Op-Ed: Pennsylvania Passes the Buck on State Budget

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 7, 2020

Wolf and the legislature didn’t consider these eventualities when they completed the budget. Instead, during this bleak holiday season, they set up struggling families for a bigger tax bill next…

Commentary

Read More: Op-Ed: Pennsylvania Passes the Buck on State Budget

Taxes & Economy

Crucial Reforms Needed in End-of-Year Budget

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 19, 2020

The recently completed state budget will dig Pennsylvania into a deep hole. Lawmakers passed a 7.5% increase in spending. The General Fund budget, including billions in one-time federal funds, is $36.54 billion—up from $33.98 billion last…

Media

Read More: Crucial Reforms Needed in End-of-Year Budget

State Budget

How to Balance the State Budget without Raising Taxes in a Pandemic

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • November 6, 2020

Reducing spending to reflect how the pandemic impacted state agencies and balance the budget without tax hikes or borrowing is the first step. Without additional structural spending changes laid out in…

Backgrounder

Read More: How to Balance the State Budget without Raising Taxes in a Pandemic

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

Read More: Education Stimulus Bill Subject of Senate Hearing

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

Read More: How to Balance the Budget: Revenue Options

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

Read More: State Halts Unemployment Payments Due to Mass Fraud

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

Read More: Lawmakers can Help Students get Back on Track