Regulation

Policy Points: Pennsylvania’s Debt Burden

  • June 15, 2017

State and local debt levels have exploded since 2002. When combined with the commonwealth’s unfunded liabilities, total state obligations exceed $17,600 for every Pennsylvania resident.

Fact Sheet

Read More: Policy Points: Pennsylvania’s Debt Burden

Health Care

Obamacare’s Cost Increase Aren’t “Just Fine”

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 15, 2017

This week, Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Teresa Miller sent a letter suggesting that an 8.8 percent increase in insurance premiums next year was a good thing, and…

Media

Read More: Obamacare’s Cost Increase Aren’t “Just Fine”

Regulation

Pennsylvania Ranks Poorly…Again

  • Colleen Hroncich
  • June 14, 2017

Redesigning state government has never been more important. For evidence, check out Pennsylvania’s poor performance in U.S. News & World Report’s recent Best States Rankings. Overall, the study puts the…

Media

Read More: Pennsylvania Ranks Poorly…Again

Criminal Justice Reform

Policy Memo: Principles for State Budget

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 14, 2017

With the 2017 budget, lawmakers have an opportunity to double down on the idea of reinventing government and adopt meaningful reforms that will save taxpayers money, stimulate economic growth, and improve services…

Memo

Read More: Policy Memo: Principles for State Budget

Education

Are Pennsylvania Schools Underfunded?

  • James Paul
  • June 13, 2017

New figures from Pennsylvania's Department of Education refute the persistent myth that Pennsylvania public schools are underfunded. See the charts below for 2015-16 statistics on school spending,…

Media

Read More: Are Pennsylvania Schools Underfunded?

Regulation

Making the Most of Philadelphia’s Upswing

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • June 13, 2017

Last week I blogged about Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto’s misplaced confidence in government energy mandates to grow the Steel City. On the other side of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney…

Media

Read More: Making the Most of Philadelphia’s Upswing

Education

Non-Teacher Staffing Surge Fails Students

  • June 12, 2017

Students have not benefited from large increases in public school staffing, according to a new study from EdChoice. Dr. Ben Scafidi, director of the Education Economics Center at Kennesaw…

Media

Read More: Non-Teacher Staffing Surge Fails Students

Education

Growing Chorus Urges School Boards to Protect Taxpayers

  • James Paul
  • June 9, 2017

In response to CF’s research on school district reserve funds, reporters and editorial boards have weighed in on the question: Why are districts holding millions in reserve while seeking…

Media

Read More: Growing Chorus Urges School Boards to Protect Taxpayers

Health Care

PA’s Unaffordable Health Care Act Premiums

  • Colleen Hroncich
  • June 9, 2017

If there’s ever a contest for least accurately named law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would certainly be in the running. In the aftermath of the ACA, more commonly called…

Media

Read More: PA’s Unaffordable Health Care Act Premiums