For Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, Governor Brian Kemp proposed a $1.62 billion budget for the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC), the agency overseeing Georgia’s prison system. This proposed budget is $125 million higher than what was approved for FY 2025.
This report was co-authored by Ray Khalfani, Senior Analyst, Worker Justice and Criminal Legal Systems and Ife Finch Floyd, Director of Economic Justice Introduction Excessive local government reliance on fines and fees is tied to persistent barriers to economic
Introduction Most Georgians will get a traffic ticket in their lifetime. Some may have to go to court for these and other minor infractions because of an inability to pay or a traffic offense that requires a court hearing. Given
Introduction Fines and fees are significant revenue sources for many localities in Georgia. However, when more than 10% of a locality’s revenue derives from these sources, it indicates an abusive reliance that can disproportionately impact low-income communities and people of
The 20-Year View Over the last 20 years, the costs of running Georgia’s prisons have risen by almost 70%. Despite promises of reform over the years, the number of individuals within the custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections has
GEORGIA – Governor Brian Kemp has signed into law legislation that significantly broadens the scope of offenses necessitating cash bail for release from jail. The legislation, signed on Wednesday, introduces dozens of new offenses that now require cash bail, including criminal trespassing and
Introduction Staci Fox, President and CEO When the 2024 Legislative Session began on January 8th, Georgia was sitting on $10.9 billion in undesignated, unspent public funds and a $5.4 billion Revenue Shortfall Reserve (RSR). The possibilities to make big investments
Need help understanding these bills? A bill glossary is at the bottom of this page. You can also view our bill tracker here. Yesterday was Crossover Day, the day by which a bill must pass out of its originating legislative
For Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, Governor Brian Kemp proposed a $1.48 billion budget for the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC), an agency overseeing the state’s prison system. The FY 2025 proposed budget is nearly $153 million higher than
The Georgia Budget & Policy Institute works to advance lasting solutions that expand economic opportunity and well-being for all Georgians.
Georgia Budget & Policy Institute
GBPI is committed to tracking how the state of Georgia raises and spends fiscal resources. As the federal government has promised and provided some of these, cuts to programs and funding on the federal level could have deep and lasting impacts on Georgians and on the state’s ability to meet the needs of all its residents.
Submit public comment on Georgia’s Pathways to Coverage program extension by February 20th – just complete this easily fillable form:
