On January 20, 2015, Tom Wolf was sworn in as Pennsylvania’s 47th governor. Gov. Wolf grew up in a small south central Pennsylvania town in York County and still lives in the house he was brought home to from the hospital. Gov. Wolf left York County to attend college at Dartmouth, but he interrupted his studies to join the Peace Corps and served two years in a small village in India before returning to finish his undergraduate degree.
As Governor, Tom he has fought for a change to state government. Tom donates his entire salary to charity, refuses a state pension and signed an executive order prohibiting administration employees from accepting gifts from lobbyists.
Tom has eliminated more than $2 billion in government waste from the state budget and consolidated agencies.
Tom has made wholesale reforms to state government including pension reform that will save billions and the first liquor reform since prohibition.
We need a government that restores faith in the fundamental notion that our democracy still works while efficiently providing services to Pennsylvanians. Our government should be transparent and fully accountable, and taxpayers deserve to know how every penny is spent.
Tom is committed to government reforms that increase efficiency, reduce waste, and eliminate cronyism and corruption, and since his first days as governor, he has been praised statewide for his moves towards transparent government that works in Pennsylvania.
Tom is fighting for a full gift ban for all Pennsylvania officials along fairer campaign finance laws and stricter lobbying laws so that all elected officials are accountable to Pennsylvanians, not special interests.
Tom has made clear his strong commitment to education in Pennsylvania by fully restoring education funding cuts made in the previous administration, providing unprecedented support to high-quality pre-k programs, and ensuring students are college and career ready. He has fought for more education funding since day one and he has made investment in our schools and our children his top priority.
Tom is going to keep investing in our schools so students have the training to get jobs in Pennsylvania. He is working to increase classes in math, technology, science, and information technology. Tom knows that not every student is going to go to a four-year college, that’s why he is proposing more investments in training and apprenticeships so all students can get a job in Pennsylvania.
Since day one, Tom has made “Jobs that Pay” a priority in Pennsylvania. Tom has travelled the commonwealth, hearing from business owners, industry leaders, and hardworking Pennsylvanians statewide about what the Wolf administration can do to help them thrive.
To rebuild the middle class, we need new ideas to create jobs that pay and policies that support our manufacturing and new growth industries. Coming from the private sector, Tom knows we must make new investments in 21st century manufacturing and refocus our economic development dollars and strategies. The commonwealth can help set the table for robust private sector growth to create and retain good jobs while strengthening the middle class.
Tom is going to keep fighting to create jobs in Pennsylvania and make it easier for workers and businesses to succeed. He is creating a one-stop shop for businesses to get started in the commonwealth, and he is working to build a workforce that can help companies thrive in a competitive economy.
Tom took immediate actions to provide health insurance to more than 720,000 Pennsylvanians by expanding Medicaid, and has reduced the commonwealth’s uninsured rate to 5.6%, the lowest it has ever been.
Tom is fighting efforts in Washington to roll back the progress we have made. He is going to keep working to make sure Pennsylvanians have affordable health care options.
Tom understands that we must provide our seniors with the services they have earned. That’s why he is implementing Community HealthChoices, coordinated health care coverage that will serve more than 400,000 seniors in their homes and communities.
Soon there will be even more opportunities for seniors to stay in their homes because of Tom’s plan. He’s going to keep fighting for Pennsylvania’s seniors and make sure they have the resources they need.
Pennsylvania is at the center of the largest market in the world, and Tom has worked to make sure Pennsylvania’s infrastructure can move goods and products to market so Pennsylvania businesses can compete globally.
Tom is going to keep investing in new infrastructure and fixing our roads and bridges because as the keystone state, we need to make sure our infrastructure is second to none.
Tom has made fighting the opioid crisis a top priority of the administration and is continuing to work across the aisle to address this looming public health issue. Tom has provided funding to implement 45 centers of excellence (COE) throughout the commonwealth that will treat nearly 11,000 people with substance use disorder. Pennsylvania also recently launched a prescription drug monitoring program that will allow prescribers and dispensers to query and report information regarding the number of opioids prescribed, and to whom and recently announced new prescribing guidelines for the safe and effective use of opioids.
Tom is going to keep fighting the opioid and heroin epidemic by focusing more funding on treatment and making sure those who sell drugs in our communities are held accountable.
Tom has worked to ensure Pennsylvania provides high-quality services for veterans, while also fighting to ensure the federal government continues its programs and funding to aid veterans and their families. Working with the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Tom has worked to bolster its programs, improve services provided to veterans and military families, and fought cuts that would have hurt programs at the department.
Tom is incredibly proud of Pennsylvania’s more than 800,000 veterans and the thousands of active duty men and women putting themselves in harms way and will keep fighting to ensure programs for veterans and military families are protected and improved.
Tom has worked to protect Pennsylvania’s air, water, and land through smarter energy policy and conservation. One of Tom’s first actions in office was to reinstate the moratorium on new drilling leases in state forests and parks. He also is working to expand the use of alternative energy like solar and wind.
Tom has also continued to fight for a commonsense severance tax. A majority of Pennsylvanians support a severance tax and Pennsylvania is the only gas-producing state in the country without one.
Since his days in the Peace Corps, Tom has understood the power of agriculture to change lives. As governor, Tom has focused strategic investments in building the infrastructure we need to expand trade opportunities and meet rapidly growing demand for quality Pennsylvania products at home and abroad.
Tom has also expanded opportunities at every educational level to build the skilled workforce the industry needs to succeed, pointing students toward science, technology, engineering and math careers in agriculture that will be waiting when they finish school.
Pennsylvania was founded as a place of tolerance and freedom. But there is still work to be done to make sure all Pennsylvanians have the same opportunities and protections.
Tom is going to keep fighting for equality so that all Pennsylvanians have opportunities to build lives in our commonwealth.
Strengthening public safety is a priority for Tom. His fight against crime has lead to a decrease in Pennsylvania’s crime rate across major categories. In addition, he has signed legislation to protect victims of crimes and made it more difficult for abusers to get guns.
Tom is going to keep working to make Pennsylvania more safe for everyone.
Over the last few years, Tom has fought to reform our criminal justice system and has signed legislation to make it easier for Pennsylvanians to transition from incarceration. His work has lead to a decrease in prison populations while reducing Pennsylvania’s crime rate.
Tom is going to keep working to make the justice system more fair and effective.