It’s Friday!
Quotes of note
“Happiness does not come from a job. It comes from knowing what you truly value, and behaving in a way that’s consistent with those beliefs .” -Mike Rowe
“On a freight train leaving town
Not knowing where I’m bound
No one could change my mind, but mama tried.” – Merle Haggard
“Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children.” –William Makepeace Thackeray
On Our Desks
You’re invited! Join us in Atlanta on May 11 for a policy briefing luncheon! We’ll present findings from our latest study examining the regulatory factors behind rising home prices. The event is open to the public, but registration is required. Read about the success of our recent Savannah event here.
Charter funding: Kyle Wingfield explores the Biden administration’s latest harmful proposal on charter school funding in his weekly column. Link?
We’re hiring! Georgia Policy has two open positions: Development Associate and Research Fellow. Each of these roles will help our organization grow – one by helping us raise more money, the other by increasing our capacity to gather and publish information. Both positions are perfect for entry-level candidates, so share them with the liberty-minded recent college graduate, or soon-to-be graduate, in your life.
Economy
Increasing: The Federal Reserve approved a rare half-percentage-point interest-rate increase—the largest since 2000—and a plan to shrink its $9 trillion asset portfolio as officials kicked into higher gear a campaign to slow inflation, which is running at a 40-year high. Source: The Wall Street Journal
Uh oh: Wages in Atlanta rose by 6.6% during the 12 months ending in February, while inflation increased by 10.6%, according to federal data. Among the large Georgia corporations with the lowest median salaries are Coca Cola, Home Depot, Carters, and Floor & Decor, but most of those include part-time workers. The highest-paying (median salary) public companies in Georgia are Invesco, construction company PulteGroup, and New York Stock Exchange owner Intercontinental Exchange. Source: Atlanta Business Chronicle
Government
Record breaking: Turnout on the first day of early voting for the Georgia primaries set a record and was nearly twice as high as in 2020, reports the Center Square. Exactly 27,298 voters cast their ballots, including 14,731 Republicans, 12,308 Democrats, and 259 nonpartisans. Among the races in Georgia are governor, U.S. Senate, the General Assembly and other offices throughout the state.
Protecting: Governor Kemp signed House Bill 1 to protect the right of free speech anywhere on the campuses of Georgia’s universities and technical colleges, reports the Center Square. The Forming Open and Robust University Minds Act applies to the entire campus rather than just designated “Free Speech Zones.” Critics claim the bill is unnecessarily vague and could protect extremists.
Treatment and prevention: Governor Kemp this week signed Senate Bill 500 to enable access for the state and local governments to $636 million for opioid abuse treatment and prevention efforts, according to a press release from the Office of the Governor. The funds are part of the $26 billion multistate opioid settlement against distributors McKesson, Cardinal and AmerisourceBergen, and manufacturer/marketer Johnson & Johnson. From 2019 to 2021, Georgia saw an increase of 55.9% in fatal drug overdoses, killing 2,327 people in the state.
Education
Alma Mater$: Atlanta Public Schools inked a deal with Georgia Tech to host 11 graduation ceremonies on the college campus, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The contract is estimated to cost $320,015.
Taxation
Strikeout: The Atlanta Braves and Truist Financial this past week withdrew their application for property tax breaks on a $200 million office tower at The Battery in Cobb County, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Braves and Truist officials had wanted a 10-year tax abatement to help finance the construction and furnishing of this 250,000-square-foot tower. Board members for the Development Authority of Cobb County questioned whether taxpayer-funded assistance was needed.
Have a great weekend.
Kyle Wingfield
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