Common Sense Weekly
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!
7 Ways to Balance the PA Budget Without Raising Taxes
Shapiro was counting on skill games to help balance the billions in deficit spending he proposed. But a recent court decision has thrown a wrench into that proposal. Regardless, he overstated the financial benefits of this policy because the revenue from taxing skill games was just a drop in the bucket.
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Inside Pennsylvania’s Budget Battle [PODCAST]
What really happens behind closed doors during Pennsylvania’s budget negotiations? Andrew Lewis sits down with former Pennsylvania Senate Secretary-Parliamentarian Megan Martin (now the Commonwealth Foundation’s chief operating officer and general counsel) for an insider’s look at how the Commonwealth’s most important legislation gets negotiated, debated, and passed.
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Why Teachers Unions Fear, and Fib About, New Federal Program
The teachers unions are scared and desperate these days.
How else do you explain the spectacle of Randi Weingarten and Becky Pringle, presidents of the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, respectively, firing off an open letter to the nation’s Democratic governors?
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To Stop Brain Drain, Pennsylvania Must Undo Regulations That Were Meant to Keep Young Families Out
Keystone State leaders often bemoan “brain drain,” the loss of skilled, working-age residents through domestic migration to other states. One way Pennsylvania can prevent out-migration and attract young families is by undoing onerous housing regulations, including some that cities and towns embraced 80 years ago to ban starter homes and keep babies out.
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Why Are Kids Falling Behind in PA?
By most measures, Pennsylvania has invested more in public education than ever. However, despite increased spending, academic achievement has flattened, leaving many in the education policy world scratching their heads as the state budget deadline looms.
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