Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Unemployment Benefits Will Run Out Faster for Georgians Laid Off After July 1 June 20, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson Georgians who lose their jobs after July 1 can expect one less week in unemployment insurance benefits – maybe enough to make a car payment, pay for the family’s prescriptions, or simply put food on the table. And it’s not because the economy is so much better. It’s because Georgia lawmakers decided struggling families should […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson New Report Finds More than Half of Georgia’s Seniors Struggle Economically June 12, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 1 Comment on New Report Finds More than Half of Georgia’s Seniors Struggle Economically Proposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare would do more harm in Georgia than most other states. Nearly 54 percent of older Georgians struggle to pay for basic necessities, according to a new report by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). Only two states – California and Hawaii – and the District of Columbia have a […] Read more »
Author Blog Health Justice Melissa Johnson U.S. House Version of Farm Bill Threatens Nutrition Assistance for Georgia Families May 17, 2013 / January 17, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 1 Comment on U.S. House Version of Farm Bill Threatens Nutrition Assistance for Georgia Families The U.S. House’s Agriculture Committee passed a farm bill this week that would cut more than $20 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp Program) and other nutrition services. The cuts pose a threat to thousands of Georgia families struggling to put food on the table. The farm bill, […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Georgia Shouldn’t Shift Aid to Families to Nonprofits April 18, 2013 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 2 Comments on Georgia Shouldn’t Shift Aid to Families to Nonprofits To expand Georgia’s economy, the state should reassess the way it allocates resources. For the last few years, Georgia cut state spending on supports for low-income families and increasingly relied on other sources to provide services – which potentially reduced the total services available to these families, as new data shows. To give low-income families […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson State Budget Leaves Needs of Many Unmet April 8, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson The Georgia Legislature approved a 2014 budget March 28 for the Department of Human Services that is an improvement over the governor’s 2014 budget proposal, but still leaves the needs of large numbers of Georgians unmet. The budget sustains the 20 percent cut to the department’s resources since 2009. It does not add child and […] Read more »
Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson GSU Study Conclusion is Flawed March 15, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 2 Comments on GSU Study Conclusion is Flawed A new study that casts vital family supports in a bad light relies on far-fetched assumptions about the way people behave in real life and ignores the proven benefits of services for children and parents. In fact, the study’s breezy conclusion that food stamps, subsidized child care and other supports discourage work, marriage and other […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Georgia’s Reaction to Reports of Welfare Waste Poses Administrative Nightmare February 27, 2013 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson This week the General Assembly began considering House Bill 138 (HB 138), legislation designed to discourage the misuse of cash benefits under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Though seemingly well-intentioned, the bill could present a huge logistical challenge for retailers, all in an attempt to remedy a problem that may not be […] Read more » Melissa Johnson TANF
Budget and Taxes Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Reports Overview: Georgia’s 2014 Fiscal Year Human Services February 8, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson State Spending Cuts Borne Most Heavily by Most Vulnerable The governor’s budget proposals for the next 17 months do not meet the growing needs of Georgia’s most vulnerable children and adults. In some cases they place them even more at risk. The state’s spending plans will make it more difficult for the Department of Human […] Read more » Department of Human Services Economic Security Melissa Johnson Safety Net State Budget
