Budget and Taxes Claire Suggs K-12 Education Reports Ballooning Tax Credit for Private School Scholarships February 27, 2017 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs Bill Analysis: House Bill 217 (LC 34 5120S) State lawmakers are considering a bill that proposes to swell the annual price of Georgia’s tax credit for private school scholarships. House Bill 217 raises the cap to $100 million from the current $58 million on a program that diverts tax revenue from the state to organizations […] Read more » K-12
Claire Suggs K-12 Education Reports Education Savings Accounts Carry Huge Price Tag February 21, 2017 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs | 1 Comment on Education Savings Accounts Carry Huge Price Tag Fact Sheet: Senate Bill 68 (LC 33 6784) Georgia lawmakers are considering a bill to allow parents to take state money to pay for private educational services. Senate Bill 68 proposes an Individual Education Savings Account, or ESA, program. These savings accounts allow parents to redirect public money to pay for private school tuition and […] Read more » Education Savings Account K-12
Budget and Taxes Reports Wesley Tharpe Income Tax Bill Offers Earned Income Tax Credit Upside, Flat Tax Downside February 21, 2017 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Bill Analysis: House Bill 329 (LC 43 0564) – Updated February 27, 2017 Members of the Georgia House are set to consider a large income tax proposal that contains a mix of positive reforms and measures that raise significant concerns. Some aspects of the bill offer benefits to working class Georgia families, while others could […] Read more » EITC Income Tax revenue tax breaks
Budget and Taxes Claire Suggs Higher Education Reports Overview: 2018 Fiscal Year Budget for Higher Education February 13, 2017 / January 16, 2020 by Claire Suggs Gov. Nathan Deal’s proposed budget of nearly $2.3 billion for the university system and approximately $360 million for technical colleges includes money to increase salaries, which should help both systems attract and retain faculty. Still, state spending per student in the university system remains well below earlier levels so financial pressures that led to tuition […] Read more » Budget Overview FY2018 Higher Education
Budget and Taxes Claire Suggs K-12 Education Reports Overview: 2018 Fiscal Year Budget for Lottery-Funded Programs February 10, 2017 / January 16, 2020 by Claire Suggs Gov. Nathan Deal’s proposed 2018 budget includes $57.4 million in additional lottery funds, bringing the combined total for Georgia’s lottery funded Pre-Kindergarten and HOPE financial aid programs to $1.13 billion. About $757 million of that total is allocated to the HOPE program, and the remaining $364 million is directed to Pre-K. The most significant funding […] Read more » Budget Overview HOPE Pre-K
Budget and Taxes Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Reports Overview: 2018 Fiscal Year Budget for Human Services February 7, 2017 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson Services for Children and Older Adults Get Substantial Boost Gov. Nathan Deal’s proposed $732 million Department of Human Services 2018 budget takes another significant step forward to restoring and fortifying the agency after recession-era cuts. The spending plan adds substantial money for child welfare and other human services. Still, more money is needed to ensure […] Read more » Child Welfare Department of Human Services FY2018
Budget and Taxes Health Justice Laura Harker Reports Overview: 2018 Budget for Department of Community Health February 7, 2017 / January 16, 2020 by Laura Harker Governor Nathan Deal proposes a 2018 budget of $2.57 billion in state general funds for the Department of Community Health. This is a decrease of $85.7 million from the 2017 fiscal year, mostly due to an increased rate for federal matching funds in the Medicaid program. Federal funding for the department is $7.6 billion in […] Read more » FY2018 medicaid
Budget and Taxes Claire Suggs K-12 Education Reports Overview: 2018 Fiscal Year Budget for K-12 Education February 2, 2017 / January 16, 2020 by Claire Suggs Gov. Nathan Deal’s budget proposal for the 2018 fiscal year boosts funding for Georgia’s 1.7 million public school students by $515 million over the current budget for a total of $9.4 billion. The proposal includes a 2 percent salary increase for authorized teachers. At the same time, districts face growing financial pressures. The budget calls […] Read more » Education FY2018 K-12
Reports Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Young Immigrants Vital to Georgia’s Workforce, Healthy Economy February 1, 2017 / March 18, 2021 by Wesley Tharpe Potential harsher federal immigration policies under the new presidential administration pose special concern for young Georgians whose parents brought them to the United States as children. A new federal crackdown threatens havoc for tens of thousands of young Georgians who now enjoy some limited legal protections which allow them to work, go to school and […] Read more » daca immigration
Reports Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Georgia Stands to Lose Millions from Crackdown on Young Immigrants February 1, 2017 / January 16, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe The potential for harsher federal immigration policies under the new presidential administration poses special concern for young Georgians whose parents brought them to the United States as children. A new federal crackdown threatens to wreak havoc in the lives of tens of thousands of young Georgians who now enjoy some limited legal protections that allow […] Read more » daca immigration
