This week’s Courier Herald column: There was good news out of the Governor’s office this week, as Brian Kemp sent word that state revenues for November were up 8.3% from one year ago. For the first five months of this fiscal year, Georgia’s tax revenues are up 5.7% compared to last year. This is, unquestionably,
Governor Kemp today vetoed four bills, and offered statements regarding those. At the bottom of the press release, there is a note on a bill he signed, HB 105. It’s important. In the coming weeks, I will issue a proclamation calling for a special session of the General Assembly to pass the Hurricane Michael tax
This week’s Courier Herald column: The Georgia General Assembly gaveled Sine Die late Friday night, ending an unusual 2020 meeting of the legislature. It was a session interrupted by a pandemic, one that gave legislators an up close and personal look at both peaceful protests and civil unrest, and sent budget writers back to the
The Georgia Budget & Policy Institute published a letter urging the governor and legislators to raise new sources of revenue. Thirty-six other signees joined the left-leaning organization including: the League of Women Voters of Georgia, the International Rescue Committee and Open Hand Atlanta. An odd mix to be sure. Charlie has a good primer on
This week’s Courier Herald column: Georgia’s legislature will reconvene Monday to finish the 40-day session that was abruptly suspended March 13th – officially the 29th legislative day – as the state began to shut down for the Covid-19 pandemic. With 11 business days remaining, legislators must pass a budget prior to the July 1st beginning
The House and Senate have agreed to return to finish the 2020 session on June 15th. Legislators have 11 business days remaining in the session, and a budget must be passed before the end of the fiscal year which is June 30th. An adjournment resolution spelling out specific session days following the 15th remains a
The House and Senate Appropriations Committees will have another joint meeting this morning, held virtually, at 11:15 am. You can observe this meeting by clicking here. The committees met last week to begin the adjustments needed to the spending plans in progress before the Covid-19 suspension of the General Assembly in March. Members submitted questions
On the heels of yesterday’s April revenue numbers (down 36% year over year), members of the House and Senate will have a joint legislative committee meeting this morning at 11:15am, virutally. You can watch the meeting here. The legislature must pass a budget prior to the end of the fiscal year, which is June 30th.
Georgia collected less than 2/3 of the revenue it did in the same month one year ago. Shuttered businesses, a statewide shelter-in-place order, and an extension for tax filing deadlines moved until July all contributed to the sharp drop in April revenues. At the same time, expenses for direct Covid-19 response as well as skyrocketing
This week’s Courier Herald column: We’re almost two months into Georgia’s State of Emergency to address the issues brought to us by the Covid-19 virus. Our crisis is now one of public health and one of economics. As leaders attempt to simultaneously deal with both problem sets, it often appears we are still in search
