5 Reasons Why the Emergency Powers Amendments Are Needed

• Michael Torres
• May 4, 2021

May 4, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. — Today, members of the Wolf administration held press conferences addressing the emergency powers constitutional amendments on the May primary ballot and Gov. Wolf announced…

Press Release

Pa. Emergency Powers Amendment Going to People

• Michael Torres
• February 5, 2021

Feb. 4, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa.,— On March 6, 2020, Gov. Tom Wolf proclaimed a disaster emergency in Pennsylvania, granting himself the extraordinary power to supersede many state laws to…

Press Release

State Budget

Wolf’s Big, Bad Budget Leaves Families Behind

• Michael Torres
• February 3, 2021

Feb. 3, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. —Following Gov. Tom Wolf’s pre-recorded state budget address, Commonwealth Foundation Vice President Nathan Benefield, who has been studying the state budget for more than a…

Press Release

Pa. House Committee Passes Taxpayer Protection Bill

• Michael Torres
• January 13, 2021

Jan 13, 2021, Harrisburg, Pa. — Today the House State Government Committee advanced the Taxpayer Protection Act, which would put guardrails on state spending growth to protect Pennsylvanians from…

Press Release

Earmarks Double to $120 Million in State Budget

• Michael Torres
• December 8, 2020

December 8, 2020, Harrisburg, Pa. — Pennsylvania lawmakers and Gov. Wolf used a shadowy process to bury $120 million of earmarks in the new state budget. That’s double last year’s…

Press Release

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

Wolf Proposes Band Aid for Small Business? Broken Leg

• Michael Torres
• September 11, 2020

Sept. 10, 2020, Harrisburg, Pa. — Governor Tom Wolf called on the legislature to provide more taxpayer funding to bail …

Press Release

COVID-19 Community Recovery Report

• Michael Torres
• August 13, 2020

Aug 13, 2020, Harrisburg, Pa. — The Commonwealth Foundation has released a new report outlining policy solutions that will help to rebuild Pennsylvania’s communities.  Alongside the pandemic, Pennsylvania is facing crises caused…

Press Release

Wolf Reluctantly Gives In On Transparency During Emergencies

• Michael Torres
• July 27, 2020

Yesterday, a transparency bill requiring state and local government to continue fulfilling Right-to-Know requests under the Pa. Open Records law during emergency declarations became law without the governor’s signature.

Media