All I know is that I’m more inclined to take the stairs after hearing the Department of Insurance is behind on more than 11,000 elevator inspections due to budget cuts.
Reduced state spending for agencies like the departments of Revenue, Insurance, Natural Resources and Secretary of State isn’t usually… [Read more]

Every person on the planet has to know by now about the dire federal spending cuts set to take effect tomorrow.
Ok, not literally every person. But for months the media hype about the U.S. fiscal cliff, deficit, and debt crisis has been hard to escape. Since negotiations for… [Read more]

 
Newtown, Connecticut.
Without saying anything else, I’m sure many hearts—like mine— fill with sadness thinking about the senseless violence that befell 27 precious souls at Sandy Hook Elementary School earlier this month.
In the aftermath of most tragedies, we focus a great deal of attention on the devastation itself. … [Read more]

GBPI recently hosted its Fall Policy Forum, Expanding Health Coverage in Georgia. Nearly 200 supporters joined us for a discussion around the benefits of the Medicaid expansion. Conference attendees heard from two nationally renowned health care experts who recently authored groundbreaking studies that highlight the substantial benefits of Medicaid coverage: Dr.… [Read more]

If Georgia is going to grow jobs and stabilize the state’s economy, then it’s time for us to make investing in education our fundamental priority. Georgia’s future depends on its ability to attract employers, create jobs, and grow the economy, and a key ingredient to this is a highly skilled… [Read more]

As published by the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Taifa S. Butler is the deputy director of Georgia Budget & Policy Institute, which will release a survey today of Georgia’s 180 school districts on the impact of state funding cuts.
The 150 districts that responded to the survey educate more than… [Read more]

When the Powerball jackpot reached more than $320 million last week — the fourth-largest jackpot ever – that was good news for Georgia students, since the more lottery tickets people buy, the more money there is for HOPE college scholarships.
Of course, you must play to win. And the odds… [Read more]

Categories: Blog, Education, Taifa Smith Butler | Comments (2)

Posted by Taifa S. Butler

Recently members of the Danish Parliament visited Georgia to learn about the state of working-poor families and the supports that our state provides to such families.  GBPI was honored to present to the delegation on this topic and to highlight some of… [Read more]

As posted in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia’s commitment to graduate 250,000 more college students by 2020 is a worthy goal — and a necessary one if the state wants to remain competitive in an economy that increasingly requires knowledgeable, highly skilled workers.
Ensuring that Georgians can afford to attend… [Read more]

Categories: Blog, Education, Taifa Smith Butler | Comments (5)

Posted by Taifa Butler

March 29 marked final day of the Georgia General Assembly.  While the legislative docket included big impact legislation, at the end of the day, legislators missed several opportunities to pass reforms that matter.

Criminal Justice ReformUpon taking office, Governor Deal resolved to address… [Read more]

Categories: Blog, State Budget, Taifa Smith Butler | Comments (1)