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Education
Key Takeaways from Governor’s 2024 Budget Proposal
Key Points Gov. Josh Shapiro’s startling spending increases and myriad of new initiatives would explode the budget deficit and invite massive tax hikes on working families in the coming years.
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Public Union Democracy
Shapiro’s Project Labor Agreement Mandate
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Regulation
Regulatory Reforms Stalled in State House
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Energy
Bleeding Green
A new study from the Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University finds that Pennsylvania's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards will costs Pennsylvanians millions in higher energy costs.
Poll
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Unsinkable: The True Story of Pennsylvania’s Sinking Pension System
The politics of pensions encourage lawmakers to "grant lavish benefts in good yearsand [decide] not to pay in bad years - precisely what created the current crisis."…
Poll
Read More: Unsinkable: The True Story of Pennsylvania’s Sinking Pension SystemHealth Care
Affordable Care Act: Costs to Pennsylvanians
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act—often dubbed "Obamacare"—will cost Americans $1.2 trillion from 2012 to 2022 according to the Congressional Budget Office. These projections do not account for the…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Affordable Care Act: Costs to PennsylvaniansPublic Union Democracy
Protecting Seniors and Taxpayers from the Lottery Cliff
From the greatest generation to the latest generation, our senior citizens have sacrificed to make Pennsylvania safe and prosperous. Our seniors deserve world-class care and assurance that their growing needs…
Memo
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Private Lottery Management FAQ
To protect seniors from future service cuts, the Corbett administration is seeking a private management agreement (PMA) to ensure Lottery profits will meet seniors' needs. Lottery services company Camelot submitted…
Fact Sheet
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Principles for Transportation Funding
Pennsylvania's roads and bridges need repair. But before taking one more dollar from working men and women through higher prices at the gas pump, lawmakers must work to ensure every…
Fact Sheet
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Why Repeal? The Affordable Care Act’s Costs to Pennsylvanians
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act—or "Obamacare"—will take more than $500 billion from American taxpayers by 2022, raise costs to state governments and increase the cost of private health…
Poll
Read More: Why Repeal? The Affordable Care Act’s Costs to PennsylvaniansTaxes & Economy
Truth, Lies & Answers on Natural Gas Drilling
Hydraulic fracturing has been closely studied since its development in the 1940s. Both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the former head of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection have…
Poll
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Principles for Health Care Reform
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) expands Medicaid, subsidizes health insurance for middle class families, and creates new federal health insurance regulations. To pay for this additional spending, the ACA makes…
Fact Sheet
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5 Facts on the Parent Trigger in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering legislation to reform the state charter school law. This legislation may include a "parent trigger" to convert failing schools into charter schools. …
Fact Sheet
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Pennsylvania’s Academic Performance and Implications for Charter School Reform
The 2011-12 state PSSA results show declines across the board, and fewer districts and schools making Adequate Year Progress. Here are some key facts concerning this latest development, and what…
Memo
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Pennsylvania Medicaid Spending and the Affordable Care Act
Current Medicaid spending trends are unsustainable. Medicaid spending (Medical Assistance and Long Term Care) consumes about 30 percent of Pennsylvania's total state operating budget. In the past decade, Medicaid spending…
Memo
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The Affordable Care Act: Pennsylvania’s Costs
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act—often dubbed "Obamacare"—will cost Americans $1.2 trillion from 2012 to 2022 according to the Congressional Budget Office. These projections do not account for the…
Fact Sheet
Read More: The Affordable Care Act: Pennsylvania’s CostsRegulation
Principles for Public Pension Reform
Projected taxpayer contributions for PSERS and SERS will increase from $1.7 billion in 2011-12 to more than $6.2 billion in 2016-17—a 263% increase. Contributions will continue to rise at a…
Fact Sheet
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Fact Check: Paul Ryan’s Path to Prosperity and Medicaid
Far from hurting the poor, Ryan's Medicaid plan will preserve their access to health care by making the government health care program affordable and sustainable. The plan has three main…
Memo
Read More: Fact Check: Paul Ryan’s Path to Prosperity and MedicaidState Budget
Pennsylvania Welfare Changes will Save an Estimated $173 Million
Act 80 of 2012 amends the Pennsylvania Welfare Code to include several reforms to Department of Public Welfare spending in the 2012-13 state budget. Act 80 will save state taxpayers…
Memo
Read More: Pennsylvania Welfare Changes will Save an Estimated $173 MillionRegulation
Liquor Privatization: Just the Facts
In a recent Delaware County Times webcast on Pennsylvania liquor store privatization, on which I was a panelist, there was a great deal of information thrown into the mix which may have…
Memo
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School Choice Expansion in Pennsylvania
The fiscal year 2012-13 state budget increases the Educational Improvement Tax Credit by $25 million to $100 million and creates a new $50 million tax credit for Opportunity Scholarships—effectively doubling…
Memo
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Opportunity Scholarships for Pennsylvania
A new proposal (HB 2468) would expand the existing EITC program while adding an additional category of scholarship organizations. Under HB 2468, the EITC limit would increase from $75 million…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Opportunity Scholarships for PennsylvaniaState Budget
Getting Rich Off the Poor: Examining Welfare Abuse
Over the past few years, the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare conducted a series of audits and uncovered many questionable practices among state contractors. Some providers of welfare…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Getting Rich Off the Poor: Examining Welfare AbuseState Budget
Taxpayer Protection Act for Smarties
The Taxpayer Protection Act (TPA) would reasonably limit future growth in state government spending to inflation plus population growth, require the government to prioritize spending, create a Rainy Day Fund…
Poll
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