Here's Commonwealth Foundation's weekly news roundup of policy issues being debated in Harrisburg and across Pennsylvania.
We hope you have a great weekend!
PA House Dems Voted to Rip Scholarships Away from Kids
On Tuesday, Pennsylvania House Democrats on the Education Committee quietly did something extraordinary — and not in a good way.
With barely a day’s notice and not even posting a public committee notice, they passed a series of bills that would decimate educational options in Pennsylvania.
The first bill, House Bill (HB) 2632, would gut the state’s most successful educational choice programs, strip scholarships from low-income students, and slam the door on tens of thousands more who are desperately waiting to get in.
The $6 Billion Question for Gov. Shapiro
Pennsylvania families are already squeezed financially by record-high electricity bills and the ever-increasing cost of living. Now, Gov. Josh Shapiro is asking them to cover the cost of his reckless spending spree. In February, Shapiro proposed a $53 billion budget, one that would push the state’s structural deficit to more than $6 billion. The math doesn’t lie, and neither does the price tag.
U.S. Treasury Releases New Guidelines on Federal Scholarship Program
As of June 2026, 31 states have expressed their intent to opt into the program. Pennsylvania’s Gov. Josh Shapiro has yet to decide whether to opt the commonwealth in.
Governors have until January 1, 2027, to opt their states into the program. But advance notice allows scholarship organizations to prepare to work with schools, families, and donors and to hit the ground running in the new year.
Alternative Energy Cost Ratepayers $3.3B in Hidden Subsidies, Research Finds
The start of this month, families and businesses across Pennsylvania saw yet another rate hike hit their electricity bills. What they didn’t see, however, is that Pennsylvania ratepayers have paid more than $3.3 billion in hidden energy subsidies since 2007 thanks to the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards (AEPS) mandate.
