Central

An unbalanced budget, a $407 billion deficit, and millions in cuts to essential Georgia services, all part and parcel of another failed Bush budget.  The President's budget, released earlier this week, fails to deliver on even the most basic promises of fiscal responsibility, and continues a legacy of cuts to education, seniors, transportation, and public safety. 

Georgia students, homeowners, and local governments could see some much-needed help under the Democratic tax relief bill released last week. Data released today shows how much each city and county school system could receive after they lower property taxes with HB 1057.

Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Jane Kidd appeared on the Kudzu Vine online radio show on January 27.  Click here to listen to the full show.

Atlanta -Georgia Democrats are proposing two bills to put a stop to school cuts and take the burden of $1.5 billion in property tax shifts off local government. The Democratic plans provide fiscally sound property tax relief by fully funding the Quality Basic Education (QBE) Act.

Today State Representative Rob Teilhet (D-Smyrna) announced that he will introduce legislation requiring marketers of "refund anticipation loans," which are high-cost loans sold to consumers as "instant tax refunds," to fully disclose the terms of the loan and make customers aware that they are entitled to receive their tax refund free of charge from the Internal Revenue Service in about 10 days by direct deposit without the need for a loan.

Former Senator John Edwards (D-NC) will join thousands of Georgia Democrats at the state party's annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, on January 30th at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) will be attending the Democratic Party of Georgia's Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, the state party announced today.

Clinton, one of four Democrats seeking their party's nomination for President, is the first candidate to confirm for the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner.  All of the Democratic candidates for President have been invited.

Georgia Democrats issued a sharp response to Governor Sonny Perdue's annual State of the State address, calling for Republicans to put their internal differences aside for the good of the state, and introducing the framework of an alternative to a controversial tax plan introduced by the Speaker of the House.

Representative Kathy Ashe (D-Atlanta) delivered the address before a crowd of Democrats, including members of the General Assembly.  In the response, Ashe stressed that the Democratic agenda comes from their constituents and, "our shared values."

I'm thinking the proposal will include a sizable increase in the state's homestead exemption - maybe even enough so residents won't pay property taxes at all on their primary home. Chances are they'll also call for an end to austerity cuts for school systems, too.

You may also see the Dems pick and choose from among the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute's recommendations, some of which are already in line with the speaker's plan, some of which aren't. Those include:

According to a story in the Savannah Morning News, first-time unemployment claims in Macon and Augusta rose during the month of October.  Macon saw 520 more claims filed, an increase of 62.9%. In Augusta, unemployment claims rose from 1,268 in September to 2,016 in October, an increase of 59%.  Statewide, over 41,000 workers filed first-time unemployment claims, an increase of 29.1% from September and an increase of 5.2% from the number of first-time claims filed in October of 2006.