States and the Congress Must Act To Create True Upward Mobility.
For several years, we at the Georgia Center for Opportunity have been researching the nation’s safety net and exploring how to transform it into a system that rewards work rather than penalizes it, helping people establish a path to self-sufficiency.
Among the solutions we advocate for is what we call “One Door.” We urge states to integrate the delivery of their safety net and workforce development programs so that recipients don’t need to work with several different case managers to get the safety net help and job training they need.
Utah is the only state with a fully functioning One Door system, but several States like Louisiana are pursuing One Door reforms.
Nic Dunn and the Sutherland Institute, Tyler Clancy of the Utah House of Representatives, and Aimee Winder Newton, an advisor to Utah Governor Spencer Cox, penned an op-ed urging Congress to remove barriers so that States can take the lead on these reforms:
But more needs to be done in Utah, in other states, and at the federal level to further improve the social welfare system to support true upward mobility. And the best ideas to achieve those changes won’t all come from Washington. That’s why Washington should remove obstacles that slow state-led innovation. It can do so in four specific ways.
First, the administration should expeditiously approve any state waiver request to test innovative approaches to boosting work and addressing poverty using existing statutory authority — provided it’s structured in a fiscally responsible and pro-work way.
Second, Congress should pass legislation that streamlines waiver requests and reporting requirements for states, easing the administrative burden of pursuing new ideas while maintaining accountability.
Third, Congress should grant expanded pilot program authority for states seeking to eliminate work disincentives such as benefit cliffs, streamline or consolidate programs, or otherwise refine programs to increase employment and self-reliance. A good place to start is building on the administration’s redesigned TANF pilots, to further equip states to test new approaches to supporting work and opportunity across all programs in our nation’s social welfare system.
Fourth, Congress and the administration should work with states to explore elevated and expanded use of block grants and other forms of state flexibility when funding and administering programs. When designed correctly, such an approach can give states more power to innovate while avoiding new burdensome administrative regulations.
In preparation, Georgia should study what our State can do to integrate the delivery of safety net and workforce services. Working with Rep. Scott Hilton, we pursued this plan during the Biden administration. It’s time to revive this effort.
Legislators and policy makers interested in this topic can attend the Made For More Summit we are co-hosting in Washington, DC, on December 1-2.
In addition, we’re happy to talk with any candidate, Legislator, policy maker, or official about our ideas. Drop me an email and we’ll set up a meeting.
