Georgia CommonsHouse · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 500: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Act; increase access to and amount of benefits
Last action March 6, 2026 · House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
A Georgia House bill would reset the 48-month clock on cash welfare benefits under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program and raise the amount of savings and vehicle value a family can have while still qualifying.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Comm Sub version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Georgia's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program gives cash assistance to low-income families, but current law caps that help at a lifetime total of 48 months, with the clock running since January 1, 1997. This bill would restart that 48-month lifetime limit so it begins counting from July 1, 2026 instead, effectively giving families a fresh clock for future benefits. The bill also changes how the Department of Human Services counts a family's income and resources (property, savings, and vehicles) when deciding who qualifies. It sets a resource limit of $5,000 for an applicant, and says the value of one vehicle used for work, job training, or looking for a job does not count against that limit. A second vehicle's value would also be partly excluded, up to $4,650. All other state laws that conflict with these changes would be repealed.
What the bill does
- Resets the 48-month lifetime limit clock on TANF cash assistance so it starts counting again from July 1, 2026 instead of January 1, 1997.
- Sets a resource (savings and property) limit of $5,000 for a person applying for TANF assistance.
- Excludes the equity value of one vehicle from a family's countable resources if it is used for work, job training, or job search.
- Excludes up to $4,650 of the equity value of a second vehicle from a family's countable resources.
- Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with these changes.
Who it affects
Georgia families applying for or currently receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance, especially those nearing the program's lifetime benefit limit or who own vehicles needed for work or job searching, and the Georgia Department of Human Services, which administers eligibility rules.
Why it matters
By restarting the benefit clock and loosening how vehicles and savings count against eligibility, more families could qualify for cash assistance or qualify for longer, and fewer applicants would be disqualified simply for owning a car needed to get to work or job training.
Key provisions
- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 49-4-182(b) so the 48-month lifetime cap on TANF cash assistance begins counting from July 1, 2026 rather than January 1, 1997.
- Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 49-4-183(b)(3) to cap countable resources at $5,000.00 for an applicant.
- Section 2 excludes the equity value of one vehicle used for work, training, or job search from being counted as a family resource.
- Section 2 also excludes up to $4,650.00 of the equity value of a second vehicle from the resource calculation.
- Section 3 repeals any conflicting state laws.
From the bill
“the resources of an applicant for assistance shall not exceed $5,000.00, provided that the equity value of one vehicle per family shall not be counted as a resource of the family if the vehicle is used for work, training, or education preparatory to employment or job search”
“an exclusion of the equity value of one additional vehicle up to $4,650.00 is allowed”
Discussed in meetings (3)
The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.
House Public and Community Health Committee, March 5, 2026
From 0:15:29 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair, presenting as the sponsor, said the substitute would help Temporary Assistance for Needy Families applicants retain savings and reliable transportation. The sponsor said a proposed cash-benefit increase had been dropped because of its cost. The substitute would raise the resource limit to $5,000, exclude one vehicle used for work, training, education or job-seeking without a value cap, and allow another vehicle worth up to $4,650. A committee member corrected the existing resource limit to $1,000, which the sponsor acknowledged. A Georgia Budget & Policy Institute witness said a family of three receives about $280 monthly, unchanged for roughly 30 years and worth less than half as much after inflation. In response to questions, the witness confirmed that the first vehicle would have no equity cap and that work requirements would remain unchanged. One member questioned how families could meet work requirements without exceeding the income cutoff. A Helping Mamas witness supported the bill, describing families giving up cars to qualify and saying diaper costs had risen more than 50% in three years. The committee approved the substitute by voice vote, with no opposing votes heard.
House Rules Committee, March 6, 2026
From 0:53:37 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: A committee member requesting HB 500 said an earlier effort to raise Temporary Assistance for Needy Families payments had proved too costly. The member said a family of three received $210 and benefits had not increased in 30 years. The member described the revised approach as allowing recipients one car, an additional vehicle worth up to $4,650, and $5,000 in savings, rather than the existing roughly $3,000 vehicle limit. The member said some recipients were grandparents raising children from state custody. There were no questions or recorded decisions.
Status timeline
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Sharon Cooper (R, HD-45)
- Tyler Paul Smith (R, HD-18)
- Beth Camp (R, HD-135)
- Scott Hilton (R, HD-48)
- Kim Schofield (D, HD-63)
- Michelle Au (D, HD-50)
Topics
- welfare benefits
- TANF
- public assistance eligibility
- poverty programs
- Georgia social services