As Fair Share America Launches, New Poll Shows Pennsylvanians Support Higher Taxes on the Ultra-Rich and Big Corporations
As Fair Share America Launches, New Poll Shows Pennsylvanians Support Higher Taxes on the Ultra-Rich and Big Corporations As Pennsylvanians Together brought a group of 25 Pennsylvanians to Washington, D.C.,…
New Census Data Shows Failure and Success of Pennsylvania Public Policy
The annual release of census data is often a guide to policy success and failure at both the national and state levels. This year is no exception. The American Community…
What Project 2025 Means for Pennsylvania Taxpayers
If the federal government in Donald Trump’s potential second term were to adopt the tax proposals in Project 2025, low- and moderate-income Pennsylvanians would pay far more in taxes than…
Penn Policy Statement on President Biden’s Withdrawal
Joe Biden’s truly selfless act today exemplifies the authentic leadership that has made him the most effective Democratic President since Franklin Roosevelt. Under very difficult political circumstances, with a bare…
Response to the 2024–25 PA State Budget — Education Funding
July 11, 2024 Governor Shapiro and the members of the General Assembly have had about 18 months to respond to the Commonwealth Court ruling that Pennsylvania’s system of funding K-12…
Statement: PPC Opposes Senate School Voucher Bill 1280
The Pennsylvania Policy Center stands in opposition to Senate Bill 1280, which would force Pennsylvania taxpayers to give billions in handouts to private and religious institutions with virtually no accountability.…
Statement: What We Are Looking for in a Budget Agreement
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…
ED. BD. MEMO: A State Earned Income Tax Credit Should Be Part of a Budget Deal in 2024
To: Members of the General Assembly, editorial board members, and political reporters From: Marc Stier, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Policy Center Subject: What we are looking for in a budget agreement Date: July…
K–12 School Funding in PA Remains Inadequate and Inequitable
Year after year, our predecessor organization and many others have released research showing both that the vast majority of Pennsylvania K–12 school districts are underfunded and that school districts with…
From Work to Wealth and Back Again Americans suffer because we reward wealth more than work. Here’s how we got here and how we can create an economy that works…
Testimony to the Philadelphia Tax Reform Commission
Our executive director, Marc Stier, presented this testimony at the first public hearing of the Philadelphia Tax Reform Commission on June 17, 2021. Stier is also the senior advisor to…
In our first post in this series, we argued that if the Pennsylvania General Assembly chooses to cut taxes in the budget that begins on July 1st, it should limit…
In response to a Senate vote in favor of a small reduction in the personal income tax rate and the gross receipts tax on electricity, we pointed out that this…
Statement on House Passage of HB 2370 for 7-Year Education-Funding Plan
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 11, 2024 Contact: Erica Freeman, Deputy Director of Communications, Pennsylvania Policy Center (267) 496-5253 Marc Stier, executive director of the Pennsylvania Policy Center, released the following…
Speech by Marc Stier — Education Funding Rally at the Capitol
The data is clear. The Courts have ruled. The defendants in the case didn’t appeal the decision. This Commonwealth has systematically discriminated against kids in low-income, Black and brown communities…
Republicans Choose Tax Cuts for the Rich over Funding Education
Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-41) introduced legislation to cut Pennsylvania’s personal income tax rate from the current 3.07% to 2.8%. This legislation is both deeply cynical and totally…
Dear Friends – At Pennsylvania Policy Center we are continuing our call to reverse our upside-down tax system, and demand corporations and the ultra-wealthy to pay their fair share! Please…
By Marc Stier, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center As I documented in a previous blog post, there is no question that the minimum wage is worth less than…
By Marc Stier, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Policy Center I took my first regular paid job as a hotel bellhop in 1966 when I was eleven. It was hard work—in many…
Seven Myths About Raising the Minimum Wage—Debunked (2024 update)
Note This is an updated version of a piece I wrote while I was director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center. It was published in the Penn Capital–Star on…
There’s a Crucial Need for OSHA Regulations in Safeguarding Public Sector Workers
In Pennsylvania, OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) regulations apply to most private sector employers and employees. However, public sector employees, including those working for “Section (3)(5) of the…
Syringe Services Programs Would Save the Lives of Thousands in PA
The Pennsylvania Legislature needs to pass HB 1245, legislation that would legalize syringe services programs across the Commonwealth. Pennsylvania families and communities are being devastated by the loss of loved…
STATEMENT on Governor Shapiro’s 2024–25 Budget Address
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 6, 2024 Contact: Kirstin Snow, Director of Communications, snow@pennpolicy.org STATEMENT on Governor Shapiro’s 2024–25 Budget Address, Pennsylvania Policy Center A Pennsylvania Budget To Celebrate Overview Governor…
A Pennsylvania Budget to Celebrate Note: This is an initial review of the fiscal year 2024–25 budget proposed by Governor Josh Shapiro on February 6, 2024. As we delve deeper…
STATEMENT on Child Tax Credit Expansion – Marc Stier, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Policy Center The House Ways and Means Committee today voted in favor of bipartisan tax legislation that includes…
Statement in response to the Basic Education Funding Commission Report
The adoption of the Basic Education Funding Commission Report yesterday is a major step forward in meeting our constitutional and moral responsibility to fund education fully and fairly in Pennsylvania. The…
Every few years, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy releases its survey of taxes in the states, "Who Pays?" Click here to read the seventh edition, released on January…
Pennsylvania Voters Believe Wealthy Individuals and Profitable Corporations Are Not Paying Their Fair Share
Income and wealth are highly concentrated at the top in Pennsylvania, a situation that has worsened greatly in recent decades. Pennsylvania voters rightly believe that corporations and wealthy individuals aren’t paying…
Survey Results: Support for Higher Taxes on Profitable Corporations and Wealthy Individuals by PA Senate District
In November and December of 2022, Data for Progress conducted a survey of registered voters nationally to gauge voter support towards state action to hold profitable corporations and the wealthy…
Survey Results: Levels of Support for Higher Taxes on Profitable Corporations and Wealthy Individuals by PA House District
In November and December of 2022, Data for Progress conducted a national survey of registered voters to gauge voter support towards state action to hold profitable corporations and the wealthy…
Survey Results: Support for Higher Taxes on Profitable Corporations and Wealthy Individuals by PA Congressional District
In November and December of 2022, Data for Progress conducted a survey of registered voters nationally to gauge voter support towards state action to hold profitable corporations and the wealthy…
In February 2023, Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer called for a new funding system in Pennsylvania to fulfill the state's obligation to provide a thorough and efficient education for its children.…
A year ago, Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer ruled that Pennsylvania violates its constitutional obligation to create a “thorough and efficient” system of school funding. In response, legislative leaders and Governor…
A year ago, Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer ruled that Pennsylvania violates its constitutional obligation to create a “thorough and efficient” system of school funding. In response, legislative leaders and Governor…
Why Pennsylvania Should Reject Vouchers Susan Spicka, Education Voters PA Diana Polson, Keystone Research Center Marc Stier, Pennsylvania Policy Center Here we quickly summarize three major reasons why the General…
Six months after the general appropriation bill was passed by the Pennsylvania House and Senate and signed by Governor Shapiro, the House, and Senate today took the necessary step to…
Pennsylvanians Together Releases Holiday Wish List!
As we enter the holiday season, our thoughts are turned to all the ways the government of our state could be better serving the people of Pennsylvania, especially those who…
PRESS STATEMENT: PA Will Lose $3.1 Billion to Corporate Tax Cuts by 2028
November 30, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kirstin Snow, Communications Director, Pennsylvania Policy Center, snow@pennpolicy.org; Ellie Blachman, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, (202) 325-8718, eblachman@cbpp.org New report: Pennsylvania…
Making Our Votes Count for the Issues We Care About
Voting access. Abortion access. Climate change. Public education. Redistricting. Pennsylvanians continue to focus on critical issues that matter to our quality of life. In 2023, we showed up to elect…
Editorial Board Memo on Education Funding in Pennsylvania
In February 2023, Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer called for a new funding system in Pennsylvania to fulfill the state's obligation to provide a thorough and efficient education for its children.…
PPC Statement on PA Court’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Decision
The Pennsylvania Policy Center (PPC) joins several of its partners in expressing concern about last week’s Commonwealth Court ruling, which struck down Pennsylvania’s opportunity to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas…
Shuffling the Deck Won’t Solve the Pennsylvania School Funding Crisis
In February 2023, Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer called for a new funding system in Pennsylvania to fulfill the state's obligation to provide a thorough and efficient education for its children.…
The Contribution of K-12 Education to Economic Growth and Democracy
VIEW IN A PDF READER OR DOWNLOAD. https://pennpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/The-Contribution-of-Education-to-Economic-Growth-and-Democracy-1.pdf
The Senate is now considering SB 7, a bill proposed by Senator Ryan Aument (R-Lancaster),which would require schools to “identify sexually explicit content in school curriculum, materials, and books and…
October 12, 2023 For Immediate Release Contact: Kirstin Snow, snow@pennpolicy.org Is Harrisburg ready for change? Is new leadership showing a new approach to legislating? Marc Stier, Executive Director Since Democrats…
Pennsylvania's Republican legislators support a voucher program they say is meant to help a small number of students who attend schools they claim are failing. (They don’t mention that those…
Senate Again Refuses to Fund State’s Most Dire School Districts
Senate Again Refuses to Fund State’s Most Dire School Districts - Marc Stier, Executive Director, Penn Policy Center "The Republican-controlled Pennsylvania Senate came back today for a rare August session.…
Economic Opportunity, the Dignity of Work, and the Minimum Wage
Raising the minimum wage has always been about the dignity, as well as the wages, of working people. We who place so much value on our ability to provide for…
STATEMENT: The (First Part) of the Budget Standoff Is Over
After Governor Shapiro signed the General Appropriation bill today, the Pennsylvania Policy Center released the following statement by our executive director, Marc Stier: "Today, Senate Republicans blinked in the budget…
July 5, 2023 For Immediate Release Contact: Kirstin Snow, snow@pennpolicy.org Penn Policy Center Statement on Budget Passage Governor Shapiro’s letter announcing that he would line-item veto the appropriation for vouchers…
Saving Public Education in Pennsylvania, Where It Began
Originally published on PennCapital-Star.com The budget stalemate in Harrisburg hasn't been primarily about whether some budget line items go up or down by a few hundred million dollars. Those kinds…
With $13 billion in accumulated surplus and a budget from the governor that proposed modest additions to state spending on policies that have broad support, one would expect that making…
Pennsylvania Policy Center Statement on PA Senate’s Proposed State Budget
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: June 30, 2023 Contact: Kirstin Snow, Communications Director, snow@pennpolicy.org, 215-510-9336 Harrisburg, PA – Marc Stier, executive director of the Pennsylvania Policy Center, today released the…
Pennsylvania Policy Center Update on Pennsylvania Budget
With $13 billion in an accumulated surplus and a budget proposal from the governor that only proposed modest additions to state spending on policies that have broad support, one would…
The Lifeline Scholarship Program Would Undermine Public Education
My name is Marc Stier. I’m the executive director of the Pennsylvania Policy Center. I’m here today with my fellow advocates for education—including the leaders of teachers' unions, who have…
The Time Is Right for PA to Finally Raise its Minimum Wage | OPINION
Originally published in the Pennsylvania Capital-Star By Marc Stier House Bill 1500, co-sponsored by Democratic Reps. Jason Dawkins of Philadelphia and Patty Kim of Dauphin County, would increase the minimum wage to $15…
We Need To Let Local Communities Set Their Own Minimum Wage
The state of Pennsylvania does not allow local governments—whether counties or municipalities—to set a higher minimum wage than that set by the state. It should do so. The reason it…
Penn Policy Statement on House Passage of HB 1500, the Minimum Wage Bill
Marc Stier, executive director of the Pennsylvania Policy Center, released the following statement after the PA House passed HB 1500. House passage of House Bill 1500 is a major step…
Penn Policy Speaks in Support of House Budget on K-12 Education
Remarks by Marc Stier, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Policy Center, at a PA School Work press conference in support of the House passed budget for 2023-2024 In March, Governor…
Why We Should Raise the Minimum Wage in Pennsylvania to $15 Per Hour
Click here to read a full-screen version, download, and print. A high minimum wage ensures we have an economy that works for all of us. It protects workers and…
PA House Passes Proposals to Reduce Taxes for Working People
Four Major Proposals Will Make Pennsylvania Taxes Fairer The Pennsylvania House today passed the second and third of four major tax proposals: an expansion of the Child and Dependent Care…
Pennsylvania Policy Center Announces Leadership Team
June 8, 2023 For Immediate Release Contact: Kirstin Snow, snow@pennpolicy.org Pennsylvania Policy Center Announces Leadership Team PA’s State Affiliate to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Harrisburg, PA—Today, Pennsylvania…
Pennsylvania Policy Center Statement on General Fund Budget Passed by PA House
VIEW STATEMENT AS PDF For Immediate Release Contact: Kirstin Snow, Communications Director, snow@pennpolicy.org; 215-510-9336 Harrisburg, PA–Marc Stier, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Policy Center, today released the following statement after…
The Real Cost of Opening a Window for Sexual Abuse Lawsuits in Pennsylvania
By Marc Stier I was asked to testify about the claims made in a paper by the Susquehanna Valley Center for Public Policy that opening a two-year window for childhood…