Georgia Budget and Policy Institute

We're seeking a senior policy analyst to lead our proactive safety net work and economic justice agenda. Learn more and apply here: https://gbpi.org/senior-policy-analyst-for-economic-justice/

What is truly at stake is further economic inequality. Without significant adjustments to our current financial aid infrastructure, it will be increasingly difficult to engage low-income students in the college admissions pipeline. https://www.ajc.com//opinion-s/DRASB6K3DRHOTAPRYDTEUNXZMM/

More than one-third of the state’s uninsured low-wage workers hold jobs in hospitality or retail industries, which were the hardest hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. Georgia remains one of 12 states that has not expanded Medicaid. https://georgiarecorder.com//georgetown-study-suggests-ge/

Our federal lawmakers face an unprecedented opportunity to transform our economy so that it works for every Georgian." Read how federal relief will jumpstart recovery, support Georgia families statewide and address ongoing inequities in our state. https://gbpi.org/press-release-american-families-plan-reim/

If you missed Closer Look on WABE yesterday, our Director of Strategic Campaigns Amanda Hollowell joined to talk about ongoing budget cuts in Georgia, missed opportunities from this legislative session and explain what bills we hope to see move forward next session. https://www.wabe.org//gbpi-strategic-campaigns-director-d/ #gapol

"Georgia’s weekly claims have not been above 40,000 since October, but they haven’t fallen below 20,000. The pre-pandemic average was below 6,000." https://www.ajc.com//georgia-j/GXLE7QYAPNG7TFDRASRENW7QME/

On the latest episode of PeachPod: A Georgia Politics Podcast, our President and CEO Taifa Smith Butler looks ahead to her role as the next president of Demos, examines GBPI’s victories during her tenure and discusses the importance of focusing on anti-racist policies and breaking down the barriers that keep all Georgians from thriving. https://medium.com//gbpis-taifa-smith-butler-on-two-decade

Under Georgia's proposed Medicaid waiver plan, the state would only get 67% of the costs covered by the federal government rather than 90% under full Medicaid expansion. https://gbpi.org/expand-medicaid-fully-reject-risky-and-ex/

Whenever lawmakers return to the Capitol, they can and should pursue the myriad bills that did not pass this year that would promote prosperity in our state, such as a Georgia Work Credit, Medicaid expansion, a new limit for TANF benefits and more. https://gbpi.org/sine-die-2021-lawmakers-can-do-more-to-pu/

Georgia's 2021 Legislative Session is officially over. This year the General Assembly made some progress toward supporting the needs of Georgians, but lawmakers still failed to pass many key bills to improve the health and well-being of our state while approving other measures that will hinder economic prosperity or put the needs of business over people. Yesterday both chambers agreed on a Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget that still includes cuts to education and other state prog...rams and services. Instead of fully restoring ongoing budget cuts, lawmakers will rely on one-time federal relief funds provided by the American Rescue Plan. Tax breaks also continued to grow this session, with the General Assembly approving over a dozen new special-interest tax credits. Georgia will now give out more than $10 billion in tax credits to corporations and special interests in FY 2022. Although lawmakers passed a bill to allow some of these tax breaks to be evaluated, opportunities for review will remain limited. Our Sine Die recap examines legislation that passed through the General Assembly this year, missed opportunities and what lawmakers need to focus on moving forward to put the needs of Georgians first. https://gbpi.org/sine-die-2021-lawmakers-can-do-more-to-pu/

Georgia could remove work requirements from its Medicaid waiver to give health coverage to about 269,000 people for a cost of $651 million in the first year. Or the state could fully expand Medicaid to cover 481,000 Georgians at a cost of $239 million. https://gbpi.org/expand-medicaid-fully-reject-risky-and-ex/

On Tuesday, we're hosting a town hall to discuss what's included in ongoing federal COVID relief discussions and what Georgians can expect from the next relief package. Be sure to register for the town hall here: http://bit.ly/GBPI-town-hall #gapol

In 2019, nearly 1.3 million Georgians lived below the poverty line, with 1 in 5 kids in poverty. Yet through the state’s appropriation process, Georgia lawmakers repeatedly choose to use TANF funds for things other than direct cash aid. https://bit.ly/3rT742Z

Today at 5 p.m., our Senior Policy Analyst Dr. Stephen Owens will join National Coalition for Public School Options and other education experts for a webinar about vouchers in Georgia and how they weaken public education and undermine students’ civil rights. Register for the webinar here: https://bit.ly/3qlzK49

"He's probably the most responsible person in our state's history for the fact that we have the public education system that we have today." Our Senior Policy Analyst Dr. Stephen Owens explains the myriad accomplishments of Tunis Campbell. #BlackHistoryMonth