Stefano: Do-nothing Dems in the Pa. House hold bipartisan reforms hostage

Pennsylvania is losing people and industries to other states as a result of the state’s “crippling economic policies,” writes Philadelphia Inquirer columnist and Commonwealth Foundation Executive Vice President Jennifer Stefano in her Monday Inquirer column. 

“This makes the refusal by Democrats in the state’s House of Representatives to resume their legislative work until March a shameful dereliction of duty that adds another layer of burden to suffering people waiting on them to act,” she writes.

Stefano writes:

You may recall before the ball had dropped on 2023, Democratic House Speaker Joanna McClinton was declaring the House closed for business for the winter because the chamber roof had sprung a leak. …

House Democrats are work-shy and moisture-adverse this year for the same reason they were last year: Another vacancy in the House Democratic caucus has imperiled their one-seat control of the chamber.

Pennsylvania cannot afford to lose another legacy business deal to a better-run state. During his campaign for governor, Josh Shapiro promised to reduce the corporate net income tax from 9.99% to 4% by 2025 and create “a tax environment that is going to be among the best in the nation.” But he has been unable to get his Democratic-led House to get it done.

House Democrats should be doing their jobs, and not just on economic issues. Shapiro has been promising to expand telehealth services and increase access to providers in underserved areas. Philadelphia has 14 of those areas — locations that do not have enough providers to meet the intense demand.

Shapiro’s budget agreement with Senate Republicans — cutting the corporate tax to bring businesses and jobs back to the state and expanding access to health care — enjoys strong bipartisan support in the legislature and broad popular support among Pennsylvanians. Polling by my colleagues at the Commonwealth Foundation shows that 83% of Pennsylvanians support expanding access to telehealth, and 77% support lowering the corporate tax rate. …

McClinton and the Democrats should put people before their own power. Dealing with a leaky roof is certainly an inconvenience. It would be good for House Democrats to remember that many Pennsylvanians are dealing with far worse.

You can read Stefano’s entire column here. 

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The Commonwealth Foundation turns free-market ideas into public policies, fostering prosperity for all Pennsylvanians.