State Budget
Takeaways from the (Mostly) Finalized 2023–24 Pennsylvania State Budget
Overview With the passage of Fiscal Code and School Code bills in December, work on the 2023–24 Pennsylvania state budget ended mostly done, six months late. The budget is as…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Takeaways from the (Mostly) Finalized 2023–24 Pennsylvania State BudgetEducation
Lifeline and Education Choice Myths and Facts
Summary Lifeline Scholarships, also known as the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS) program, would offer scholarships ranging from $2,500 to $15,000 per year for students in the commonwealth’s lowest-performing…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Lifeline and Education Choice Myths and FactsTaxes & Economy
Pa.’s Population Continues Its Troubling Decline
Harrisburg, Pa., December 20, 2023 — Pennsylvania’s population continues to decline, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report showing a total loss of 10,408 residents between July 2022 and July 2023.
Press Release
Read More: Pa.’s Population Continues Its Troubling DeclineRegulation
Commonwealth Foundation Applauds Appellate Court Decision to Strike Down RGGI
Harrisburg, Pa., November 1, 2023 — Commonwealth Foundation applauds the Commonwealth Court’s decision today to halt Pennsylvania’s entrance into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The appellate court rightly ruled that entry…
Press Release
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Applauds Appellate Court Decision to Strike Down RGGIRegulation
Cutting Red Tape in Pennsylvania
This report presents findings from Mercatus Center’s State RegData database, analyzing regulations in the Pennsylvania Code as of 2022. The report provides an overview of state regulations, how Pennsylvania’s regulatory…
Executive Summary
Read More: Cutting Red Tape in PennsylvaniaPublic Union Democracy
Government Union Contracts Increase Again
Summary Pennsylvania elected officials routinely and secretly negotiate billion-dollar labor contracts with government union leaders from whom they often receive political donations. These labor contracts are a major cost of…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Government Union Contracts Increase AgainState Budget
Takeaways from the Unfinished 2023–24 State Budget
Summary The state budget remains unfinished. While Gov. Josh Shapiro signed off on the general appropriation bill (House Bill 611), authorizing more than $40 billion in state general fund spending,…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Takeaways from the Unfinished 2023–24 State BudgetEducation
Pa. Education Funding Spikes Again
Key Points Pennsylvania school district spending per student increased to $21,263 in 2021–22. State support of public education is up 55.7 percent over the last decade, reaching an all-time high…
Backgrounder
Read More: Pa. Education Funding Spikes AgainTaxes & Economy
Minimum Wage
Summary One percent of Pennsylvania workers earn the minimum wage, an all-time low.Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Recent analysis by Pennsylvania’s Independent Fiscal…
Fact Sheet
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