More than 8-in-10 support Trump proposals, including tax cuts, regulatory relief, and an end to Biden policies that have crippled energy production. 

Voters overwhelmingly support initiatives Shapiro promised as a candidate but has failed to deliver, including tax relief (85%) and Lifeline Scholarships (83%).

71% oppose new energy taxes that could increase electric utility rates by up to 30%, including those imposed by the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and Shapiro’s proposed Pennsylvania Climate Emissions Reduction Act (PACER).

Commonwealth Foundation’s 30-point policy plan draws broad bipartisan backing, with strong majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents supporting the policies.

Harrisburg, Pa., January 23, 2025 — The Commonwealth Foundation today released a policy roadmap to help Pennsylvania lawmakers deliver prosperity and opportunity to voters frustrated with leadership failures in Harrisburg and Washington, DC.

The Better Pennsylvania plan offers 30 popular, bipartisan solutions and reforms to address the economic, education, energy, and budgetary challenges that lead many Pennsylvanians to flee the state. 

Read the Commonwealth Foundation’s Better Pennsylvania plan here and its latest statewide Pennsylvania policy survey here.

These include measures to help low-income children escape failing schools, cut taxes to unleash economic development, empower Pennsylvania’s energy sector to prioritize affordability and security, and ensure that workers are no longer at the mercy of special interest groups.

The agenda includes several initiatives that Gov. Josh Shapiro said he supported during his campaign for governor but has failed to deliver on during his time in office, including reducing Pennsylvania’s Corporate Net Income Tax (CNIT) and enacting Lifeline Scholarships.

“Pennsylvania should be leading the nation, yet our commonwealth has fallen behind and families are leaving for states with a lower cost of living, more competitive job environment, and better educational options,” Commonwealth Foundation Vice President Elizabeth Stelle said. 

“The Better Pennsylvania plan provides a roadmap for policymakers, articulating 26 state and four federal policies with overwhelming, bipartisan support that will set the commonwealth on a path to a more prosperous future where all Pennsylvanians can thrive,” Stelle said. “Pennsylvanians are demanding change. It’s time for lawmakers to deliver.”

Commonwealth Foundation Senior Vice President Erik Telford added: 

“As state lawmakers embark on the final legislative session of Gov. Shapiro’s term, Pennsylvanians are demanding a new path forward and an end to the partisan gridlock. Shapiro has said he’s ready to work with President Trump. Is he ready to live up to his campaign pledge of working with Republicans and Democrats in Harrisburg?” Telford asked. “Pennsylvanians are eager for Shapiro to deliver on a laundry list of unfulfilled campaign promises from regulatory reform, to tax cuts, and scholarships for poor kids in low performing schools.

“Pennsylvanians went to the ballot box demanding a new direction at the state and federal level,” he said. “More than 8-in-10 voters support key Trump proposals including renewal of the tax cuts enacted during his first term, regulatory relief, and an end to policies that have crippled energy production. Eighty-four percent support ending Biden’s pause on exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which Trump has since reversed on his first day in office.”

The policies outlined in this agenda are not just politically effective, but popular with Democrat, Independent, and Republican voters. A list of policy proposals from the Better Pennsylvania Agenda follows below, along with the level of total voter support for each policy.

*Denotes question asked to split sample n=400 (half of the full survey n=800 sample).

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The Commonwealth Foundation transforms free market ideas into public policies, empowering all Pennsylvanians to thrive.