Today is the deadline for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to pass its 2010-2011 state budget.  Yesterday, Governor Ed Rendell held a press conference to announce that he and legislative leadership from all four caucuses have agreed to the terms of a $28.052 billion budget. 

Summer is coming to a close, but the Pennsylvania General Assembly still has unfinished business. Although constitutionally required to pass a balanced budget by June 30, lawmakers in Harrisburg are still deliberating over what programs to fund and how to pay for them.As a stop-gap me

The week of July 27, 2009, was filled with anticipation, hopefulness and skepticism over the new Budget Conference Committee that was created to end the budget stalemate, according to the Capitol Recap report from Pennsylvania Legislative Services. After four fruitless meetings Monday

According to a Capitol Recap report from Pennsylvania Legislative Services, by Sunday evening (July 26, 2009), the Capitol was empty and, according to those familiar with the conversations, there was a feeling nothing more could be achieved before Senate Republican leaders meet with t

Representing Pennsylvania’s Catholic hospitals and health systems, the Pennsylvania Catholic Health Association (PCHA) joined the Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) and others at a press conference today.   The concerned organizations presented a petit

For most Pennsylvanians, this time of year means leisurely vacations, picnics and displays of fireworks.  For some in Harrisburg, unfortunately, June and July can mean long hours, anxiety and a different kind of fireworks – the political debate about the state budget. The downtu

PCC Executive Director, Dr. Robert J. O’Hara, sent the following letter to legislative leaders in the state House and Senate on June 29, 2009: The parents of Catholic school students understand that tough economic times require all of us to make the most of limited resources. We

Representatives from the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference testified today before the Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee regarding funding for education in the 2009-2010 Commonwealth Budget.

"Feed people dying of hunger, because if you do not feed them you are killing them." Strong words from our early Church fathers. They teach that we are bound to come to the aid of the poor and to do so not merely out of our superfluous goods.

Do we really need government to take more decisions away from parents? This question is being considered right now in Harrisburg. Governor Ed Rendell proposes $75 million on his “Pre-K Counts” initiative for pre-kindergarten education for four-year-olds, but it unfairly discriminates