Staff

State Budget

Time for Welfare Work Requirements

• Elizabeth Stelle
• June 13, 2018

Yesterday, welfare work requirement bills HB 2138 and HB 1659 moved out of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. This move ensures welfare reform will be a focus…

Media

Education

Education Spending Trends 2016-17

• June 13, 2018

$4.5 billion—that's the collective balance in Pennsylvania school district reserve funds. Reserve balances are at an all-time high and hold enough money to cut every Pennsylvania student a $2,860 check,…

Fact Sheet

Regulation

Government Job Creation is a Myth

• Nathan Benefield
• June 12, 2018

Can government create jobs? If you ask Gov. Tom Wolf, you won’t get a straight answer. On the one hand, Wolf promised Amazon millions—likely billions—in taxpayer subsidies to build a…

Media

State Budget

5 Reasons We Need the Taxpayer Protection Act Now

• June 12, 2018

Gov. Wolf has been pretty optimistic about Pennsylvania’s finances going into budget negotiations for fiscal year 2018-19. Although it’s true the state is not staring down a $2 billion…

Media

Education

Scholarship Organizations Bring Educational Freedom to Thousands

• Colleen Hroncich
• June 11, 2018

Pennsylvania’s tax credit scholarship programs are lifelines for thousands of children around the state. At best, these children would be stuck in schools that aren’t meeting their education needs. At…

Media

Education

A Choice for All Students

• Charles Mitchell
• June 10, 2018

Barbara “Annie” Jackson waitresses at Roxy's Café just a short walk away from the Capitol building in Harrisburg. Eight months pregnant, Annie serves steaming plates of eggs and mugs of hot coffee…

Media

Education

The Truth about Education Spending in PA

• June 8, 2018

Data from Pennsylvania's Department of Education refute the persistent myth that Pennsylvania public schools are underfunded. See the charts below for 2016-17 statistics on school spending, an update on where Pa.

Media

Taxes & Economy

A Career for Life: Toni’s Work Story

• Elizabeth Stelle
• June 6, 2018

DuBois resident Toni Prescott Flanders knows the value of hard work. As a teenager she worked alongside her mom, who owned a restaurant. But Toni wanted more than a job.

Media

Taxes & Economy

More Evidence Raising the Minimum Wage is Bad for Pa.

• June 4, 2018

In his 2018-19 budget proposal, Governor Wolf mandates a 65 percent increase to the state’s minimum wage, from $7.25 to $12 per hour. The governor reiterated his support for this…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Government Union Efforts to Restrict Workers’ Rights

• Jessica Barnett
• June 1, 2018

June will bring a U.S. Supreme Court decision potentially restoring First Amendment rights to millions of public sector workers. The response from government union leaders? Schemes to continue—and further restrict—public…

Media

Regulation

Save Nuclear Jobs with Less Government, Not Corporate Welfare

• Gordon Tomb
• June 1, 2018

Increased production of low-cost natural gas has reduced the price of electricity to levels below which many Pennsylvania nuclear plants can compete. With about 3,000 jobs at stake, Senator…

Media

Education

Education Choice Saves Tax Dollars

• Marc LeBlond
• May 31, 2018

Transparency in education funding and charter school reform are good ideas, yet this push for reform is being used to spread misinformation about educational opportunities. Namely, the idea that…

Media

Health Care

More than a Paycheck: Amanda’s Work Story

• Elizabeth Stelle
• May 30, 2018

A mother of four, Amanda Zernell worked odd jobs – as a certified nurse assistant at minimum wage and later at Sears – to help support her family. But after…

Media

State Budget

Securing Pa.’s Fiscal Future

• May 29, 2018

Balancing a budget may come naturally to many Pennsylvania families, but in Harrisburg, it’s an idea that has been recently overlooked. And given the latest federal court decision prohibiting…

Media

Regulation

PLCB Turns to Corporate Welfare to “Strengthen” Local Producers

• May 25, 2018

Everyone loves grant money, but for Pennsylvania wine makers and brewers, recent handouts from the PLCB are especially ironic. On May 16, Governor Wolf announced that the Pennsylvania Liquor Control…

Media

Privacy Policy

• May 24, 2018

Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives operates this website and has created this Privacy Policy to inform you of our collection, use and sharing practices for information that we collect from you…

Commentary

Ignore Scare Tactics; ESAs Would Benefit All Students

• Nathan Benefield
• May 24, 2018

On Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee advanced Senate Bill 2, which would create Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) for students in the lowest performing 15 percent of public schools. ESAs…

Media

Public Union Democracy

Paycheck Protection Primer

• May 23, 2018

Paycheck protection ends the use of public resources to collect government unions’ political money. Under current law, state and local governments (including school districts) take both union…

Fact Sheet

Education

Tax Credit Scholarships: Pennsylvania is Falling Behind

• Colleen Hroncich
• May 23, 2018

Tax credit scholarships are one of the fastest growing school choice options. These programs allow businesses or individuals to receive a tax credit for donations to approved K-12 scholarship…

Media

Education

Senate Committee Passes Major Education Reform Bill

• May 22, 2018

Every student deserves an education that best fits his or her unique needs. But this vision of education equality is beyond the reach of thousands of Pennsylvania families. That’s why…

Press Release

State Budget

Tax Reform’s Benefits Should Be Embraced, Not Erased

• May 21, 2018

Tax reform will save Pennsylvania's consumers an estimated $324 million. This according to the Public Utility Commission, which approved rate cuts for 17 utility companies last week. The lower utitlity bills will kick in July 1…

Media