NEWS & OPINIONS
Passed: House Bill 517
The Georgia General Assembly passed a bill, which increases the cap on our state's Tax Credit Scholarship Program On Monday, the Georgia General Assembly passed House Bill 517, which increases the cap on our state's Tax Credit Scholarship Program from $100 million to...
Randy Hicks on taking a bottom-up strategy to state policy reform | Overton Window Podcast
GCO's CEO, Randy Hicks speaks with fellow think tank podcast, The Overton Window Below is an excerpt from the Mackinac Center in Michigan. The Mackinac Center recently invited GCO's CEO, Randy Hicks to discuss GCO's take on State Policy Reform on their regular...
State Unemployment Rate Stands At a Record Low of 3.2%,
Unemployment rate stands at a record low of 3.2% On Friday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released state employment numbers for Georgia. They show that our state unemployment rate stands at a record low of 3.2%, the lowest since the BLS began tracking in 1976....
Georgia Senate Failed to Pass Senate Bill 601, The Georgia Education Freedom Act
The Georgia Senate failed to pass Senate Bill 601, the Georgia Education Freedom Act, by a vote of 20-29. Today, the Georgia Senate failed to pass Senate Bill 601, the Georgia Education Freedom Act, by a vote of 20-29. The bill would have created Promise Scholarships,...
Promise Scholarships would help adoptive families like mine | Gwinnett Daily Post
The life of an adoptive parent is tough in normal times, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated those challenges. Even so, our family wouldn’t trade the adoption life for anything. The trouble is, not everyone sees or acknowledges the struggles that adoptive...
Update: State Employment Numbers Includes Major Revisions Going Back to 1990
A look at the state employment numbers. Yesterday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released state employment numbers that included major revisions going back to 1990. According to the revisions, Georgia had recovered all its jobs lost during the pandemic in...
Consumer Price Index Increased 7.9% Over the Last 12 Months
The CPI is up 7.9% over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted. On March 10th, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that in February the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.8% on a seasonally adjusted basis. The CPI is up 7.9% over the last 12 months, not...
Education advocate: Rural Georgia families need Promise Scholarships
Rural families in Georgia, like mine, don’t always have access to educational options. Promise Scholarships would fix this inequity. My family moved to Burke County six years ago. My husband and I have two children, both with Individualized Education Plans for special...
Approved– Senate Bill 601, the Georgia Education Freedom Act
The Georgia Senate Education and Youth Committee has approved Senate Bill 601, the Georgia Education Freedom Act, by a 6-4 vote. The bill would create Promise Scholarships, offering Georgia families up to $6,000 a year for any approved education expense, such as...
Education Rally: Access to More High-Quality Education Options
Join other parents and community leaders on Liberty Plaza to spread the message that it is time for change in education Today, hundreds of parents, families, and advocates will come together for a rally at noon on Liberty Plaza at the Georgia State Capitol to voice...
New Research: School Students Lag Behind in Literacy Almost Two Years Into the COVID-19 Pandemic
New research brief shows that elementary school students lag behind in literacy almost two years into the COVID-19 pandemic The mid-school-year assessment concluded that students in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade are the furthest behind compared to their...
January’s Rise of the Consumer Price Index (CPI)
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.6% in January Today, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that in January the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.6% on a seasonally adjusted basis. The CPI is up...
MEDIA MENTIONS
Senate Bill 233, The Georgia Promise Scholarship Act, passed the Senate Education Committee
Senate Bill 233, The Georgia Promise Scholarship Act, passed the Senate Education Committee today in a 6-5 vote. Funded by the state in the amount of $6,000 per student for each school year, Promise Scholarships would allow families to find the right fit for...
Georgia Senate again pushes $6,000 school voucher bill
Georgia Senate Republicans are again pushing a plan to give $6,000 educational vouchers to many students, part of a nationwide push for what supporters call education savings accounts following the COVID-19 pandemic. The movement is fueled in part by fights over...
Georgia Senate again pushes $6,000 school voucher bill
Georgia Senate Republicans are again pushing a plan to give $6,000 educational vouchers to many students, part of a nationwide push for what supporters call education savings accounts following the COVID-19 pandemic. The movement is fueled in part by fights over...
A new bill in KY legislature simplifies expungement process
A new bill has been introduced in the Kentucky Legislature, House Bill 589, that simplifies the process of having criminal records expunged for people who have been convicted of a misdemeanor or class C felony that does not involve violence, sex, a child victim, or...
GCO applauds introduction of Promise Scholarship bill
The Georgia Center For Opportunity is thrilled to support new legislation introduced in the Georgia General Assembly creating Promise Scholarship Accounts. Georgia State Senator Greg Dolezal is the primary sponsor of Senate Bill 233, The Georgia Promise Scholarship...
Georgia lawmaker proposes state-funded education savings accounts
Proposed legislation would allow Georgians to create state-funded education savings accounts. Under Senate Bill 233, taxpayers would fund $6,000 per student per school year. Students could use that money to defray "qualified" education costs, including private school...
Inflation continues to worry Georgians, groups say
Inflation will likely stick around for the foreseeable future, and the elevated inflation continues to worry Georgia businesses, groups said. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers increased by 6.4% over the...
KY House bill related to juvenile justice reform advances from committee
Kentucky’s juvenile justice system is likely to undergo some major changes before the end of the 2023 legislative session. House Bill 3 is one of several juvenile justice reform-related bills that will be considered this year, according to the bill’s sponsor Rep....