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2020 Georgia Legislative Policy Forum

August 27, 2020 @ 11:00 am - 12:15 pm

Please note: For security purposes, only participants with verified Zoom accounts will be granted access to the 2020 Georgia Legislative Policy Forum Zoom sessions.
Create your free Zoom account here.

 

A Series of Weekly Webinars Beginning July 15, 2020

Location: ZOOM

Time: 11 AM -12:15 PM

Registration links for each session below.

(The entire series is open to the public, but registration is required.)


AGENDA

July 15: Opening Keynote

11:00            Welcome and Overview
                      Kyle Wingfield, President and CEO, Georgia Public Policy Foundation

11:05 -12:15           U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos

An Education Conversation with Betsy DeVos 

View the July 15, 2020, opening keynote here on the Foundation’s YouTube channel. 

Betsy DeVos, the 11th U.S. Secretary of Education, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on February 7, 2017, after being nominated by President Trump.

Secretary DeVos has been involved in education policy for nearly three decades as an advocate for children and a voice for parents. She is especially passionate about reforms that help underserved children gain access to a quality education. For 15 years, DeVos served as an in-school mentor for at-risk children in the Grand Rapids (Michigan) Public Schools. A leader in the movement to empower parents, DeVos has worked to support the creation of new educational choices for students in 25 states and the District of Columbia.

DeVos firmly believes that neither the ZIP code in which a child lives nor a child’s household income should be the principal determinant of his or her opportunity to receive a world-class education. As secretary, she advocates for returning control of education to states and localities, giving parents greater power to choose the educational settings that are best for their children, and ensuring that higher education puts students on the path to successful careers. Read more here.


July 21: Session One

EDUCATION

11:00            Welcome and Overview
                      Kyle Wingfield, President and CEO, Georgia Public Policy Foundation

11:05 -12:15           Opportunities for Education Adaptation

View the July 21, 2020, panel discussion here on the Foundation’s YouTube channel. 

Opportunities for Education Adaptation

Few crises in recent memory have affected the education landscape like the novel coronavirus pandemic. As Georgia shut schools, many families felt helpless as they dealt with uncertainty and inconsistencies in the interim approach. While public K-12 schools will continue to as the education home for most Georgia students, a smorgasbord of alternatives is  growing increasingly attractive to families.

Moderator: Eric Wearne, Associate Professor, Kennesaw State University; Senior Fellow, Georgia Public Policy Foundation; Author, “Little Platoons: Defining Hybrid Home Schools in America,” (upcoming)

  • Georgia State Rep. Jan Jones, House Speaker Pro Tempore
  • Angela Lassetter, Head of School, Georgia Cyber Academy
  • Ana Martin, “The Libertarian Homeschooler”
  • Kelly Smith, Founder of Prenda, a microschool network


July 28: Session Two

BUDGET

11:00            Welcome and Overview
                      Kyle Wingfield, President and CEO, Georgia Public Policy Foundation

11:05 -12:15           Budget Calisthenics

View the July 28, 2020, panel discussion here on the Foundation’s YouTube channel. 

Budget Calisthenics  

As the state deals with the long-term fallout from COVID-19 and the changing revenue projections, how does Georgia adapt? What are the highs and lows and lessons to learn in shaping new budget expectations and outcomes? What can the state expect from the federal government and what can locals expect from the state?

Moderator: Chris Denson, Director of Policy and Research, Georgia Public Policy Foundation

  • Sen. Blake Tillery (R-Vidalia), Chairman, Senate Appropriations Committee
  • Amy Cooke, CEO, John Locke Foundation; Publisher, Carolina Journal
  • U.S. Rep. Tom Graves of Georgia, 14th Congressional District
  • Ben Scafidi, Professor, Kennesaw State University; Senior Fellow, Georgia Public Policy Foundation


August 4: Session Three

LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION

View the August 4, 2020, panel discussion here on the Foundation’s YouTube channel. 

11:00            Welcome and Overview
                      Kyle Wingfield, President and CEO, Georgia Public Policy Foundation

11:05 -12:15         The Changing Views of Land Use and Transportation

The Changing Views of Land Use and Transportation

Even before the pandemic, transportation and land use agencies were faced with adapting long-held views and policies that collided with the opportunities provided by rapidly evolving technology. The sea change of COVID-19 responses reinforced the need to reassess options even more urgently. What does that mean for Georgia, long known as “the poster child for sprawl”?

Moderator: Ashley Jenkins, Legislative Affairs Director, American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Georgia

  • Baruch Feigenbaum,  Senior Managing Director of Transportation Policy, Reason Foundation, Lead Author of Reason’s Annual Highway Report
  • Adam Hengels, Founder, Center for Market Urbanism
  • Joel Kotkin, Chapman University and the Urban Reform Institute; Executive Editor, newgeography.com
  • Tom Hutchinson, Transportation Director, HNTB
  • T. Dallas Smith, Georgians First Commission, T. Dallas Smith & Company


August 11: Session Four

THE ECONOMY

11:00            Welcome and Overview
                      Kyle Wingfield, President and CEO, Georgia Public Policy Foundation

11:05 -12:15         The Economy: Effects and Expectations

View the August 11, 2020, panel discussion here on the Foundation’s YouTube channel. 

The Economy: Effects and Expectations

Has the pandemic created a hurdle or an opportunity in the economy? Is it a V-Recovery, a U-Recovery or an ongoing recession? Why are we here? How do we get out? When do we get out? What needs to change and what has Georgia done right? A panel discussion on the state of the nation and the future of the state’s economy.

Moderator: Gerard Robinson, Vice President for Education at the Advanced Studies in Culture Foundation

  • Rep. Kasey Carpenter (R-Dalton), small business owner
  • Stephen Moore, Member, President Trump’s Economic Recovery Task Force; Co-founder, Committee to Unleash Prosperity
  • Andy Puzder, former CEO of CKE Restaurants; Co-author, “Job Creation: How It Really Works and Why Government Doesn’t Understand It.”


August 18: Session Five

HOUSING

11:00            Welcome and Overview
                      Kyle Wingfield, President and CEO, Georgia Public Policy Foundation

11:05 -12:15         Affordable Housing or Housing Affordability?

Affordable Housing or Housing Affordability?

When housing advocates ask about affordable housing, they often look to government for the answer. And government is usually happy to step up. But is a government response the best solution, or are there better options? Is there an opportunity to adapt the approach to alternatives that reduce the role of government and engage the private sector? Think tank and private-sector  experts discuss the approaches that can enhance access to housing for Georgians.

Moderator:  Sheila Brower, Past President, Georgia Association of Realtors

  • Rep. Vance Smith (R-Pine Mountain), Sponsor of legislation on aesthetic design ordinances
  • Emily Hamilton, Research Fellow and Director of the Urbanity Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University
  • Michael Hendrix, Director of State and Local Policy at the Manhattan Institute
  • Eric Hoplin, Head of External Relations for Wells Fargo & Co.


August 25: Session Six

HEALTHCARE

11:00            Welcome and Overview
                      Kyle Wingfield, President and CEO, Georgia Public Policy Foundation

11:05 -12:15         Healthcare: The Diagnosis, The Prognosis

Healthcare: The Diagnosis, The Prognosis

Healthcare, naturally, was front and center during the pandemic. The deregulation and technology adopted then will continue to shape healthcare in the future. But what still needs to be done? And how might the pandemic and responses to it affect the national healthcare debate going forward?

Moderator: Marie Fishpaw, Director of Domestic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation

  • Rep. Matt Hatchett (R-Dublin), Vice Chairman, House Rules Committee
  • Marilyn Bartlett, Senior Policy Fellow, National Academy for State Health Policy
  • Brian Blase, President, Blase Policy Strategies; former Special Assistant to the President at the National Economic Council; Former Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University
  • Avik Roy, Columnist; President, Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity


August 27: Closing Keynote

11:00            Welcome and Overview
                      Kyle Wingfield, President and CEO, Georgia Public Policy Foundation

11:05 -12:15           Harold Melton, Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Georgia

A Constitution Conversation with Chief Justice Harold Melton 

Harold D. Melton, appointed to the Georgia Supreme Court in 2005 by Gov. Sonny Perdue, has served as Chief Justice of Georgia’s highest court since September 4, 2018.

Before joining the Supreme Court, Melton was Executive Counsel to Governor Perdue, representing the Governor on legal issues covering the entire scope of state government. He helped safeguard Georgia’s interests in water rights disputes with Alabama and Florida, and participated in administration efforts to advance the delivery of criminal justice services in the State. Before serving as Executive Counsel, Melton spent 11 years in the Georgia Department of Law under two Attorneys General, where he dealt with issues ranging from the creation of the Georgia Lottery Corporation to the administration of Georgia’s tobacco settlement. Prior to leaving to join the Governor’s Office, he served as Section Leader over the Consumer Interests Division.

Melton received a Bachelor of Science degree from Auburn University and his Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia. He was a Volunteer Leader of Young Life Ministries for 11 years and serves on a local Young Life Board as well as on the national board. He is also a Board Member of Atlanta Youth Academies. The native of Washington, D.C., grew up in East Point and Marietta and lives in Atlanta with his wife, Kimberly, and their three children.

 

REGISTER FOR ALL SESSIONS HERE

Sponsorship: Contact Kennedy Atkins at 404-256-4050/ for sponsorship opportunities.

 

Details

Date:
August 27, 2020
Time:
11:00 am - 12:15 pm
Website:
https://mailchi.mp/georgiapolicy/8sessionregistration