State of Georgia Archives: on Welfare & Poverty
Allen Buckley:
Entitlements spending needs to be reasonably reduced
Q: What government spending would you reduce in order to balance the budget?A: Entitlements spending needs to be reasonably reduced. Eliminate the Department of Education, saving $71B/year. Per the CBO, on average, federal workers make 17% more than
their private sector counterparts. Their compensation needs to be frozen until is 90% of private sector pay, saving $30B/y. We should cut discretionary spending by
Source: AFA iVoterGuide on 2019-20 Georgia 2-year Senate
Nov 3, 2020
Derrick Grayson:
Welfare policy rips black families apart, like slavery
Derrick Grayson, the only black candidate in the Republican U.S. Senate field, is taking the side of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who ruminated on whether African-Americans were better off under slavery than in the current welfare state.Grayson
says: "When he talked about black people being enslaved, I have been saying this for the last eight years--by liberal Democrat policies. I can say it, but a white person can't? A white person say it, the press is going to use it. Under slavery, families
were ripped apart, and it was a desire of black men & black women to be together with their loved ones. Family meant something. Well, what did government policies do? It broke up the black family, told the black family: `Hey, if you want to receive this
welfare check, the man can't be in the household.' In 1965, prior to that [welfare policy], illegitimacy in then black community was less than 13%. Today it's over 70%. Government liberal Democrat policies: The man was just simply telling you the truth."
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution on 2016 Georgia Senate race
May 1, 2014
Hunter Hill:
Require drug testing for food stamp recipients
Legislative Summary: A BILL to require drug testing for applicants for food stamps; to provide requirements; to provide that any person who fails such drug test shall be ineligible to receive food stamps; to provide for reapplication;
to provide for children's food stamps; and to provide for confidentiality of records. The term 'established drug test' means the collection and testing of bodily fluids administered in a manner equivalent to that required by the
Federal Workplace Drug Testing Program. However, where possible and practicable, a swab test shall be used in lieu of a urinalysis. Drug tests may be conducted when any information obtained by the department that reasonable suspicion exists.
Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 21-32-3 on March 20, vote #729, Sen. Hunter Hill voted YES; passed House 100-67-13 on March 20, vote #729; signed by Gov. Deal April 29.
Source: Georgia legislative voting records: HB 772
Mar 20, 2014
Jason Carter:
No mandatory drug testing for food stamp recipients
Legislative Summary: A BILL to require drug testing for applicants for food stamps; to provide requirements; to provide that any person who fails such drug test shall be ineligible to receive food stamps; to provide for reapplication;
to provide for children's food stamps; and to provide for confidentiality of records. The term 'established drug test' means the collection and testing of bodily fluids administered in a manner equivalent to that required by the
Federal Workplace Drug Testing Program. However, where possible and practicable, a swab test shall be used in lieu of a urinalysis. Drug tests may be conducted when any information obtained by the department that reasonable suspicion exists.
Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 21-32-3 on March 20, vote #729; passed House 100-67-13 on March 20, vote #728; Sen. Jason Carter voted NO; signed by Gov. Deal April 29.
Source: Georgia legislative voting records: HB 772
Mar 20, 2014
Jim Martin:
Supports workfare, but expand TANF for state services
Martin supports the following principles concerning welfare:- Maintain requirement that able-bodied recipients work in order to receive benefits.
- Increase job training programs & childcare services for welfare recipients.
- Provide tax
incentives to businesses that hire welfare recipients.
- Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work.
- Use federal TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) funds to expand services to include the working poor.
Source: 2000 Georgia National Political Awareness Test
Nov 1, 2000
Nathan Deal:
Require drug testing for food stamp recipients
Legislative Summary: A BILL to require drug testing for applicants for food stamps; to provide requirements; to provide that any person who fails such drug test shall be ineligible to receive food stamps; to provide for reapplication;
to provide for children's food stamps; and to provide for confidentiality of records. The term 'established drug test' means the collection and testing of bodily fluids administered in a manner equivalent to that required by the
Federal Workplace Drug Testing Program. However, where possible and practicable, a swab test shall be used in lieu of a urinalysis. Drug tests may be conducted when any information obtained by the department that reasonable suspicion exists.
Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 21-32-3 on March 20, vote #729; passed House 100-67-13 on March 20, vote #729; signed by Gov. Deal April 29.
Source: Georgia legislative voting records: HB 772
Apr 29, 2014
Raphael Warnock:
COVID exacerbates inequality in economics & health care
Inequality in economics and health care multiplies in the midst of a crisis. These are tragic consequences that people in Black and brown and rural and poor communities experience every day, compounded and exacerbated by problems like COVID-19.
It's no secret that a lack of access to health care and other economic challenges have resulted in a higher incidence of chronic illnesses that make individuals more likely to become seriously ill, and ultimately die, from coronavirus.
Source: American Independent on 2019-20 Georgia 2-year Senate race
Apr 14, 2020
Raphael Warnock:
Created community financial literacy center
Warnock: I believe in our free enterprise system, and my dad was a small business owner. During the Great Recession I was leading my church to build a community center, where we had a financial literacy center that taught people how to repair their
credit, how to create a business, how to buy a home, how to participate in our free enterprise system. Kelly Loeffler, on the other hand, was teaching the big banks how to hide their investments offshore in the Cayman Islands.
Source: Senate Runoff: 2019-20 Georgia 2-year Senate debate
Dec 6, 2020
Stacey Abrams:
Help working poor get a leg up
Stacey would tackle poverty among working families by establishing a state Earned Income Tax Credit, bridging transition from welfare to work without immediately eliminating benefits, and expanding access to childcare tax credits and subsidies.
She will also continue fighting to protect workers from misclassification as independent contractors and abusive on-call scheduling, providing families with predictable workweeks and predictable paychecks.
Source: 2018 Georgia Governor website StaceyAbrams.com
Aug 17, 2017
Stacey Abrams:
No mandatory drug testing for food stamp recipients
Legislative Summary: A BILL to require drug testing for applicants for food stamps; to provide requirements; to provide that any person who fails such drug test shall be ineligible to receive food stamps; to provide for reapplication;
to provide for children's food stamps; and to provide for confidentiality of records. The term 'established drug test' means the collection and testing of bodily fluids administered in a manner equivalent to that required by the
Federal Workplace Drug Testing Program. However, where possible and practicable, a swab test shall be used in lieu of a urinalysis. Drug tests may be conducted when any information obtained by the department that reasonable suspicion exists.
Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 21-32-3 on March 20, vote #729; passed House 100-67-13 on March 20, vote #729; Rep. Stacey Abrams voted NO; signed by Gov. Deal April 29.
Source: Georgia legislative voting records: HB 772
Mar 20, 2014
Stacey Abrams:
Reducing the top not enough on income inequality
We have to recognize that income inequality is a danger because of what it signals to our economy. We need to be increasing access to economic security, we need to be taking aggressive steps to ensure that more people can make more money and do more
things, but I disagree sometimes with the notion that if we just reduce the top then that's enough, because if we reduce the top but we don't increase the bottom and we don't strengthen the middle, then we're going to be in the same place again.
Source: Council on Foreign Relations on 2022 Georgia Governor race
May 10, 2019
Valencia Stovall:
No mandatory drug testing for food stamp recipients
Legislative Summary: A BILL to require drug testing for applicants for food stamps; to provide requirements; to provide that any person who fails such drug test shall be ineligible to receive food stamps;
to provide for reapplication; to provide for children's food stamps; and to provide for confidentiality of records. The term 'established drug test' means the collection and testing of bodily fluids administered in a manner equivalent to that
required by the Federal Workplace Drug Testing Program. However, where possible and practicable, a swab test shall be used in lieu of a urinalysis. Drug tests may be conducted when any information obtained
by the department that reasonable suspicion exists.Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 21-32-3 on March 20, vote #729; passed House 100-67-13 on March 20, vote #865; Rep. Stovall voted NO; signed by Gov. Deal April 29.
Source: Georgia legislative voting records: HB 772
Mar 20, 2014
Vernon Jones:
Supports federal block grants and local welfare control
Jones supports the following principles regarding Welfare and Poverty Issues:- Require welfare recipients to spend at least 40 hours a week in a combination of work and training programs.
-
Continue to give states and local governments flexibility in and responsibility for welfare programs through federal block grants.
Source: Georgia Congressional Election 2008 Political Courage Test
Jul 2, 2008
Zell Miller:
Supports welfare reform and welfare to work
We have been successful in helping Georgians move off the welfare rolls and into the job market -- a decrease of 57,000 households since we began welfare reform. However, the ones who remain on the rolls are those with the fewest skills and the
least work experience. So we want to use $30 million of the savings to expand the Welfare-to-Work program for hard-to-place recipients, and provide child care for an additional 12,625 children.
Source: Budget Address, Georgia
Jan 13, 1998
Page last updated: Feb 18, 2023