Criminal Justice Reform

Pennsylvania Corrections Spending

  • October 15, 2009

Facing a massive budget deficit, and with sizeable financial obligations looming, Pennsylvania needs to re-examine how taxpayer dollars are spent. Spending on the Department of Corrections has grown far beyond…

Fact Sheet

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Taxes & Economy

Two New State Business Climate Rankings

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 25, 2009

The Tax Foundation released their updated State Business Tax Climate Index for FY 2010. In the latest rendition, Pennsylvania ranks 27th overall. Broken down by category the Keystone State…

Media

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Regulation

PA Senate Votes to Raise Taxes Now and In the Future

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 17, 2009

The Pennsylvania Senate this afternoon gave their approval to the municipal pension “reform” bill, even after the House stripped out almost all of the weak reforms. The legislation was…

Media

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State Budget

Enacting an Irresponsible Budget

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • September 16, 2009

Way back on July 1, 2009, Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi penned an excellent commentary, “Enacting a Responsible Budget,” urging “the Governor and the House Democratic leaders to support a…

Media

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Regulation

Philly Pension “Reform”: A Vote to Raise Taxes Now and in the Future

  • Matthew Brouillette, Richard Dreyfuss
  • September 11, 2009

The state budget impasse hinges on the inability of Governor Rendell and the House Democrat Majority to garner enough votes for state tax increases. Yet for now it seems enough…

Commentary

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Regulation

Pennsylvania Municipal Pension Reform in a Nutshell

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • August 27, 2009

Yesterday the Senate approved HB 1828, a long and complicated bill full of so-called pension reforms and potential local tax increases. Here’s a basic summary of the provisions following…

Media

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Regulation

Philadelphia Needs Neither Higher Taxes nor Generational Theft

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 6, 2009

The Pennsylvania House yesterday passed a bill that would allow Philadelphia to raise its sales tax another percentage point and to defer it pension payments for city employees further…

Media

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Government Accountability

Pennsylvania Lawmakers Still Using Tax Dollars to Buy Votes

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 22, 2009

Mark Levy of the AP has a hard hitting story of Pennsylvania lawmakers use of WAMs – i.e. “Walking Around Money” made available to us at the discretion of legislative…

Media

Read More: Pennsylvania Lawmakers Still Using Tax Dollars to Buy Votes