Staff

State Budget

Pa.’s Economic Outlook is Poor but Not Permanent

• April 21, 2017

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) released its annual Rich States, Poor States’ report, which includes economic rankings for each state. Unfortunately, the news isn’t good for Pennsylvania. The state…

Media

State Budget

News Release: Pa. Spends Nearly One-Third of Year Working to Pay Taxes

• April 20, 2017

April 18 was this year’s tax return filing deadline, but how long do Pennsylvanians work to earn enough to pay their total tax bill? In 2017, that date—dubbed Tax Freedom…

Press Release

Government Accountability

Policy Memo: Government Union Political Spending Trends

• Jessica Barnett
• April 19, 2017

Union leaders spend millions each year to further their own political agenda. Regardless of public sector employees’ personal political convictions, the highly partisan trend continued to the tune of $19 million…

Memo

Public Union Democracy

Top 10 Recipients of Government Union Money

• Jessica Barnett
• April 19, 2017

Government unions wield enormous influence in Pennsylvania politics. Since 2010, the commonwealth’s largest government unions have spent over $71 million on politics—including $26 million in political action committee (PAC)…

Media

Regulation

News Release: House Committee Advances Major Liquor Reforms

• April 18, 2017

Bills Would Break Government Stranglehold Over Wine & Liquor Sales Today, the House Liquor Committee advanced two bills to the floor that represent a…

Press Release

Regulation

The Strong Case for?and Weak Case Against?Pension Reform

• April 18, 2017

Pennsylvania’s public pension plans are woefully underfunded, with enough assets to cover just 60 percent of liabilities. This poor financial showing has relegated the commonwealth to the bottom of the Tax Foundation’s ranking of…

Media

Health Care

Senate Acts to Improve Health Access, Lower Costs

• James Paul
• April 18, 2017

All Pennsylvanians deserve access to quality, affordable health care. That's why it was encouraging to see the Senate advance SB 25 out of the Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure Committee.

Media

Education

Charter Reform Nears the Goal-line

• James Paul
• April 17, 2017

Charter school reform is advancing in Harrisburg. Long in the works, HB 97 (previously HB 530) is a sweeping bill that includes several important revisions to Pennsylvania’s charter school law.

Media

Health Care

Reforming Medicaid Is a Moral Imperative

• Elizabeth Stelle
• April 17, 2017

Note: This op-ed was originally published in the Lancaster LNP. Do you know someone who desperately needs medical care but can’t access it? Few things are more heartbreaking. Helping people…

Media

When a Spending Increase Is a Massive Cut

• Nathan Benefield
• April 11, 2017

Last June, the Pennsylvania legislature passed a $31.53 billion General Fund budget. In February, Gov. Wolf proposed a $32.34 billion budget. This $800 million increase has actually been labeled “…

Media

Regulation

Op-Ed: End Perks for the Politically Connected

• April 11, 2017

We deserve better than a system that favors the politically connected. An environment where people can advance based on merit, not lobbying prowess, will put cities like Scranton back on…

Commentary

State Budget

Pennsylvania Deficit Watch: April 2017

• April 10, 2017

Revenue collections fell below expectations for the fifth consecutive month. The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue reported collections of approximately $4.4 billion last week, which was $229.6 million less than…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Paycheck Protection: Where it Stands

• Jessica Barnett
• April 7, 2017

In February, the state Senate passed paycheck protection, which would shield taxpayers from subsidizing government union leaders’ political fundraising. Now it’s up to the House to protect the interests of taxpayers…

Media

Regulation

A Guide to Corporate Welfare in Pennsylvania

• April 6, 2017

Pennsylvania's culture of corporate welfare is pervasive. The current system rewards businesses for their lobbying prowess rather than their ability to effectively serve consumers' needs.

Commentary

Education

Op-Ed: The Cure for ‘March Madness’

• James Paul
• April 5, 2017

While the NCAA basketball tournament had the nation on the edge of its seat, Philadelphia students faced their own version of March Madness—full of drama, heartache, and uncertainty, but with far more…

Commentary

Regulation

House Budget Represents a Step Towards Fiscal Stewardship

• April 4, 2017

House Republicans committed to changing Pennsylvania yesterday. The caucus released its proposed 2017-18 budget, which stands in stark contrast to Gov. Wolf’s tax-and-spend proposals. The House Appropriations Committee has…

Media

News Release: ‘Ghost Teacher’ Ban Passes Senate Committee

• March 29, 2017

Nearly 25% of Pa. School Districts Authorize Ghost Teachers March 29, 2017, HARRISBURG, Pa.—Today, the Senate Education Committee passed SB 494 banning “ghost teachers” who drain resources from…

Press Release

Government Accountability

Paycheck Protection Benefits Teachers

• Jessica Barnett
• March 27, 2017

Providing one more reason Pennsylvania needs paycheck protection, the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) uses members’ dues to mislead teachers.   In the March 2017 publication of PSEA’s dues-funded…

Media

State Budget

Should Pennsylvania Strive to Become #51?

• March 27, 2017

Political realities forced Gov. Wolf to scale back his record tax-and-spend proposals from the past two years. Still, he didn’t completely abandon his government-centric approach, opting to include $1…

Media

Government Accountability

Redistricting Reform Memo

• March 24, 2017

Redistricting reform, Fair Districts PA and CF Priorities  …

Memo

Government Accountability

Memo on Redistricting Reform

• March 24, 2017

Commonwealth Foundation supports redistricting reform as a good government practice.

Memo