Common Sense Weekly

Here’s the Commonwealth Foundation’s weekly news roundup of policy issues debated in Harrisburg and across Pennsylvania.

We hope you have a great weekend!

The Commonwealth Foundation released the fifth edition of The Battle for Worker Freedom: Grading State Public Sector Labor Laws. This report, which we release every two years, tracks and rates all 50 states on their dedication to worker freedom and their public policies on government unions. Interestingly, after experiencing a significant setback in 2018 (namely, the Janus v. AFSCME decision), government unions have rebounded in membership. 

Gov. Josh Shapiro, once calling himself “all in on AI,” recently reversed his stance on data-center development, including dismantling the “fast-track” permitting process he advocated for years ago. But this reversal tracks with the governor’s track record of flip-flopping on school choice, taxation, and regulatory reform.

Five years ago, pandemic-weary Pennsylvanians adopted two constitutional amendments specifically designed to rein in executive authority. Now, the Shapiro administration wants to adopt 500 pages of new “public health” powers, many of which seem to circumvent the very guardrails Pennsylvanians codified years ago. 

A recent PennLive “investigation” asked, “Who holds private schools accountable?” But parents already hold private schools accountable by leaving. Students zoned into these public districts, however, have no such exit. Rachel Langan, our senior education policy analyst, addresses accountability—or the lack of it—in Pennsylvania’s public schools.

Megan Martin, the Commonwealth Foundation’s chief operating officer and general counsel, reflects on the first anniversary of the traffic death of Charlie Kirk. As political polarization rises, Megan calls for political civility and encourages readers to carry on Charlie’s legacy of advocacy for free markets, limited government, and educational choice.