Staff

State Budget

Treasurer Playing Chicken with State Budget

• Nathan Benefield
• August 30, 2017

In a news interview yesterday, State Treasurer Joe Torsella threatened that he won’t allow the state to borrow any more money to pay bills, unless the budget is balanced.

Media

Taxes & Economy

Severance Tax Talk is Stunting Investment in Pa.

• Elizabeth Stelle
• August 30, 2017

One tax is emblematic of Pennsylvania’s failure to grow the economy with more government spending: the natural gas severance tax. Special interest groups have worked for a decade to enact a…

Media

Why Pa.’s Department of Corrections is a Model to Follow

• August 29, 2017

The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) recently released the results of SIP-HOPE—a promising new pilot program aimed at reducing recidivism. According to DOC, the program led to a 13…

Media

Public Union Democracy

UFCW Fined for Misreporting Terrible Anti-Privatization TV Ads

• Jessica Barnett
• August 25, 2017

Pennsylvania’s Liquor Control Board (PLCB) has persistently generated corruption scandals as it manages the state-run liquor system. Now, the loudest advocate for retaining this inefficient and unpopular…

Media

State Budget

Pennsylvania’s Small Towns Need Harrisburg to Think Big

• August 25, 2017

The stories are all too familiar. In towns hollowed out by economic downturns, Pennsylvanians are struggling to get by. Many are wondering when, or if, things will get better. Small…

Media

State Government Continues to Grow

• Nathan Benefield
• August 25, 2017

As I pointed out last week, the total operating budget for Pennsylvania exceeds $80 billion. In addition to the $32 billion General Fund, the $49 billion “shadow budget” includes $28.7 billion…

Media

Regulation

Reducing the State’s Cash Stockpile Can Help Balance the Budget

• August 24, 2017

Lawmakers considering balancing the budget with borrowing and higher taxes could opt for a responsible alternative: drawing down funds from the shadow budget's “banking accounts.” But first, let’s take a…

Media

Health Care

Five Medicaid Work Requirement Truths

• Elizabeth Stelle
• August 24, 2017

Work leaves families better off. To ignore this fact and urge people to trust a failing Medicaid system is nothing short of a moral scandal.

Fact Sheet

Public Union Democracy

News Release: Majority of Union Employees Want Worker Voting Rights

• August 23, 2017

Regular elections are foundational to representative democracy. Yet thousands of Pennsylvanians who work in the public sector are bound by a single vote held more than four decades ago to…

Press Release

State Budget

Tax Hikes Won’t Prevent Credit Downgrades

• Elizabeth Stelle
• August 17, 2017

In July, S&P placed Pennsylvania on a negative credit watch, citing budget uncertainties. The move signaled a potential credit rating downgrade for Pennsylvania, which Governor Wolf is using to push for higher taxes.

Media

State Budget

Policy Memo: Analysis of the State Senate’s Revenue Plan

• August 17, 2017

On July 27, the state Senate passed a $1.8 billion revenue package, which includes more than $1.2 billion in borrowing and $570 million in tax increases to pay for the…

Memo

Taxes & Economy

Could Gas Go the Way of Foxconn?

• Gordon Tomb
• August 16, 2017

One company’s decision not to locate in Pennsylvania foreshadows the migration in capital and jobs the commonwealth would suffer under a higher gas tax. Wisconsin Governor Scott…

Media

Government Accountability

News Release: $65 Million in Earmarks Hidden in State’s Fiscal Code

• August 16, 2017

Pennsylvanians shouldn’t need a decoder ring to know how their tax dollars are being spent. But lawmakers have hidden more than $65 million in vaguely worded earmarks in the Senate-passed…

Press Release

State Budget

Can Other Funds Help Balance the State Budget?

• Nathan Benefield
• August 16, 2017

The total operating budget for the state exceeds $80 billion. In addition to the $32 billion General Fund, the “shadow budget” includes: $28.7 billion in federal funds, $4.7 billion in…

Media

Taxes & Economy

The Fizz Tax Is on the Fritz

• August 15, 2017

Philadelphia’s soda tax was the final blow to the Orlando family’s nearly 70-year-old bakery. The business closed earlier this month following a steep decline in sales after the soda…

Media

School Spending updates, 2014-15

• August 15, 2017

Pennsylvania school districts spent approximately $27.4 billion in 2014-15. This represents a $1.3 billion increase from 2013-14, despite a 12,000 student decrease in average daily membership.

Commentary

School Spending updates, 2014-15

• August 15, 2017

Pennsylvania school districts spent approximately $27.4 billion in 2014-15. This represents a $1.3 billion increase from 2013-14, despite a 12,000 student decrease in average daily membership.

Commentary

State Budget

Infographic: What Will They Tax Next?

• August 15, 2017

The Washington Observer-Reporter recently editorialized on the tax hikes in the Senate-passed revenue plan, answering questions all Pennsylvanians should be asking themselves: Do you heat your house with…

Media

Taxes & Economy

More Evidence Minimum Wage Increase = Job Loss

• Elizabeth Stelle
• August 9, 2017

Montgomery County, Maryland failed to increase the minimum wage from $11.50 to $15 per hour after County Executive Isiah Leggett vetoed the measure. He called for an objective study to…

Media

Education

Parents, Children, and Lawmakers Celebrate Education Savings Accounts

• James Paul
• August 9, 2017

Dozens of parents, children, and educational choice advocates packed the Joshua Learning Center in Harrisburg to rally for education savings accounts (ESAs). Sen. John DiSanto's soon-to-be released legislation,…

Media

State Budget

News Release: Analysis: Senate Tax Hikes Would Cost 3,600 Jobs, $1 Billion in Income

• August 9, 2017

In July, the state Senate narrowly approved a $600 million tax-hike package, raising taxes on home heating, natural gas drilling, electricity, and even cell phone service. The bill comes to…

Press Release