Nathan Benefield
Chief Policy Officer
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 Chief Policy Officer , 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.”
Public Union Democracy
Cost-Saving Ideas for Pennsylvania State Budget
Testimony of Nathan A. Benefield, Director of Policy Research, Commonwealth Foundation to the Pennsylvania Senate Government Management and Cost Study Commission, April 12, 2010 Good morning; I am Nathan…
Testimony
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Repeal It? Wouldn’t be the First Time
National Review has a good story of how Kentucky passed health care mandate like those contained in the new federal law, including guaranteed issue and community rating, in 1994.
Media
Read More: Repeal It? Wouldn’t be the First TimeHealth Care
Hate Mail on “Slacker Mandate”
A reader took exception for my use of the term “slacker mandate” to describe laws requiring insurance companies to cover young adults on their parents’ plans up to age 26…
Media
Read More: Hate Mail on “Slacker Mandate”Taxes & Economy
Grading Wagner’s Infrastructure Agenda: Revise and Resubmit
PA Gubernatorial Candidate Jack Wagner put out an a proposal for infrastructure today. Not much in the way of specifics or substance contained within, or even much to write…
Media
Read More: Grading Wagner’s Infrastructure Agenda: Revise and ResubmitGovernment Accountability
Rendell: Everyone Supports Higher Taxes
At his press conference announcing that the lawyers at the Federal Highway Administration were all less intelligent that his staff, based on their decision to reject I-80 tolls, Gov. Rendell…
Media
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Mass: What PA has to Look Forward to on Health Insurance
Massachusetts – with an individual mandate, an insurance exchange, taxpayer subsidies for insurance, and a regulatory board overseeing all health insurance – was seen as the model for health care…
Media
Read More: Mass: What PA has to Look Forward to on Health InsuranceEducation
Gov. Rendell Learned His Lesson
Last year, Gov. Rendell went on a bus tour across Pennsylvania, at taxpayer expense, to lobby for more education spending. Rendell was…
Media
Read More: Gov. Rendell Learned His LessonHealth Care
State Legislators’ Guide to Health Insurance Solution
Council for Affordable Health Insurance and ALEC have released their 2010 State Legislators Guide to Health Insurance Solutions. Here is a PDF version of the full report…
Media
Read More: State Legislators’ Guide to Health Insurance SolutionGovernment Accountability
Four of Six PA Governor Candidates Favor State Constitutional Convention
At a forum for Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidates last week, Tom Corbett, Jack Wagner, Joe Hoeffel, and Dan Onorato all express some support for a state constitutional convention, at least…
Media
Read More: Four of Six PA Governor Candidates Favor State Constitutional ConventionGovernment Accountability
In Defense of Political Anonymity
Former FEC Chief Bradley Smith has a good article in the winter issue of City Journal on the problems with campaign finance disclosure. Imagine if the George W.
Media
Read More: In Defense of Political AnonymityEducation
Is Choice Harming Public Schools?
The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a story this week about the number of students (314,000 over nine years) served by Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC provides tax…
Media
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Repeal Obamacare Ad in Erie Times-News
The Manufacturer and Business Assocation, along with a whole slew of businesses in the Erie area, ran a full page add in the Erie Times-News calling for lawmakers to…
Media
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Operation Restore Launched to Preserve School Choice in PA
The REACH Alliance launched Operation Restore, a campaign to restore the funding for Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program to $75 million. The EITC, which before…
Media
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How the Health Care Law is Financed
The Tax Foundation has a useful chart showing how the health care law is financed over the next 10 years (keep in mind most of the taxes don’t kick…
Media
Read More: How the Health Care Law is FinancedState Budget
Debating Taxes on Services
The New York Times has a piece on expanding state sales taxes to cover many services, with a specific focus on Pennsylvania. The articles focus primarily on the “modernization”…
Media
Read More: Debating Taxes on ServicesHealth Care
Who the Health Cares About the Constitution?
Constitutional questions have dogged the health care bill since its introduction. But rather than address these issues head on, supporters of the legislation have shrugged them off. Speaker Nancy Pelosi,…
Commentary
Read More: Who the Health Cares About the Constitution?Taxes & Economy
Which Sectors are Adding Jobs in Pennsylvania?
As reported earlier, Pennsylvania lost an estimated 16,000 jobs in February. Over the past year, the total jobs lost in the state adds to up about 141,000 (272,000 over…
Media
Read More: Which Sectors are Adding Jobs in Pennsylvania?Education
Rhetoric vs. Reality on Higher Ed
I got an email alert from Student PIRGs with the lead in, “College just got less expensive.” Really, that happened? Did anyone notice? Uh no. What they meant is…
Media
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Some Facts About School Choice for Joe Hoeffel
In the Democrat contest for Pennsylvania Governor, Joe Hoeffel came out swinging, attacking Anthony Williams for supporting school choice. Apparently, Hoeffel thinks the…
Media
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Slots vs. Lottery
PA Independent summarizes a recent Pennsylvania Legislative Budget and Finance Committee report that concludes slot machine gambling has not undermined lottery sales. I…
Media
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Illinois Passes Pension Reductions
While the Pennsylvania General Assembly is holding hearings to assess our public pension crisis is really bad, or really-really bad, Illinois is acting to reduce state pension benefits…
Media
Read More: Illinois Passes Pension Reductions