Criminal Justice Reform
Cash bail costs victims the most
Originally published at The Philadelphia Inquirer My friend recently shared a story with me about growing up in an abusive home. He requested I keep his name and personal…
Read More: Cash bail costs victims the mostMany Pennsylvanians face chronic unemployment, welfare dependency, and the cycle of poverty. This happens because labor incentives have been overridden by bad policies that keep millions out of the workforce and enact excessive red tape. We can reverse this trend by ending the practice of waiving work requirements on able-bodied Pennsylvanians with no dependents, removing barriers to employment for those seeking a fresh start, and creating a healthcare system without burdensome regulations.
Related Issues
Healthcare
Obamacare Exchanges Continue To Dissapoint
Open enrollment for Obamacare exchange plans ends on December 15. It is convenient to blame the new administration and efforts to repeal the law for dwindling choices, disappointing enrollment, and…
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Obamacare Creates Another Round of Premium Hikes
Governor Wolf announced exchange insurance premiums will increase by 30 percent next year thanks to President Trump and Congress. The problem is insurance rates have increased every year under…
Media
Read More: Obamacare Creates Another Round of Premium HikesHealthcare
Restoring the Dignity of Work
The benefits of work are widely known. Yet major welfare programs treat work as a burden instead of the pathway to prosperity. Restoring work in food stamps alone could improve…
Report
Read More: Restoring the Dignity of WorkHealthcare
Wolf’s Wrongheaded Veto Threat
Governor Wolf intends to veto Pennsylvania’s welfare code (HB 59) due to a reform contained within the bill—even though the reform can reduce poverty and stimulate economic growth. The modest reform instructs the…
Media
Read More: Wolf’s Wrongheaded Veto ThreatHealthcare
Five Medicaid Work Requirement Truths
Work leaves families better off. To ignore this fact and urge people to trust a failing Medicaid system is nothing short of a moral scandal.
Fact Sheet
Read More: Five Medicaid Work Requirement TruthsHealthcare
Higher Liquor Prices Just the Latest Hit to Pennsylvania Families
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board announced it would be arbitrarily raising prices on 422 wine and liquor products. This increase is a result of the “liquor modernization” efforts—which have…
Media
Read More: Higher Liquor Prices Just the Latest Hit to Pennsylvania FamiliesTaxes & Economy
SNAP Reform Shows Promising Results
Innovative work requirements have the potential to transform the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) from a program perpetuating poverty, to one fostering prosperity. Now, data released by the…
Media
Read More: SNAP Reform Shows Promising ResultsHealthcare
Obamacare Continues to Destabilize Health Insurance
Obamacare repeal efforts have included transformative Medicaid reform, but retained many of the regulations responsible for collapsing individual markets. On Friday, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department released shocking individual insurance rate requests…
Media
Read More: Obamacare Continues to Destabilize Health InsuranceState Budget
News Release: State House Promotes Pathway to Independence in Welfare Code
House lawmakers yesterday passed significant welfare reforms to reinforce the safety net for those most in need while helping more Pennsylvanians escape the cycle of poverty and move from dependency…
Press Release
Read More: News Release: State House Promotes Pathway to Independence in Welfare CodeHealthcare
Four Game Changing Welfare Reforms
The 2017-18 spending plan is now law, but officials still must find a way to pay for it. The latest version of the human services code bill includes a host…
Media
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Meaningful Welfare Reform Included in State Budget
State lawmakers are scrambling to create a revenue plan that can balance the $32 billion dollar spending plan passed by the legislature last week. While talks of tax hikes, borrowing…
Media
Read More: Meaningful Welfare Reform Included in State BudgetRegulation
Policy Memo: Ideas to Balance the 2017-18 Budget
With a spending plan in place, lawmakers should focus their efforts on reinventing state government to balance the budget, including ending horse racing subsidies.
Memo
Read More: Policy Memo: Ideas to Balance the 2017-18 BudgetCriminal Justice Reform
How to Revamp Pa.’s Criminal Justice System
Pennsylvania can reduce its prison population by more than 1,000 people while saving approximately $108 million over five years, according to a Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) Working Group Report.
Media
Read More: How to Revamp Pa.’s Criminal Justice SystemHealthcare
Welfare Reform Efforts Gain Traction
Tax hikes or spending reforms? That's the question before lawmakers as the annual scramble to the June 30th budget deadline proceeds. So it's no surprise lawmakers are turning their attention…
Media
Read More: Welfare Reform Efforts Gain TractionHealthcare
What the Senate ACA Repeal Plan Means for PA
A draft of the U.S. Senate GOP plan to repeal and replace Obamacare is out in the open. Overall, the bill is a step in right direction. The plan fundamentally…
Media
Read More: What the Senate ACA Repeal Plan Means for PAHealthcare
One Step Towards Redesigning Human Services
Governor Wolf’s proposal to merge four state agencies into the Department of Health and Human Services has the potential to benefit taxpayers and beneficiaries by eliminating bureaucratic redundancies and providing…
Media
Read More: One Step Towards Redesigning Human ServicesHealthcare
Obamacare’s Cost Increase Aren’t “Just Fine”
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”Criminal Justice Reform
Policy Memo: Principles for State Budget
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 BudgetHealthcare
PA’s Unaffordable Health Care Act Premiums
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 PremiumsHealthcare
Saving Medicaid
Obamacare proponents insist the American Health Care Act (AHCA) will cut $800 billion from Medicaid and jeopardize care for the disabled and children. This claim is oft-repeated, but it is patently false.
Media
Read More: Saving MedicaidCriminal Justice Reform
Senate Advances Bipartisan Criminal Justice Reform
Should bureaucratic inefficiencies decide the fate of parole violators? The obvious answer is no. That's just one reason why 38 senators voted in favor of SB 522. The legislation…
Media
Read More: Senate Advances Bipartisan Criminal Justice Reform