“It is the responsibility of the state to safeguard and promote the common good of society,” writes Pope Francis in his recent encyclical, Evangelii Gaudium, “Based on the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity, and fully committed to political dialogue and consensus building, it p

June is budget season at the state Capitol. Lawmakers have a constitutional deadline of June 30 to pass a spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year. The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference (PCC) and the Pennsylvania Catholic Health Association (PCHA) track many elements of the budget de

The Pennsylvania General Assembly passed the state budget by the constitutional deadline, June 30. Over the Fourth of July weekend, they passed the necessary fiscal code bill that outlines the revenue to pay for it. Although not exactly on time, this state budget was passed earlier th

On Friday evening, October 9, 2009, Governor Ed Rendell signed a $27.8 billion budget that was 101 days overdue.  The plan spends $500 million less than last year and does not include any broad-based tax increases. The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference (PCC) has been following the budg