Health Care
Pennsylvania’s Bleak Budget Future
Pennsylvania’s fiscal outlook looks bleak according to a detailed report examining state revenue and spending released by the Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) last week. The agency projects a general…
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Read More: Pennsylvania’s Bleak Budget FutureHealth Care
Reality Check: We’re Overspending
Bad revenue collections and updated projections highlight a big problem in the state budget: We are spending more than we are collecting. The problem is much worse than a recent…
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Read More: Reality Check: We’re OverspendingCriminal Justice Reform
Three of Four Alarms Still Ringing
Late last month, the Independent Fiscal Office released its annual report looking at Pennsylvania’s economy and forecasting state budget expenditures and revenues. The trends remain alarming. Most notably, state…
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Read More: Three of Four Alarms Still RingingRegulation
Pennsylvania’s Tax Burden Ranks 10th (Again), but Pension Bomb Ticking
Last week, America kept its president and Congress, and Pennsylvania’s legislature stayed largely the same too. There’s another thing that Pennsylvanians can count on—ranking 10th in the United States for…
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Read More: Pennsylvania’s Tax Burden Ranks 10th (Again), but Pension Bomb TickingGovernment Accountability
Can We Get Some Transparency in the Budget?
The delay to include the proposed Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) is just legislators’ latest attempt to resist the transparency and accountability legislation Pennsylvanians deserve. According to John Micek at…
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Read More: Can We Get Some Transparency in the Budget?Government Accountability
Will the Budget Include an Independent Fiscal Office?
With much to jeer in this year’s budget one silver lining is the proposed Independent Fiscal Office. That is, if House Democrats don’t kill the proposal. Language to create…
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Read More: Will the Budget Include an Independent Fiscal Office?Government Accountability
How to Discourage Accounting Gimmicks in the Budget
The Rendell administration celebrated the end of the tax amnesty program bringing in $261 million, well above projected revenues. But Capitolwire (subscription only) reminds us the Governor was originally…
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Read More: How to Discourage Accounting Gimmicks in the BudgetGovernment Accountability
Need for an Independent Fiscal Office in PA?
A new Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office was the subject of a recent legislative hearing this week, with several lawmakers arguing the need for the office (which was included in…
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Read More: Need for an Independent Fiscal Office in PA?Government Accountability
Hearing on Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office
The PA House and Senate Finance Committees held a joint hearing on creating a “Independent Fiscal Office”. The IFO was authorized in the fiscal code (part of the budget deal),…
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Read More: Hearing on Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office