Both the House and Senate largely kept the governor’s cuts for this current fiscal year and what he proposed for next year in their FY 2011 budgets. This report highlights the differences between the two chambers. Download PDF.

This report documents the Senate’s amendment to a house bill that raises taxes on the poorest during this recession, but leaves intact a credit for corporations. It includes a chart showing that low and middle-income Georgians already pay a higher portion of their income in taxes than wealthy Georgians. Download the PDF.

The House’s version of the FY 2011 budget balances the budget by incorporating additional budget cuts than that of the governor’s proposed FY 2011 budget. Compared to the pre-recession FY 2009 budget, the House version includes cuts totaling 17.8 percent, or $3.6 billion. In the long term, and in light of billion $ deficit projected next year, the hospital provider fee that sun-sets after 3 years, and more than $230 million in new tax cuts, Georgia needs fundamental tax reform and modernization. Download the PDF.

The House of Reps’ FY 2011 budget cuts General Fund spending in the Department of Community Health (DCH) by $285.4 million relative to the originally enacted FY 2010 budget. In addition, the House budget reflects lost state funding from the Tobacco Settlement and from the Care Management Organization fee totaling $207.2 million. Download the PDF.

The House of Reps’ FY 2011 budget cuts K-12, University System, and Technical Colleges — by an additional $318 million more than the governor’s January proposal. It increases funds for Pre-K. Accounting for inflation, per student state funding for K-12 will drop to its lowest point in a decade, even after incl Recovery Act funds. After accounting for inflation, per student state funding for K-12 education will drop to its lowest in a decade, even after including Recovery Act funds. Download the PDF.

The House of Reps’ FY 2011 budget proposal cuts the Department of Human Services budget by an additional $11.4 million over the governor’s January proposal. DHS now faces a $33 million cut in state General Funds for FY 2011 compared to this year’s enacted budget. This is a 6.1 percent cut on top of several years of cuts to the department, which includes services for child abuse protection and the elderly. Download the PDF.

The House of Reps passed bills to raise nearly $300 million in new revenues and improve tax collections. However, they continued to pass long-term tax cuts ($380 million a year) and to disregard other tax options, such as reassessing existing tax exemptions. Download the PDF.

Georgia’s Medicaid program needs nearly $1 billion for FY 2011 and FY 2012. This shortfall is not due to a program out of control, but rather is a result of the steep revenue decline from the current recession. One option lawmakers can pursue is enacting House Bill 307, which generates $169 million by implementing a 1.45 percent hospital provider fee. Download the PDF.

Capital gains tax preferences are costly, inequitable, and ineffective. They deprive states of millions of dollars in needed funds, benefit almost exclusively the very wealthiest members of society, and fail to promote economic growth in the manner their proponents claim. Download the PDF.