Philadelphia Forced to Reform Unjust Confiscation
Four years ago Philadelphians Markela and Chris Sourovelis lost their home when their son committed a minor drug crime thanks to an outrageous practice called Civil Asset Forfeiture. This week justice was served for the Sourovelis family, yet statewide reform proves elusive.
Protect Property Owners from Unreasonable Forfeiture
Our justice system is supposed to presume innocence until guilt is proven, but every year, Pennsylvanians are stripped of about $14 million on allegations that their property was involved in a crime. It’s time to protect the rights of the innocent and end the aggressive use of civil asset forfeiture. Civil asset forfeiture turns justice on its head, forcing property owners to prove their innocence instead of requiring the government to prove their guilt. It’s a system in desperate
Read More >Property Seizures Threaten PA Small Business
Being a small business owner in Pennsylvania is not easy. There’s the punishing tax burden levied by state and local governments that see small firms not so much as vital cogs in the commonwealth’s economic engine as cash cows to be milked to pay for more government spending.
Read More >Private Property & Liberty
Good afternoon. My name is Matt Brouillette, and I am president & CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation, a public policy research and educational institute based in Harrisburg. We develop and advance public policy grounded in the founding principles of limited constitutional government, political and economic freedom, and personal responsibility for one’s actions.
Read More >Protect Private Property from Eminent Domain Abuse
Thank you for the opportunity to address the issue of Eminent Domain. My name is Matt Brouillette, and I am president & CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation, a research and educational institute based here in Harrisburg. As you have learned from this morning’s testifiers, the stunning U.S. Supreme Court decision in Kelo vs. New London dramatically undermined the right to private property in America.
Read More >Reform Government's Claim on Your Domain
Pennsylvanians never really own their homes—they only “rent” them from the government. Don’t believe me? Just stop paying your school and county property taxes and you’ll find out who actually owns the title to your house. But the situation just got worse in the commonwealth. Now your home, small business, church or other property is in even greater jeopardy of being taken by government—-even if you faithfully pay those ever-increasing taxes.
Read More >Protecting Private Property from Eminent Domain Abuse
Chairman Clymer, Rep. Yewcic and members of the House State Government Committee, good afternoon. My name is Matthew Brouillette and I am president & CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives, a research and educational institute based here in Harrisburg. I would like to thank the committee for the invitation and opportunity to present our organization’s views on House Bills 1835 and 1836.
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