Month: July 2024

Originally published at Pennsylvania Policy Center on July 3, 2024. July 3, 2024 The Pennsylvania Policy Center stands in opposition to Senate Bill 1280, which would force Pennsylvania taxpayers to give billions of dollars in handouts to private and religious institutions with virtually no accountability. After failing to enact a state budget for FY 2024–25 by the deadline of July 1, Pennsylvania Senate Republicans sent a clear message today that they continue to prioritize giving handouts to the wealthy and diverting public funds to private and religious schools over fully and fairly funding our public schools. On Wednesday, July 3, the Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to consider SB 1280, a new voucher tax credit bill that would cost taxpayers initially about $2.3 billion next year and more in future years. We oppose SB 1280 because it diverts $2.3 billion in desperately needed funding for our public schools to an ill-conceived… Continue reading

Originally published at Pennsylvania Policy Center on July 1, 2024. The Pennsylvania state budget is now officially late. By all reports, however, House and Senate negotiators, as well as the governor’s office, are working diligently to reach an agreement. We are not concerned by a brief delay as we know that the issues under consideration are complex and that necessary compromises are difficult in a divided government. We do want to set out some criteria by which we will evaluate a successful compromise. Enactment of a plan to meet our constitutional and moral responsibility to fully and fairly fund our schools, along the lines proposed by the Basic Education Funding Commission and with first-year funding at the level proposed by Governor Shapiro. A limited tax cut directed toward the Pennsylvanians who most suffer from our upside-down tax system, ideally by instituting a state piggyback on the federal earned income tax cut. Enactment and funding of the Grow PA program which would provide scholarships of $5,000 to Pennsylvanians attending… Continue reading