Nathan Benefield
Senior Vice President
An Ohio native, Nate holds an undergraduate degree in political science and economics and a master’s degree in public service management from DePaul University in Chicago. He also completed his doctoral studies (ABD) in political science at Loyola University, also in Chicago.
Nate joined the Commonwealth Foundation in 2005. Now as senior vice president, he provides strategic leadership as well as operational oversight spanning policy analysis, government relations, marketing, and communications.
Nate has researched and written extensively on public policy issues including the state budget, public sector labor reform, government spending and taxes, liquor privatization, education, and economic development. Under Nate’s policy leadership, the Commonwealth Foundation’s work on public sector pension law helped drive the bipartisan pension reform of 2017, heralded by the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post as an example for other states to follow.
Nate has testified numerous times before state legislative committees and is often called upon by legislators and members of the media to provide expertise. He is a frequent commentator on both television and radio, and his writings have appeared across the state and nationally in outlets including the Philadelphia Inquirer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Patriot-News, and Weekly Standard.
Nate’s favorite rock song and personal motto are both “Don’t Stop Believin.”
Regulation
Fact Check: Pennsylvania’s Liquor Store Revenue
Many myths continue about the privatization of Pennsylvania’s state-owned liquor stores. One is that the state government would lose annual revenue from liquor sales. See Wendell Young, speaking on behalf…
Media
Read More: Fact Check: Pennsylvania’s Liquor Store RevenueRegulation
Reviewing the Financial Crisis
Nicole Gelinas has a great piece surveying a number of books on the financial crisis. Contrary to conventional wisdom, many in the finance world foresaw the collapse, some big…
Media
Read More: Reviewing the Financial CrisisRegulation
State Pension System Going Deeper into the Red
Eleanor Chute of the Post-Gazette notes the approval of the pension contribution rates for Pennsylvania school employees (split between school districts and the state). She also notes that the…
Media
Read More: State Pension System Going Deeper into the RedTaxes & Economy
How Much will Your Tax Bill Increase in 2011?
The Tax Foundation has a great new tool to calculate your federal tax burden in 2011 – comparing your tax bill if the 2001 & 2003 tax cuts (“Bush…
Media
Read More: How Much will Your Tax Bill Increase in 2011?Taxes & Economy
The PennFuture Scandal: We’re Not Mudslinging
Jan Murphy of the Patriot-News did a fine job in her Sunday article, giving an evenhanded account of our report on PennFuture’s lobbying, but the…
Media
Read More: The PennFuture Scandal: We’re Not MudslingingGovernment Accountability
I&R: Our Inalienable Right to Reform
It is clear our government will not reform itself. Article I, Section 2 of the Pennsylvania Constitution recognizes the right of the citizens to "alter, reform or abolish their government…
Commentary
Read More: I&R: Our Inalienable Right to ReformState Budget
Check Out State Budget Solutions
State Budget Solutions is a new website put together by a coalition of free-market organizations. They’ve been up for a while with a “soft launch,” but had their “hard…
Media
Read More: Check Out State Budget SolutionsRegulation
Your Liquor Dollars at Work
The Post Gazette highlights the continued efforts of the liquor control board to be a better business. This includes the ridiculous: The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is…
Media
Read More: Your Liquor Dollars at WorkTaxes & Economy
PennFuture Corrects IRS Returns, Owns Private Energy Conservation Company
Jan Murphy of the Patriot News features a story on PennFuture’s lobbying. The story reveals two facts that did not appear in our exposé. First, despite…
Media
Read More: PennFuture Corrects IRS Returns, Owns Private Energy Conservation CompanyHealth Care
NY Times: Individual Mandate is a Tax & Now Fewer Health Care Options
The New York Times had not one, but two stories over the weekend on things we learned about “what’s in the bill”, that we had to wait until it was…
Media
Read More: NY Times: Individual Mandate is a Tax & Now Fewer Health Care OptionsGovernment Accountability
PA House GOP Unveils Policy Agenda
Earlier this month, the PA House GOP put out a Policy Agenda for Pennsylvania. Not everything gets Commonwealth Foundation Approval – e.g., the “jobs package”, praise for…
Media
Read More: PA House GOP Unveils Policy AgendaState Budget
Are There WAMs in the PA Budget?
A reader called our office today, following a conversation with his local lawmakers, who denied there were any WAMs in the budget, and claimed there had not been in many…
Media
Read More: Are There WAMs in the PA Budget?
Corbett, Onorato Both Wishy-Washy on UC
Tom Corbett, Pennsylvania Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate, continues to take flak for comments he made regarding the unemployed and Unemployment Compensation (UC) benefits. After Corbett made comments that…
Media
Read More: Corbett, Onorato Both Wishy-Washy on UC
PA Turnpike to Hike Tolls on Cash Payers by 10%
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) announced yesterday that it would be increasing tolls by 10% on cash payers and by 3% on E-Z Pass holders, beginning in January. This…
Media
Read More: PA Turnpike to Hike Tolls on Cash Payers by 10%Government Accountability
BP-Funded PennFuture Attacks the Messenger
PennFuture’s Jan Jarrett launches a tirade against the Commonwealth Foundation’s exposé of PennFuture’s lobbying. For starters, she repeatedly labels it a “smear campaign” (and even includes…
Media
Read More: BP-Funded PennFuture Attacks the MessengerRegulation
The Real Problem with the Specter Library
As part of the state budget deal, Gov. Rendell secured $600 million in new borrowing for pork-barrel projects, including $10 million for the "Arlen Specter Library" at Philadelphia University and…
Commentary
Read More: The Real Problem with the Specter LibraryRegulation
Is. Rep. Turzai a Drug Pusher?
In another over-the-top criticism of liquor store privatization, Don Wert of Pennsylvanians Concerned about Alcohol Problems attacked Rep. Mike Turzai’s proposal to license private stores to sell wine and…
Media
Read More: Is. Rep. Turzai a Drug Pusher?Taxes & Economy
Tom Corbett is Right on Unemployment
Yesterday, PA Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Corbett made remarks about how unemployment benefits result in higher higher unemployment, recorded by Scott Detrow, and picked up on by Capitol Ideas,…
Media
Read More: Tom Corbett is Right on UnemploymentGovernment Accountability
Pennsylvania Leads in Spending Taxpayer Money to Lobby Congress
A new analysis from Open Secrets finds that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (i.e., our state government) led all states in spending taxpayer money on federal lobbying in the first…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania Leads in Spending Taxpayer Money to Lobby CongressTaxes & Economy
Continued Hypocrisy of “Conservation” Groups
Previously, we highlighted how the group Conservation Voters of PA lambasted Tom Corbett for receiving campaign contributions from the Anadarko company PAC – but failing to note Gov. Rendell…
Media
Read More: Continued Hypocrisy of “Conservation” GroupsTaxes & Economy
Pennsylvania Doesn’t Have a Tax on Porn Either
Paul Carpenter writes a piece in the Morning Call arguing that Pennsylvania, by not passing a cigar tax, is subsidizing the industry – and (sarcastically) we should do the…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania Doesn’t Have a Tax on Porn Either