Become A Georgia Budget Expert: The Basics

When I’m not organizing GeorgiaPol most of my time is spent on policy education issues as the Executive Director of PolicyBEST. We focus on issues of Business Climate & Economic Development, Education, Science & Medicine, and Transportation.

In the state of Georgia, every one of these issues comes back to the budget. We have to have a balanced budget every year. We have critical needs in Education, Health Care, and Transportation. And we have to accomplish all of our goals in these areas and more while having a tax burden that keeps Georgia an attractive place to live, work, and operate a business. Thus, Georgia’s budget is at the crux of virtually every major policy decision.

As such, our Policy Analyst Zack Lindsey has prepared a series of six short videos that break down our budget process, as well as show where the funds come from and where they are spent. We’ll show the difference between revenue growth and surplus funds, how Georgia’s budget has changed over the last decade, and finally do a comparison of Georgia’s budget and tax burden to that of our neighboring states.

The goal of these videos is too provide raw numbers and facts, as a resource for you to expand your knowledge on Georgia’s budget.

In the first installment of Become a Budget Expert, we discuss the basics of the budget process. Focusing on the role the legislature and the Governor have in the process. Important highlights include:

-The budget is the sole constitutional responsibility of the state legislator
-The budget must be balanced every year
-The Governor’s Office sets the revenue estimates which determine how much the state can plan to spend

We hope you will find these videos both enjoyable and educational.

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