Blog Health Justice Laura Harker Proposed Federal Health Bill Is Potential 10-year, $4 Billion Drain on Georgia Treasury March 23, 2017 / January 15, 2020 by Laura Harker Georgia stands to lose $4 billion in federal Medicaid funding over ten years if the proposed American Health Care Act of 2017 (AHCA) passes, according to a new Urban Institute report. That loss is almost certain to shift costs to the state and lead to cuts to program eligibility, benefits or health care provider payments. […] Read more » medicaid
Blog Budget and Taxes Wesley Tharpe Reshuffling Income Tax Rates is a Faulty Economic Formula March 21, 2017 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe State legislators are considering a package of income tax changes in the final days of the 2017 session that could lead to major changes for families, businesses and the state’s financial health. The headline-grabbing core of House Bill 329 is to swap Georgia’s longstanding graduated tax structure with rates ranging from 1 to 6 percent […] Read more » Income Tax tax breaks
Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Private School Scholarship Savings Claims Deserve Skepticism March 17, 2017 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs State lawmakers are considering a big expansion of the private school scholarship tax credit program. House Bill 217 proposes to hike the program’s cap to $100 million from the current $58 million over the course of a few years. The program is a variation on traditional school vouchers, which are private school scholarships funded directly […] Read more » K-12 Private School Scholarships
Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Misguided March to Expand Tax Credits for Private School Scholarships March 9, 2017 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs | 1 Comment on Misguided March to Expand Tax Credits for Private School Scholarships The Georgia Senate is considering a plan to expand the state’s private school scholarship tax credit program after the House recently approved House Bill 217. The bill proposes to raise the annual cap on tax credits from $58 million to $100 million for donations to organizations issuing the scholarships. Its potential fiscal impact is cause […] Read more » K-12
Blog Budget and Taxes Melissa Johnson Worker Justice Immigrant ID Bills Amount to $1 Million in Waste February 17, 2017 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson One Senate bill and two House bills threaten to waste more than $1 million in state taxpayer dollars to change driver’s license and identification cards issued to immigrants, including refugees and legal permanent residents. If any of these bills pass, Georgia will spend valuable time and money tilting at windmills, while taking an unwelcoming stance […] Read more » immigration
Blog Health Justice GBPI Letter to Governor Outlines Pitfalls of Medicaid Caps, Block Grants February 15, 2017 / January 16, 2020 by GBPI Admin In a letter delivered today to Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute outlined likely negative consequences to the state from potential funding cuts to the federal Medicaid safety net. Federal funding cuts threaten to destabilize the state’s Medicaid budget and force Georgia to deny coverage to eligible Georgians in critical need […] Read more » Federal Government medicaid
Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Filling the Gaping Hole in Public School Budgets February 7, 2017 / March 15, 2021 by Claire Suggs State funding for Georgia’s public schools went up $1.5 billion from fiscal year 2014 to 2017 and is set to go up $515 million if the General Assembly approves Gov. Nathan Deal’s 2018 budget. These are big numbers. Still, many school districts continue to feel the strain of financial pressures. The reason schools struggle financially […] Read more » K-12
Blog John McCosh Lawmakers, Policy Experts Draw a Crowd at GBPI’s Insights 2017 January 27, 2017 / January 16, 2020 by John McCosh The largest crowd to attend a Georgia Budget and Policy Institute conference gathered at Insights 2017 in downtown Atlanta Jan. 25th for to hear lawmakers, educators and other experts break down the issues on the minds of legislators this session. More than 200 people heard Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, one of several lawmakers […] Read more » events
Blog Health Justice Laura Harker Worker Justice Georgia’s Economy at Risk if Affordable Care Act Repealed January 20, 2017 / January 17, 2020 by Laura Harker | 3 Comments on Georgia’s Economy at Risk if Affordable Care Act Repealed Earlier this month the U.S. Congress passed a budget resolution in the first steps to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In the coming weeks congressional leaders plan to move forward in repealing key parts of the ACA and appear poised to delay passing a replacement plan. A repeal and delay sequence could cause 1 million […] Read more » Affordable Care Act
Blog Budget and Taxes Health Justice K-12 Education Taifa Smith Butler Worker Justice Stabilizing Georgia’s Health System Tops 2017 Legislative To-do List January 10, 2017 / January 15, 2020 by Taifa Smith Butler As published in the Atlanta Journal Constitution A reeling state health care system. Chronically underfunded public schools. Working families and communities that need a financial boost. State lawmakers convene in Atlanta this week with those pressing issues on their to-do list once again. Georgia’s 236 legislators also are required to pass a budget, expected to […] Read more » EITC K-12 medicaid
