ARTICLE

The Beacon Center has just released its anti-poverty agenda for 2017, aimed at improving Tennesseans’ lives through education, employment, and family. 

There are 3 major factors in lifting someone out of poverty; a quality education, a good job, and a stable family. If all 3 of these factors are present, a person has a 98 percent chance of avoiding poverty. This is the reason we have chosen to push policies that will put these outcomes in reach for many impoverished families.

Beacon’s anti-poverty agenda is three-fold. It calls on policymakers to:

• Expand educational opportunities for all Tennessee children, especially those who are low-income and disadvantaged, by embracing educational choice.
• Eliminate barriers that prevent Tennesseans from obtaining a good job through the Right to Earn a Living Act.
• Keep families together by reforming our criminal justice system, allowing those leaving prison to become productive members of society and provide for their families, while protecting public safety and saving taxpayer money. 

Beacon has released three publications related to this Poverty-to-Prosperity agenda. To advance educational freedom and criminal justice reform, Beacon has crafted two comprehensive policy packages for state policymakers. To protect the right to earn a living, Beacon has published a how-to guide for members of key legislative committees who review and analyze occupational licensing laws.