Keisha Lance Bottoms Op-Ed in AJC: Georgians’ Cost Of Living Is Too High.

ATLANTA — Today, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms published a new op-ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution highlighting her plans to support Georgians by lowering costs on housing, health care, groceries and gas.

Keisha has rolled out 5 concrete plans to bring down costs for Georgians:

1. Keisha’s CARE Plan for Healthier Georgia will expand Medicaid, lower premiums, protect consumers through Georgia Access and pursue targeted state premium support to help keep costs low and prevent coverage loss for Georgians who rely on the ACA.

2. Her Local Grocery and Family Essentials Tax Relief Plan, will empower localities to eliminate the local sales tax on groceries and essential items like diapers, baby formula and feminine hygiene products. This would save the average family in counties with a 5% sales tax up to $427 per year.

3. Her DRIVE Plan will eliminate the state's 2.25% tax on auto insurance premiums, roll the state tax on gas back to 28 cents per gallon, and end automatic annual fuel-tax increases. This will put about $110 annually back in the pockets of Georgia drivers.

4. Her Property Tax and Homeowner Relief plan will fully fund the Homeowner Tax Relief Grant every year, increase the statewide homestead exemption and eliminate the state tax on homeowner insurance. The plan will also streamline permitting, expand down payment and renter assistance, and establish an Affordable Housing Trust Fund to support the development of affordable and workforce housing.

5. Lastly, her Early Learning Plan will guarantee pre-K to give our youngest a bright future and to lower expenses for parents. She will also create a path to free technical college so workers can gain new skills and new jobs.

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AJC: Georgians’ cost of living is too high. My plan makes life more affordable.

“I can still picture the dread on Mama’s face, standing in the aisle of the grocery store. We would fill the cart with the essentials for the week. Nothing extra or extravagant, the bare minimum.”
“Then came the moment of truth. If we had $50 to spend and the bill came to $62, we all knew what happened next. We would look at the groceries, look at the total and start putting things back — one item at a time. We kept going until the number on the register matched the amount that Mama had in her pocket.”
“Today, as I travel across our state, I keep hearing versions of that same story. Different families, but the same daily problem: the cost of living is too high. We feel it at the checkout counter, the gas pump, the pharmacy, every time we pay the mortgage or see the car insurance renewal come due.”
“I am running for governor because I know the struggles working families face, and I’ll use those experiences to lower costs for all the little girls and boys across Georgia who are living the same scene that I lived as a child.”
“Listening to Georgians has inspired me to develop plans to lower the cost of five of the biggest drivers of our affordability crisis: health care costs, grocery costs, gas and auto insurance costs, housing and homeownership costs, and the cost of education. Affordability will be my top priority — and together, these plans would save Georgia families nearly $1,500 per year.”
“First, as governor, I will take action to lower the cost of health care by passing Medicaid expansion and lowering premiums for families.”
“Second, I will take action with my local grocery and family essentials tax relief plan, which will empower localities to eliminate the local sales tax on groceries and essential items like diapers, baby formula and feminine hygiene products.”
“Third, my DRIVE Plan will eliminate the state’s 2.25% tax on auto insurance premiums, roll the state tax on gas back to 28 cents per gallon and end automatic annual fuel-tax increases. This will put about $110 annually back in the pockets of Georgia drivers.”
“Fourth, my property tax and homeowner relief plan will put $855 per year back in the pocket of the average qualifying homeowner. … Whether you own or rent, you deserve to be able to afford a comfortable place to live here in Georgia.”
“Finally, my early learning plan will make it easier for Georgians to afford an education — whether it is an affordable local pre-K for working parents or an opportunity to gain job skills at a technical college. I will guarantee pre-K and require full-day kindergarten for Georgia students to give our youngest a bright future and to lower expenses for parents.”