Author Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Don’t Expand Private School Scholarship Tax Credit Program Until Effectiveness is Proven March 25, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs Why should Georgia divert more taxpayer money to support private school scholarships when the public has no idea if the state gets a good return on the existing $50 million worth of tax breaks it devotes to the program? That’s a question lawmakers should answer before approving Senate Bill 243, a proposal to raise the […] Read more »
Blog Medicaid Expansion Holds Promise of Health Care for Georgia Veterans March 20, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney If you’re like most people, you probably assume that anyone who served honorably in the United States military won’t need to worry about doctor bills after they resume civilian life. That assumption is false. The fact is not all veterans are eligible for Veterans Administration health services and many more don’t live close enough to […] Read more »
Author Blog Claire Suggs Higher Education K-12 Education Student Higher Ed Costs Soar as State Funding Drops March 19, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs Georgia is investing far less in higher education today than it was five years ago, according to a new report. As a result, students and their families are shouldering more of the cost of college than ever, leaving them with larger debt loads or pricing them out entirely even as the state is trying to […] Read more » Higher Education
Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson GSU Study Conclusion is Flawed March 15, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 2 Comments on GSU Study Conclusion is Flawed A new study that casts vital family supports in a bad light relies on far-fetched assumptions about the way people behave in real life and ignores the proven benefits of services for children and parents. In fact, the study’s breezy conclusion that food stamps, subsidized child care and other supports discourage work, marriage and other […] Read more »
Alan Essig Author Blog Budget and Taxes Some tax breaks might not work March 6, 2013 / January 16, 2020 by Alan Essig | 1 Comment on Some tax breaks might not work The Atlanta Journal-Constitution features Georgia Budget and Policy Institute’s Executive Director Alan Essig’s op-ed on corporate tax breaks in Georgia. As published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution The 2013 General Assembly is considering giving special tax treatment to encourage mobile home sales, help Georgia’s aircraft maintenance companies compete against their counterparts in other states, and lower […] Read more » State Taxes
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Georgia’s Reaction to Reports of Welfare Waste Poses Administrative Nightmare February 27, 2013 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson This week the General Assembly began considering House Bill 138 (HB 138), legislation designed to discourage the misuse of cash benefits under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Though seemingly well-intentioned, the bill could present a huge logistical challenge for retailers, all in an attempt to remedy a problem that may not be […] Read more » Melissa Johnson TANF
Author Blog Health Justice Timothy Sweeney New Jersey Governor Joins GOP Leaders Who Now Support Medicaid Expansion February 26, 2013 / January 17, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney | 1 Comment on New Jersey Governor Joins GOP Leaders Who Now Support Medicaid Expansion New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced today he will expand Medicaid coverage in his state, becoming the eighth Republican governor to change course and embrace the expansion. Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced last week his state will expand Medicaid coverage, joining Christie and New Mexico Gov. Susanna Martinez as members of the Republican Governors Association’s […] Read more » health medicaid Medicaid Expansion
Blog Budget and Taxes Wesley Tharpe Georgia’s Upside-Down Tax System Hits Working Families Harder February 22, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe | 1 Comment on Georgia’s Upside-Down Tax System Hits Working Families Harder Contrary to rumors that working families don’t pay their fair share of taxes, Georgia’s state and local taxes actually take a much larger share of income from low- and middle-income families than from the wealthy. That’s among the findings of “Who Pays?” – a new report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), […] Read more » State Taxes Wesley Tharpe
Blog Medicaid Expansion Supporters Hold “Cover Georgia” Day at Gold Dome, Feb. 19, 2013 February 18, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney | 1 Comment on Medicaid Expansion Supporters Hold “Cover Georgia” Day at Gold Dome, Feb. 19, 2013 Members of a broad coalition of advocates for Medicaid expansion in Georgia will convene at the state Capitol this week to urge state leaders to consider new evidence that embracing the new funding is in its financial interest. Tuesday, Feb. 19, members of the Cover Georgia coalition will fan out across the hallways of the […] Read more »
Alan Essig Blog K-12 Education Improved Access to HOPE Grant a Start, but Georgia’s Higher Ed Goals Call for More February 13, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Alan Essig Gov. Nathan Deal deserves a pat on the back for his support of state Rep. Stacey Evans’ proposal to lower the GPA requirement for the lottery-funded HOPE Grant, which will give more students access to workforce education at technical colleges. Still, much more needs to be done if the state is going to meet its […] Read more » Education HOPE Scholarship
