State overlooks opportunity to end summer hunger for kids
As a former single mother, I understand the struggle to afford groceries. Years ago, living in poverty with two children, the challenge of providing adequate meals sometimes sent me into a panic. We heavily relied on food stamps and school nutrition programs.
In response to the March 11 article, “Food prices leveling off, but the pain lingers,” I find it troubling that Gov. Brian Kemp chose not to participate in the federal 2024 Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer for Children (Summer EBT) to ensure low-income families can provide kids healthy meals. More than 35 other states have opted into the USDA’s “strategy for ending summer hunger,” which allocates an additional $40 per month per child in EBT benefits.
During 2020, in Georgia, more than 72 percent of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants were in families with children, with about 38 percent in working families. It’s disheartening that Georgia has overlooked such a crucial opportunity to support our children’s nutritional needs.
PAMELA M. COVINGTON, ELLENWOOD
Online retail bill is bad for small businesses
A bill targeting retail crime, Senate Bill 472, is making its way through the state Legislature. As an online seller, I am concerned about how this bill could affect my small business.
By drastically changing the definition of “high-volume” sellers, SB 472 would directly contradict federal law -- the INFORM Consumers Act -- in place since last year. It’s confusing to even think about and leaves sellers such as me in limbo over which regulation to follow.
The bill’s rules also mean I’d have to turn over a huge amount of sensitive information, including my ID and bank records, to keep selling online. Georgia lawmakers need to reconsider this course of action. Small businesses don’t have the resources to deal with more red tape and bureaucracy. Because there’s already a federal law on the books, the state should spend its time and our tax dollars on something more productive.
ROLANDA FARMER, DOUGLASVILLE
