HR 884: 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

House Resolution 884

By: Representatives Gaines of the 120th, Jasperse of the 11th, Hilton of the 48th, Greene of the 154th, and Dempsey of the 13th

A RESOLUTION

Urging increased state autonomy to allow for the creation of innovative solutions to work disincentives and the reform of social safety net programs; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, according to Area Development, Georgia ranks first among all states as the best state for business; and

WHEREAS, CNBC ranked Georgia number one in the United States for business environment; and

WHEREAS, Georgia's economic strength and social capital foster an environment of opportunity that benefits families striving to escape poverty; and

WHEREAS, Georgia's uniquely successful approach of integrated welfare program enrollment via the Georgia Gateway has proven effective and paved the way for further enrollment integration; and

WHEREAS, the State of Georgia has made concerted and significant efforts to identify and address instances of chronic or inter-generational poverty that still occur among its citizens; and

WHEREAS, Georgia's Quick Start job training program has positioned it as a national leader in workforce policies that strengthen upward mobility for impoverished families; and

WHEREAS, new independent research from the Sutherland Institute identifies evidence of families receiving public assistance feeling disincentivized from pursuing or accepting opportunities to increase their earned income and improve their financial situation; and

WHEREAS, this research finds that 77 percent of respondents to a statewide survey of public assistance recipients report concern that earning additional income would result in a loss of benefits that would worsen their family's financial situation; and

WHEREAS, this research further finds that 62 percent of respondents report feeling stuck in a low-income job due to the belief that increased income would cause loss of benefits that would not be worth the additional income; and

WHEREAS, this research further finds that 43 percent of respondents report having intentionally limited their earned income due to fear of triggering a "benefits cliff" or "benefits plateau"; and

WHEREAS, the Georgia Center for Opportunity has produced a computational model demonstrating the effects of benefits cliffs in every Georgia county via their website, benefitscliffs.org; and

WHEREAS, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta defines this phenomenon as a wage increase that "may result in a family being financially worse off (a benefits cliff) or no better off (a benefits plateau) than before the wage increase"; and

WHEREAS, for families who strive to improve their economic conditions, benefits cliffs, benefits plateaus, and other disincentive effects have the potential to trap families in poverty by hindering workforce participation and disincentivizing financial stability; and

WHEREAS, the State of Georgia is committed to finding innovative solutions to any disincentive effects to work, family formation, economic independence, or other opportunities that may be present in the social safety net; and

WHEREAS, due to federal restrictions, states have limited authority to experiment with federally funded social safety net programs for the purpose of finding innovative reforms that can address benefits cliffs, benefits plateaus, perception gaps, or other obstacles to upward mobility experienced by families receiving public assistance.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body urge the President of the United States and Congress to grant additional flexibility and autonomy to states to experiment with innovative pilot programs and other reforms to improve social safety net programs by addressing any work disincentives that may exist.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body urge the President and Congress to expedite waiver approvals for states pursuing innovative pilot programs or other reforms to the social safety net.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body urge the President and Congress to pursue additional flexibility to the states in the form of block grants for a wider array of existing social safety net programs.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body urge the President and Congress to streamline and consolidate reporting requirements from the states to the federal government to save taxpayer dollars and yield efficiencies. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body call upon the President and Congress to embrace the principles of federalism to further empower states to be the laboratories of democracy and drive innovative reforms and improvements to our nation's social safety net.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to Georgia's congressional delegation, the Office of the President of the United States, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and the United States Department of Agriculture.