Under a new bill filed Tuesday, Georgians wishing to receive federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits would have to be in compliance with the standards set forth by child support enforcement programs.
House Bill 80 is sponsored by State Representative Bill Werkheiser, a south Georgia Republican, and his colleagues, Representatives Barry Fleming, Greg Morris, and Andy Welch.
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- Rep. Barry Fleming (Photo: Georgia House of Representatives)
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- Rep. Andy Welch (Photo: Georgia House of Representatives)
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- Rep. Greg Morris (Photo: Georgia House of Representatives)
All four sponsors of the bill are chairmen of committees in the House.
The one-page bill filed on Tuesday seeks to “reduce child poverty and dependency by ensuring parents cooperate with state efforts to collect child support for their children, as authorized by federal law,” -per the language of the bill- and creates a new code section under the general provisions for public assistance. House Bill 80 has been dubbed the “Child Support Cooperation Act of 2019.”
The language would be added under Title 49 and Chapter 4 of Georgia’s code which deals with the Georgia Public Assistance Act of 1965. In creating OCGA 49-4-23, the new language directs the state Department of Human Services to require “individuals to cooperate with the child support enforcement program as a condition of eligibility for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program pursuant to 7 C.F.R. Sec. 273.11(o) and 7 C.F.R. Sec. 273.11(p).”
The idea is not a new one. States like Mississippi have conditions on child support compliance for benefits and federal law already requires that applicants have child support cases before receiving the federal cash assistance program known as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or the health-insurance program, Medicaid.
HB 80 has not been assigned to a committee. You can contact the sponsors of the bill by email at:
bill.werkheiser@house.ga.gov
barry.fleming@house.ga.gov
greg.morris@house.ga.gov
awelch@smithwelchlaw.com
You can read the bill below. (If you’re reading on a mobile device or having trouble loading the PDF, click here)
HB 80_2019
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James
January 30, 2019 at 4:26 pm
Wow, this is the most fucked up inhuman thing to do. Im sorry there are times where father’s fall behind from no fault of their own, and you fucks want to penalize fathers even more. This is the prime exame.of a broken and biased system. Did you bother to even think about how this will effect the child ? Nope, you only care about your federal perks and how to fleece fsthers for profit. This is SICK.
Nelda Smith
January 31, 2019 at 10:51 pm
How many women have I known that only took child support in cash and did not give a receipt? I have no respect for dead beat Dads, but, I have seen Moms that played a game of “hide the money” while increasing their foodstamp / welfare amounts. Divorce often happens when Dad loses his job and cannot support the family. How about legislation to keep families together? Legislation to make working Dads with children the top of the list for job hire status? Wouldn’t such legislation be a better option than government handouts and depriving everyone involved of liberty and freedom?
Allan Smithee
February 9, 2019 at 9:07 pm
Fuck you
Emily
May 3, 2022 at 8:03 am
This is a shitty idea and families that already have an agreement for support without having the government involved should be left alone!!!