The White House left millions of Americans on tenterhooks after the unprecedented SNAP payments announcement in March, with changes that were slipped in and now we have been learning about. If you saw the ones we clarified last week, now you will be shocked to know what will happen if you have done this, and is that they have become stricter with one of the most controversial (and common) practices.
New change in SNAP payments: that´s how you´ll receive food stamps
SNAP is an American food assistance program and works under the federal level aimed to provide low-income households with food stamp benefits. SNAP is a programme that operates under The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) with the objective of combating hunger and providing assistance.
At this time, the law specifically prohibits individuals who were convicted in the past of a felony involving drugs from the lifetime ban of SNAP benefits. But the RESTORE Act which has recently been enacted to supplant this limitation is designed for this purpose.
The legislation co-sponsored by members of both political parties will repeal a restriction on the right of individuals convicted of felony drug offenses to receive SNAP benefits if they meet the expectations of probation or parole requirements.
The RESTORE Act could change everything (and it will affect you this way)
RESTORE Act is a new federal legislation to repeal a lifetime ban on SNAP for those convicted of felony drug sale or possession; for a new name for the Act, see the text. The bill, popularly called the ‘baby bonds’, was proposed by Senators Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren, and Representatives Ayanna Pressley and Cori Bush.
The key provisions of the RESTORE Act are:
- Lifting the felony drug ban: The bill will eliminate new rule that seeks to disqualify individuals with a felony drug conviction from accessing SNAP benefits. This could extend SNAP benefits to many people suffering with substance use disorders and trying to start a new life after prison.
- Shortening the time limit for bans: For other violent or sexual felonies, the RESTORE Act would reduce the baseline ban of SNAP benefits from lifetime to ten years after parole in violation of the law.
- Easing college student eligibility: The bill extends more opportunities for college students to qualify for SNAP benefits by adjusting some of the prior conditions which have limited students, including the condition that the student be working not less than 20 hours a week.
- Increasing support for re-entry: The bill also seeks to allocate an additional $10 million for those agencies and corporations focusing on re-entry services and employment opportunities for individuals with criminal backgrounds. This is in order to assist them in regaining a place in society.
In general, the lifted measures under the RESTORE Act represent significant strides towards enhancing SNAP provision, which is claimed to afford crucial nutrition benefits for felons, who are deemed deserving to reintegrate into society notwithstanding their past offenses.
Felony Drug Ban, a matter of concern for the Government and the supermarkets
The government has barred drug felons from SNAP benefits for some time now since this policy was put in place in 1996 when the federal welfare reform act was signed by then president Bill Clinton. Until then, the ban was sold as the means of increasing the authoritarian measures to fight crime and preventing drug abuse.
Nonetheless, the policy has also been subjected to criticism in the past, logging central as being to harsh. Critics also respond and say that elimination of food assistance based on prior drug conviction prevents many individuals from reintegration into society, and recovery.
Some for instance observe the racist nature of the ban given the fact that black and Latino Americans are more likely to be lock up for convictions involving drugs. Civil rights groups have frowned at the policy, saying it discriminates women who are mothers.
These changes to SNAP payments, according to the federal government itself, are intended to ensure a fairer welfare benefits program. However, they have not been without controversy, even with certain supermarkets threatening to stop collaborating. For the time being, none of them have taken the step, so we do not have to comment on any bad news in this regard.
