Blog Budget and Taxes Daniel Kanso, PhD People Powered Prosperity General Assembly Considers Rewrite of State Income Tax Code, House-Passed Bill Primarily Benefits Wealthiest April 1, 2022 / April 1, 2022 by Daniel Kanso, PhD Key Takeaways Members of the House and Senate are debating a series of major changes to Georgia’s personal income tax in HB 1437. Proposals to shift Georgia’s current graduated income tax, where rates increase from 1 to 5.75 percent as income increases, to a flat tax carry high costs to the state and would primarily […] Read more » Budget flat tax Income Tax
Blog Budget and Taxes Daniel Kanso, PhD Letter Asking Lawmakers to Reject Risky Flat Tax March 24, 2022 / March 24, 2022 by Daniel Kanso, PhD At a time when leading Georgia lawmakers have the option to better fund core services that promote economic opportunity or enact broadly popular tax cuts for low- and middle-income Georgians, the General Assembly is instead advancing legislation (House Bill 1437) that would primarily cut taxes for the wealthy. We ask lawmakers to reject a flat […] Read more » EITC flat tax tax code
Blog Criminal Legal System Reform Health Justice Letter to Support Georgians Re-Entering Society by Expanding Medicaid March 16, 2022 / March 18, 2022 by Ray Khalfani Dear Chairwoman Cooper, Rep. Frye, Rep. Schofield and Chairman Werkheiser, In recent years, Georgia has seen several bipartisan efforts to reform our state’s criminal legal system, reduce recidivism and support justice-involved Georgians. These reforms are a strong start to better supporting Georgians who are incarcerated, on parole and more, and we know you have supported […] Read more » criminal legal system medicaid Medicaid Expansion
Blog Budget and Taxes Caitlin Highland Criminal Legal System Reform Health Justice Higher Education K-12 Education People Powered Prosperity Worker Justice Crossover Day 2022: Strong Health and Economic Legislation Cross Over, But Dangerous Tax Threat Remains March 16, 2022 / March 17, 2022 by Caitlin Highland Yesterday, March 15, marked Crossover Day 2022, the day by which a bill generally must pass out of its legislative chamber of origin to be considered by the other chamber this session. Several important bills passed out of their chamber and are now eligible to be approved before Sine Die, the end of Georgia’s Legislative […] Read more » Budget Criminal Legal Systems Crossover Day Economic Justice Education health-care tax
Blog Cash and Safety Net Ife Finch Floyd People Powered Prosperity Temporary Exemptions from SNAP’s Three-Month Time Limit Supports Food Security March 8, 2022 / March 8, 2022 by Ife Finch Floyd | 1 Comment on Temporary Exemptions from SNAP’s Three-Month Time Limit Supports Food Security Georgians recognize that when an individual cannot find a job or when the state experiences economic hardship, supports to help people afford food are critical. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp program) does just that. However, there is a rule within the SNAP program that punishes some individuals when […] Read more » Safety Net SNAP Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Blog Higher Education Jennifer Lee Completion Grants Help Students Persist and Graduate February 23, 2022 / February 23, 2022 by Jennifer Lee Access to postsecondary education can transform a student’s life. But sometimes, especially for the 42 percent of students paying for college and living costs on their own, a small financial setback can make paying a tuition or housing bill just out of reach and threaten years of educational progress. Completion grants are a solution to […] Read more » college college affordability completion grants Higher Education
Blog Higher Education Jennifer Lee Higher Education Committee Hears Performance Audit of Student Access Loans February 8, 2022 / February 8, 2022 by Jennifer Lee At the House Higher Education Committee meeting on February 2, the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts presented its recent performance audit of Student Access Loans (SAL). The Department of Audits notes that Georgia’s approach to financial aid is “unique among states” in that the state provides need-based aid primarily through loans, and the only […] Read more » higher ed Higher Education student access loans Student Loans
Blog Cash and Safety Net Federal Policy Ife Finch Floyd Important Facts for Claiming the Expanded Child Tax Credit February 1, 2022 / October 11, 2022 by Ife Finch Floyd What is the Child Tax Credit? The federal Child Tax Credit (CTC) helps families with the cost of raising children. This round of the CTC provides $3,000 a year for each child ages 6 to 17 and $3,600 a year for each child under 6. In other years, the CTC was only $2,000 per child, […] Read more » Child Tax Credit
Blog Higher Education Jennifer Lee People Powered Prosperity 4 Ways Georgia Lawmakers Can Make College More Affordable in 2022 January 26, 2022 / January 26, 2022 by Jennifer Lee | 1 Comment on 4 Ways Georgia Lawmakers Can Make College More Affordable in 2022 In 2022, Georgia lawmakers can follow through on initiatives begun last year to invest in college affordability and reduce excessive student debt burden. Georgians without postsecondary credentials are still most vulnerable in the economy, and many ambitious and persistent Georgians struggle to graduate because of challenges balancing work, family, health and finances. The following targeted […] Read more » college affordability Higher Education need-based aid student debt technical college tuition
Blog Higher Education Jennifer Lee Learning the Basics People Powered Prosperity Toolkits Resources on Need-Based Aid January 12, 2022 / March 3, 2022 by Jennifer Lee Current Status: Georgia is one of only two states that does not operate a need-based financial aid program. “Need-based” financial aid targets dollars based on a measure of a student’s financial need. In 2018, the Georgia Legislature passed House Bill 787 with a provision authorizing the Georgia Student Finance Commission to create the state’s first broad need-based […] Read more » college affordability Higher Education need-based aid student debt
