Author Blog Budget and Taxes Wesley Tharpe Pro-Family Tax Credits Help Guard Georgia’s Military Families from Poverty July 2, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe An estimated 80,000 military families in Georgia, including both active-duty personnel and veterans, receive either the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the low-income component of the Child Tax Credit (CTC), two highly effective federal benefits that support working families as they try to reach the middle class. The tax credits keep around 7,500 military […] Read more » State Taxes
Author Blog Health Justice Timothy Sweeney Georgia can blaze own path to expand Medicaid coverage June 24, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney | 2 Comments on Georgia can blaze own path to expand Medicaid coverage The Atlanta Journal-Constitution features Georgia Budget and Policy Institute’s Director of Health Policy Timothy Sweeney’s op-ed on Medicaid expansion in Georgia. As published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription) Rather than continuing to flatly say “No” to more than half a million Georgians who could gain health insurance through expansion of Medicaid, Gov. Nathan Deal should […] 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 Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Lawmakers are Pricing College Out of Reach June 3, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs | 3 Comments on Lawmakers are Pricing College Out of Reach State and federal lawmakers are changing higher education financial aid programs and that makes it harder for Georgia’s students to earn a college degree. These changes aren’t just hurting students and their families. They’re undermining Georgia’s economy, which is increasingly dependent on having an educated workforce. The Legislature imposed new budget cuts on higher education […] Read more »
Author Blog Health Justice Taifa Smith Butler Medicaid Expansion Could be a Lifeline for Veterans May 23, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Taifa Smith Butler Memorial Day is one day we set aside to honor service members who lost their lives to protect this country’s freedoms. It is also a day to honor men and women who still serve, as well as those who have returned home. Unfortunately many face difficult transitions returning home to civilian life. More and more […] Read more »
Author Blog Budget and Taxes Wesley Tharpe Investigation Reveals Need for Business Subsidy Reforms May 22, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Georgia spends millions of dollars each year subsidizing companies that don’t always deliver on their promises of new jobs, according to a recent investigation by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. But Georgia lawmakers could make these programs more effective and hold companies accountable with some common sense, business-friendly reforms found in other Southern states. The AJC report […] Read more » State Taxes
Author Blog Health Justice Melissa Johnson U.S. House Version of Farm Bill Threatens Nutrition Assistance for Georgia Families May 17, 2013 / January 17, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 1 Comment on U.S. House Version of Farm Bill Threatens Nutrition Assistance for Georgia Families The U.S. House’s Agriculture Committee passed a farm bill this week that would cut more than $20 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp Program) and other nutrition services. The cuts pose a threat to thousands of Georgia families struggling to put food on the table. The farm bill, […] Read more »
Alan Essig Author Blog Budget and Taxes A Double Standard for Sales Tax Breaks May 14, 2013 / January 17, 2020 by Alan Essig | 1 Comment on A Double Standard for Sales Tax Breaks Tax breaks should be decided on their merits, not based on the pull of powerful lobbyists. Unfortunately, the governor seems to have taken the opposite course this month in his treatment of two sales tax exemptions. While he vetoed renewal of a sales tax exemption for food donated to food banks, items purchased by volunteer […] Read more » State Taxes
Author Blog Health Justice Timothy Sweeney New Study Shows Significant Benefits for Medicaid Expansion, Contrary to Opponents’ Claims May 3, 2013 / January 17, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney Opponents of Medicaid expansion are misrepresenting the findings of a new study to argue that Georgia and other states shouldn’t extend this vital health coverage to more people without health insurance. Contrary to what some in the anti-expansion camp argue, the study – which updates findings from an earlier look at how Medicaid benefited some […] Read more »
