Prosperity
Reforms would reduce poverty, increase prosperity
Originally published on LNP On Tuesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro will deliver his first annual state budget address to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. While he hasn’t unveiled the details of…
Read More: Reforms would reduce poverty, increase prosperityEvery family, business owner, and taxpayer in Pennsylvania should be able to increase their financial security without undue interference from our state government. Free-market policies that limit taxes, allow entrepreneurs to innovate and create jobs, and offer stability to families will put our state on track to become a national leader. Policies that enact spending limits, cut taxes, and reduce regulations will help Pennsylvania avoid debt and restore sound fiscal planning that will benefit citizens in the years to come.
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State Budget
Marijuana Money Can’t Fix the Budget
The dollars involved are small and legalization would create new expenses.
Memo
Read More: Marijuana Money Can’t Fix the BudgetEnergy
Lawmakers Fight Wolf on Cap and Trade Plan
Governor Wolf is determined to pull Pennsylvania into a multi-state compact that restricts carbon dioxide emissions and raises the cost of power. But thanks to the natural gas revolution Pennsylvania…
Commentary
Read More: Lawmakers Fight Wolf on Cap and Trade PlanHealth Care
Lawmakers Push to Do Better, Rebuild Our Economy
Today the Republicans in the Pa. House attempted to override the Governor’s veto of HR 836, the bill that would end Pennsylvania’s 6-month long state of emergency and the…
Commentary
Read More: Lawmakers Push to Do Better, Rebuild Our EconomyRegulation
Lawmakers Try to Stop Restaurant Catastrophe
Bars and restaurants in Pennsylvania are sounding the alarm, warning that mass closures are on the horizon due to unnecessarily strict government regulations. A new report from the …
Media
Read More: Lawmakers Try to Stop Restaurant CatastropheTaxes & Economy
Wolf Takes More Federal Money, Complains About It
Governor Wolf is focused more on wrangling over unemployment aid than lowering unemployment.
Commentary
Read More: Wolf Takes More Federal Money, Complains About ItHealth Care
Preserving Medicaid: How to Stop Shortchanging Patients and Bankrupting Taxpayers
Pennsylvania is a Medicaid leader in all the wrong ways. Enrollment has skyrocketed beyond population growth, and the state ranks fourth in the share of the state budget consumed by Medicaid.
Report
Read More: Preserving Medicaid: How to Stop Shortchanging Patients and Bankrupting TaxpayersEducation
Unleashing Educational Opportunity
Applying cautious estimates, this study finds that the two private school choice programs in Pennsylvania are expected to provide billions in long-run economic benefits from higher lifetime earnings, fewer high…
Report
Read More: Unleashing Educational OpportunityHealth Care
Struggling Small Businesses Overwhelm Govt. Lifeline
Nearly 50,000 Pennsylvania small businesses applied for COVID relief grants from state government over the last two weeks, catching bureaucrats off guard as local businesses continue to see steep revenue…
Media
Read More: Struggling Small Businesses Overwhelm Govt. LifelineEducation
The Race to Rebuild: How Pa. Can Bounce Back After COVID-19
Pennsylvanians are facing some of the biggest challenges of their lifetimes. It is time for lawmakers to launch a race to rebuild Pennsylvania using the following policy solutions.
Report
Read More: The Race to Rebuild: How Pa. Can Bounce Back After COVID-19Regulation
Competition, Not Corporate Welfare: 3 Ways to Help All Businesses Flourish
To effectively promote economic growth and job creation, policymakers need to stop investing tax dollars in failed programs and start enacting policies that benefit a wide range of job creators.
Memo
Read More: Competition, Not Corporate Welfare: 3 Ways to Help All Businesses FlourishEnergy
Pa. Can Energize Its Energy Sector by Cutting Red Tape—Not with Industry Subsidies
This week the state legislature passed House Bill 732. The bill—designed to exempt volunteer service providers from a 1 percent realty transfer tax— now offers tax credits to the…
Memo
Read More: Pa. Can Energize Its Energy Sector by Cutting Red Tape—Not with Industry SubsidiesGovernment Accountability
5 Ways Lawmakers can Avert a COVID-19 Lawsuit Frenzy
The economy is reopening, but the threat of lawsuits from COIVD-19 exposure is just beginning.
Fact Sheet
Read More: 5 Ways Lawmakers can Avert a COVID-19 Lawsuit FrenzyHealth Care
2020: The year of challenges, can be the year of solutions
This year started rough and it isn’t slowing down. While some of these tragedies don’t have a policy solution, many do. One such example is COVID-19, telehealth, and ensuring that our…
Commentary
Read More: 2020: The year of challenges, can be the year of solutionsRegulation
Wine Distributors Sue the Liquor Control Board
The PLCB ignored the law for years by refusing to permit direct delivery. A judge may finally force them.
Commentary
Read More: Wine Distributors Sue the Liquor Control BoardGovernment Accountability
CF Amicus Brief Calls out Wolf for Overstepping his Authority
Commonwealth Foundation filed an amicus curiae brief in the case of Wolf v. Scarnati et. al.—arguing that the Governor must follow the legislature’s concurrent resolution to end the declaration of…
Testimony
Read More: CF Amicus Brief Calls out Wolf for Overstepping his AuthorityRegulation
Occupational Licensing Reform Passes Unanimously, Goes to Wolf
June 25, 2020, Harrisburg, Pa. — The Pa. General Assembly unanimously passed SB 637 (Sens. DiSanto and Schwank), a bill that will remove professional licensing employment barriers for roughly 3 million…
Press Release
Read More: Occupational Licensing Reform Passes Unanimously, Goes to WolfCriminal Justice Reform
Lawmakers Move Two Key Criminal Justice Reforms
Pennsylvania General lawmakers moved two key criminal justice reform bills aimed at improving Pennsylvania’s onerous probation system and limiting the excessive burdens of a criminal record.
Memo
Read More: Lawmakers Move Two Key Criminal Justice ReformsState Budget
Strange Budget for Strange Times: 2020-2021 State Budget Overview
State assembly funds the government through November with a budget chock full of federal aid. …
Memo
Read More: Strange Budget for Strange Times: 2020-2021 State Budget OverviewGovernment Accountability
Pa?s unemployment rate down in May, but still at near-record levels
More than 13% of Pennsylvania workers were officially unemployed in May, according to U.S. Department of Labor data released Friday. That’s an improvement from April’s record-setting 15.1% unemployment rate, but still the second highest rate…
Media
Read More: Pa?s unemployment rate down in May, but still at near-record levelsCriminal Justice Reform
Legislation Moves to Reform Licensing Laws for Citizens with Criminal Records
With a unanimous committee vote, the state House has opened the door to prosperity for 3 million Pennsylvanians. This week, the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee passed legislation helping incarcerated citizens…
Media
Read More: Legislation Moves to Reform Licensing Laws for Citizens with Criminal RecordsGovernment Accountability
Top 10 PLCB Boondoggles
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has survived debacle after debacle. The closures around COVID-19 are just the most recent example of the PLCB's incompetence. Here are the top 10 PLCB…
Commentary
Read More: Top 10 PLCB Boondoggles