Friday Facts: June 26, 2026

In the ongoing debate over why homeownership remains out of reach for so many Georgia families, we have the usual explanations: higher interest rates, institutional investors buying up homes, global supply chain disruptions and the rising cost of labor. But an updated study from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) puts a new dollar figure on the cost of government regulations nationwide.

According to the latest report published in June 2026, the combined cost of federal, state and local government regulation now accounts for $131,734 of the average new home’s purchase price of $499,500. That is more than a rounding error; it represents 26.4% of the final cost of a new single-family home—up nearly three percentage points from 2021 and double the figure recorded in 2011.

Read more in this week’s commentary.

– Kyle Wingfield

Friday’s Freshest 🗞️

The Georgia Department of Labor reports the state hit 5,002,400 jobs in May, an all-time high and the third consecutive month of growth. Round numbers make headlines, but the figures beneath this one tell the story that should matter most to policymakers, and to every Georgian looking for opportunity.

If school choice advocates want these programs to last, they should demand better outcome reporting. The current state of scattered outcome reporting across the country is not sufficient to judge the success of universal eligibility, but there are a number of valuable pieces already available.

Elections to the Supreme Court of Georgia have been nonpartisan since 1983, when the judicial system was modernized during an overhaul of the state constitution. Yet, this year’s race bore all the hallmarks of a partisan battle, complete with high-profile endorsements from former President Barack Obama on one side and Governor Brian Kemp on the other.

Gov. Kemp signed legislation that will streamline Georgia’s building permit process. Senate Bill 447, authored by Sen. Clint Dixon (R-Gwinnett), is designed to tighten Georgia’s existing 45-day timeframe for local governments to review building permit applications and to create clear application criteria for all parties involved, both local governments and developers.

Peach Picks 🍑

Sixty-six Georgia cities and counties hoping for a 1-cent sales tax to offset property taxes will not get a chance to put it before voters. Democrats in the House of Representatives voted against the bills, which needed a two-thirds majority to pass, on Saturday, and didn’t change their mind when given a chance to reconsider on Monday.

The state legislature concluded its special session Tuesday by passing a solution to a looming election deadline. Senate Bill 3EX would move a July 1 deadline to stop using QR codes on ballots to count votes to 2028. It would also appoint a commission to study a new election system for 2028, including hand-marked paper ballots.

Gov. Kemp announced that Georgia-based engineering and manufacturing company Yancey Engineered Solutions will invest $5.7 million in a new manufacturing facility in Cordele, creating 300 new jobs over the next several years in Crisp County.

The State of Georgia is participating in the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C., as part of the nationwide celebration of America’s 250th Birthday. Georgia’s exhibits highlight key industries in the state, as well as special items from well-known Georgia-based companies like Waffle House and Chick-fil-A.

Officials on Wednesday unveiled renderings of a 10,000-plus-capacity, red-brick arena to be built along I-16 that will, at an estimated $350 million, be the priciest and largest public undertaking of its kind in Middle Georgia’s history.The for-now-dubbed Macon Arena, with its oval, overhanging rooftop that is symbolic of a vinyl record, an homage to the city’s rich musical heritage, will replace the nearly 60-year-old Macon Coliseum that, until it is razed in a couple of years, sits next door on a high-visibility hillside across the Ocmulgee River from downtown.

Featured Video 🎥

In this video, we explain why Georgia’s physician shortage persists, how the current licensing system created an unnecessary bottleneck, and what the new Senate Bill 427 changes.

Quote of the Week 🌟

Thomas Sowell’s reminder is especially useful in public policy, where good intentions are often treated as proof of good outcomes. Every proposal has a cost. Every regulation creates incentives. Every new program shifts resources away from some other priority. The question is not whether a policy sounds compassionate, fair or popular. The question is whether it actually improves people’s lives compared with the alternatives.

That is why lawmakers should judge policies by results, not rhetoric. A housing policy that raises construction costs may make affordability worse. A tax incentive that favors one industry may disadvantage another. A well-meaning mandate on employers may reduce opportunities for the very workers it aims to help.

Georgia’s success has come, in large part, from respecting these trade-offs: keeping taxes competitive, limiting unnecessary burdens and allowing families, workers and entrepreneurs more room to make decisions for themselves. Serious policymaking begins with a simple habit: asking not just “What problem are we trying to solve?” but “What are we giving up?”

That standard matters whenever lawmakers debate spending, regulation, education, health care or taxes. The goal is not to judge policymakers by rhetoric, but to judge policy by outcomes.