CF’s work on Accountable Government revolves around the need to provide transparent government to taxpayers and voters and to return Pennsylvania to the citizen legislature envisioned by our founders. To hold their elected officials accountable, citizens need accurate information on how government resources are spent and how decisions are made. As investors would demand adequate information about the performance of a business, so too do taxpayers deserve adequate information about where their dollars are spent. Restoring the General Assembly to part-time, citizen legislature would result in lower taxes, more efficient government, and less corruption.
Recent Issues
School District Labor Contracts: Surprising Provisions
More than 1.7 million students rely on Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts to meet their diverse educational needs. School boards from each district agree to collective bargaining agreements (labor contracts) with local teachers’ unions. These labor contracts, renewed every few years through closed-door negotiations, contain various privileges for unions. This summary highlights key contract provisions that tilt the playing field toward government unions at the expense of students, t
Read More >Pa. Brings Transparency to State Union Contracts
Gov. Tom Wolf today signed into law Senate Bill 644, a historic government transparency reform which empowers the Independent Fiscal Office to estimate government union contracts costs before the contracts are finalized.
Read More >Recent Blog Posts
Fiscal Earmarks Reduce State Budget Transparency
The 2021–2022 Fiscal Code contains at least $5.5 billion in federal and state funds earmarked for special projects across the state, up from $120 million last year. Most of this increase is due to one-time funding through federal COVID-19 bills.
Pa. Supreme Court Grants Governor Unchecked Emergency Powers
Days before Independence Day, the principle of checks and balances between branches of government was deeply tarnished by the Pa. Supreme Court.
CF Amicus Brief Calls out Wolf for Overstepping his Authority
The Commonwealth Foundation on June 23, 2020 filed an amicus brief or "friend of the court" brief on behalf of state senate leaders. It argues the Governor must follow the legislature’s concurrent resolution to end the declaration of emergency..