NEWS & OPINIONS
Give a Little, Get a Lot!
Now is an especially good time to support GCO financially. Thanks to the generosity of a key supporter and GCO’s Board, every donation given between now and May 31st – up to $87,000 – will be matched dollar-for-dollar. This means if we reach our goal, GCO will have an...
The Economy: What’s Love Got to Do With It? Turns Out, a Whole Lot!
Earlier this month, GCO hosted a lunch and learn with Dr. Brad Wilcox, one of the nation’s leading sociologists. Dr. Wilcox has devoted his work to understanding family formation and the effect it has on our social structure and economy. His new report, “Strong...
“Discrimination” or Religious Freedom? Religious Hiring Rights and Government Contracts
Recently, a broad coalition of groups sent a letter to President Obama urging him to require the Attorney General to “review and reconsider” a “flawed” Office of Legal Counsel memo—issued in 2007 (i.e., during the Bush Administration)—that argued that the Religious...
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...
MEDIA MENTIONS
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...
Reopening Isn’t About Haircuts, It’s About Relieving Human Suffering | HOUMA TODAY
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 | THE TELEGRAPH
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 | INSIDE SOURCES
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...
