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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Regulation
Only Six Months in and Pension Reform Is Already Making a Difference
Planting a fruit tree. Saving up for a cruise. Raising kids. Good results take time and patience. That’s definitely been true for pension reform. Passed back in 2017, the impacts…
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Read More: Only Six Months in and Pension Reform Is Already Making a DifferenceState Budget
Applause for ‘Mature’ Debt Reform, but More Needed
Good policy isn’t always controversial. House Bill 24, which was signed into law on July 2, caused no floor theatrics, mass tweeting, or activist howls. The bill, proposed by Rep. John Lawrence…
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Budget Earmarks: Sneaky and Unconstitutional
A wise buyer should always read the fine print, but it isn’t easy. Documents like cell phone contracts and software user agreements can be hard to read, often by design. The dense language…
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Heavy Tax Burdens Weigh Down Job Growth
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) is expected to create 1.2 million jobs across the country in its first decade. I recently wrote about the ongoing benefits Pennsylvania is reaping thanks…
Media
Read More: Heavy Tax Burdens Weigh Down Job GrowthEducation
Getting Real About Education Spending
Another budget season has come and gone in Harrisburg. As usual, education spending was one of the hottest topics. Constant demands for “more money” by teachers’ unions and their…
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Those are Drilling Rigs, Not Money Trees
“Money doesn’t grow on trees,” my mother regularly declaimed in her impromptu lessons on financial literacy. Too bad she’s not with us to explain this to Governor Wolf: neither the Marcellus…
Media
Read More: Those are Drilling Rigs, Not Money TreesCriminal Justice Reform
Does Justice Reinvestment Work?
One of the foremost, data-driven efforts in the nation to make criminal justice truly fair and effective is under consideration in the Pennsylvania House after a unanimous vote in the…
Media
Read More: Does Justice Reinvestment Work?State Budget
This Year’s Budget Continues Past Trends
The 2019-2020 budget spending bill is on the governor’s desk and lawmakers are claiming it represents an increase of only 1.8 percent over last year. If this were true, it would…
Media
Read More: This Year’s Budget Continues Past TrendsState Budget
Budget Spares Taxpayers, Boosts School Choice, but Leaves Much Undone
June 28, 2019, Harrisburg, Pa.—Today, lawmakers put the finishing touches on a state budget that spares Pennsylvanians from tax hikes, grows the state’s beleaguered Rainy Day Fund, and boosts school…
Press Release
Read More: Budget Spares Taxpayers, Boosts School Choice, but Leaves Much UndoneState Budget
State Can Build on Tax Reform Boom
To attract the investment and job creators that will secure our future, we can—and must—do better. Luckily, lawmakers have the blueprint they need to make our state competitive: Control spending…
Commentary
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Common EITC and OSTC Misconceptions
“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.” This saying is even more true in the internet age. Case in point: recent falsehoods…
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Five Things Lawmakers Should Know About the State Budget Deal
Less than a week before the start of the 2019-20 fiscal year, legislative leaders unveiled a proposed state budget—including both the spending and revenue outline, and several policy changes that…
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The RGGI Offers Nothing to Pennsylvania
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Read More: The RGGI Offers Nothing to PennsylvaniaRegulation
Consumers not Bureaucrats Should Determine the Number of Liquor Licenses
The return of expired liquor licenses—miraculous resurrection or terrifying zombification? Well, depends on who you ask. Since 2016, when Act 39 allowed expired liquor licenses to return to the…
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Future Growth Depends on Today’s Lawmakers
Federal tax cuts made Pennsylvania’s current economic growth possible, but state reform could make it sustainable. Today Pennsylvanians are enjoying $866 million in surplus state revenue, an all-time low unemployment rate,…
Media
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Lawmakers Show Signs of Budget Restraint
When state revenues outpace spending there’s always a temptation to spend more—in fact, even when revenues fall short…
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Liquor Privatization: Time to Push Again
A Pennsylvania grocery or convenience store can be a confusing place. Out-of-state visitors are puzzled when they first encounter separate checkout lines for alcohol and non-alcoholic items. Last-minute party planners…
Media
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Fiscal Forgetfulness
Next year the governor wants to spend $1.4 billion more than he requested for this year, according to his recent budget proposal. Separately he’ll need as much as $750 million…
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Corrections Reform for Safer Communities
Nowadays, Republicans and Democrats struggle to find common ground. In the rare moments when they do, you can be sure you’ve got a winning policy. Last week, the Pennsylvania Senate…
Media
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The Truth About Wages
There is one undoubted truth in debates about wages: everyone wants them to go up. Unfortunately, lawmakers can’t force everyone’s wage to increase, unless they are willing to destroy tens…
Media
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The Shadow Budget Comes to Light
The shadow budget is coming into the light in an unlikely way this…
Media
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