Category Archives: SNAP

Advocates Disappointed as Gov. Deal Objects to Syrian Refugees; Food Stamp Denials Draw Federal Attention

One comment
ted terry

(APN) ATLANTA — Thirty-one U.S. governors are refusing to cooperate in resettlement programs for Syrian refugees, most citing the coordinated attacks in Paris on November 13, 2015, as a pretext for security concerns around this refugee population.   Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal issued an executive order on November 16, 2015 instructing “all agencies of the State of Georgia halt any […]

Read more

MARTA Pilots Farmers Market at West End Station

marta fresh

(APN) ATLANTA — MARTA commuters will now have easy access to fresh, farm-grown produce; the public transit authority has opened a weekly “pop-up produce market” at the West End station.   The Fresh MARTA Market is open every Friday from 2pm until 6pm through October 2015.  The grand opening was held on Friday, July 17, 2015.   MARTA conducted a […]

Read more

USDA Declares Georgia’s Food Stamp Drug Testing Law to be Illegal

Leave a comment

(APN) ATLANTA — We told you so.  As it turns out, State Rep. Greg Morris’s (R-Vidalia) House Bill 772–requiring food stamp recipients to be drug tested if a state worker had a so-called “reasonable suspicion” that the recipient might be using drugs–is illegal.    Food Stamp caseworkers are not trained to detect drug use and “reasonable suspicion” is not defined. […]

Read more

2014 Georgia Legislative Session Wrap-up (UPDATE 1)

Leave a comment

    (APN) ATLANTA — Once again, it was not exactly a banner year for progressive legislation down at the Georgia General Assembly.  Atlanta Progressive News followed the General Assembly in depth this year, including coverage of several bills. Previously, APN published our wrap-up of Crossover Day, which was on March 03, 2014: http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/interspire/news/2014/03/06/georgia-legislature-crossover-day-overview.html The Crossover Day wrap-up article contains […]

Read more

(IPS) U.S. Hungry Face Major Cuts in Food Aid

Leave a comment

This article first appeared on the Inter-Press Service website at: http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/05/u-s-hungry-face-major-cuts-in-food-aid/ ATLANTA, Georgia, May 31 2013 (IPS) – The U.S. Congress is on the brink of making billions of dollars in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, which provides direct benefits to individuals and families in poverty.  SNAP benefits are already set to decrease […]

Read more

Advocates, Experts Blast Welfare Drug Testing Bill at Hearing

Leave a comment

(APN) ATLANTA — At a legislative hearing on Wednesday, February 15, 2012, at the Georgia Capitol, State Rep. Jason Spencer (R- Woodbine), one of the co-sponsors of HB 668–which would require people who receive temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) to submit to a drug test–sought to advance his bill. Instead, he met fierce opposition from advocates and experts who […]

Read more

Georgia Legislators Seek to Drug Test Welfare Recipients

Leave a comment

With additional legal reporting by Matthew Cardinale. (APN) ATLANTA — Yesterday, November 15, 2011, State Rep. Jason Spencer (R – Woodbine) and State Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell) introduced, or pre-filed, legislation requiring drug tests for applicants seeking assistance through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The House bill is called the Social Responsibility and Accountability Act, HB 668. […]

Read more