Energy
Commonwealth Foundation Applauds Senate’s Passage of Historic Tax Cuts
Harrisburg, Pa., May 7, 2024 — Today, the Pennsylvania Senate passed Senate Bill (SB) 269, a bill to substantially reduce personal income taxes and lower Pennsylvanians’ electricity bills. Advanced by a…
Read More: Commonwealth Foundation Applauds Senate’s Passage of Historic Tax CutsHigh taxes make for a slow-growing economy. And communities feel the pinch of high taxes as more and more native Pennsylvanians leave the Keystone State to prosper elsewhere. To remain economically competitive, Pennsylvania must lower state taxes and ensure businesses have the opportunity to succeed. Lower taxes will incentivize more individuals to call Pennsylvania their home, ultimately spurring our statewide economy forward.
Health Care
Welfare Reform is Sweeping the Nation
“Right now, America combines near-record-low unemployment with near-record-high welfare dependency — the result of state-level eligibility exemptions, federal loopholes and policies that put work on the back burner.” Those are…
Media
Read More: Welfare Reform is Sweeping the NationTaxes & Economy
The Dignity of Work in Rural Pennsylvania
The Brockway Center for Arts and Technology (BCAT) is only five years old, but it has helped over 100 unemployed and underemployed Pennsylvanians find fulfilling and family-sustaining healthcare careers.
Media
Read More: The Dignity of Work in Rural PennsylvaniaRegulation
Solving Pa.’s Corporate Welfare Problem is Key to Tax Reform
Gov. Wolf’s budget proposal projects a small reduction in corporate welfare spending. When compared to the current budget, spending would decline by more than $26 million. However,…
Media
Read More: Solving Pa.’s Corporate Welfare Problem is Key to Tax ReformTaxes & Economy
House Passes Work-Promoting Medicaid Reform
Today, the state House passed legislation, HB 2138, promoting independence among healthy, adult Medicaid recipients by requiring them to find part-time work or engage in job training to continue receiving…
Press Release
Read More: House Passes Work-Promoting Medicaid ReformRegulation
Pull the Reins on Horse Racing Subsidies
A horse is a horse, of course, of course, unless it's a Pennsylvania racehorse—then it's the symbol of government waste and an industry in decline. (Is that how this…
Media
Read More: Pull the Reins on Horse Racing SubsidiesState Budget
People Everywhere Just Want to Be Free (Of Taxes)
Pennsylvanians work nearly four months a year just to pay the taxes imposed at the various levels of government. This is just one of the many findings in the Tax…
Media
Read More: People Everywhere Just Want to Be Free (Of Taxes)Health Care
House Takes Step Towards Transformative Welfare Reform
Lawmakers took a significant step towards strengthening human service programs today. The House Health Committee passed HB 2138 with bipartisan support to restore the dignity of work for people…
Media
Read More: House Takes Step Towards Transformative Welfare ReformState Budget
How to Craft a Responsible Budget
Under Gov. Wolf, total state spending has risen by nearly $5.3 billion. This includes more than $2.9 billion in new General Fund spending—a sum exceeding the combined spending increases of…
Media
Read More: How to Craft a Responsible BudgetHealth Care
What’s the Goal of Welfare Reform?
Pennsylvania's welfare system focuses on how much one needs to “get by” or how many different services and programs one can qualify for. These are well-intentioned attitudes that stem from…
Media
Read More: What’s the Goal of Welfare Reform?Energy
The State of Natural Gas in Pa.
Pennsylvania’s regulatory and tax environment is stunting job growth and deterring investment. A decade after the Marcellus Shale boom, lawmakers are still debating how to tax the industry instead of…
Fact Sheet
Read More: The State of Natural Gas in Pa.Taxes & Economy
More Dependency Isn’t the Answer to PA Poverty
Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller wants more people on food stamps (or SNAP). In a hearing with the Senate Appropriations Committee, she argued that because the program…
Media
Read More: More Dependency Isn’t the Answer to PA PovertyState Budget
Exposing the Shadow Budget
The state budget process needs an overhaul. Over the last two years, Pennsylvanians have witnessed unbalanced budgets, unsustainable spending increases, and harmful tax hikes. Additionally, a gross lack of financial…
Memo
Read More: Exposing the Shadow BudgetRegulation
Infrastructure Investment Doesn’t Require Growing Government
Nearly everyone agrees infrastructure is vital to the success of an economy. And while most infrastructure is provided by the private sector, the government does play a role. This…
Media
Read More: Infrastructure Investment Doesn’t Require Growing GovernmentHealth Care
Missing the Mark in Medicaid
When it comes to welfare, state government asks the wrong question. That’s the premise of Rep. Kerry Benninghoff’s views on welfare reform in the latest Brews and Views podcast.
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Read More: Missing the Mark in MedicaidRegulation
House Committee Embraces Pro-Growth Reforms
On Tuesday the House State Government Committee voted to advance regulatory reforms that could restart Pennsylvania’s stagnant economy. Legislators advanced three bills included in a regulatory reform…
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Read More: House Committee Embraces Pro-Growth ReformsEducation
The Reality of PA School Spending
The debate over education funding has found its way into the courts. Several school districts and residents are suing the state to fix an allegedly “unfair, inadequate and unconstitutional” school…
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Read More: The Reality of PA School SpendingHealth Care
Pressure Mounts to Create a Pathway to Prosperity in Medicaid
During state budget hearings this week, Pennsylvanians learned some unwelcome news about healthy adults added to Medicaid under the Obamacare expansion: less than half are working. The Department of Human Services (DHS)…
Media
Read More: Pressure Mounts to Create a Pathway to Prosperity in MedicaidTaxes & Economy
State Tax Reform Will Improve Pennsylvanians’ Lives
Federal tax reform is having a positive impact on working people throughout the country, including right here in Pennsylvania. Companies have announced bonuses, wage increases, and enhanced retirement benefits for…
Media
Read More: State Tax Reform Will Improve Pennsylvanians’ LivesEducation
Philadelphia’s Soda Tax Falls Flat
Mayor Jim Kenney's administration has scaled back its pre-K program goals after Philadelphia's soda tax failed to meet revenue projections. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the city is reducing the…
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Read More: Philadelphia’s Soda Tax Falls FlatCriminal Justice Reform
Pennsylvania’s Overspending Problem Still Proving Costly
To balance last year’s budget, Gov. Wolf and lawmakers agreed to dedicate a portion of Tobacco Settlement Fund payments to cover a $1.5 billion bond issuance. This decision to…
Media
Read More: Pennsylvania’s Overspending Problem Still Proving CostlyTaxes & Economy
Minimum Wage Hike Short-Changes Teens
Higher minimum wages have driven a decline in teenage employment since 2000, according to the Mercatus Center. . . . higher minimum wages are associated with a lower…
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Read More: Minimum Wage Hike Short-Changes Teens