July 28, 2010 | Policy Report by BEACON HILL INSTITUTE AT SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY

Growing Money on Trees

An Analysis of PA’s Climate Change Action Plan

In December 2009, the Pennsylvania Climate Change Advisory Committee (PCCAC), in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Center for Climate Strategies (CCS), released its report, Pennsylvania: Final Climate Change Action Plan. However, a cost-benefit analysis finds serious flaws in the report, rendering its findings useless for policymakers seeking to make informed policy decisions about climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Pennsylvania.

June 23, 2010 | Policy Report by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION

A Taxpayer's Budget 2010: Responsible Spending for Pennsylvania

A Taxpayer's Budget 2010: Responsible Spending for Pennsylvania identifies opportunities to cut over $4 billion in wasteful state spending in Gov. Rendell's proposed FY 2010-11 budget.  The report also offers a series of recommendations for resolving the current revenue shortfall and reducing the size and burden of government on Pennsylvanians.

October 15, 2009 | Policy Report by PENNSYLVANIA FAMILY INSTITUTE

Repealing Death Tax Will Create Jobs and Boost Economy in Pennsylvania

Eliminating the Death Tax could create over 1.5 million jobs for small and family business workers, including 64,442 jobs in Pennsylvania. An increase in the Death Tax rates to 55% with only a $1 million exemption would cost 500,000 jobs, a loss of 21,481 jobs in Pennsylvania alone.

August 19, 2009 | Policy Report by ARTHUR LAFFER, DONNA ARDUIN, WAYNE WINEGARDEN

The Prognosis for National Health Insurance: A Pennsylvania Perspective

In 1960, the private sector funded over three quarters of the nation’s health care expenditures.  Individuals paid nearly one-half of the total national health care expenditures through out of pocket expenditures.  Beginning in 1967 the way health care is purchased in the U.S. began to completely reverse itself.

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.

May 8, 2008 | Policy Report by MICHAEL BOND

Medicaid Reform: Mending the Holes in Pennsylvanias Health Care Safety Net

Politicians and school officials frequently point to student performance  on state tests as a primary measure of the quality of public education.  According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) “is a standards based criterion-referenced assessment used to measure a student’s attainment of the academic standards while also determining the degree to which school programs enable students to attain proficiency of the standards.”

March 10, 2008 | Policy Report by NATHAN BENEFIELD, MATTHEW BROUILLETTE

Government on a Diet: Spending Tips 2008

State government consumption and spending of taxpayer money has grown rapidly over the years. Since 1970, Pennsylvania’s operating budget increased from $4.2 billion to $59 billion in FY 2007-2008, an inflation-adjusted increase of over 168%. As a share of personal income, the state’s operating budget rose from 8.8% in FY 1970-1971 to an estimated 12.2% in FY 2007-2008—an increase of more than 39%.

July 26, 2007 | Policy Report by NATHAN BENEFIELD, ROBERT MARANTO, JASON O'BRIEN

Edifice Complex: Where Has All the Money Gone?

From the 1986-87 to 2005-06 school years, taxpayer spending on Pennsylvania’s government-run K-12 schools increased from $6.6 billion to almost $22 billion—a 72% increase after adjusting for inflation. Between 1996-97 and 2005-2006, Pennsylvania’s public schools added over 43,000 staff—teachers, administrators, and support staff—while enrollment increased by only 26,000. Thus, for every new student, schools added 1.6 staff.

March 6, 2007 | Policy Report by MATTHEW BROUILLETTE, GEOFFREY F. SEGAL, ADRIAN T. MOORE

The Emerging Paradigm: Financing and Managing Pennsylvanias Transportation Infrastructure and Mass Transit

In November 2006, Governor Ed Rendell’s Pennsylvania Transportation Funding and Reform Commission identified a $1.7 billion annual shortfall in funding for the Commonwealth’s transportation infrastructure and mass transit services. The Commission suggested an additional $900 million for state highways and bridges, $65 million for local highways and bridges, and $700 million for mass transit is needed on an annual basis to sufficiently meet Pennsylvania’s transportation funding needs.

May 30, 2006 | Policy Report by NATHAN BENEFIELD, JENNIFER A. SYNDER

Pennsylvania Piglet Book 2006

The Pennsylvania Piglet Book 2006 is the joint effort of the Commonwealth Foundation and Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) to make the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania aware of wasteful spending of their tax dollars in the annual state budget. The Piglet Book identifies programs of greatest waste in the 2005-06 Pennsylvania budget and Governor Ed Rendell’s 2006-07 proposed budget. It identifies cuts that should be made, and encourages lawmakers to focus government spending only on those core functions that truly serve the public good.