State Budget

Health Care

One Step Towards Redesigning Human Services

• Elizabeth Stelle
• June 15, 2017

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

Regulation

Policy Points: Pennsylvania’s Debt Burden

• June 15, 2017

State and local debt levels have exploded since 2002. When combined with the commonwealth’s unfunded liabilities, total state obligations exceed $17,600 for every Pennsylvania resident.

Fact Sheet

Regulation

Pennsylvania Ranks Poorly…Again

• Colleen Hroncich
• June 14, 2017

Redesigning state government has never been more important. For evidence, check out Pennsylvania’s poor performance in U.S. News & World Report’s recent Best States Rankings. Overall, the study puts the…

Media

Criminal Justice Reform

Policy Memo: Principles for State Budget

• Nathan Benefield
• June 14, 2017

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

State Budget

Three States Offer a Glimpse into Pennsylvania’s Three Possible Futures

• June 7, 2017

Raising taxes on the wealthy is the answer to Pennsylvania’s fiscal problems. At least, that’s what we’re told by government union executives and their allies. But Connecticut's experience paints a very…

Media

Regulation

Pennsylvania Deficit Watch: June 2017

• June 5, 2017

For the first time in seven months, the commonwealth’s revenue collections exceeded expectations. Pennsylvania collected $2.6 billion in May—$98.5 million more than anticipated. Still, total collections remain approximately…

Media

State Budget

Send a Message on Tax Hikes

• June 2, 2017

Pennsylvania doesn't need to spend more, we need to spend smarter. Let your lawmakers know that taxes are high enough. Email Gov. Wolf and your state lawmakers today.  …

Media

Criminal Justice Reform

Senate Advances Bipartisan Criminal Justice Reform

• May 26, 2017

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

Education

School District Spending, Rainy Day Funds are Surging—Again

• James Paul
• May 18, 2017

Americans love Springtime—and for good reason! With Spring comes warm weather, blooming flowers, and baseball season. Most importantly, Spring is time for new data from Pennsylvania’s Department of Education—which yesterday…

Media

Regulation

Liquor “Modernization” a Financial Flop

• Nathan Benefield
• May 12, 2017

Last year, the legislature enacted a law allowing restaurants and a small number of grocery stores to sell wine and “modernizing” the government liquor stores to “run more like…

Media

State Budget

Charting Pennsylvania’s Past Can Shape Its Future

• May 12, 2017

Decades of poor policy decisions have contributed to Pennsylvania’s current fiscal struggles. Not coincidentally, as the size and scope of government has increased, so have the commonwealth’s financial and economic…

Media

State Budget

PA.’s Fiscal Picture in 10 Charts

• May 8, 2017

Commentary

State Budget

News Release: 5 Ways State Government Can Help Small Businesses Grow

• May 4, 2017

“Jobs that pay” is one of Gov. Wolf’s three key priorities. But who creates these jobs? Not government. Small businesses provide 55 percent of all jobs and account for 66…

Media

State Budget

Pennsylvania Deficit Watch: May 2017

• May 3, 2017

Pennsylvania’s financial problems continue to mount. April’s revenue collections were well below the Department of Revenue’s official estimate, which means the state’s deficit will likely be larger than expected.

Media

Regulation

Should Pennsylvania Subsidize Horse Racing?

• May 2, 2017

Last month the House passed a General Fund budget that included more than $56 million in corporate welfare reductions. At the time, we indicated even more reductions were possible given…

Media

Regulation

The Keystone State of Corporate Welfare

• April 27, 2017

Pennsylvania’s corporate welfare culture is pervasive. The state has the dubious distinction of leading the nation in subsidy payments since 2007—without getting much in return. This large transfer of wealth…

Media

State Budget

Adventures in State Budget Wonderland

• April 26, 2017

In Lewis Carroll’s classic wonderland tale, Alice famously asks the Cheshire Cat, “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” the…

Media

State Budget

Pa.’s Economic Outlook is Poor but Not Permanent

• April 21, 2017

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) released its annual Rich States, Poor States’ report, which includes economic rankings for each state. Unfortunately, the news isn’t good for Pennsylvania. The state…

Media

State Budget

News Release: Pa. Spends Nearly One-Third of Year Working to Pay Taxes

• April 20, 2017

April 18 was this year’s tax return filing deadline, but how long do Pennsylvanians work to earn enough to pay their total tax bill? In 2017, that date—dubbed Tax Freedom…

Press Release

State Budget

Pennsylvania Deficit Watch: April 2017

• April 10, 2017

Revenue collections fell below expectations for the fifth consecutive month. The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue reported collections of approximately $4.4 billion last week, which was $229.6 million less than…

Media

Regulation

House Budget Represents a Step Towards Fiscal Stewardship

• April 4, 2017

House Republicans committed to changing Pennsylvania yesterday. The caucus released its proposed 2017-18 budget, which stands in stark contrast to Gov. Wolf’s tax-and-spend proposals. The House Appropriations Committee has…

Media