Blog Budget and Taxes Staci Fox Crossover Day 2025: Tracking Our Priorities March 7, 2025 / March 7, 2025 by Staci Fox Crossover Day 2025 Yesterday was Crossover Day in Georgia, the day by which a bill must pass out of its originating legislative chamber to be considered by the other chamber before the end of Legislative Session and become law. There was an exception this year with the Fiscal Year 2026 budget (HB 72), which has […] Read more » Crossover Day legislative session
Blog Education Ife Finch Floyd K-12 Education The Legacy of William Finch: The Fight for Public Education in the 19th Century and Today February 27, 2025 by Ife Finch Floyd The era of public education in the South began during the period of Reconstruction, typically considered to be between 1865 and 1877. During Reconstruction, Congress sought to reunite the country, address the rights and needs of newly freed people and define how the South would be governed after the end of the Civil War.[1] During […] Read more » black history month
Blog Staci Fox Reflecting on the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 2025 January 20, 2025 by Staci Fox “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly” Rev Martin Luther King Jr (1963) Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader, advocate and fellow Georgian, was a powerful voice who stood […] Read more »
Blog Criminal Legal System Reform Economic Justice Ray Khalfani The Public Harm Under a For-Profit Probation System: Spotlight on Augusta December 10, 2024 / December 10, 2024 by Ray Khalfani 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 their commonality, it is critical that there is integrity across the system – from Georgia’s […] Read more »
Blog Cash and Safety Net Ife Finch Floyd GBPI Poll Finds Many Georgians are Food Insecure and Agree Cutting Food Assistance is “Unfair” November 19, 2024 / November 19, 2024 by Ife Finch Floyd A 2024 Georgia Budget and Policy Institute poll found that many Georgians have struggled to afford the cost of food. They also agreed that cutting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also known as food stamps) would be unfair for people struggling to put food on the table. A little more than 50% of respondents […] Read more »
Blog Economic Justice Ray Khalfani Worker Justice Stand with Georgia Workers this Labor Day: Protect and Dignify Labor September 2, 2024 / September 3, 2024 by Ray Khalfani Happy Labor Day, Georgia! Labor Day is a time to reflect on the values that unite us as Georgians. Across our state, there is a shared belief that it’s PEOPLE who drive our economy. We believe that our state government plays a vital role in sustaining our economy, and that businesses can thrive—but only when […] Read more »
Blog Staci Fox Women’s Equality Day: Reflecting on Power, Progress and Persistent Gaps in Georgia August 26, 2024 / August 26, 2024 by Staci Fox Each year on August 26th, we celebrate Women’s Equality Day to commemorate the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1920. This historic amendment prohibited states from denying the right to vote based on gender—a monumental step forward in the fight for equality. But more than a century later, I find myself […] Read more »
Ashley Young Blog Higher Education The Ongoing Battle for Student Loan Debt Relief July 16, 2024 / July 18, 2024 by Ashley Young This blog explores the challenges of student loan debt relief and potential solutions, focusing on the experience of borrowers in Georgia–borrowers like me. This past spring, Georgia’s attorney general, Chris Carr, joined seven other state attorneys general in Missouri v. Biden, a federal lawsuit against The Biden-Harris Administration and the Department of Education to […] Read more »
Blog Budget and Taxes Criminal Legal System Reform Health Justice Higher Education K-12 Education People Powered Prosperity Staci Fox Worker Justice Sine Die 2024 March 29, 2024 / April 11, 2024 by Staci Fox 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 on behalf of all Georgians were endless. Late last year, GBPI pondered Georgia’s $16 Billion […] Read more » Budget Criminal Legal Systems Economic Justice Education health-care Sine Die tax
Blog Ray Khalfani Worker Justice GBPI submits comment on the 2024-2027 Combined Strategic Workforce Development Plan March 5, 2024 by Ray Khalfani This letter constitutes Georgia Budget and Policy Institute’s (GBPI) feedback on the 2024-2027 Combined Strategic Workforce Development Plan (State WIOA Plan). GBPI would like to acknowledge our State Workforce Development Board’s (SWDB) commitment to addressing workforce needs during ongoing structural changes to streamline the administration of WIOA services through the state’s technical college system. We […] Read more »
