Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Reports Worker Justice Increase Child Care Assistance to Strengthen Georgia’s Families, Economy March 5, 2015 / January 17, 2020 by Melissa Johnson Many low-income parents raising young children in Georgia are not able to afford the high cost of quality child care. Going without such care can prevent them from keeping jobs, focusing at work, and getting a job if they do not have one. Georgia offers a child care assistance program to help families afford child care, but […] Read more » child care
Author Blog Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Lift Georgia’s Economy with a Higher Minimum Wage February 23, 2015 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe This month I spoke to a state senate committee about the merits of Senate Bill 15, legislation that could boost Georgia’s minimum wage to $10.10 per hour from its current effective rate of $7.25. The senate bill is similar to a proposal GBPI described in 2014 in our report “Better Pay for Honest Work.” Our […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Young and Old Georgians Still Vulnerable in 2016 Spending Plan February 3, 2015 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson The good news is the governor’s proposed 2016 budget contains new state money to hire more child protective services workers, more money to manage the growth in the number of children placed in foster homes and even a modest amount aimed to help protect older Georgians. The not so good news, according to GBPI’s analysis […] Read more »
Author Budget and Taxes Cash and Safety Net Library Melissa Johnson Policy Areas Reports Overview of Georgia’s 2016 Fiscal Year Human Services Budget February 3, 2015 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson More for Child Welfare, but Other Services Still in Need The governor’s $547 million human services budget proposed for the 2016 fiscal year makes strategic additions to help protect Georgia’s children and adults, but falls short of meeting the many different needs of its growing population. The spending plan promises to take a solid step […] Read more » State Budget
Author Blog Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Raise Georgia’s Minimum Wage to Expand Middle Class, Strengthen Economy November 12, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe | 2 Comments on Raise Georgia’s Minimum Wage to Expand Middle Class, Strengthen Economy Over the last few months I’ve found myself tipping a little extra at my favorite local restaurants and dishing out some extra courtesy when I buy from my favorite neighborhood shops. It’s not because I’m any nicer than the next person or that I recently came into newfound wealth. It’s because since this summer I’ve […] Read more »
Author Library Policy Areas Reports Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Better Pay for Honest Work November 12, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Raise Georgia’s Minimum Wage to Expand Middle Class, Strengthen Economy Georgia’s economy is increasingly tilted toward the types of jobs that don’t pay workers enough to make ends meet or keep their families out of poverty. They are food servers at local restaurants. Retail clerks selling products they can’t afford. Home health aides helping the […] Read more »
Author Blog Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Rising Inequality Makes Tax Shift Strategy Even Riskier September 18, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe The widening gap between rich and poor makes it harder for state lawmakers to fully fund education, health care and other vital services, more so in states like Florida and Tennessee that rely mostly on sales taxes. That’s one of the main findings of a new study from Standard & Poor’s, a widely-respected, independent agency. […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Georgia Set to Squander $7.8 Million on Food Stamps ID September 11, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 1 Comment on Georgia Set to Squander $7.8 Million on Food Stamps ID Georgia’s Department of Human Services is asking the state to include $7.8 million in its 2016 budget to put photos on electronic cards used by food stamp recipients. This is an expensive solution to a virtually non-existent problem. Spending millions to create photo ID cards will not prevent large-scale fraud through food stamps, formally known […] Read more »
Alan Essig Author Blog Worker Justice Marriage Equality is Good for Business in Georgia August 29, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Alan Essig Creating marriage equality in Georgia is not just a matter of basic justice and fairness, but according to a just-released study by the Williams Institute in the UCLA School of Law, the state’s economy would also benefit. Revenue from same-sex wedding planning and spending by out-of-state guests on goods and services will add $78.8 million […] Read more »
Author Library Policy Areas Reports Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice State of Working Georgia 2014 August 27, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Workers Squeezed by Tough Labor Market, Shrinking Paychecks Georgia’s economy has improved markedly since the darkest days of the Great Recession, but workers and their families remain pinched from the lingering fallout. Unemployment remains high, wages are depressed and many workers are stuck in low-quality jobs. African-Americans and Georgians with fewer years of education are […] Read more »
