NEWS & OPINIONS
Religious Freedom in a New Age
On July 25th, AJC columnist Jay Bookman dismissed Georgia House Speaker David Ralston’s “Pastor Protection Bill” as an essentially meaningless symbolic gesture. I’m uncharacteristically inclined to agree with him. In its current form the bill simply states that...
Religious Liberty and the Constitution in the Wake of Obergefell
I have to confess that I wasn’t all that surprised by the Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which held that the 14th Amendment Due Process and Equal Protection clauses imply a right to marry (due process) and require that that right be extended to...
Faith-Based Organizations, SOGI, and the Federal Government
Last summer, the Obama Administration proposed a rule adding sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI—get used to the acronym) to the list of classes protected against discrimination by federal contractors. In so doing, it built upon other anti-discrimination...
Religious Freedom Next Year and Beyond
I recently attended a conference that included a number of participants who have thought deeply about religious freedom and have acted effectively in its defense. Naturally, everyone was talking about the high-profile legislative battle in Indiana. That got me...
Debt as a Barrier to Reentry: Jonathan O’Neill’s Story
Jonathan O’Neill, a humble and soft-spoken man, is 46 years old and the father of fourteen children. He has been incarcerated since 2012 and currently resides at a transitional center where he works and takes various classes to prepare for his release that is set for...
Capitol Update – April 1, 2015
We are happy to provide you with this update on some of the bills that GCO is following this session. Should you have any questions or comments, please email Eric Cochling. House Bill 243 - Education Savings Accounts - sponsored by Rep. Mark Hamilton, R-Cumming The...
Religious Liberty and “Big Business”
This past week, Indiana enacted a religious freedom law much like the one that remains under consideration here in Georgia. Despite Governor Mike Pence’s assurances that the bill has nothing to do with discrimination, there was a swift—and very negative—reaction on...
The Religious Liberty Endgame
I have been following the legislative peregrinations of Georgia’s religious liberty (notice that, unlike the Atlanta newspaper, I don’t use “scare quotes” to describe it) legislation with a great deal of interest and concern. There are just a few days left in this...
New GCO Report: Fortifying Pathways
While education plays a tremendous role in shaping individual life outcomes, the number of students in Georgia who do not advance beyond K-12 remains astronomically high. Over 1 in 5 young adults in Georgia are not attending school, not working, and have no degree...
Michael Bowers’ Religious Freedom Contretemps
I used to admire and respect Michael Bowers, Georgia’s Attorney General from 1981 to 1997, but his recent intervention in the debate over the religious freedom bills ought to embarrass him. To be sure, losing my respect won’t cost him any sleep and the mainstream...
Gov. Deal “Banned the Box” in Georgia
It's official. Governor Nathan Deal signed an executive order on February 23rd to "ban the box" on applications for state employment in Georgia. This order will remove the question about felony convictions from the initial job application and postpone it to a later...
Religious Hiring and State Religious Freedom Legislation
In a blog post, the AJC’s Jay Bookman tried to use a case in Kentucky to raise the spectre of what might happen in Georgia if the legislature passed the “Preventing Government Overreach on Religious Expression Act,” its version of the Religious Freedom Restoration...
MEDIA MENTIONS
Criminal record expungement bill clears Georgia House | The Center Square
A bill that would increase the number of criminal records that can be sealed was approved unanimously Wednesday by the Georgia House. Senate Bill 288 would allow certain misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies to qualify for expungement. The legislation is "an important...
Criminal record expungement bill clears Georgia House | Marietta Daily Journal
A bill that would increase the number of criminal records that can be sealed was approved unanimously Wednesday by the Georgia House. Senate Bill 288 would allow certain misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies to qualify for expungement. The legislation is "an important...
Criminal record expungement bill clears Georgia House | Cherokee Tribune & Ledger
A bill that would increase the number of criminal records that can be sealed was approved unanimously Wednesday by the Georgia House. Senate Bill 288 would allow certain misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies to qualify for expungement. The legislation is "an important...
99 Nonprofits to Receive Funding from ECMC Foundation Employee-Nominated Grant Program | YAHOO FINANCE
LOS ANGELES, June 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ninety-nine nonprofit organizations will receive funding from ECMC Foundation as part of an annual program designed to give back to the communities where employees live and work. For the first time, ECMC Foundation will...
Georgia think tanks call on Congress for more COVID-19 education support | CENTER SQUARE
Two Georgia organizations are among a group of think tanks calling on Congress to expand access to education amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Free market nonprofits Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) and Georgia Public Policy Foundation and 16 other think tanks have...
Reopening Isn’t About Haircuts, It’s About Relieving Human Suffering | PRESCOTT NEWS
Georgia recently began the long process of reopening its economy in the wake of what it is hoped will be the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning in late April, certain categories of businesses were allowed to open in Georgia, including restaurants and barber...
Reopening Isn’t About Haircuts, It’s About Relieving Human Suffering | JOURNAL COURIER
Georgia recently began the long process of reopening its economy in the wake of what it is hoped will be the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning in late April, certain categories of businesses were allowed to open in Georgia, including restaurants and barber...
Reopening Isn’t About Haircuts, It’s About Relieving Human Suffering | NEWSDAY
Georgia recently began the long process of reopening its economy in the wake of what it is hoped will be the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning in late April, certain categories of businesses were allowed to open in Georgia, including restaurants and barber...
