Blog Taifa Smith Butler Reality Check: Stilling the Heart During a Tumultuous Season December 28, 2012 / January 17, 2020 by Taifa Smith Butler Posted by Taifa S. Butler Newtown, Connecticut. Without saying anything else, I’m sure many hearts—like mine— fill with sadness thinking about the senseless violence that befell 27 precious souls at Sandy Hook Elementary School earlier this month. In the aftermath of most tragedies, we focus a great deal of attention on the devastation itself. But […] Read more »
Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Changes to HOPE: Bad for Georgia’s Future December 21, 2012 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs The Wall Street Journal this week examined the impact of changes to Georgia’s HOPE scholarships made by the legislature in 2011, and the picture isn’t pretty. According to the Journal’s analysis, the legislature’s decision to boost academic requirements for HOPE, reduce awards and create a new Zell Miller Scholarship with the most rigorous requirements and […] Read more » HOPE Scholarship
Blog Growing Inequality Threatens Georgia’s Economy December 19, 2012 / January 17, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Posted by Wesley Tharpe We often hear about the social and cultural differences that divide Georgians of different backgrounds –but what about the economic differences that divide Georgia too? The state’s gap between the haves and have-nots has never been greater, and unless reversed, it will continue to undermine opportunity and economic growth. Georgia has […] Read more » Economic Security Education medicaid poverty Safety Net Wesley Tharpe
Blog Claire Suggs The Clock is Ticking, and Georgia is Falling Further Behind December 13, 2012 / January 15, 2020 by Claire Suggs | 2 Comments on The Clock is Ticking, and Georgia is Falling Further Behind School kids in five states will be spending at least 300 more hours learning next school year, as calendars are expanded for certain schools in those states. Education leaders in Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Tennessee are taking this step because a growing body of research indicates that more time at school improves student […] Read more » Budget Budget & Taxes Budget Cuts Claire Suggs Education
Blog Health Justice Timothy Sweeney More evidence that expanding Medicaid is an offer Georgia shouldn’t refuse November 27, 2012 / January 17, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney Posted by Timothy Sweeney Fully implementing health care reform in Georgia would extend insurance coverage to more than 1 million Georgians — including 700,000 by just expanding Medicaid. The cost to the state? A mere 1 percent bump in overall spending over 10 years. Those figures, from a new Urban Institute study, are a timely […] Read more »
Blog Wesley Tharpe Policy Response Critical for Georgia’s Working Families November 20, 2012 / January 17, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Posted by Wesley Tharpe Each year, GBPI’s State of Working Georgia report seeks to answer the question of how typical Georgia families are faring: Are they making enough to meet their basic needs? Are there enough jobs to go around? Are they gainfully employed? Is economic opportunity widely shared? The end result is a stark […] Read more » Economic Security Safety Net State of Working Georgia
Blog Health Justice Timothy Sweeney Health care, politics don’t mix November 16, 2012 / January 17, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney Posted by Timothy Sweeney The Atlanta Journal-Constitution features Georgia Budget and Policy Institute’s Director of Health Policy Timothy Sweeney Op-ed on health care reform in Georgia following the election. As published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Rather than continue the political debate over the Affordable Care Act, Georgia’s leaders should seize the opportunity it offers to […] Read more » Affordable Care Act health medicaid Medicaid Expansion
Blog Health Justice Timothy Sweeney The countdown has begun November 16, 2012 / January 17, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney | 1 Comment on The countdown has begun Posted by Timothy Sweeney The countdown has begun: Now that the election is over comes news that what had been one of the staunchest anti-health reform governors in the nation – Florida’s Rick Scott – has softened his stance on the implementation of Obamacare in his state. Back in June, Governor Scott flatly declared, “We’re […] Read more » Alan Essig health Medicaid Expansion
Blog Cash and Safety Net Clare S. Richie Georgia’s Abuse of TANF Provision Gets Congressional Attention November 8, 2012 / January 17, 2020 by Clare Richie | 1 Comment on Georgia’s Abuse of TANF Provision Gets Congressional Attention Posted by Clare S. Richie Georgia recently attracted the attention of Congress because of its abuse of a tactic that has eroded services for Georgians struggling to get out of poverty. Nearly half of Georgia’s required contribution to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, which is supposed to match federal funding, now comes from private third-party […] Read more » TANF Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
Blog Wesley Tharpe Job Growth Improving, Yet Still Too Slow to Make Up Lost Ground October 30, 2012 / January 17, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Posted by Wesley Tharpe It goes without saying that jobs and the economy are on everyone’s minds these days. With the massive impact of the Great Recession still being felt, Georgians are worried about their families and livelihood. People have a strong desire to understand how the economy affects them, but it can sometimes prove […] Read more » Economic Security jobs count jobs creation Safety Net Wesley Tharpe
