Governor Tom Wolf

On January 20, 2015, Tom was sworn in as Pennsylvania’s 47th governor.

Since taking office,Tom has taken a number of steps to make Pennsylvania a better place. As Pennsylvania governor, Tom is focused on three simple goals: jobs that pay, schools that teach, and government that works.

Tom knows that to rebuild the middle class, we need new ideas to create jobs that pay and policies that support our manufacturing and new growth industries. In order to do this, Tom has taken a number of steps. On March 7, 2016, Tom signed an executive order that ensures employees under the governor’s jurisdiction will be paid no less than $10.15 an hour. The executive order also covers employees of organizations that negotiate state contracts or that lease property to the commonwealth. In addition to signing the executive order, Tom also called upon legislators to pass a minimum wage increase for all Pennsylvania workers. Tom also phased-out of Pennsylvania’s Capital Stock and Foreign Franchise tax, calling it “an unfair tax on business” that he was committed to eliminating. The Capital Stock and Foreign Franchise tax dates to 1844, and previous governors had tried for more than 15 years to eliminate the tax.

Tom is fighting to increase funding for our schools to reverse the devastating $1 billion in cuts made to schools five years ago that led to larger class sizes, soaring property taxes, educator layoffs, and the elimination or reduction of vital programs. Data also show that as education classroom funding fell, so did student scores in reading and math. Tom has made clear his strong commitment to education in Pennsylvania by fighting to restore critical education funding cuts, provide unprecedented support to high-quality pre-k programs, and ensure students are college and career ready. As a result of his fight for greater investment, schools will receive an additional $200 million in 2015-16 for K through 12 education. Tom continues to advocate for increased funding for Pennsylvania schools to deliver high-quality education to every student across the state, regardless of zip code. We must make investments to adequately and fairly fund our education system in order to lay the foundation for long-term economic growth in Pennsylvania.

To move Pennsylvania forward, we need a government that restores faith in the fundamental notion that our democracy still works. Our government should be transparent and fully accountable, and taxpayers deserve to know how every penny is spent. Tom’s first action after taking office was to sign an executive order banning his administration from accepting gifts. The executive order bars all state workers under the governor’s jurisdiction from accepting or soliciting anything of value. Several independent state commissions, authorities, and other agencies have followed the governor’s lead and imposed a gift ban on their employees. On the same day, the governor signed an executive order to reform the process for contracting outside legal counsel to make it more open and transparent, and to rid the system of rewarding political donors. Following these executive orders, Tom announced that he would be posting his work calendar each Friday and his public schedule for the day each morning. He also signed an open data executive order with the goal of making data available in order to engage citizens, create economic opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs, and develop innovative policy solutions that improve program delivery and streamline operations. Tom also established the Governor’s Office of Transformation, Innovation, Management, and Efficiency (GO-TIME). GO-TIME leverages inter-agency coordination and collaboration to maximize efficiency, modernize state government operations, and provide the highest quality services.

Tom has also taken a number of steps to improve and protect the lives of all Pennsylvanians. Tom signed two executive orders that expand protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender expression or identity for state employees and, for the first time, employees of contractors doing business with the commonwealth. He also expanded Medicaid in Pennsylvania in order to simplify a previously complicated process and ensure that hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians would have greater access to the health insurance they need. Now, more than 600,000 Pennsylvanians who were not previously covered now have healthcare coverage. Tom also eliminated the wasteful SNAP asset test, which removed unnecessary administrative burdens and costs to the commonwealth. The Wolf Administration has also made the fight against heroin a top priority. Some of the administration’s initiatives include: signing a statewide standing order for naloxone, making it possible for all Pennsylvanians to access this life-saving drug; equipping the Pennsylvania State Police with naloxone, so that those troopers who are first on the scene of an overdose can have another tool on-hand during these emergencies; training Pennsylvania Capitol Police to administer and carry naloxone; and supporting the use of naloxone at schools across the commonwealth.

Tom has always been a different kind of leader and he has brought this experience to his role as governor. Since day one in office, Tom has fought for the people of Pennsylvania and he will continue to serve the best interests of the commonwealth. To see his full bio visit: https://www.governor.pa.gov/governor-tom-wolf/