Media

Economic Growth Boosts Prosperity, not Minimum Wage Hikes

• Nathan Benefield
• November 20, 2019

November 20, 2019, Harrisburg, Pa. — Today, the Pennsylvania Senate passed legislation to hike the commonwealth’s minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $9.50 per hour by 2022. Commonwealth Foundation Vice…

Press Release

Government Accountability

Sunlight is Always Welcome

• November 20, 2019

Pennsylvania’s two state-wide public pension systems are deeply underfunded. They only have about sixty cents in assets available for each dollar of promised payouts, which means they are at…

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Education

Harrisburg Children One Step Closer to the Quality Education They Deserve

• November 19, 2019

Financial mismanagement. Student violence. State receivership. FBI investigation. These are the headlines Harrisburg families have been confronting for years—even decades. That's why the House Education Committee advanced legislation, HB 1800, sponsored…

Press Release

State Budget

It Won’t Get Easier: Our Take on the State’s Five Year Outlook

• Andrew Abramczyk
• November 18, 2019

Last week the Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) presented its annual set of fiscal and economic projections for the next five years. The full report and summary presentation are available…

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Regulation

The O-Zone Hole

• Andrew Abramczyk
• November 15, 2019

State and national governments sometimes designate “Economic Opportunity Zones,” geographic areas wherein they give tax breaks to incentivize investment. If opportunity zones are such a great idea, though, why not…

Media

State Budget

Pennsylvania’s Overspending: A $1 Billion-Per-Year Disaster in the Making

• Nathan Benefield
• November 15, 2019

November 15, 2019, Harrisburg, Pa. — A new report from the Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office projects that state government will run annual deficits around $1 billion for…

Press Release

State Budget

Pennsylvania Needs the Ramsey Method

• Tirzah Duren
• November 12, 2019

High debt, reckless spending, and impending financial ruin. That description fits both Pennsylvania and budget guru Dave Ramsey’s life before he achieved financial stability. The Ramsey method has helped millions of…

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Education

Gov. Wolf Makes History by Signing PA GI Bill

• Marc LeBlond
• November 11, 2019

On Veterans Day, we remember how much military service members sacrifice for the rest of us. Last week, Gov. Wolf gathered with military members and lawmakers to thank them…

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Taxes & Economy

Pennsylvania’s Business Climate is a Gamble for Entrepreneurs

• Tirzah Duren
• November 6, 2019

60, 61, 29, 45! While these might sound like Powerball numbers, they are actually state rankings that highlight just how lucky businesses in Pennsylvania aren’t. Across different measurements of the state’s business…

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Education

3 Charter School Facts Gov. Wolf Hopes You Won’t Notice

• November 1, 2019

Pennsylvania charter schools are “wildly ineffective.” They produce “abysmal results.” They “aren’t moving the needle” on test results. If you believe the detractors, charter schools are worse than pointless.

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Education

Conscientious Objectors to Choice

• Lenny McAllister
• November 1, 2019

Once again, the most vulnerable in our Commonwealth are in a battle without fully realizing it. That was clear to me during my testimony before the Pennsylvania Senate’s Education…

Media

Education

Betsy DeVos Touts Education Freedom Scholarships During Harrisburg Visit

• Kevin Mooney
• October 31, 2019

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ visit to Harrisburg Catholic Elementary School in September was a great opportunity to highlight school choice in Pennsylvania and beyond. But most national media outlets that…

Media

Regulation

Sparks Fly Over Creating a Carbon Tax in Pa.

• Tirzah Duren
• October 29, 2019

Walk outs, tin foil hats, and shouts from the audience characterized a tense House Energy and Environmental Resources hearing on Governor Wolf’s executive order to join the Regional…

Media

Education

Former PSEA Director Says Union Flip-Flopped on Charters

• Marc LeBlond
• October 29, 2019

“When I was at PSEA we embraced charter schools.” Those are surprising words from former PSEA Executive Director Carolyn Dumaresq. And they carry even more weight, given she was…

Media

Regulation

Wolf’s Wage Mandate will Harm Workers

• October 28, 2019

Fewer jobs, reduced hours, cuts to take home pay. That’s what Pennsylvanians are facing now that Gov. Wolf’s overtime wage mandates are moving forward. Initially, Wolf wanted to increase the…

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Regulation

Fleeing Philly

• October 23, 2019

Roughly 60,000 people leave Philadelphia every year, significantly more than those who move in from other towns or cities according to a Pew Charitable Trusts survey.[1]…

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Education

Union Donations to Gov. Wolf Drown Out School Choice

• Kevin Mooney
• October 23, 2019

Charter schools remain in the crosshairs of the teachers’ unions and their government allies.  That much is made evident in the proposals, resolutions and other public statements the National Education…

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Education

Charter Schools Senate Hearing: Giving Parents Options Should Not Be Optional

• Colleen Hroncich
• October 22, 2019

Do charter schools work? That was the focus of a Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee hearing today. The 3-hour meeting featured five different panels discussing various aspects of charter schools…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Wolf Pollutes the Discussion on RGGI

• Tirzah Duren
• October 18, 2019

Power plants aren’t the only things blowing smoke in Pennsylvania. Governor Wolf’s executive order forcing the state to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is based on deceptive “findings.” And…

Media

Miss Virginia: How One Mom’s Fight Led to Opportunity for Thousands

• Marc LeBlond
• October 18, 2019

“MISS WALDEN!” The words of reproach thundered from the dais of a Congressional hearing room. But rather than shirk back at the rebuke from her congresswoman, Virginia Walden doubled down.

Media

Education

Charter School 101

• Colleen Hroncich
• October 15, 2019

Nearly 140,000 Pennsylvania students attend charter schools. Despite their popularity, misconceptions about charter schools abound. Here are answers to some common questions about this public alternative to district schools.

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