SEPTEMBER 22, 2009 | Commentary by MATTHEW BROUILLETTE, JOE STERNS

Reforming the Budget Process in Pennsylvania

In the political world, 2009 will be remembered as the year that Pennsylvania went longer than any other state without a budget.  The Commonwealth went months past the June 30^th deadline, let state workers go unpaid, and used service agencies as pawns in negotiations.

This has been par for the course in Harrisburg, as every budget under Gov. Ed Rendell since 2003 has been tardy.  This failure to enact timely and fiscally responsible budgets suggests the need to reform the process to both protect taxpayers and provide core government functions.

JULY 31, 2009 | News Release by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION

Pennsylvania Pulls the Shade on Sunshine

A mere two days after celebrating the first open budget negotiations, Pennsylvania's legislative leaders have decided to step back into the shadows.  In suspending the sunshined conference committee, and agreeing to convene in closed session with Governor Rendell and his staff, lawmakers have reverted to the same politics-as-usual they promised to end.

JULY 29, 2009 | News Release by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION

Victory for Transparency in State Government

HARRISBURG, PA — Commonwealth Foundation president and CEO Matt Brouillette issued the following statement today in response to the General Assembly’s decision to make Conference Committee meetings on the state budget open to the public:

JUNE 17, 2009 | Testimony by ELIZABETH STELLE

State Spending Transparency

Pennsylvania needs greater transparency in how taxpayer money is spent. Creating an online database to track all of the state’s spending is key to spending reforms; it allows every citizen to become a government watchdog and see for himself how government money is being spent. It’s inexcusable, particularly in our current economic environment, for lawmakers to deny Pennsylvanians the cost-saving tool available to taxpayers in more than 20 other states.

JUNE 3, 2009 | Commentary by ELIZABETH STELLE, NATHAN BENEFIELD

Pennsylvanians Deserve Open Budget Debate

With the approach of June 30th and the end of the state’s fiscal year comes the annual argument in Harrisburg over Pennsylvania’s budget.  With Senate Republicans having passed a spending plan that sheers $1.7 billion from Gov. Rendell’s $29 billion proposal, the debate promises to be especially acrimonious.

FEBRUARY 13, 2009 | Commentary by NATHAN BENEFIELD, FRED BALDWIN

School District Consolidation is a Red Herring

In the movie Men in Black, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) carries a small device that flashes, allowing him to make people forget meeting him (or seeing aliens).  Gov. Rendell may have a similar device, to use on legislators—or on himself.

FEBRUARY 12, 2009 | Policy Report by NATHAN BENEFIELD, ELIZABETH STELLE

Government on a Diet: Spending Tips 2009

Government on a Diet: Spending Tips 2009 identifies $5 billion in unhealthy state spending in FY 2008-09 and offers a series of recommendations to both resolve the current revenue shortfall and reduce the size and burden of government on Pennsylvanians by $1,600 annually for each family of four.

FEBRUARY 3, 2009 | Commentary by FRED BALDWIN

Obama Transparency Standard Challenges School Boards

Pennsylvania school boards have been presented an opportunity to measure up to the standard set by our new President.  In his inaugural address, Barack Obama promised that public business would be done “in the light of day.”  By the first day in office, Obama initiated an executive order proclaiming open government.

JANUARY 23, 2009 | News Release by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION

Government Transparency Resources

Our latest CF NOW video highlights current efforts to create more government transparency in Pennsylvania:

Here are some of the key resources on Open Government:

CF Projects

OCTOBER 20, 2008 | News Release by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION

Time for School Board Transparency

Commonwealth Foundation launches "sunshine" project on school district labor negotiations