Category: My Work

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The Trouble with TABOR

  By PA Budget and Policy Center, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Budget, Policy briefs

UPDATED April 12: The Republican leadership of the House of Representative is poised to bring a dangerous  constitutional amendment, the so-called Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR), HB71 tomorrow, April 13, 2022. This amendment, which has been championed in states all over the country by the right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council, would limit the growth in PA General Fund spending to the previous year’s level adjusted for the sum of (1) the average percentage change in the U.S. Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (CPI-U) over the preceding three calendar years plus (2) the average of the percentage change in the resident population for the preceding three calendar years. Adopting this constitutional amendment would be a terrible mistake for many reasons. General Fund spending has not been growing faster than TABOR rates. First, even if one believes that the growth in state spending should be restrained, it is unnecessary. Over… Continue reading

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Initial Response to Gov. Wolf’s Proposed 2021-22 PA State Budget | Thursday, February 4, 2021

  By PA Budget and Policy Center, Pennsylvania Budget, Video

The Pennsylvania Budget & Policy Center’s director Marc Stier and senior policy analyst Diana Polson provide an initial overview of Gov. Wolf’s proposed FY 2021-22 state budget, highlighting some of the governor’s key initiatives & priorities and identifying some of the challenges that are likely to impact budget negotiations. Marc & Diana respond to questions posed by representatives of various nonpartisan advocacy organizations, who participated in a Zoom meeting on Thursday, February 4, 2021.   Continue reading

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On Governor Wolf’s 2021-22 Legislative Agenda

  By PA Budget and Policy Center, Statements

Harrisburg, PA — Statement on the governor’s newly released agenda by Marc Stier, Director, PA Budget and Policy Center Legislative enactment of the agenda Governor Wolf announced today would be a huge step forward in meeting the needs of Pennsylvania workers and businesses that are suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic, while also ensuring a fast and inclusive economic recovery. Critical elements of his agenda include providing support to working people, especially those with low incomes; raising the minimum wage and investing in workforce training to help people move into new jobs; and providing support to small businesses damaged by the pandemic. Investments in public infrastructure, and especially in school buildings and broadband internet access, would overcome some of the deep inequities in public services that some of us have known about for years but the pandemic has revealed to all. Corporate tax reform would require large multinational corporations to pay… Continue reading

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Deflection by Constitutional Amendment: On HB 55

  By Constitutional Law and Civil Liberties, Legislative Politics and Rules, PA Budget and Policy Center, PA Constitutional Law, Separation of Power, Statements

Republicans this week will seek to advance a constitutional amendment that would enable the General Assembly to act by a concurrent resolution to override a governor’s emergency order after 21 days. In doing so they are doubling down on their false narrative about COVID-19 and the economic crisis it created. That crisis remains severe. New cases and hospitalizations have fallen to about half of their peak in mid-December—but they are far greater than the first wave of March and April. Meanwhile, COVID-19 deaths per day have just reached their peak. The economy of the state remains in bad shape especially for small businesses and those with low incomes. Small business revenues are down by more than 25% from January 2020 and, shockingly, by more than 40% in high-income neighborhoods, where many people with low incomes work. As a result, employment remains at 6.7% below the January 2020 level and for… Continue reading

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Statement: New COVID-19 Stimulus Bill Is Not Enough for PA

  By COVID-19, PA Budget and Policy Center, PA Economy, Statements

Originally published by KRC / PBPC at https://krc-pbpc.org/research_publication/statement-new-covid-19-stimulus-bill-is-not-enough-for-pa/ Marc Stier, director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, has released the following statement about the COVID-19 stimulus package recently passed by the U.S. House and Senate. The new COVID-19 stimulus bill passed by the House and Senate is missing important elements that are critical to people of Pennsylvania. Those who are unemployed due to the pandemic will not receive enough support. Nor will Pennsylvania’s small businesses that need help, such as those in the hospitality industry. There is no funding at all for the state or for local governments that face revenue shortfalls that are likely to lead to deep budget cuts that hurt students and those who rely on the state for important services. Those cuts will delay an economic recovery. Yet, even though it is insufficient in many ways, it will provide much needed help to individuals and… Continue reading

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STATEMENT: In Support of Governor Wolf’s Newest COVID-19 Restrictions

  By PA Budget and Policy Center, Statements

Originally published at KRC-PBPC https://krc-pbpc.org/research_publication/statement-in-support-of-governor-wolfs-newest-covid-19-restrictions/ HARRISBURG — Marc Stier, director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, released the following statement on Governor Wolf’s most recent COVID-19 restrictions. Governor Wolf has called for new action to protect Pennsylvanians from the COVID-19 pandemic. All of us, no matter where we live in our state, what we look like, or whether are rich or poor, are vulnerable to this terrible virus and the damage it does to our health, lives, and economy. And make no mistake, it is the disease itself, far more than regulations to protect our health, that is causing economic distress especially for working people, women, Black and brown people, and immigrants. So we should all welcome the governor’s actions and reject attempts to divide us by approaching necessary measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 as an ideological or partisan issue. But protecting our health is not enough. We also… Continue reading

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Statement on PA CARES 21 Proposal

  By COVID-19, Economic Development, PA Economy, Statements

Originally published by KRC-PBPC at https://krc-pbpc.org/research_publication/statement-on-pa-cares-21-proposal/ Pennsylvania Senate Democrats have today put forward a bold plan to borrow funds at low interest rates to provide relief to many Pennsylvanians who are still struggling with the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. For three reasons, it should be enacted quickly. First, it is desperately needed not to just to provide immediate relief to small business, the unemployed, local governments, our schools, health care providers, front-line workers and others but to keep the Pennsylvania economy from falling deeper into recession. The failure of the General Assembly to use the remainder of the CARES funds to provide aid to vulnerable Pennsylvanians, and especially to our small businesses, front-line workers, and health care providers was a dereliction of their responsibility to protect the most vulnerable in this crisis. And, as the IFO pointed out, the fairly quick, albeit partial, rebound from the economic disaster… Continue reading

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Statement on Budget Plan Approved by the House Appropriations Committee

  By Pennsylvania Budget, Statements

Originally published by KRC-PBPC here. The budget approved by the Republican members of the House Appropriations Committee does basically what we expected. Most of the budget is flat-funded with increases to meet Medical Assistance caseloads and a few other mandatory expenditures. While it is an important achievement that there are no deep cuts to education and human services in the budget, the budget does not meet the needs of Pennsylvanians who are suffering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis it created. Front-line workers; small businesses, especially in the hospitality and entertainment industries; those who are threatened with losing their homes; and many other Pennsylvanians are not getting the support they need from the state. The budget is balanced with close to $5 billion in one-time revenues: CARES Act funds; enhanced Medical Assistance funding from the federal government (which may not be forthcoming); transfers from special funds and the… Continue reading