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Energy
Testimony of Nathan Benefield, Chief Policy Officer Commonwealth Foundation Senate Majority Policy Committee Hearing on Energy in Pennsylvania
Chairman Argall and members of the committee: Thank you for the opportunity to submit these remarks on increasing energy production in Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth Foundation promotes market-driven solutions that will…
Read More: Testimony of Nathan Benefield, Chief Policy Officer Commonwealth Foundation Senate Majority Policy Committee Hearing on Energy in Pennsylvania
Education
Funding School Buildings Instead of Students: How State Ready to Learn Block Grants Reward Failing Systems
Read More: Funding School Buildings Instead of Students: How State Ready to Learn Block Grants Reward Failing Systems
Education
Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Myths and Facts
Read More: Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Myths and Facts
Education
Civics Education for America’s 250th Birthday
Read More: Civics Education for America’s 250th BirthdayEducation
Tax Credit Scholarship Myths and Facts
Summary Pennsylvania’s tax credit scholarship programs, the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC), provide more than 100,000 scholarships annually to low- and middle-income K–12…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Tax Credit Scholarship Myths and FactsState Budget
What You Need to Know About Pennsylvania’s 2026-27 State Budget Deal
Summary Pennsylvania’s 2026–27 state budget deal is an improvement over Gov. Josh Shapiro’s reckless proposal, but it still spends too much and leaves taxpayers facing an even larger long-term structural…
Backgrounder
Read More: What You Need to Know About Pennsylvania’s 2026-27 State Budget DealState Budget
Deficit Watch: July 2026
Background Pennsylvania continues to face serious fiscal challenges. The enacted 2025–26 General Fund budget created a $4.6 billion structural deficit. Gov. Josh…
Deficit Watch
Read More: Deficit Watch: July 2026Health Care
Welfare Reform That Works: Reducing Waste, Fraud, and Dependency
Summary Pennsylvania’s labor force is expanding, Medicaid enrollment is returning to pre-pandemic levels, and fewer Pennsylvanians depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Administering Medicaid work requirements without abusing…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Welfare Reform That Works: Reducing Waste, Fraud, and DependencyEducation
2026 State of Education Spending in Pennsylvania
Overview Demographic trends, most notably declining enrollments, have led to empty school buildings that are costly to operate, forcing considerations on…
Backgrounder
Read More: 2026 State of Education Spending in PennsylvaniaEnergy
The Rising Cost of Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards
Summary Pennsylvania ratepayers have paid more than $3.3 billion in “green energy” mandates thanks to the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards (AEPS) Act. From 2020…
Fact Sheet
Read More: The Rising Cost of Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio StandardsState Budget
Balancing the 2026 State Budget
Controlling and Prioritizing Spending Can Help Balance the Budget Summary Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2026–27 budget proposal spends $3.2 billion more than last year and drains the Rainy-Day Fund, increasing the…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Balancing the 2026 State BudgetRegulation
A Free-Market Approach to Childcare
Testimony of Elizabeth Stelle, Vice President of PolicyCommonwealth FoundationHouse GOP Policy CommitteeHearing on Childcare AffordabilityJune 3, 2026 Chairman Rowe and members of the committee: Thank you for the invitation…
Testimony
Read More: A Free-Market Approach to ChildcareState Budget
Deficit Watch: June 2026
Background Pennsylvania continues to face serious fiscal challenges. The enacted 2025–26 General Fund budget created a $4.6 billion structural deficit. Gov. Josh…
Deficit Watch
Read More: Deficit Watch: June 2026State Budget
Progressives’ Radical Tax Hike Proposals
Overview Gov. Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania Democratic lawmakers have proposed a slew of tax increases and energy mandates that would significantly raise costs on families, workers, and businesses—while undermining the…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Progressives’ Radical Tax Hike ProposalsState Budget
A Budget You Can Afford
Summary Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2026–27 budget proposal is unaffordable. It calls for tax hikes that will raise the cost of living, wastes money on handouts to politically selected companies, and…
Fact Sheet
Read More: A Budget You Can AffordState Budget
Corporate Welfare in Governor Shapiro’s 2026–27 Budget Proposal
Summary High taxes and burdensome regulations continue to drive outmigration. Rather than improving the state’s tax and regulatory environment, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2026–27 budget proposal seeks to…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Corporate Welfare in Governor Shapiro’s 2026–27 Budget ProposalTaxes & Economy
Minimum Wage 2026
Summary The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry (L&I) numbers for 2025 show less than one percent of Pennsylvania workers (42,900) earn the minimum wage or…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Minimum Wage 2026Education
Pennsylvania’s Education Tax Credit Scholarships: How EITC Serves Children and Families In the Commonwealth | 2nd Edition
Key Findings Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) are state tax credit programs that provide over 100,000 students from low- to middle-income families access…
Report
Read More: Pennsylvania’s Education Tax Credit Scholarships: How EITC Serves Children and Families In the Commonwealth | 2nd EditionState Budget
Deficit Watch: May 2026
Background Pennsylvania continues to face serious fiscal challenges. The enacted 2025–26 General Fund budget created a $4.6 billion structural deficit. Gov. Josh…
Deficit Watch
Read More: Deficit Watch: May 2026Education
Education Landscape in Pennsylvania
Overview There are approximately two million school-age children in the commonwealth. Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) 2025–26 enrollment reports show 73.5 percent attend their assigned district…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Education Landscape in PennsylvaniaEnergy
Pennsylvania’s RGGI Odyssey
Six Years of Lost Investment Underline Danger of New State Energy Taxes Summary From 2019 to 2025, the looming implementation of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) chilled investment in Pennsylvania’s electric grid. For six…
Backgrounder
Read More: Pennsylvania’s RGGI OdysseyPublic Union Democracy
Full Court Press: Pennsylvania Union Political Spending in 2025
Key Points Political action committees (PACs) affiliated with trade unions and government unions spent $22.4 million in monetary and in-kind political activity in 2025, a year with few legislative elections…
Backgrounder
Read More: Full Court Press: Pennsylvania Union Political Spending in 2025Education
Education Tax Credits Deliver Over 100,000 Scholarships, Yet Waitlists Remain
Summary For the first time since inception, Pennsylvania scholarship organizations awarded over 100,000 scholarships during the 2023–24 school year through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Education Tax Credits Deliver Over 100,000 Scholarships, Yet Waitlists RemainState Budget
Deficit Watch: April 2026
Background Pennsylvania continues to face serious fiscal challenges. The enacted 2025–26 General Fund budget created a $4.6 billion structural deficit. Gov. Josh…
Deficit Watch
Read More: Deficit Watch: April 2026State Budget
Deficit Watch: March 2026
Background Pennsylvania continues to face serious fiscal challenges. The enacted 2025–26 General Fund budget created a $4.6 billion structural deficit. Gov. Josh…
Deficit Watch
Read More: Deficit Watch: March 2026