Blog GBPI In The News PRESS RELEASE: GBPI President and CEO Taifa Smith Butler Stepping Down to Lead Demos April 12, 2021 / April 14, 2021 by Caitlin Highland ATLANTA—Today, the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute (GBPI) announced that, after nearly a decade at the organization, President and CEO Taifa Smith Butler will step down at the end of June 2021 to lead Demos, a think tank dedicated to pursuing an inclusive multiracial democracy and economic justice for all. GBPI’s Board of Directors will begin a search for a new […] Read more » Press Release Taifa Smith Butler
Blog Budget and Taxes Caitlin Highland Sine Die 2021: Lawmakers Can Do More to Put People First March 31, 2021 / April 1, 2021 by Caitlin Highland The 2021 Legislative Session has officially ended. Much of the session was focused on efforts to undermine democracy and voting rights. Legislators also approved several bills that hinder economic prosperity and did not advance several measures that would put people first. However, some bills that passed do mark positive movement toward improved outcomes in our […] Read more » Budget Budget Cuts Education health K-12 tax breaks
Blog Budget and Taxes Senate Approves Changes to Fiscal Year 2022 Budget March 22, 2021 / March 23, 2021 by Alex Welch Update on 3/23: The Senate approved changes to House Bill 81 by a vote of 54-0. This budget proposal now moves to a conference committee between the House and Senate. The Senate Committee on Appropriations has approved changes to House Bill 81, the proposal for Georgia’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget, which will take effect […] Read more » American Rescue Plan Budget Budget Cuts
Blog Cash and Safety Net Higher Education Colleges and Universities Can Support Student SNAP Access March 10, 2021 / March 11, 2021 by Guest Contributor This guest blog is co-authored by MK Anderson and Charles Bliss. Charles Bliss of Atlanta Legal Aid has been the Director of Advocacy there since October 2005. Prior to that, he worked in private practice representing employees in a variety of legal matters including employment discrimination and employment contracts. Prior to private practice, he worked […] Read more » college students Food Assistance Higher Education SNAP
Blog Budget and Taxes Caitlin Highland Health Justice K-12 Education Crossover Day 2021: Lawmakers Approve Some People-First Measures, But More Needed March 9, 2021 / March 9, 2021 by Caitlin Highland Yesterday marked Crossover Day 2021, 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 Session. Georgia’s […] Read more » Budget Crossover Day medicaid school vouchers
Blog Budget and Taxes House Appropriations Approves Changes to Fiscal Year 2022 Budget March 4, 2021 / March 4, 2021 by Alex Welch This morning, the House Committee on Appropriations approved changes to House Bill 81, the proposal for Georgia’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget, which will take effect on July 1. This proposal now moves to the full House floor for a vote. Gov. Kemp’s initial budget proposal included $1.2 billion in continued budget cuts, following the […] Read more » Budget Budget Cuts Department of Human Services Education health State Budget
Alex Camardelle Blog Prosper GA Worker Justice Delayed and Denied: Modernization Needed at Georgia DOL to Support Georgia Workers and Economy February 26, 2021 / March 1, 2021 by Alex Camardelle | 24 Comments on Delayed and Denied: Modernization Needed at Georgia DOL to Support Georgia Workers and Economy This blog has been co-authored by Alex Camardelle, Senior Policy Analyst of GBPI and Shannan Reaze, Executive Director of Atlanta Jobs with Justice Key Takeaways: The historically underfunded Georgia Department of Labor (GA DOL) has not taken advantage of all opportunities to strengthen its systems and quickly get Georgians the benefits they are […] Read more » Department of Labor Shannon Reaze Unemployment
Blog Cover GA Health Justice Laura Harker Expand Medicaid Fully; Reject Risky and Expensive State Plan February 17, 2021 / February 17, 2021 by Laura Harker | 1 Comment on Expand Medicaid Fully; Reject Risky and Expensive State Plan Key Takeaways: The federal Medicaid agency is starting the process of revoking the work requirement on Georgia’s Medicaid waiver program. Work requirements have the effect of limiting enrollment, even when people are working, because they set up additional barriers to keeping coverage. Without the work requirement, at least 237,000 more Georgians could get covered through […] Read more » medicaid Medicaid Expansion medicaid waivers Waiver
Blog K-12 Education Stephen Owens Testimony on Senate Bill 47 February 8, 2021 / February 8, 2021 by Stephen Owens Dear Chairman Payne and Members of the Georgia Senate Committee on Education and Youth: By way of introduction my name is Stephen Owens, and I’m a senior K-12 education policy analyst for the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. It is always my desire to give testimony in-person, but as my elderly mother-in-law lives with us, I want to try to stay as safe as possible during the pandemic […] Read more » disabilities act Education k-12 education
Blog K-12 Education Learning the Basics People Powered Prosperity Stephen Owens Toolkits Resources on School Vouchers January 11, 2021 / February 11, 2022 by Stephen Owens | 1 Comment on Resources on School Vouchers Current Status: In the 2022 Legislative Session, lawmakers may consider House Bill 60 and House Bill 142, two bills that would enact or expand voucher programs to take hundreds of millions of dollars of state money away from public schools and send them to private schools. House Bill 60 and House Bill 142 did not […] Read more » education-savings-accounts ESA private schools public-schools vouchers
