Blog People Powered Prosperity Ray Khalfani Worker Justice Beyond the Unemployment Rate: You Can’t Tell the Whole Truth with Half of the Data August 13, 2020 / November 17, 2020 by Ray Khalfani Key Takeaways: The unemployment rate, labor force participation rate (LFPR), employment to population rate (EPOP) and underemployment rate are four measures that serve as indicators of different elements of labor force strength. Policymakers and the general public should begin to use of all four measures and break them down by race and ethnicity in order […] Read more »
Blog Cash and Safety Net Furaha Njoroge People Powered Prosperity The Impact of Racism on Georgia’s Safety Net August 7, 2020 / August 7, 2020 by Furaha Njoroge CW: To highlight the problematic narratives surrounding safety net programs, this piece quotes racist statements opponents of these programs have made. Safety net programs, sometimes called “welfare,” are programs meant to meet the basic needs for families who fall on hard times. Programs including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), […] Read more » child care assistance racism Safety Net SNAP TANF Unemployment Insurance
Blog Budget and Taxes Coronavirus Taifa Smith Butler Georgians Need Congress to Prioritize Bipartisan Relief Package August 3, 2020 / August 6, 2020 by Taifa Smith Butler Georgians have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and the deepest economic downturn since the Great Depression. Infection numbers in Georgia continue to grow, and our hospitals are stretched to capacity. After declining each week since early May, Georgia is again seeing an increase in unemployment claims, as well as a decline in weekly benefits. […] Read more » Budget Budget Cuts coronavirus COVID-19 Unemployment
Blog Budget and Taxes Cash and Safety Net Coronavirus Health Justice Higher Education K-12 Education People Powered Prosperity Taifa Smith Butler Worker Justice GBPI Writes Senator Perdue About the HEROES Act July 27, 2020 / November 17, 2020 by Taifa Smith Butler GBPI recently wrote the following letter to Senators Perdue and Loeffler asking them to support the HEROES act and aid Georgians in this difficult time. We need your help — please write our senators today asking them to help Georgians recover and thrive. July 24, 2020 Dear Senator Perdue: Georgians have been hit hard by the COVID-19 […] Read more »
Blog Budget and Taxes People Powered Prosperity Sine Die 2020: More Work Needed to Address Georgia’s Revenue Crisis June 29, 2020 / July 6, 2020 by Caitlin Highland After a three-month hiatus due to COVID-19, the 2020 legislative session ended Friday, June 26. When lawmakers returned in mid-June, the world had shifted. A steep revenue shortfall, high levels of unemployment, an ongoing public health crisis and a global anti-racist movement underscored the long-standing truth that the status quo could not advance prosperity for all Georgians. By the end of legislative session, known as sine […] Read more » Budget Cuts Childcare assistance COVID-19 film tax credit K-12 maternal mortality Medicaid Expansion raise revenue Sine Die Unemployment Insurance
Blog Budget and Taxes House and Senate Approve Georgia’s FY 2021 Budget June 26, 2020 / June 27, 2020 by Alex Welch On Sine Die, the last day of the legislative session, the Georgia House and Senate approved the state’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 budget, which begins on July 1. The Senate passed an updated budget proposal yesterday evening, and the House approved $2.2 billion in budget cuts today. Appropriations leaders reduced some cuts and restored about $400 […] Read more » Budget Budget & Taxes Budget Cuts health Higher Education Human Services K-12
Blog Inclusive Economy for Immigrants Stephanie Angel DACA Will Continue to Protect More Than 20,000 Georgians June 19, 2020 / June 19, 2020 by Stephanie Angel Key Takeaways: The Supreme Court ruled against ending the DACA program, which provides temporary relief from deportation to undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children. By keeping the program intact, DACA recipients will continue to benefit from resources that aid in achieving upward mobility including work authorizations and driver’s licenses. The Court’s decision is […] Read more » daca Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration
Blog Budget and Taxes Senate Passes FY 2021 Budget Proposal June 17, 2020 / June 19, 2020 by Alex Welch | 2 Comments on Senate Passes FY 2021 Budget Proposal The Georgia Senate Appropriations Committee met Wednesday morning to discuss changes to House Bill 793, which details the state’s budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021. While the committee made some changes and reductions to previously proposed budget cuts, this new proposal still includes deep cuts that touch nearly every service and program Georgians rely on. The […] Read more » Budget Budget & Taxes Budget Cuts
Blog Higher Education Jennifer Lee People Powered Prosperity Keeping Pre-K Stable Helps Georgia Children and Parents June 17, 2020 / July 28, 2020 by Jennifer Lee Key Takeaways Agency budget proposals for lottery-funded programs included no cuts to HOPE and $53 million in cuts to pre-K. This would mean the elimination of 4,000 slots for Pre-K students, 13 fewer instructional days for children and six fewer teacher planning days. The Senate Appropriations Committee voted to restore the 4,000 pre-K slots that […] Read more » Budget Budget Cuts Higher Education HOPE Lottery Pre-K
Alex Camardelle Blog Cash and Safety Net Coronavirus People Powered Prosperity Tearing the Fabric of Georgia’s Safety Net Guarantees an Uneven Recovery June 10, 2020 / July 28, 2020 by Alex Camardelle Key Points: The current COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic decline have underscored the problems of disinvestment in Georgia’s safety net programs, such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food assistance), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF, or cash assistance), Medicaid and other programs. The state has recently called for steep budget cuts, which are […] Read more » Budget Budget Cuts coronavirus COVID-19 Safety Net SNAP TANF