Author: Marc Stier

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HB 2513 Threatens Not Just Our Health but the Economy

  By COVID-19, Economic Development, PA Economy, PBPC Blog posts

Republicans in Harrisburg appear ready to move to override Governor Wolf’s veto of HB 2513, which would severely limit his authority to limit the operation of restaurants, bars, and private clubs. We are well aware of the severity of the pandemic’s impact on the hospitality industry and have urged Pennsylvania’s General Assembly to act to provide relief for it. But, we are at a time when COVID-19 cases are increasing in many parts of the country with predictions of a further increase everywhere as the weather gets colder. It is not just irresponsible but insane to make it impossible for the governor to act aggressively to stem the further spread of the virus in venues that are proven to be a major source of infection. The legislation is based on a false premises—that government closures are the reason for the economic slowdown and devastation in the food service and related… Continue reading

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UPDATE: How Many Lives Have We Saved?

  By COVID-19, Economic Development, PA Economy, PBPC Blog posts

Originally published by KRC-PBPC here. While, for months, Republican legislators were insisting on a rapid reopening of businesses in Pennsylvania, Governor Wolf’s health and safety regulations created one of the most dramatic declines in both COVID-19 cases and deaths of any state in the country. After averaging 1,364 new cases per day in April and 864 in May, there was a drop to 757 in June, and after a rise in July, to 709 in August. The number of new cases has been rising again and in the beginning of October to an average of 1,206 per day. But while we should always be concerned about any increase in cases, especially as we head into potentially dangerous winter months, testing has increased by about the same degree. The state was conducting only an average of 5,963 tests per day in March and 7,558 in April. But in July, it averaged… Continue reading

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Select Committee Proposed by PA House Republicans is a Danger to our Democracy

  By 2020, Elections and Voting, Statements

Originally published by KRC-PBPC here. The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center is a nonpartisan organization. We do not favor one party or another in partisan elections. But we do stand for elections in which everyone has an opportunity to vote and their votes are counted fairly. Thus, we can’t turn away from threats to fair elections even if they come from one political party, as they sadly do in Pennsylvania today. Just as President Trump has recently doubled down on his attempt to sow doubt and create chaos surrounding the upcoming election, Republicans in Harrisburg are proposing to create a select committee to “investigate, review, and make recommendations concerning the regulation and conduct of the 2020 general election.” This committee is a solution in search of a genuine problem. The preamble of the House resolution calls into question the good faith efforts of the administration, county officials, and the Pennsylvania… Continue reading

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The Consequences for Pennsylvania of Declaring the ACA Unconstitutional

  By About Penn Action, Health Care, Policy briefs

Originally published by KRC-PBPC at https://krc-pbpc.org/research_publication/the-consequences-for-pennsylvania-of-declaring-the-aca-unconstitutional/ A case coming before the Supreme Court threatens to declare the entire Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. If that happens, the effect on Pennsylvania and Pennsylvanians would be devastating, according to estimates we made in July of 2019, which are undoubtedly lower than a similar study would find today.[1] In Pennsylvania, 27% of adults under the age 65, or 2.1 million people, would be uninsurable in the private insurance market due to pre-existing conditions (assuming that private insurance returns to the rules in force before the ACA was in effect). This does not include the millions of people who would have to pay more for insurance because of their pre-existing conditions. The number of uninsured Pennsylvanians would rise from 644,000 to 1,502,000, an increase from 6.2% to 14.4% of the population. Prescription drug costs would rise by $226 million for 208,000 Pennsylvania seniors on Medicare. One provision of the ACA closes the Medicare… Continue reading

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COVID-19: The False Choice Between Our Health and the Economy

  By COVID-19, Economic Development, PA Economy, Policy briefs

Originally published by KRC-PBPC here. For six months now, Republican legislators in Harrisburg have been telling a false story about COVID-19 and the economy. They have been claiming that we must choose between a growing economy and efforts to protect us from the COVID-19 virus and avoid overwhelming hospitals and health care systems. And they have held that government business closures and stay-at-home orders are responsible for the deep economic crash that has occurred in countries all over the world. This is a false narrative that poses a false choice. An economic decline was inevitable once the COVID-19 virus started spreading out of control because most Americans are sensible enough to understand the risks—not just to our own health but to that of those we care about—of interacting with others in stores, restaurants, religious services, sports and entertainment venues, and other recreational settings. Government orders may have heightened our concerns… Continue reading

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Why Pennsylvania Needs a State Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)

  By Economic Justice, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State Taxes, Policy reports

By Diana Polson and Marc Stier Originally published by KRC-PBPC here. If one thing has become clear during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is that workers who do essential things like providing care for the sick, stocking shelves at grocery stores, and cleaning facilities to keep our buildings clean and safe are undervalued in our society. Despite their hard work, many Pennsylvanians earn such low wages that it remains difficult to pay for rent, food, childcare, transportation, and other necessities. We must raise wages and strengthen worker protections for low- and middle-income workers. In addition, there is another easy step Pennsylvania can take to support low-wage workers. That is a state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which has been effective at reducing poverty in more than half the states across the country.  Continue reading

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Including Immigrants in Pandemic Relief is Essential for America’s Public Health and Economic Recovery

  By Immigration, Maisum Murtaza, PA Budget and Policy Center, PBPC Blog posts

by Maisum Murtaza and Marc Stier Originally published by KRC-PBPC here. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed numerous ways in which our political community is unfair to many people—and especially those with low incomes and people of color. But perhaps the most disturbing inequity is that immigrants, both documented and undocumented, have been left out of much of the relief efforts so far. Both documented and undocumented immigrants play a critical role in the economy of our state and nation. Immigrants to America are our neighbors, our friends, our employees, and, in some cases, our employers. There are 28.3 million foreign-born residents in the labor force, of which 7.5 million are undocumented immigrants. More than 866,000 immigrants aged 16 or older live in Pennsylvania, of which over 582,000—including 91,000 undocumented immigrants—are part of our workforce. Almost 9% of Pennsylvania’s workforce was born abroad, and 1.4% of the workforce is here without documentation. Immigrants… Continue reading

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How Trump and the Republicans Could Steal the Election

  By 2020, Elections, Fascism, Politics

I’ve been warning about Trump and the path to soft fascism–a fascism that keeps but eviscerates the substance of democratic forms–since 2015.What the federal government is doing in Portland is just the latest step in that direction. Federal police action against the will of the local authorities is against the law. So is unidentified federal agents picking people up in unmarked vehicles. I’ve feared that this is leading to an attempt by Trump to steal the presidential election which he is likely to lose if it is carried out fairly.The Republicans have long been trying to tilt national elections in their direct with voter ID laws, purges of the electorate, gerrymandered congressional districts (which as we will see below could have profound consequences), the end of federal pre-clearance of rules changes, the tacit if not explicit alliance with Russia and the obstruction of justice to covert up which continues with… Continue reading

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Don’t undermine judicial independence in haste

  By Judicial Gerrymandering, Published Op-Eds

Originally published in the Pittsburgh Trib Live on July 14, 2020 The most important decision any political leader can make is about the constitutional structure of our government. Those decisions are best made calmly, deliberately and with a focus on the long-term good of our political community. Poor ones are most likely to be made in a rush, in anger and in response to short-term difficulties. Unfortunately, a Republican proposal to change how we elect justices of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and judges of the commonwealth and Superior courts is going before the Senate this week in anger and resentment at recent Supreme Court rulings. Republicans are upset that the Supreme Court rebuffed its attempt to deny Gov. Tom Wolf an opportunity to veto their concurrent resolution ending the covid-19 state of emergency, even though the Pennsylvania Constitution plainly requires it. A critical feature of the Constitution of the United States —… Continue reading

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Pa. Senate GOP’s judicial gerrymandering plan is a threat to our democracy

  By Judicial Gerrymandering, PA Budget and Policy Center, PBPC Blog posts

Originally appeared in the Pennsylvania Capital-Star on July 14, 2020 Democracy is threatened from many sides. The dangers include voter ID laws; closures of polling places; gerrymandered legislative districts; and problematic voting rules, especially with regard to vote by mail—not to mention attempts by both the executive branch in Washington and the legislative branch in Harrisburg to overstep their bounds. Time and again, the independence of our court has protected our political rights and our civil rights and liberties. Now, however, legislators in Harrisburg are taking a more indirect approach to weaken the independence of our courts. Senate Republicans appear determined to advance an amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution next week that would change how we elect judges to our state’s highest courts—the Supreme Court, Commonwealth Court, and Superior Court. Instead of electing all judges statewide as we do now, they propose that we elect judges in regional election districts created by the… Continue reading