NEWS & OPINIONS
Why Nonprofits Should Care and What to Do
Key Takeaways: Welfare cliffs and marriage penalties are discouraging people from work and forming families. The cliffs and penalties may mean that our clients are locked into poverty for much longer than they would be otherwise and despite our best efforts. GCO has...
U.S. Gross Domestic Product Update
U.S. Gross Domestic Product update U.S. Gross Domestic Product declined at a 1.4% rate in the first quarter of 2022. The numbers surprised economists, who had predicted a 1% gain.The Georgia Center for Opportunity's (GCO) take: "The tab is coming due for all the...
An epidemic of teen depression (and what to do about it)
An epidemic of teen depression (and what to do about it) Key Takeaways: In the last 10 years, the number of teens identifying as having "experienced persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness" doubled. School connectedness was a key barometer of how well teens...
The U.S Reaches Highest Unadjusted Monthly Rate of Inflation Since March 1980
A look at the highest unadjusted monthly rate of inflation Today, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that in March the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 1.3%, not seasonally adjusted. This is the highest unadjusted monthly rate of inflation since March 1980....
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...
MEDIA MENTIONS
Former Trump Advisor Launches ‘Public Safety Solutions for America’ Coalition
Josh Crawford joins former Trump advisor Ja’Ron Smith in the launch of Public Safety Solutions for America, an alliance of non-profit organizations and leaders with a smart-on-crime approach to improving public safety.
Georgia to receive $38M federal grant to expand charter schools
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded a nearly $38.3 million grant to fund the expansion of charter schools throughout Georgia.
Expert says despite improved federal data, Georgia still faces inflationary pressures
While the July and August Consumer Price Index numbers show “inflation has stalled,” a Georgia expert warns that “we’re not out of the woods yet.”
Report ranks Georgia 14th nationally for educational freedom
Georgia ranked 14th in the nation for its educational freedom, according to a new index from the Heritage Foundation.
Opinion: Expanded school choice can help pandemic learning losses
Buzz Brockway, a former Republican legislator from Gwinnett, is vice president of public policy for the right-leaning think tank Georgia Center for Opportunity, which promotes school choice.
Gwinnett government departments will begin presenting 2023 budget requests on Monday
Five Gwinnett County residents will hear budget presentations from Gwinnett County government department heads over the next week, and they will be tasked with helping County Commission Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson decide what to put in the county’s 2023 budget.
New economic data shows that Georgia is outperforming many states
New economic data shows Georgia is outperforming many other states across the country.
Georgia policy groups say Biden plan to forgive student loan debt ‘simply transfers the burden to taxpayers’
President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive some federal student loan debt received a lukewarm reaction from some Georgia groups who say the policy is unfair and won’t help ease inflation.
