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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Education
Gov. Shapiro Poised to Raid Rainy Day Fund, Unprecedented Move Violates Law and Undermines Legislature
Harrisburg, Pa., September 29, 2023 – The Commonwealth Foundation expresses strong concern that Gov. Shapiro is ignoring the law and usurping the constitutional role of the legislative branch in the state…
Press Release
Read More: Gov. Shapiro Poised to Raid Rainy Day Fund, Unprecedented Move Violates Law and Undermines LegislatureEducation
Gov. Shapiro’s New Hampshire Keynote Undermined by Legislative Failures, Incomplete Budget
Harrisburg, Pa., September 29, 2023 — Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was recently announced as the keynote speaker at the 2023 New Hampshire Democratic Party Convention. His appearance in Bedford, New Hampshire—one of…
Press Release
Read More: Gov. Shapiro’s New Hampshire Keynote Undermined by Legislative Failures, Incomplete BudgetEducation
Commonwealth Foundation Survey Finds Voters Are Clear: “It’s the Economy, Stupid”
Harrisburg, Pa., September 28, 2023—Inflation continues to be the number one problem facing Pennsylvania voters, according to a poll released today by the Commonwealth Foundation. The Common Ground in the Commonwealth…
Press Release
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Survey Finds Voters Are Clear: “It’s the Economy, Stupid”Regulation
How Overregulated Is Pennsylvania?
Summary Pennsylvania has a major problem: it’s dangerously overregulated. According to a September 2023 Commonwealth Foundation study, “Cutting Red Tape in Pennsylvania,” the Keystone State enforces a whopping 166,219…
Fact Sheet
Read More: How Overregulated Is Pennsylvania?Energy
Electric vehicles are not without environmental consequences
Originally published at The Philadelphia Inquirer Pennsylvania is the country’s third-largest producer of electricity, behind only Texas and Florida. The bulk of our state’s energy…
Media Hit
Read More: Electric vehicles are not without environmental consequencesEducation
State House Democrats need to do their jobs
Originally published at LNP Lawmakers have one job: Work for the people they represent. This job requirement is as old as Pennsylvania when William Penn founded the Provincial Assembly…
Media Hit
Read More: State House Democrats need to do their jobsEducation
Analysis: Shapiro Least Productive Governor with a Divided Government
Harrisburg, Pa., September 21, 2023 — Pennsylvania state lawmakers have enacted only 15 bills during the first six months of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration, despite having a full-time legislature, according to…
Press Release
Read More: Analysis: Shapiro Least Productive Governor with a Divided GovernmentEducation
Shapiro’s Legislative Record: Last in Nation Among Divided Governments
Overview An analysis by the Commonwealth Foundation of bills enacted in the first half of 2023 reveals Pennsylvania has been the least productive among states with divided government. This analysis…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Shapiro’s Legislative Record: Last in Nation Among Divided GovernmentsRegulation
New Study: Pennsylvania’s Overregulation Harms Economy and Costs Jobs
Harrisburg, Pa., September 19, 2023 — Reducing Pennsylvania state regulations by 36 percent would increase the state’s gross domestic product by $9.2 billion a year, a new Commonwealth Foundation…
Press Release
Read More: New Study: Pennsylvania’s Overregulation Harms Economy and Costs JobsRegulation
Cutting Red Tape in Pennsylvania
This report presents findings from Mercatus Center’s State RegData database, analyzing regulations in the Pennsylvania Code as of 2022. The report provides an overview of state regulations, how Pennsylvania’s regulatory…
Executive Summary
Read More: Cutting Red Tape in PennsylvaniaEducation
Pa. House Majority Leader Matt Bradford’s failed leadership
Originally published in The Mercury The Pennsylvania budget remains unfinished, while Pennsylvania House lawmakers remain on vacation (in recess) until the end of September. While it’s up to Speaker…
Media Hit
Read More: Pa. House Majority Leader Matt Bradford’s failed leadershipOpportunity
Jennifer Stefano: All that’s lost when teens don’t work
Philadelphia Inquirer columnist and Commonwealth Foundation Executive Vice President Jennifer Stefano, in her recent column, laments the decline of teenage employment and the life lessons that teenagers miss when they don’t…
Press Release
Read More: Jennifer Stefano: All that’s lost when teens don’t workOpportunity
All that’s lost when teens don’t work
Originally published at The Philadelphia Inquirer At a back-to-school night this year, I chatted with a group of moms who had kids in high school. Their teens’ summers were…
Media Hit
Read More: All that’s lost when teens don’t workEnergy
Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) Mandates in Pennsylvania
Key Points Studies show adopting Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) criteria is not associated with better labor or environmental regulatory compliance. Emerging studies show ESG criteria are associated with lower…
Backgrounder
Read More: Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) Mandates in PennsylvaniaEnergy
Governor Josh Shapiro’s Wrong Approach to Grid Reliability
Originally published at RealClearEnergy Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has asked regional power grid operators to enhance the electricity system’s dependability—and he’s got ideas about how to do it. But his…
Media Hit
Read More: Governor Josh Shapiro’s Wrong Approach to Grid ReliabilityEducation
House Democrats Need to Get Back to Work
Originally published at Delaware Valley Journal Pennsylvania House Democrats have been acting busy during the state budget impasse—an impasse their own majority leader, Rep. Matt Bradford, inexplicably denied existed…
Media Hit
Read More: House Democrats Need to Get Back to WorkState Budget
Takeaways from the Unfinished 2023–24 State Budget
Summary The state budget remains unfinished. While Gov. Josh Shapiro signed off on the general appropriation bill (House Bill 611), authorizing more than $40 billion in state general fund spending,…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Takeaways from the Unfinished 2023–24 State BudgetRegulation
Gov. Shapiro’s First Six Months the Least Productive in 50 Years
Harrisburg, Pa., August 8, 2023 –Gov. Josh Shapiro has overseen the least productive freshman legislative session in at least 50 years, a new Commonwealth Foundation analysis has found. In the first…
Press Release
Read More: Gov. Shapiro’s First Six Months the Least Productive in 50 YearsRegulation
Shapiro’s First Six Months Least Productive Legislatively in 50 Years
Overview An analysis by the Commonwealth Foundation of bills signed reveals Gov. Josh Shapiro’s first six months were the least productive of any gubernatorial term in at least 50 years.
Fact Sheet
Read More: Shapiro’s First Six Months Least Productive Legislatively in 50 YearsEducation
Underserved students face uncertain future following Gov. Shapiro’s budget decision
Harrisburg, Pa., August 3, 2023 – Commonwealth Foundation Senior Vice President Nathan Benefield issued the following statement following Gov. Josh Shapiro’s decision to line-item veto the Pennsylvania Award for Student…
Press Release
Read More: Underserved students face uncertain future following Gov. Shapiro’s budget decisionEducation
Jennifer Stefano: Forget I-95, Gov. Shapiro should slash the bureaucracy for everybody
Gov. Josh Shapiro should expand the use of bureaucracy-slashing tactics like those that helped expedite I-95 repairs, columnist and Commonwealth Foundation Executive Vice President Jennifer Stefano wrote Monday in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Press Release
Read More: Jennifer Stefano: Forget I-95, Gov. Shapiro should slash the bureaucracy for everybody