Welfare

Pa’s Wayward Welfare State

  • October 27, 2022

Summary Policies that expanded Medicaid eligibility to healthy, working-aged people and do not require the verification of eligibility have expanded the size and complexity of a program designed to focus…

Fact Sheet

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Taxes & Economy

Pa. Economic Trends September 2022

  • September 16, 2022

Overview Families across the country continue to feel the pressure of rising prices. The Consumer Price Index is up 8.3% over the last year, and while gasoline prices have fallen…

Backgrounder

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State Budget

PA Budget: Unsustainable spending, some big wins

  • July 7, 2022

July 7, 2022, Harrisburg, Pa. – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives today passed a state budget plan that exceeds Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget proposal by $300 million, with ongoing spending…

Press Release

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State Budget

What to know about the 2022 state budget deal

  • July 7, 2022

Pennsylvania lawmakers today unveiled the next fiscal year’s state budget plan. The Bad News: This budget represents excessive growth in government spending, increasing state spending by 10.7 percent over last…

Memo

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Health Care

Medicaid’s Endless Expansion

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Stefanie Mason
  • July 5, 2022

Key Points Medicaid enrollment has surged, increasing by more than one million since 2015.[1] The program now covers more than one-quarter of all Pennsylvanians.Medicaid is the largest program…

Backgrounder

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State Budget

2022 Pa. Budget Checklist

  • June 17, 2022

Limit Spending to Help Pennsylvanians Cope with Inflation Record inflation caused by federal overspending is hitting Pennsylvanians hard. Inflation is up 8.6 percent from last year and…

Fact Sheet

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State Budget

2022 Pa. Budget Checklist

  • January 31, 2022

Limit spending growth to the Taxpayer Protection Act (TPA) index The total General Fund spending increase should not exceed the TPA limit of 3.46 percent, or an additional $1.376 billion.

Fact Sheet

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Pennsylvania’s Use of ARPA Funds

  • Brandon Van Dyck
  • September 23, 2021

ARPA is a $1.9 trillion federal bill passed in March 2021. Supporters of the legislation argued that our country needed the added spending to stimulate a nationwide recovery from the…

Fact Sheet

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Government Accountability

Fiscal Earmarks Reduce State Budget Transparency

  • Jessica Barnett
  • August 19, 2021

The 2021–2022 Fiscal Code contains at least $5.5 billion in federal and state funds earmarked for special projects across the state, up from $120 million last year. Most of this…

Backgrounder

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