Georgia Senate approves special needs scholarship expansion | CENTER SQUARE

by Corey Burres | Mar 4, 2021

Georgia Senate approves special needs scholarship expansion | CENTER SQUARE

A bill that would expand the state’s special needs scholarship program was approved Wednesday by the Georgia Senate.

The Georgia Special Needs Scholarship program offers scholarships to students with individualized education plans to attend a private school or a public school of their choice. Senate Bill 47 would make the 58,000 public school students with 504 plans eligible to apply for the program…

Corey Burres, a spokesperson for the Georgia Center For Opportunity, said the measure is the first step to help the many special needs students looking for education options.

“This pandemic has shown a greater need for an expansion of customized services for students in underserved communities,” Burres said.

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39 Renowned Policy Groups Urge U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Buckeye’s Case to End Forced Union Exclusive Representation | BUCKEYE INSTITUTE

by Corey Burres | Mar 4, 2021

39 Renowned Policy Groups Urge U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Buckeye’s Case to End Forced Union Exclusive Representation | BUCKEYE INSTITUTE

Thirty-nine renowned public policy organizations have filed amicus briefs with the United States Supreme Court in support of The Buckeye Institute’s case, Thompson v. Marietta Education Association (MEA), which calls for an immediate end to laws that force public-sector employees to accept a union’s exclusive representation…

The multi-organization brief was led by Alaska Policy Forum and included co-amici Americans for Fair Treatment, Association of American Educators, Center of the American Experiment, Citizen Action Defense Fund, Commonwealth Foundation, Empire Center for Public Policy, Inc., Georgia Center for Opportunity, Illinois Policy Institute, Independence Institute, James Madison Institute, John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy, John Locke Foundation, Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy, Landmark Legal Foundation, Mackinac Center for Public Policy,…

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Clock ticks as feds threaten to remove work requirement from Georgia’s partial Medicaid expansion | HENRY HERALD

by Corey Burres | Feb 23, 2021

Clock ticks as feds threaten to remove work requirement from Georgia’s partial Medicaid expansion | HENRY HERALD

The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) could decide in a matter of weeks whether it will remove the work or activity requirement in Georgia’s partial Medicaid expansion plan.

The CMS said the plan, which was approved by former President Donald Trump’s administration in October, does not “promote the objectives of the Medicaid program” and would be impossible to accomplish because of the COVID-19 pandemic…

In a statement released Friday, the nonprofit Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) said CMS’ decision could lead to court battles, leaving the thousands of Georgians who stand to get coverage under the program in a lurch.

“Instead of using our resources and time to bicker before the courts, we should apply them to seek out the best ways to improve people’s lives,” said Erik Randolph, GCO’s director of research. “[Georgia Pathways] is based on the idea of helping adults escape poverty, plain and simple. It will propel them into situations where they have better opportunities and more resources for health coverage, such as through affordable individual markets or employed-based coverage.”

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Clock ticks as feds threaten to remove work requirement from Georgia’s partial Medicaid expansion | CENTER SQUARE

by Corey Burres | Feb 22, 2021

Clock ticks as feds threaten to remove work requirement from Georgia’s partial Medicaid expansion | CENTER SQUARE

The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) could decide in a matter of weeks whether it will remove the work or activity requirement in Georgia’s partial Medicaid expansion plan.

In a statement released Friday, the nonprofit Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) said CMS’ decision could lead to court battles, leaving the thousands of Georgians who stand to get coverage under the program in a lurch.

“Instead of using our resources and time to bicker before the courts, we should apply them to seek out the best ways to improve people’s lives,” said Erik Randolph, GCO’s director of research. “[Georgia Pathways] is based on the idea of helping adults escape poverty, plain and simple. It will propel them into situations where they have better opportunities and more resources for health coverage, such as through affordable individual markets or employed-based coverage.”

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Push to increase foster care adoption tax credits could cost Georgia $4.8M | CENTER SQUARE

by Corey Burres | Feb 19, 2021

Push to increase foster care adoption tax credits could cost Georgia $4.8M | CENTER SQUARE

A measure that would increase foster care adoption tax credits could result in a state revenue loss of $4.8 million over the next five years, according to fiscal researchers.

House Bill 114, introduced by Rep. Bert Reeves, R-Marietta, would increase the annual tax incentive for adopting a foster child from $2,000 to $6,000. According to a fiscal note from the Department of Audits and Accounts, the proposal could decrease state tax revenues by $400,000 in fiscal year 2022 and grow to up to $1.5 million by fiscal year 2026.

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Corey Burres, vice president of communications for the nonpartisan think tank Georgia Center for Opportunity, said “foster care and adoption are crucial parts of” creating “flourishing communities.”

“These bills are a great first step forward in helping the thousands of Georgia kids waiting to be adopted each year,” said Burres, who also is a respite foster care parent. “We hope to see the foster community empowered through the current legislative session, so all of Georgia’s children can flourish – no matter their circumstances.”

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