HR884: HR884 President of the United States and Congress; increased state autonomy to allow for creation of innovative solutions to work disincentives and reform of social safety net programs; urge

This resolution does not change Georgia law. Instead, it expresses the Georgia House of Representatives' position and asks the federal government to act. It points to research finding that many families receiving public assistance limit their earnings because gaining income could cause them to lose benefits, a problem often called a 'benefits cliff' or 'benefits plateau.' The resolution urges the President and Congress to give states more flexibility to run pilot programs addressing these work disincentives, speed up approval of waivers that let states test new approaches, expand block grant funding options, simplify reporting requirements between states and federal agencies, and generally support states acting as 'laboratories of democracy' on welfare reform. It directs the Clerk of the House to send copies to Georgia's congressional delegation, the White House, congressional leadership, and the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture.

• Formally asks the President of the United States and Congress to give states more authority to experiment with federally funded social safety net programs.
• Urges federal officials to speed up waiver approvals for states seeking to test pilot welfare reform programs.
• Calls for expanding block grant funding options across a wider range of existing social safety net programs.
• Urges streamlining and consolidating state to federal reporting requirements to reduce administrative costs.
• Directs the Clerk of the House to send copies of the resolution to Georgia's congressional delegation and several federal offices.

The resolution speaks to federal officials, including the President, Congress, and the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture. It concerns Georgia families receiving public assistance, state agencies that administer welfare programs, and low income workers facing potential loss of benefits when their earnings rise.

Because this is a resolution rather than a law, it changes nothing in Georgia immediately. But it signals the state legislature's priorities and could shape how Georgia's officials lobby Congress on welfare flexibility, waivers, and benefits cliff issues affecting low income families.

• The whereas clauses cite research from the Sutherland Institute finding 77 percent of surveyed public assistance recipients fear losing benefits if they earn more.
• Cites findings that 62 percent of respondents feel stuck in low income jobs and 43 percent intentionally limited earnings to avoid a 'benefits cliff' or 'plateau.'
• References the Georgia Center for Opportunity's benefitscliffs.org model showing benefits cliff effects by county and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta's definition of the phenomenon.
• First resolved clause urges the President and Congress to grant states more flexibility to pilot innovative social safety net reforms.
• Second resolved clause urges expedited waiver approvals for state pilot programs.
• Third resolved clause urges expanded block grants covering more existing safety net programs.
• Fourth resolved clause urges streamlined state to federal reporting requirements.
• Final clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies to Georgia's congressional delegation and named federal offices.

1. 2025-04-04House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-04-02House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-03-31House Hopper (House)

• Houston Gaines (R, HD-120)Primary sponsor
• Rick Jasperse (R, HD-011)
• Scott Hilton (R, HD-048)
• Gerald Greene (R, HD-154)
• Katie Dempsey (R, HD-013)

• welfare reform
• benefits cliffs
• social safety net
• federalism
• poverty policy