Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Drug Testing Food Stamp and Welfare Recipients is a Waste of Time and Money February 28, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 1 Comment on Drug Testing Food Stamp and Welfare Recipients is a Waste of Time and Money Representatives in the Georgia House are considering a proposal to start “suspicion-based” drug testing for people who receive public assistance. If House Bill 772 becomes law, applicants for benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance could be required to take […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson New Report Shows Georgia’s Opportunity to Uplift Low-Income Working Moms February 25, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 1 Comment on New Report Shows Georgia’s Opportunity to Uplift Low-Income Working Moms Forty-one percent of Georgia’s low-income working families are headed by women and 46 percent of these mothers have no college education according to a new report by the Working Poor Families Project. Georgia was home to 402,000 low-income working families with children in 2012, the most recent figures available for the report. These represent more […] Read more »
Author Blog Taifa Smith Butler Worker Justice Purpose Vs Short-Term Profit: CVS’ Lesson for Georgia February 12, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Taifa Smith Butler | 1 Comment on Purpose Vs Short-Term Profit: CVS’ Lesson for Georgia Since the Great Recession, the public has given extra scrutiny to business interests and recognized that, left to their own devices, they can give in to temptations to take short cuts to profits that damage their own companies, hurt the economy and many families along the way. Corporate decisions don’t often weigh the public good. […] Read more »
Author Budget and Taxes Library Policy Areas Reports Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Overview: 2015 Fiscal Year Budget for Business Subsidies January 24, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe State Support for Private Sector Remains High Georgia plans to spend about $683 million on various tax breaks and economic development programs to subsidize private businesses in the upcoming 2015 fiscal year. This high level of support for Georgia’s private sector is an annual recurrence. Each year, state lawmakers spend hundreds of millions of dollars […] Read more » State Budget State Taxes
Author Budget and Taxes Cash and Safety Net Library Melissa Johnson Policy Areas Reports Overview: Georgia’s 2015 Fiscal Year Human Services Budget January 21, 2014 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson Strategic Additions Made to DHS Budget; Service Cuts Since Recession Retained The governor’s $516.1 million budget proposal for the 2015 fiscal year makes strategic additions to help protect Georgia’s children and adults, but falls far short of restoring funds to pre-recession levels. The state’s spending plan makes it somewhat easier for the Department of Human […] Read more » State Budget
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Solutions to Reduce Hunger and Poverty Showcased at GBPI’s Jan. 8 Policy Conference December 20, 2013 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson About one in five Georgians lives in poverty, making Georgia the sixth poorest state in the nation. More than one in four Georgia children doesn’t get enough food to eat. Our state’s economy and our ability to compete globally could greatly improve if Georgia could reduce the extent of these problems. The good news is […] Read more »
Author Cash and Safety Net Library Melissa Johnson Policy Areas Reports Recovery or Bust: Georgia’s Poor Left Behind December 17, 2013 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson More Georgians are living on the desperate side of the federal poverty line than at any time in the state’s recent history. At the same time, pathways to exit poverty are increasingly blocked as the state failed to make strategic investments when needed. America’s Great Recession – the country’s deepest economic downturn since the Great […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson New Report: Recovery or Bust, Georgia’s Poor Left Behind December 16, 2013 / January 17, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 1 Comment on New Report: Recovery or Bust, Georgia’s Poor Left Behind Georgia’s economy has slowly inched toward recovery since the state’s unemployment rate peaked in February 2010. More than three years since the official end of the economic crisis, Georgia has recovered just two-thirds of the jobs lost during the downturn. Meanwhile, poverty in Georgia is worse since the beginning of the recovery. More than 19 […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Georgia Families Face Food Assistance Threats This Thanksgiving November 27, 2013 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 1 Comment on Georgia Families Face Food Assistance Threats This Thanksgiving As you gather with friends and family for Thanksgiving dinner this week, be aware that one in five of your fellow Georgians will probably sit down to a very modest spread. That is because these Georgians depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP,” commonly called food stamps) to help put food on the table. […] Read more »
Author Blog Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice High Unemployment Among Georgia’s Many Workforce Challenges November 13, 2013 / January 17, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe As we move closer toward another legislative session and heated election season, Georgia’s economy is sure to become a hot topic. It’s innate to state politics for governors, legislators and candidates to make claims about whether jobs and businesses are growing and whether working families are making progress. Just last week Georgians were beset by […] Read more »
