Blog Budget and Taxes Higher Education John McCosh K-12 Education Legislative Watch Day 39: State Budget, Education Vouchers and More March 27, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by John McCosh | 1 Comment on Legislative Watch Day 39: State Budget, Education Vouchers and More As the 2018 General Assembly nears the closing gavel, Georgia lawmakers are trying to find a path to use public dollars to boost private schools, provide need-based aid for college students and impose rules that target immigrants in counterproductive ways. They’re also putting the finishing touches on Georgia’s spending plan for the upcoming 2019 budget […] Read more » Budget & Taxes Financial Aid HB 217 HB 664 HB 713 Higher Education immigration K-12 Legislature private schools SB 405 SB 452 tax breaks
Alex Camardelle Blog Cash and Safety Net Planned Federal Food Assistance Changes a Threat to Georgians, Grocers March 20, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by Alex Camardelle | 1 Comment on Planned Federal Food Assistance Changes a Threat to Georgians, Grocers The White House proposed a 2019 budget last month that makes steep cuts to one of the strongest lines of defense this country uses to fight hunger: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The proposal calls for slashing food assistance, commonly known as food stamps, by $213 billion over the next decade. The plan is […] Read more » federal budget Food Assistance SNAP Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program work requirements
Budget and Taxes Reports Wesley Tharpe Lawmakers Approve Major Tax Plan, Still Reviewing Several Tax Breaks March 14, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Adding Up the Fiscal Notes: Post Crossover Day 2018 A range of tax bills are still in the pipeline at the General Assembly after lawmakers already approved a sweeping package of income tax cuts. Georgia’s 2018 General Assembly advanced 11 pieces of tax legislation by the Feb. 28 Crossover Day milestone that affect state revenues […] Read more »
Blog Health Justice Laura Harker Legislation Proposes Steps to Improve Rural Health Care, Omits Major Coverage Solution March 12, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by Laura Harker State lawmakers introduced several bills this year aiming to improve access to health care in rural Georgia. Six rural Georgia hospitals closed since 2013 and the state’s high rate of uninsured means many people in rural communities lack health coverage. The House Rural Development Council, created in 2017 to study the problem, traveled across the […] Read more » coverage-gap HB 769 HB 827 health health coverage health insurance medicaid Medicaid Expansion micro-hospitals Rural hospitals
Blog Budget and Taxes Inclusive Economy for Immigrants Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice All Georgians Stand to Lose from Immigrant Crackdown Measure March 9, 2018 / April 2, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Georgia lawmakers are considering a bill that poses serious risk to the state’s immigrant community and could harm local governments and the state’s economy if enacted into law. Senate Bill 452 cleared the state Senate late last month and is now pending in the House Public Safety and Homeland Security committee. The measure requires Georgia’s […] Read more »
Blog Higher Education Jennifer Lee Bill Proposes Grant for Working Georgia College Students with Financial Need March 7, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by Jennifer Lee Bill Analysis: Senate Bill 405 (LC 21 5954 S, AM 21 3929) Georgia needs more people with higher education to meet workforce needs. Georgia can better leverage its talent and its strong colleges and universities by knocking down financial barriers to student success and making common-sense investments in financial aid. The Georgia Senate recently passed […] Read more » college college-tuition Financial Aid Higher Education HOPE Scholarship Need-based Financial Aid SB 405 Technical College System of Georgia University System of Georgia
Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Lawmakers Push to Shift Public Money to Private Schools March 5, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by Claire Suggs Georgia lawmakers seem determined to subsidize private schools with public dollars. Witness several bills in the 2018 General Assembly to create or expand schemes to shift public dollars to private schools. It’s better to provide public schools the resources needed to ensure all students reach the state’s ambitious learning goals before lawmakers consider these bills. […] Read more » Education Education Savings Account HB 217 HB 482 HB 664 K-12 private schools
Blog Budget and Taxes Higher Education John McCosh K-12 Education Crossover Day Delivers Mixed Bag for Education, Tax Policy March 1, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by John McCosh Legislation to allow the use of state money for private schools stalled on Crossover Day 2018, while a proposal to give students more time to qualify as HOPE scholars also now faces a more convoluted path to passage. Meanwhile, a risky tax cut package designed to reduce Georgia revenues by $1.4 billion once fully phased […] Read more » Budget & Taxes Crossover Day Education Georgia General Assembly HB 482 HB 918 HB 928 Higher Education HOPE Scholarship K-12 Legislature private schools State Taxes
Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Time for Lawmakers to Choose Students Over Tax Cuts February 26, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by Claire Suggs Lawmakers are racing to pass a risky tax package that drains $1.4 billion a year from the state treasury once fully implemented. A better choice is to hit the pause button and send school districts the full amount of money the state’s own K-12 funding formula calculates they should get. The General Assembly is underfunding […] Read more » Budget Budget & Taxes Education education-funding funding-formula HB 918 K-12 public-schools tax cuts
Claire Suggs K-12 Education Reports Private School Savings Accounts Lack Oversight, Could Prove Costly February 22, 2018 / January 14, 2020 by Claire Suggs Bill Analysis: House Bill 482 (LC 33 7253S) Georgia lawmakers are considering a plan to allow parents to take state money to pay for private schools and educational services. House Bill 482 creates an individual Education Savings Account, or ESA, program. The program would allow parents to redirect state money to pay for tuition and […] Read more » Claire Suggs Education Education Savings Account ESA HB 482 K-12 private schools
