Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Today was the deadline for Governor Tom Corbett to make a decision about signing the state budget, or not. During a news conference in Harrisburg this morning he said he’s decided to use his power of line-item veto to cut out about $65 million in Legislative spending. He said he made the move because of lawmakers’ failure to come up with a public pension reform plan. Corbett addressed Pennsylvania citizens during the news conference, encouraging them to tell their representatives in Harrisburg to stop bowing to unions and get pension reform done. Top GOP senators say they are disappointed that Corbett has not been able to work effectively with the Republican majorities in the Senate and House to address important fiscal issues in the state. Senators Joe Scarnati, Dominic Pileggi, Jake Corman and Pat Browne, in a joint statement, said, “Reforming public pension benefits is an important goal that Senate Republicans have been engaged in for months.” The statement goes on to say tha...

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett today announced a sweeping education reform package that would create an expansive voucher program for low-income families stuck in failing schools, ensure strict accountability standards for charter schools, and increase eligibility for the state’s highly-successful Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program. The American Federation for Children—the nation’s voice for school choice—praised the governor, State House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, Senate Majority Whip Pat Browne, and Secretary of Education Ronald Tomalis for supporting a legislative package that is poised to significantly improve the educational futures of thousands of Keystone State students beginning as early as next year. Corbett’s plan—which he said he hopes to see passed into law this fall—would create an Opportunity Scholarship Program that would grant scholarships to low-income students living in the state’s lowest performing 5 percent of schools. Families with incomes up to 130...