Welcome to Common Sense Weekly! This is the Commonwealth Foundation's weekly news roundup of policy issues being debated in Harrisburg and across Pennsylvania.
California Ban on Gas-Powered Vehicles Will Hit PA Driveways
What happens in California doesn’t stay in California — and that’s particularly true when it comes to your car. Or truck. Or even train.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has mandated that all new passenger vehicles sold in the Golden State must have zero tailpipe emissions by 2035. It did the same with freight trains operating there, and it is mandating the retirement of any diesel locomotives more than 23 years old.
Perhaps more problematic for America’s supply chain, California is also trying to force the trucking industry to adopt zero-emissions standards, too. It’s requiring commercial vehicles, even heavy-duty big rigs, meet zero emission standard by 2042, and bans the sale of bigger gas-powered trucks starting in 2036.
In Pennsylvania, the Cost of the American Dream Is Out of Reach
The American Dream in Pennsylvania has a price tag: $230,464.
That’s the cost for a family of four to live “comfortably” in The Keystone State.
The tally is based on the “50/30/20 Rule,” which holds that half of a household’s income should be spent on housing and necessities, a third on nonessentials like eating out and entertainment, and the rest on savings and debt.
Here’s the problem: the average household income in Pennsylvania is $100,837, which falls short of the American Dream sticker price by more than a factor of two.
House Dems Vote to Establish Education Monopoly
House Democrats, along with one Republican, passed a bill that would guarantee the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) a monopoly on training for school directors. House Bill 1743 passed this week by a vote of 103 to 100.
Why is this such a big deal?
Currently PSBA, as the only statewide approved agency to provide mandatory training for school directors, has a theoretical monopoly, but other agencies can apply to become statewide providers.
This legislation ends the theoretical monopoly and makes it an actual monopoly.
PA Senate Pushes Back on Shapiro's Budget
Following his budget address in February, Gov. Josh Shapiro challenged critics, saying, “If you don’t like my plan, show me yours.” Last week, the Republican-controlled Pennsylvania Senate responded with actual legislation.
The counter: a vision focusing on reducing taxes and expanding educational options—starkly contrasting Shapiro’s massive spending increases and never-ending deficits, which would necessitate tax hikes on working families.
Among his many slogans, Shapiro likes to say that the state has “$14 billion in reserves” just waiting for him to spend, and after his massive spending increase, the state would still have “$11 billion at the end of the year.” There are two main problems with this refrain.
First, Shapiro lumps together the state’s general fund balance and the Rainy Day Fund. But the two aren’t synonymous. Under the law, the state cannot fund new programs or engage in deficit spending using the Rainy Day Fund. The fund exists to prepare for an emergency or recession and avoid raising taxes when these crises arise.
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