NEWS & OPINIONS
Religious Freedom Next Year and Beyond
I recently attended a conference that included a number of participants who have thought deeply about religious freedom and have acted effectively in its defense. Naturally, everyone was talking about the high-profile legislative battle in Indiana. That got me...
Debt as a Barrier to Reentry: Jonathan O’Neill’s Story
Jonathan O’Neill, a humble and soft-spoken man, is 46 years old and the father of fourteen children. He has been incarcerated since 2012 and currently resides at a transitional center where he works and takes various classes to prepare for his release that is set for...
Capitol Update – April 1, 2015
We are happy to provide you with this update on some of the bills that GCO is following this session. Should you have any questions or comments, please email Eric Cochling. House Bill 243 - Education Savings Accounts - sponsored by Rep. Mark Hamilton, R-Cumming The...
Religious Liberty and “Big Business”
This past week, Indiana enacted a religious freedom law much like the one that remains under consideration here in Georgia. Despite Governor Mike Pence’s assurances that the bill has nothing to do with discrimination, there was a swift—and very negative—reaction on...
The Religious Liberty Endgame
I have been following the legislative peregrinations of Georgia’s religious liberty (notice that, unlike the Atlanta newspaper, I don’t use “scare quotes” to describe it) legislation with a great deal of interest and concern. There are just a few days left in this...
New GCO Report: Fortifying Pathways
While education plays a tremendous role in shaping individual life outcomes, the number of students in Georgia who do not advance beyond K-12 remains astronomically high. Over 1 in 5 young adults in Georgia are not attending school, not working, and have no degree...
Michael Bowers’ Religious Freedom Contretemps
I used to admire and respect Michael Bowers, Georgia’s Attorney General from 1981 to 1997, but his recent intervention in the debate over the religious freedom bills ought to embarrass him. To be sure, losing my respect won’t cost him any sleep and the mainstream...
Gov. Deal “Banned the Box” in Georgia
It's official. Governor Nathan Deal signed an executive order on February 23rd to "ban the box" on applications for state employment in Georgia. This order will remove the question about felony convictions from the initial job application and postpone it to a later...
Religious Hiring and State Religious Freedom Legislation
In a blog post, the AJC’s Jay Bookman tried to use a case in Kentucky to raise the spectre of what might happen in Georgia if the legislature passed the “Preventing Government Overreach on Religious Expression Act,” its version of the Religious Freedom Restoration...
New GCO Report: A High Price to Pay
GCO's latest report provides solutions that aim to minimize the role debt has in driving recidivism rates. Offenders often leave prison owing tens of thousands of dollars in debt, creating serious obstacles to a successful reentry. The state expects returning...
A Real Chance to Prosper Event Recap
Georgia Center for Opportunity’s annual fundraiser, a Real Chance to Prosper, on December 4th was a great success. It brought together around 200 people at the newly opened College Football Hall of Fame for a night celebrating the legacy of the late Jack Kemp and...
Sajan George Schools Local Leaders on Education Turnarounds
Over the past year, Georgia Center for Opportunity has hosted a series of luncheons aimed at encouraging local educators and business leaders to think outside of the traditional education reform box. Past keynote speakers have shared ways educators can work within...
MEDIA MENTIONS
Georgia earns high marks for career development, but workforce lags, labor commish says
Georgia’s workforce development program has been selected as the best in the South Atlantic Region by business publication, Site Selection Magazine. Gov. Brian Kemp made the announcement a day after Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said workforce numbers are lagging......
Georgia earns high marks for career development, but workforce lags, labor commish says
Georgia’s workforce development program has been selected as the best in the South Atlantic Region by business publication, Site Selection Magazine. Gov. Brian Kemp made the announcement a day after Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said workforce numbers are lagging......
Why should you care about the ex-offender in your community?
Local coalition works to reduce recidivism rates and replace stigmas with compassion When it comes to tackling deep-rooted social issues, no single organization can do it alone. The Greater Gwinnett Reentry Alliance (GGRA) is a coalition of service providers in...
Joyce Mayberry Leads In New Role As Vice President of Family Formation
Joyce Mayberry will be moving into a new role as the Vice President of Family Formation. In this position, Joyce will continue to develop new ways to strengthen families in the communities we serve through our many partners. This move in position reinforces three...
Poll: Half of Georgians don’t want budget cuts
Most Georgians don't want to see state budget cuts, according to a poll released Thursday, but critics say the language used in the survey was overly suggestive. The survey conducted by the left-leaning Georgia Budget & Policy Institute found that about half of...
Georgia recoups about as much money in food stamp fraud as it spends
Georgia officials spend about as much investigating claims of food stamp fraud as they recoup for the state. In the 2019 fiscal year, Georgia investigators spent more than $7.2 million to look into claims of fraud. Investigators found that $8.4 million in food...
Georgia Senate committee votes to maintain felon rights restrictions
The Senate Study Committee on Revising Voting Rights for Nonviolent Felony Offenders decided Wednesday to keep Georgia’s constitution as it is. The members voted 3-2 in favor of continuing to restrict nearly 250,000 convicted Georgia felons from voting. According to...
Creating healthy relationships, one man at a time
Strengthening the role men have in creating healthy relationships is what No Longer Bound is all about. We are proud to partner to support these efforts.