REFORMING GOVERNMENT

Leading by Example

Governor Wolf refuses to take a state salary or pension. He also requires cabinet secretaries to post their expenses online each month.

SENIORS

Enhancing Quality of Care

Governor Wolf created a task force to enhance the quality of care for seniors in long-term living facilities.

OPIOID CRISIS

Improving Doctor Prescribing Guidelines

Governor Wolf has announced improved prescribing guidelines for the safe and effective use of opioids.

ENVIRONMENT

Banning Drilling in the Delaware River Basin

In September, Governor Wolf and the governors of Delaware and New York, comprising a majority of the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), announced that they voted in favor of a resolution put forward by the commission to issue draft regulations to permanently ban hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas in the Delaware River Basin.

ENVIRONMENT

Enacting the Gas Drilling Moratorium

With one of his first actions in office, Governor Wolf enacted a gas drilling moratorium on Pennsylvania’s state parks. Governor Wolf knows we must strike the right balance with Pennsylvania’s growing energy economy, and he knows our state parks and forests are unique assets that should be preserved, protected, and utilized by our residents for recreational purposes.

ENVIRONMENT

Fighting back against cuts from the Trump Administration

Governor Wolf stood up to Trump’s proposed cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency. These cuts if enacted would harm businesses seeking permits, and harm residents’ clean water, air, and land. The reductions would also impact safe drinking water inspections, sewage and industrial wastewater inspections, brownfield redevelopment, and eliminate funding for radon protection, a problem that plagues Pennsylvania homes.

Governor Wolf fought the Trump Administration’s efforts to delay new ozone pollution regulations. Governor Wolf fought this to protect children who suffer from asthma and respiratory illnesses.

ENVIRONMENT

Supporting Solar Energy

Governor Wolf reopened a $30 million loan program to encourage the use of solar energy in Pennsylvania. The governor is working to make sure that the benefits of increased renewable jobs, a cleaner environment, and a growing renewable economy will be felt throughout the commonwealth.

EDUCATION

Restored the $1 Billion Cut to Education Made Under Corbett

Governor Wolf has fully restored the $1 billion cut to education made under the Corbett administration that led to teacher layoffs, larger class sizes, and cuts to important programs.

EDUCATION REFORMING GOVERNMENT

Enacting a Fair Funding Formula

Governor Wolf believes that all children, no matter their zip code, deserve a high quality education. That’s why he enacted a fair funding formula that removes politics from school funding.

EDUCATION

Investing in Pre-K and Kindergarten

Governor Wolf knows that we need our students to start early in order to get a head start in life. Since he’s taken office, Governor Wolf has increased the number of children able to attend pre-kindergarten by 64% and increased the number of students enrolled in full-day kindergarten to 93,800.

EDUCATION

Preparing Students for 21st Century Jobs

Governor Wolf wants to make sure Pennsylvanians are prepared for jobs of the future. He’s launched Pennsylvania to third in the nation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education and increased the number of credentials earned by students in career and technical education programs by 32%.

EDUCATION

Improving Graduation Rates

Under Governor Wolf, high school graduation rates have increased to 86%, making Pennsylvania a national leader.

EDUCATION

Improving School Safety and Security

Governor Wolf has made ensuring the safety of Pennsylvanians, especially our children, a top priority. That’s why he created a task force to bring together officials, educators, parents and students to talk about ways to improve school safety and security.

JOBS

Expanding Workforce Development Opportunities

Governor Wolf has approved nearly $1 million in funding through the new Manufacturing PA initiative for seven new training programs across Pennsylvania to give 250 job-seekers the skills they need to secure a stable, high-paying job in manufacturing and passed a manufacturing tax credit. Governor Wolf has supported the training of more than 120,000 workers at more than 2,200 companies across the commonwealth to help workers thrive in their jobs and develop more marketable skills.

REFORMING GOVERNMENT

Banning Gifts

Governor Wolf’s first actions as governor were to sign an executive order banning members of his administration from accepting gifts and reforming legal contracting to end the pay-to-play culture in Harrisburg.

HEALTH CARE OPIOID CRISIS

Expanding Medicaid

One of Governor Wolf’s first actions as Governor was to expand Medicaid giving an additional 720,000 Pennsylvanians the health care they need, including over 125,000 Pennsylvanians with substance abuse disorder.

HEALTH CARE

Reducing the Uninsured Rate

Governor Wolf has reduced Pennsylvania’s uninsured rate to 5.6%, the lowest rate on record.

HEALTH CARE PROGRESSIVE VALUES

Standing up to Donald Trump’s Extreme Agenda

Governor Wolf is standing up to Donald Trump’s extreme agenda by fighting against Trumpcare and proposed federal budget cuts that would eliminate Meals on Wheels, heating assistance for low-income people, and educational resources for students with disabilities.

PROGRESSIVE VALUES

Strengthening Animal Cruelty Laws

Governor Wolf signed Libre’s Law which improves Pennsylvania’s protection for animals. This bill increases penalties for animal cruelty and neglect and raises standards to ensure our pets and other animals are properly cared for.

PROGRESSIVE VALUES

Expanding Rights for our LGBTQ Community

Governor Wolf has expanded protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender expression or identity for state employees and is fighting for similar protections at the statewide level.

SENIORS

Standing Up to Donald Trump’s Age Tax

Governor Wolf fought GOP efforts to institute an age tax and roll back prescription drug and health care coverage for our seniors.

JOBS

Fighting for A Minimum Wage Increase

Governor Wolf has fought for and continues to fight for a statewide minimum wage increase to $12 an hour, tied to inflation.

OPIOID CRISIS

Increasing Access to Overdose Antidote

Governor Wolf directed his physician general to sign a standing order for Naloxone, the overdose reversing antidote, so that any Pennsylvanians can get the life saving drug without a prescription. He also equipped law enforcement, first responders, and schools with the overdose-reversing antidote naloxone, leading to over 6,700 reversals since 2014.

REFORMING GOVERNMENT

Bringing the Liquor System into the 21st Century

Governor Wolf modernized Pennsylvania’s archaic liquor system by instituting the most significant reforms since Prohibition that improve customer convenience and for the first time allow beer to be sold at gas stations and c-stores and allow grocery stores to sell wine.

HEALTH CARE REFORMING GOVERNMENT

Legalizing Medical Marijuana

Governor Wolf signed a bill that legalized medical marijuana, providing long overdue medical relief to patients with serious medical conditions such as cancer & multiple sclerosis.

SENIORS

Upgrading Senior Community Centers

Governor Wolf invested millions in senior community centers in order to upgrade technology and facilities to give the centers the resources needed to revitalize and expand the services that enrich the lives or our senior population.

JOBS

Creating 21st Century Jobs

Governor Wolf has worked to expand companies like Amazon to make Pennsylvania a technology hub and passed a manufacturing tax credit.

ENVIRONMENT PROGRESSIVE VALUES

Standing up to Big Oil and Gas

Governor Wolf stopped the Republican plan to gut environmental regulations in favor of big oil and gas. Governor Wolf passed new safeguards that improved the protection of water and public resources, as well as public health and safety, and also addressed landowner concerns, enhanced transparency, and improved data management. JOBS

Eliminating Burdensome Business Taxes

Governor Wolf has eliminated burdensome taxes on businesses like the Capital Stock and Franchise Tax.

REFORMING GOVERNMENT

Improving Government Contracting

Governor Wolf signed an executive order to increase diverse and small business participation in state government contracting.

OPIOID CRISIS

Keeping Drugs off the Street

Governor Wolf strengthened the use of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program so that doctors can identify if patients are “doctor shopping” and have been prescribed opioids by other physicians. The system now has 90,000 users who have conducted over one million searches. Governor Wolf also increased the number of drug-take back boxes to 700 for unwanted, expired, or unused prescriptions leading to the destruction of over 150 tons of drugs.

HEALTH CARE

Increasing Access to Health Insurance for our Kids

Governor Wolf has increased enrollment in the Children’s Health Insurance Program by 20%. The program now serves more than 180,000 Pennsylvania children.

SENIORS

Protecting the Lottery Fund for Senior Programs

Governor Wolf stabilized the Lottery Fund, which supports important senior programs, by authorizing the Pennsylvania Lottery to offer virtual sports games at Lottery retailers, including bars and taverns.

SENIORS

Increasing Opportunities to Age in Place

Governor Wolf has increased opportunities for older Pennsylvanians to remain in their homes. Under Governor Wolf, more than 50,000 additional seniors, a 41% increase, are able to age in their homes.

PROGRESSIVE VALUES REFORMING GOVERNMENT

Leading on Criminal Justice Reform

Governor Wolf has pushed for criminal justice reforms to refocus the system on rehabilitation and end mass incarceration. Under his leadership, Pennsylvania has reduced recidivism. The governor also banned the box on non-civil service applications for jobs under his jurisdiction and he signed into law a bill allowing non-violent ex-offenders to ask the court to seal their criminal records, which will help them to get jobs and not return to prison. The governor is also leading an initiative to further improve our criminal justice system from sentencing guidelines to our bail system.

REFORMING GOVERNMENT

Increasing Transparency

Governor Wolf publishes his schedule for the public each day and requires cabinet secretaries to post their expenses online each month.

SENIORS

Protecting Seniors’ Health Care

Governor Wolf saved more than 180,000 seniors from losing their Medicare Advantage health plans.

JOBS

Investing in Infrastructure

Under Governor Wolf, 1,300 roads, 600 bridges, and more than 6,000 miles of roadway have been repaired or rebuilt, with $6 billion in infrastructure improvements funding jobs across Pennsylvania. Governor Wolf announced plans for an additional investment of more than $2 billion in road, highway and bridge projects over the next 10 years.

OPIOID CRISIS

Expanding Access to Treatment

Governor Wolf signed a first-of-its-kind Statewide Disaster Declaration for the heroin and opioid epidemic to enhance state response and increase access to treatment. He worked with medical professionals to create 45 centers that will treat more than 11,000 individuals. Governor Wolf also launched a 24/7 helpline, 1-800-662-HELP, for those who need immediate assistance with drug and alcohol problems.

PROGRESSIVE VALUES

Protecting Women’s Right to Choose

Governor Wolf has vetoed the most extreme anti-choice bill in the country, which would criminalize abortions and leave no exceptions for rape, incest, health or tragic fetal anomalies. As a former Planned Parenthood patient escort, Governor Wolf has also opposed Republican efforts to defund the organization.

REFORMING GOVERNMENT

Reforming our Pension System

Governor Wolf signed comprehensive pension reform which reduced risk to taxpayers, continues to pay down our debt, and slashes Wall Street fees while still offering state employees fair benefits.

PROGRESSIVE VALUES

Unrigging the Political System

Governor Wolf rejected Republicans’ gerrymandered maps to ensure that Pennsylvanians are fairly represented. He introduced a voting reform plan that includes same day and automatic voter registration, modernizing absentee voting, and enacting campaign finance reform. Governor Wolf instituted online voter registration in 2015, resulting in over 1 million new or updated Pennsylvanian voter registrations. He also refused Donald Trump’s request for Pennsylvania voters’ personal information.

JOBS

Streamlining Services for Small Business

Governor Wolf has assisted more than 7,000 entrepreneurs and business owners by cutting through red tape and establishing the new PA Business One-Stop Shop.

JOBS

Investing in Job Creators

Governor Wolf’s investment in the creation of a Shell Cracker Plant in Western Pennsylvania, the Port of Philadelphia, and a steel plant in Johnstown will create over 15,000 jobs.^[22]

JOBS AND YOUR PAYCHECK

WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?

In a word, opportunity -- or lack of it. The Wolf Administration is chasing good-paying job providers away to other states -- and he's blocking Pennsylvania from becoming the economic powerhouse of the Northeast. Under Tom Wolf, PA has one of the most punishing tax and regulatory burdens in the country -- with more than 150,000 regulations on the books. As a job creator, Scott Wagner knows firsthand how Governor Wolf's failed policies are hurting job creators, often forcing them to close shop or move to states with better business climates -- taking good paying jobs (and our kids) with them.

SCOTT'S PLAN

Protecting paychecks means plenty of good paying jobs. To make that happen, Scott intends to treat entrepreneurs like the valuable job creators they are. He will free business owners to from regulations and burdensome processes so they can provide better paychecks for hard working Pennsylvanians who've waited far too long for a chance to get ahead. How? Scott is a man of action.

TAXES AND YOUR PAYCHECK

WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?

In a word, mismanagement. Recent reports found hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars were wasted, poorly invested, or lost. Our current governor, Tom Wolf, doesn't understand the concept of a hard earned dollar, because he's only ever known privilege and influence. His gross mismanagement takes a great deal of unecessary money out of your wallet. No governor has been more financially reckless, or done more to benefit wealthy special interests -- while treating hard working Pennsylvanians like ATM machines, and denying them the most basic considerations -- like safe, well-maintained roads.

SCOTT'S PLAN

Scott will protect your paycheck by cutting up Harrisburg's credit cards and shutting off the spending valve. He'll make it a place that takes less from you and returns more by forcing every agency to implement zero-based budgeting which will protect taxpayers from mismanagement. He'll sign legislation to eliminate the school taxes on your home, and he'll break Pennsylvania’s 45-year streak of tax increases on everything from personal income and sales, to gas and digital downloads.

EDUCATION AND YOUR PAYCHECK

WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?

In a word, politics. An immensely powerful school employees' union (the PSEA), and the politicians it controls, are diverting more and more money meant for students to an out of control state employee pension program. They’ve blocked Harrisburg from solving this crisis for students and overly burdened taxpayers. Politicians have promised, but failed to end reliance on property taxes to fund schools contributing to massive student inequality. Taxpayers are handcuffed to a system that drains them while it steals away the equal and excellent education our children deserve.

SCOTT'S PLAN

Scott will take on the big union bosses who own Tom Wolf -- so he can fix the student-robbing pension crisis and make sure funding goes to our students where it belongs. He'll end property tax reliance and make sure that no student is hurt by his or her zip code. He’ll sign legislation to stop over-prescribing of opioids and treat it like the code red crisis it is. He'll retool and reinvent the education system to prepare children to fill STEM jobs and the 200,000 available skilled labor positions.

THE CULTURE AND YOUR PAYCHECK

WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?

In a word, self-interest. Harrisburg is notorious for a culture which has allowed politicians and wealthy special interests to prosper at the expense of hard working Pennsylvanians. It has become known as a place where bribery, fraud and abuse of power are casually accepted -- where public service has become profitable. PA is home to the most expensive, wasteful and lavish legislature in the country -- one that has left honest citizens behind, and forgotten their interests. Instead of a system that encourages service to those hard workers, we have a system that has bred a generation of career politicians who look out for themselves.

SCOTT'S PLAN

Scott knows that to protect paychecks, we have to ensure elected officials are working for taxpayers, not themselves. He'll push to reduce the size of the legislature, abolish lawmaker per diems, pensions and lifetime health insurance plans. To break the culture of political careerism, Scott will work toward limiting terms in the legislature. He’ll move to ban former lawmakers from lobbying and to prohibit lobbying firms from engaging in campaign work on behalf of politicians.^[22]