January 23, 2020, Harrisburg, Pa.—Today, Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Mike Turzai announced he will not seek reelection at the end of his term. Turzai, an outspoken champion of many free-market reforms, is serving his 10th term representing House District 28 in Allegheny County and has been House Speaker since 2015.
Commonwealth Foundation President and CEO Charles Mitchell issued the following statement in reaction:
The Commonwealth Foundation deeply appreciates Speaker Turzai’s principled leadership over nearly two decades in public service. His legacy of free-market reforms includes helping hundreds of thousands of students afford an education that fits their needs.
Last year, Speaker Turzai was the driving force behind one of the largest school choice expansions in America. Over Gov. Wolf’s opposition, he led lawmakers in expanding Pennsylvania’s tax credit scholarship programs by $30 million. This reform, coupled with a 2018 expansion, opens the door for up to 27,500 more students to attend better schools each year.
We are also honored to have worked closely with Speaker Turzai to enact public pension reform, reform the state’s liquor system, defeat billions of dollars of tax increases, limit state spending increases, and protect affordable energy for all Pennsylvanians.
Not only has Speaker Turzai been an effective free-market champion, he has also mentored a new generation of leaders to continue the fight for the causes he believes in. That is the true test of a leader.
We wish Speaker Turzai the very best as he transitions to private life, and we look forward to working with current and future House leaders to ensure all Pennsylvanians have equal opportunity to pursue their dreams and earn success.
Commonwealth Foundation experts are available for comment. Please contact Michael Torres at 850-619-2737 or mbt@commonwealthfoundation.org to schedule an interview.
# # #
The Commonwealth Foundation transforms free-market ideas into public policies so all Pennsylvanians can flourish.
Subscribe to this feedRELATED : GENERAL