Alan Essig Blog Budget and Taxes Tax Breaks and Economic Development Programs, Are We Getting Our Money’s Worth December 15, 2011 / January 17, 2020 by Alan Essig | 2 Comments on Tax Breaks and Economic Development Programs, Are We Getting Our Money’s Worth Georgia is investing tens of millions of dollars in business tax incentives and subsidies without any idea as to the impact on jobs. In tight budget times, it’s imperative that all state expenditures whether through the state budget or through the tax code, are held accountable for results. The General Assembly passed legislation requiring the […] Read more » Alan Essig Blog business tax incentives State Taxes
Featured K-12 Education Library Policy Areas Reports Making a Case for Need-based Financial Aid in Georgia December 8, 2011 / January 13, 2020 by Alan Essig By 2020 an estimated 61 percent of all jobs in the state will require a career certificate or college degree; however, only 34 percent of adults in Georgia have an associate degree or higher. This creates a sizable skills gap that must be closed. Postsecondary education is becoming a necessity in a 21st century economy. […] Read more » Cedric Johnson Education Need-based Financial Aid Report
Blog Cedric Johnson Higher Education K-12 Education A Ray of “Hope” for Students Pursuing Higher Education December 8, 2011 / January 17, 2020 by Cedric Johnson | 3 Comments on A Ray of “Hope” for Students Pursuing Higher Education Paying for college has often been a deal-breaker for many individuals desiring to pursue a post-secondary education. Georgia has long looked to its prized HOPE program as a resource for helping Georgia students finance a college education. While HOPE has helped many Georgia students pay for college over the years, it is important to recognize […] Read more » Blog Cedric Johnson Education Higher Education HOPE Scholarship
Blog Budget and Taxes Clare S. Richie Happy New Year? Congress to Decide Fate of Federal Unemployment Benefits December 2, 2011 / January 17, 2020 by Clare Richie On December 31st, everyone will gather together to welcome in the New Year. Yet thousands of jobless Georgians worry today if Congress will pull the rug out from under them and their families in 2012. In January 2012, nearly 70,000 Georgia workers, who lost their jobs due to no fault of their own, will be […] Read more » Blog Clare Richie Federal Budget & Taxes Federal Unemployment Benefits
Blog Cash and Safety Net Taifa Smith Butler Reality Check: Optimism in the Midst of Stark Realities November 23, 2011 / January 16, 2020 by Taifa Smith Butler | 1 Comment on Reality Check: Optimism in the Midst of Stark Realities As we prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday, some may travel great distances to spend time with family and friends. This Thanksgiving, my husband, daughter, and I will stay in Georgia and settle in for a simple quiet meal and think about all the things for which we are thankful. While we model an attitude of […] Read more » Blog Economic Security Safety Net Taifa Smith Butler
Blog Cash and Safety Net Wesley Tharpe Georgia at a Crossroads: Keep Sliding Backwards with Status Quo or Move Forward with Balanced Approach November 17, 2011 / January 16, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe | 5 Comments on Georgia at a Crossroads: Keep Sliding Backwards with Status Quo or Move Forward with Balanced Approach GBPI’s new report, State of Working Georgia 2011, paints a troubling picture of how everyday Georgians are faring in today’s economy. Over the past decade and especially since the downturn of 2007, working Georgians have faced massive job loss, rising unemployment and persistent inequality—and things appear to be getting worse. As outlined in the report, […] Read more » Blog Economic Security Safety Net State of Working Georgia Wesley Tharpe
Cash and Safety Net Featured Library Policy Areas Reports State of Working Georgia 2011 November 17, 2011 / January 16, 2020 by GBPI Admin | 5 Comments on State of Working Georgia 2011 State of Working Georgia uses data on wages, jobs, unemployment and poverty to closely examine the effect of the economy on everyday Georgians. The report is produced annually, and is part of the State of Working America project from the nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute. This year’s State of Working Georgia focuses on the impact of […] Read more » Economic Security Report Safety Net State of Working Georgia Wesley Tharpe
Alan Essig Blog Budget and Taxes Tough Choices Lay Ahead for General Assembly in 2012 Legislative Session November 15, 2011 / January 16, 2020 by Alan Essig | 2 Comments on Tough Choices Lay Ahead for General Assembly in 2012 Legislative Session Vital state services may face further budget cuts. Most state agencies have seen their budgets cut by an average 14 percent, and many more by 20 percent or higher. So while the state’s revenue growth (6.8 percent) through October is ahead of the 4 percent growth needed for the FY 2012 budget, Georgia’s budget crunch […] Read more » 2012 Legislative Session Alan Essig Blog State Budget
Budget and Taxes Featured Library Policy Areas Reports Georgia’s Unemployment Trust Fund: A Plan Urgently Needed to Restore Solvency September 28, 2011 / January 16, 2020 by GBPI Admin | 4 Comments on Georgia’s Unemployment Trust Fund: A Plan Urgently Needed to Restore Solvency Years of employer tax cuts left Georgia unprepared for a recession and high unemployment; now the state is borrowing $721 million from the federal government to meet its obligation. This policy brief provides an update on Georgia’s insolvent unemployment trust fund, as well as recommendations for how the state can rebuild its reserve and avoid […] Read more » Clare Richie Federal Budget & Taxes Reports unemployment trust fund
Health Justice Library Policy Areas Reports Report Highlights Harmful Effects of Federal Medicaid Cuts on Georgia’s Economy July 5, 2011 / January 15, 2020 by GBPI Admin Medicaid cuts in the House Republican budget, if implemented today, would have a devastating impact on Georgia’s economy. These cuts would put as many as 38,420 jobs and as much as $4.4 billion in state business activity at risk, according to a report released today by the national health care consumer organization Families USA. Download the […] Read more » Federal Medicaid Cuts health medicaid Report Tim Sweeney