Staff

Op-Ed: The Tax Bill Benefitted All Pennsylvanians. Will that Matter on Election Day?

• Nathan Benefield
• October 23, 2020

To be sure, these numbers preceded the COVID-19 pandemic and economic lockdowns, which devastated job growth and earnings. Pennsylvania hit its lowest unemployment rate ever in 2019, but then skyrocketed to…

Commentary

Philly PD—and all public employees in Pa.—need transparency and accountability

• Jessica Barnett
• October 23, 2020

Philadelphia City Council recently approved an accountability measure for police union contract negotiations, prompting praise from good government officials and a lawsuit from the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5…

Media

Education

Op-Ed: Pennsylvania’s Catholic Schools Face Uncertainty in the Pandemic Era

• Colleen Hroncich
• October 22, 2020

In a shutdown-induced economic downturn, however, many can’t afford private school tuition, and the donations that kept Catholic schools afloat are dropping off. About 150 Catholic schools nationwide have closed permanently…

Commentary

Op-Ed: Schuylkill County and coal country keep Pa. politics unpredictable

• Charles F. McElwee
• October 22, 2020

Schuylkill’s “Outs” are all in for Trump in a county that has markedly declined since O’Hara’s stories. In northern Schuylkill, a conveyor over Route 54 declares in black letters: “Coal…

Commentary

And Then What? Reforms Beyond the Current Budget

• Andrew Abramczyk
• October 22, 2020

In any case, the budget will get balanced. For Pennsylvanians, the real question is: “And then what?” Pennsylvania’s budget problems preceded the virus shutdown and will continue long after it without real reform. Listed below are areas where lawmakers…

Backgrounder

Nurse Practitioners Are the Heroes Our Healthcare Needs

• Tirzah Duren
• October 16, 2020

Through HB 100, a pilot program would duplicate this year’s rule suspension within the limits of location- and population-based Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA), a federal designation of provider shortages.

Commentary

Op-Ed: Could Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor deliver Trump the election?

• Jennifer Stefano
• October 12, 2020

In September, almost 450 Pennsylvanians — accustomed to waking up to an alarm and going to work — abruptly lost their jobs at Shop-Vac, a Williamsport-based manufacturer of wet/dry vacuums.

Commentary

Education

Scholarships would help Erie students during pandemic

• October 7, 2020

It’s time to form the same public-private partnerships in education. Fortunately, an innovative proposal in Pennsylvania’s General Assembly would enable students to get the help they need.

Commentary

More from the Senate Education Committee Hearing

• Nathan Benefield
• October 6, 2020

When schools closed last spring—and with many still not fully open—parents across Pennsylvania have seen their children lose ground while having to pick up the additional costs of at-home education.

Commentary

Health Care

How to Vote in PA Q&A

• Stefanie Mason
• October 6, 2020

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. In Pennsylvania, voters are navigating how to cast their ballots during this pandemic era. …

Fact Sheet

Public Union Democracy

Protecting the Rights of Pennsylvania Public Employees

• October 3, 2020

Key Points Pennsylvania state law grants unions exclusive bargaining rights in government workplaces, makes it difficult for workers to leave their union, and allows taxpayer collection of union political money.Through…

Backgrounder

Education Stimulus Bill Subject of Senate Hearing

• Colleen Hroncich, Michael Torres
• October 2, 2020

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

Regulatory Reform: Three Ways to Jumpstart the Post-COVID Economy

• Tirzah Duren
• October 2, 2020

At the beginning of April, over 80% of small businesses were at risk of closing if the shutdown continued for five more months. As of July, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce…

Backgrounder

How to Balance the Budget: Revenue Options

• Andrew Abramczyk
• October 2, 2020

Pennsylvania’s partial-year budget to fund the government through November relied on federal emergency aid to patch a prospective deficit. The state cannot count on such extra resources in the future.

Backgrounder

State Halts Unemployment Payments Due to Mass Fraud

• September 28, 2020

Pennsylvania delayed Pandemic Unemployment Assistance payments after a 300% increase in applications. Over 10,000 inmates were illegally submitting unemployment applications from behind bars.  Once again, the multimillion-dollar modernization project for…

Media

Op-Ed: Now is the time to rebuild Pennsylvania

• Nathan Benefield
• September 28, 2020

By passing these ambitious, though necessary, reforms to help Pennsylvania rebuild its economy, lawmakers can start bridging the gap between what the people need and what government is focused on.

Commentary

Lawmakers can Help Students get Back on Track

• September 25, 2020

Funded with a portion of Pennsylvania’s reserved federal CARES Act funding, the proposal would establish scholarship accounts that families can use for educational necessities, similar to EBT cards used for supplemental…

Commentary

Health Care

Preserving Medicaid Before It’s Too Late

• Elizabeth Stelle
• September 24, 2020

Pennsylvania’s Medicaid program is a national leader in all the wrong ways. Sub-standard access to care and soaring enrollment, costs, and fraud crowd out services for people with intellectual disabilities and low-income…

Backgrounder

Pennsylvania’s Mail Ballot Fight Could Go to U.S. Supreme Court

• Michael Torres
• September 23, 2020

The Pa. Republican Party has applied for a stay of a controversial Pa. Supreme Court ruling regarding mail-in ballots, indicating that it intends to appeal the case…

Media

Education

Global Education Report Confirms Pa. Parents’ Experiences

• Colleen Hroncich
• September 22, 2020

COVID-related disruptions in education could mean a $14 trillion hit to the U.S. economy in the long term. Helping kids get the individualized help they need—through Back on Track scholarship accounts—could…

Commentary

Health Care

Free-market Face Lift: How to Make Health Care More Affordable

• Tirzah Duren
• September 16, 2020

Excessive restrictions on health care providers limits access to care. …

Commentary