Description/Analysis

The goal of House Bill 772 is an attempt to protect tax payers dollars in the event food
stamp applicants and recipients are utilizing the SNAP program to purchase illegal drugs. The
main objective of House Bill 772 obligates applicants and recipients of public funds to bare the
need to demonstrate that they are indeed not using drugs prior to receiving SNAP and TANF
benefits. Georgia is a conservative republican fiscal state which is run by a governor who is a
conservative republican and a legislative body who is also conservative republican. The
ideology of the Republican legislators in Georgia is to maintain a standard of low taxes and low
spending. With the passing of House Bill 772, Georgias Republican legislators aim to reduce the
number of participants enrolled in Welfare programs and reduce the tax payers dollars spent on
Welfare benefits.
There are a few benefits included in this bill. Tax payers should be mentally at peace
knowing their hard earned dollars are spent wisely and allocated appropriately to well deserving
and needy citizens after applicants are determined not to be using drugs. Second, drug free
households can continue to receive the supplemental support they so desperately need. Third, in
the event applicants and recipients of Welfare benefits are indeed using drugs, this bill could
motivate them to maintain an employment status of job readiness since most employers are
requesting drug testing as part of the recruitment process.
The eligibility requirements to receive benefits are as follows: individual must be a U.S.
citizen, Legal Permanent Resident who has resided in the U.S. for at least 5 years, legal
immigrant under 18 years old regardless of when they entered the U.S., or other qualified
immigrant and have a qualifying income (georgiaearnbenefits.org). Income should not exceed
130% of the poverty level and there are no time restrictions for receiving benefits. On the
contrary, individuals between 18 and 50 who do not have any dependent children can get SNAP
benefits only for 3 months in a 36-month period if they do not work or participate in a workfare
or employment and training program other than job search (www.fnd.usda.gov).
An overwhelming majority of lobbyists, organizations and journalists expressed their
absolute opposition to House Bill 772. These individuals and organization members have a
general consensus that there is not enough evidence to support this legislation. In fact, the
American Civil Liberties Union in Georgia is standing by to file a lawsuit against the state of
Georgia if the governor signs the bill into law (Grady News watch, 2014).
Unfortunately, the intended outcome for this bill is to drastically curtail the number of
households receiving food stamps and decrease tax spending on welfare in Georgia. The
unintended consequences are as follows: Individuals receiving welfare must come up with the
cash to pay $17 for the drug test if they have Medicaid. Those without Medicaid must pay the
entire fee that has yet to be determined. However, once the individual tests negatively, $17 will
be returned to the individual. Another unintended consequence is evaluating how reasonable
suspicion will be determined. Unfortunately, anyone can fit this description and case workers
will not receive any specific training to assist them in making this determination. This could
result in case workers making judgmental decisions based on their personal biases.