Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Hunger a Struggle for More than One in Six Georgia Households Last Year September 5, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson People in more than one in six Georgia households endured serious problems affording adequate nutritious food at some point last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said this week. Of 644,000 Georgia households experiencing this food insecurity, some 248,000 experienced very low food security – meaning that one or more household members had to eat […] Read more »
Author Blog Budget and Taxes Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Promises of Economic Growth Through Tax Cuts are Empty August 23, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe | 1 Comment on Promises of Economic Growth Through Tax Cuts are Empty Those pushing for the type of radical tax plans described in our new report say that deep income tax cuts are a sure-fire way to boost the state’s economy and create jobs. But these claims aren’t supported by research or the experience of other states. A recent review of dozens of economic studies finds there’s […] Read more » State Taxes
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson About 168,000 Struggling Georgians at Risk as U.S. House Pushes Food Stamp Cuts August 14, 2013 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson When the U.S. House returns from its recess in a few weeks, representatives are expected to consider a bill that slashes $40 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program. A cut that size eliminates benefits for up to four million people in the U.S. In Georgia, about […] Read more » farm bill food stamps Melissa Johnson SNAP
Author Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Georgia’s Economy Continues Slow Climb – Warning Signs Abound July 31, 2013 / January 16, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Georgia’s economy continues to add jobs at a slightly better pace than other states, though it is still not firing on all cylinders. Georgia grew jobs slightly faster than the nation as a whole over the past year, and some of the state’s industries – such as health care and professional business services – are […] Read more » jobs count
Author Blog Budget and Taxes Inclusive Economy for Immigrants Wesley Tharpe Immigration Reform Would Bolster Georgia’s Strained Finances July 10, 2013 / April 2, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Georgia would gain nearly $100 million in state and local tax revenue each year if Congress allows undocumented immigrants now living in the United States to work here legally, according to a new report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). Comprehensive immigration reform is under debate in Washington and passing a forward-looking […] Read more » State Taxes
Author Budget Primer Cash and Safety Net Featured Library Melissa Johnson Policy Areas Reports GBPI 2014 Primer: Human Services July 9, 2013 / April 14, 2020 by Melissa Johnson Georgia’s spending to help children, the poor and seniors is overseen by the state Department of Human Services, which has a 2014 budget of $486 million, or about 3 percent of the total. Budget cuts in recent years have strained the state’s safety net designed to safeguard its most vulnerable people from abuse. Download the […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Unemployment Benefits Will Run Out Faster for Georgians Laid Off After July 1 June 20, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson Georgians who lose their jobs after July 1 can expect one less week in unemployment insurance benefits – maybe enough to make a car payment, pay for the family’s prescriptions, or simply put food on the table. And it’s not because the economy is so much better. It’s because Georgia lawmakers decided struggling families should […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson New Report Finds More than Half of Georgia’s Seniors Struggle Economically June 12, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 1 Comment on New Report Finds More than Half of Georgia’s Seniors Struggle Economically Proposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare would do more harm in Georgia than most other states. Nearly 54 percent of older Georgians struggle to pay for basic necessities, according to a new report by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). Only two states – California and Hawaii – and the District of Columbia have a […] Read more »
Author Fact Sheets Library Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Georgia Making Progress, Still a Steep Hill to Climb April 24, 2013 / January 17, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Georgia’s economy is adding jobs at a strong pace compared to other states, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Only California and Florida added more jobs than Georgia in March and the state’s unemployment rate is now at its lowest point since January 2009. But despite its promising […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Georgia Shouldn’t Shift Aid to Families to Nonprofits April 18, 2013 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 2 Comments on Georgia Shouldn’t Shift Aid to Families to Nonprofits To expand Georgia’s economy, the state should reassess the way it allocates resources. For the last few years, Georgia cut state spending on supports for low-income families and increasingly relied on other sources to provide services – which potentially reduced the total services available to these families, as new data shows. To give low-income families […] Read more »
