senate-Shapiro Budget ProgressEducation
House Democrats’ Budget Bungle Leaves Programs Without Funding
Harrisburg, Pa., July 27, 2023 – More than a dozen notable Pennsylvania budget line-items risk going unfunded following Democrats’ unwillingness to uphold the bipartisan deal agreed to by Gov. Josh…
Press Release
Read More: House Democrats’ Budget Bungle Leaves Programs Without FundingEducation
Commonwealth Foundation Experts Available to Discuss Today’s Pa. Senate Education Hearing
Harrisburg, Pa., July 25, 2023 – The Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee today will hold a hearing to discuss student opportunities for success. Committee members and witnesses are expected to discuss…
Press Release
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Experts Available to Discuss Today’s Pa. Senate Education HearingEducation
Rep. Martina White Calls on Gov. Shapiro to Keep His Promise, Deliver on Lifeline Scholarships
HARRISBURG, Pa., July 24, 2023 – State Rep. Martina White from Northeast Philadelphia passionately advocated for school choice and Lifeline Scholarships on the latest episode of the Commonwealth Foundation’s…
Press Release
Read More: Rep. Martina White Calls on Gov. Shapiro to Keep His Promise, Deliver on Lifeline ScholarshipsEducation
Stefano: Shapiro can turn his political blunder into a moral good and transform the Democratic Party
Many people viewed Gov. Josh Shapiro as the leader who could transform the Democratic Party and “deliver it from the clutches of the government unions, which have radicalized the party,”…
Press Release
Read More: Stefano: Shapiro can turn his political blunder into a moral good and transform the Democratic PartyEducation
Pennsylvania Voters Want Shapiro to Honor the Deal He Made to Fund Lifeline Scholarships
Harrisburg, Pa., July 19, 2023 — A large, bipartisan majority of Pennsylvania voters (65%) believe Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro should honor the agreement he made with state Senate lawmakers to…
Press Release
Read More: Pennsylvania Voters Want Shapiro to Honor the Deal He Made to Fund Lifeline ScholarshipsEducation
Governor Shapiro bungles budget, leaves state uncertain and kids trapped in failing schools
Harrisburg, Pa., July 6, 2023 – Gov. Josh Shapiro justified his promise to line-item veto the education reforms he championed by comparing Lifeline Scholarships for children in failing schools to…
Press Release
Read More: Governor Shapiro bungles budget, leaves state uncertain and kids trapped in failing schoolsEducation
Pa. Sen. Tony Williams Delivers Impassioned Speech Supporting Lifeline Scholarships
HARRISBURG, Pa., June 30, 2023 — Yesterday, Pennsylvania State Sen. Tony Williams—a Democrat representing Philadelphia—delivered a rousing speech supporting Lifeline Scholarships. Speaking on the floor of the Senate, Williams addressed…
Press Release
Read More: Pa. Sen. Tony Williams Delivers Impassioned Speech Supporting Lifeline Scholarships