Third and State

The Associated Press reported that Gov. Wolf is trying a new strategy as the state budget impasse extended into its ninth week – negotiating in private meetings with top Republican leaders instead of in brief but large gatherings with dozens of legislators and their staff. On Sept. 1, Gov. Wolf met at his official residence with Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman and House Majority Leader Dave Reed.

As Jeff Sheridan, the governor’s press secretary, explained: “"The path that negotiations have been on has not been productive. I think there's been a lot of people in the room, a lot going on outside the room. I think the governor is really trying hard to get a final budget, and he's trying a different tactic.”

On Sept. 3, Keystone Research Center Executive Director Stephen Herzenberg appeared on WHYY’s Radio Times show in Philadelphia to talk about the budget deadlock and opportunities for compromise. Elizabeth Stelle of the Commonwealth Foundation also appeared on the show. You can listen to their discussion here.

Explaining why any budget resolution must include a minimum wage increase … In his latest Third and State blog post, Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center Interim Research Director and KRC Labor Economist Mark Price looks at how long it would take a minimum wage worker to pay for a year at Penn State at University Park, and how long it took in 1998 and 1985. This comparison illustrates the declining buying power of Pennsylvania’s minimum wage and also the impact of rising tuition. Mark also notes the differences in proposed funding for higher education between the Wolf and Republican budgets. He argues for taking a two-pronged approach to the problem of paying for higher education: increasing the minimum wage so people can more easily afford it and increasing state funding of it so it will be more affordable. 

State of Working PA improving but still fragile … KRC released on Sept. 2 its annual State of Working Pennsylvania report in time for Labor Day. This year’s report, co-authored by Mark Price and Stephen Herzenberg, finds that job growth in Pennsylvania is finally back to normal, but wage and income growth are still lagging. And the longer the budget impasse continues, the more PA’s economic progress is threatened. The report makes a number of recommendations, including raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. Mark talked about the report on WITF’s Smart Talk radio show on Sept. 4.

How to recover from classroom cuts and raise PSSA scores … PBPC Education Analyst Waslala Miranda shows in her latest Third and State blog post how, of the two state budget proposals (Gov. Wolf’s and the Republicans), only Gov. Wolf’s would result in a net increase in classroom funding per student. And there is a documented link between increased education funding and higher PSSA scores.

Congratulations and welcome to the rolls … to the nearly 5,000 Pennsylvanians who, by Sept. 2, had registered online to vote, after Gov. Wolf launched online voter registration in Pennsylvania on Aug. 27.  “Online voter registration is about making the voting experience more convenient and more accessible,” Gov. Wolf said. “It is about giving citizens an easier way to exercise their right to vote and establishing a clearer connection between the political system and the citizens.” This pro-democracy innovation contrasts with the unsuccessful effort, by Gov. Corbett, to make voting more difficult by requiring photo id.