Blog Inclusive Economy for Immigrants Immigrant-Inclusive Tax Credits Are More Important Than Ever August 10, 2021 / August 10, 2021 by Crystal Muñoz Key Takeaways The changes made to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC) under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) are targeted to help those with low and moderate incomes and have the potential to lift millions out of poverty. The EITC excludes Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) filers, and the […] Read more »
Blog K-12 Education Stephen Owens Updated: Georgia Risks Losing Billions in Federal Funds for Public Schools July 29, 2021 / August 11, 2021 by Stephen Owens UPDATE: On 8/6/21 the U.S. Department of Education released updated guidance on the calculation for Maintenance of Equity requirements for the American Rescue Plan Act. Under this new determination for state expenditures, Georgia will likely not be found in violation of the provisions. Regardless of future action by the federal agency, Georgia’s public school system […] Read more » Education K-12
Blog Higher Education Jennifer Lee Keeping and Losing HOPE July 1, 2021 / July 12, 2021 by Jennifer Lee | 1 Comment on Keeping and Losing HOPE HOPE scholarships financially support tens of thousands of Georgia college students each year. A first-of-its-kind study from Georgia State University’s Georgia Policy Labs examines how students enrolled in colleges in the University System of Georgia gain and lose HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarships throughout their college experience. To enter college with the HOPE scholarship, students must have at […] Read more » higher ed Higher Education HOPE Scholarship
Blog Budget and Taxes Caitlin Highland Fostering Recovery and Prosperity: Guidelines for Georgia Agencies Receiving American Rescue Plan Funds June 29, 2021 / June 29, 2021 by Caitlin Highland Under the American Rescue Plan, several state agencies are set to receive significant funding to help address the effects of the pandemic. For example, the Department of Education has an additional $4.3 billion for emergency relief for public schools, the Department of Early Care and Learning received an additional $607 million for child care assistance and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental […] Read more » agencies American Rescue Plan Budget COVID-19
Blog Ray Khalfani Worker Justice Why Scaling Back Unemployment Insurance Could Harm Recovery June 24, 2021 / June 24, 2021 by Ray Khalfani Key Takeaways: Georgia is three days away from prematurely cutting pandemic unemployment insurance (UI). The changes will harm an estimated 347,000 Georgians and sever all UI safety net protections for 104,000 self-employed, gig-workers and part-time workers. Prematurely cutting pandemic UI threatens to erode the worker power it was meant to create by undermining leverage for […] Read more » economy Jobs Unemployment
Blog Community Impact K-12 Education Stephen Owens Fund Georgia’s Future and Partners Recommend a Plan for ARPA Funding May 19, 2021 / May 19, 2021 by Stephen Owens Dear Superintendent Woods: The undersigned civil rights and education advocacy organizations in Georgia write to provide public input for the Georgia Department of Education’s (GaDOE) use of funds provided through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP). This joint letter was authored by steering committee members for Fund Georgia’s Future, a new coalition created […] Read more » American Rescue Plan arp arpa k-12 education
Blog Budget and Taxes Cash and Safety Net Coronavirus Health Justice Higher Education Inclusive Economy for Immigrants Worker Justice Provisions in the American Families Plan May 11, 2021 / July 15, 2021 by Caitlin Highland President Joe Biden recently unveiled his American Families Plan, which, along with his American Jobs Plan, form the basis of his recovery agenda during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of these plans is to address inequities faced by people of color and women, jumpstart recovery and then foster a new era of prosperity […] Read more » american families plan american jobs plan joe biden Unemployment Insurance
Blog Ray Khalfani Worker Justice State of Working Georgia: Pandemic Job Numbers Are Improving, But Inequitably April 20, 2021 / April 21, 2021 by Ray Khalfani | 1 Comment on State of Working Georgia: Pandemic Job Numbers Are Improving, But Inequitably Key Takeaways: Nearly 60 percent of Georgia’s pre-pandemic labor force have turned to the unemployment safety net at some point during the last year. In February 2021, unemployment claims for Black Georgians were 52 percent higher than those of all other filers, and 71 percent higher than those of white Georgians alone. Hispanic and Black […] Read more » COVID-19 underemployment Unemployment
Blog GBPI In The News Press Releases & Statements PRESS RELEASE: GBPI Announces Dominique Derbigny Sims as New Senior Vice President April 16, 2021 / April 19, 2021 by Caitlin Highland ATLANTA—Today, the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute announced the hiring of Dominique Derbigny Sims as the new senior vice president. Derbigny Sims currently serves as deputy director of Closing the Women’s Wealth Gap (CWWG), a national network of more than 600 advocates and leaders focused on changing federal policies to strengthen women’s economic security. “Throughout […] Read more » dominique derbigny sims senior vice president
Blog Higher Education Jennifer Lee What Happened With Fall Enrollment in Georgia’s Public Colleges and Universities? April 16, 2021 / April 16, 2021 by Jennifer Lee As Georgia’s public colleges and universities faced the fall semester with both the coronavirus and an economic downturn, the outlook for enrollments was unclear. Postsecondary enrollment tends to rise with the unemployment rate, but the pandemic introduced new challenges to individuals’ and families’ health, caregiving responsibilities and financial security. Though University System of Georgia (USG) […] Read more » Higher Education
