Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

New bill could allow SNAP benefits to be used for fast food in Illinois
fox17.com ^ | March 15, 2019 | WICS

Posted on 03/16/2019 11:31:14 AM PDT by PROCON

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) — There is a new bill working its way through the Statehouse to allow people to use food stamps to buy fast food.

Right now, you can only use that money to buy groceries at a store or farmer’s market but if this bill is signed into law, you could order a burger at the nearest fast food joint.

House Bill 3343 would establish a Restaurant Meals Program to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. If passed, recipients can use their monthly allotment to buy meals from restaurants.

Only certain recipients qualify: the elderly, disabled, homeless people and their spouses.

“Somebody who's homeless, for example, they don't have a place to prepare that food or somebody who's disabled, they're not able to come home and cook a meal themselves,” State Representative Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, said.

Although Demmer supports the bill, but he also has some concerns.

“The prices of foods at restaurants are higher than what it might be at the grocery store and so, there's a little bit of a trade-off there. So we want to make sure people aren't running out of benefits at the end of the month,” Demmer said.

If the bill becomes law, restaurants will have to be certified to participate in the program.

“They're already participating on the grocery side of it and hopefully it's a relatively simple process to get certified on the restaurant side,” Demmer said.

California and Arizona already have similar programs set up where you can use SNAP benefits at Subway and Jack-in-the-Box.


TOPICS: Food; Local News; Society
KEYWORDS: fastfood; foodstamps; illinois; snap
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-51 next last
What's next?

Lottery tickets?

Booze?

Smokes?

1 posted on 03/16/2019 11:31:15 AM PDT by PROCON
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: PROCON

I have seen some fast food places in my area, with signs up, saying they accept EBT benefit cards.

Eventually public assistance benefits will be allowed to be spent on any expense. I’m sure that is the direction things are going.


2 posted on 03/16/2019 11:33:46 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PROCON

Well, gee, SNAP is needed, doncha see?
How else can anybody afford $10 hamburger prepared by a $15 per hour burger flipper?


3 posted on 03/16/2019 11:38:05 AM PDT by mumblypeg (I've seen the future, brother. It is murder. --L. Cohen)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PROCON; Gamecock; SaveFerris; Yaelle
A massage? From a masseuse. With a doctor's note.

The wink is from grapefruit pulp.


4 posted on 03/16/2019 11:39:42 AM PDT by Larry Lucido
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PROCON

I am much more ok with people on welfare buying fast food than I am watching them buy lobster and steak.


5 posted on 03/16/2019 11:40:56 AM PDT by Ueriah
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PROCON

Sales Tax?


6 posted on 03/16/2019 11:40:56 AM PDT by eyedigress ((Old storm chaser from the west))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PROCON

hmmm- gov liberals scream about guns being unsafe, yet they are now gonna subsidize people eating slow death foods?

poor diets kill millions per year worldwide-

poor diets lead to heart disease, stroke, diabetes. Too much salt caused more than 66,000 deaths, Too much processed meat caused more than 57,000 deaths, while too little fatty fish and too few vegetables lead to more than to 100,000 deaths.

government is ok with these deaths? poor diets kill WAY more people than guns ever did- and if states started cracking down on illegals, and gang members, and known criminals, we’d have a very low gun death statistics-


7 posted on 03/16/2019 11:41:18 AM PDT by Bob434
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Larry Lucido

LOL!


8 posted on 03/16/2019 11:43:30 AM PDT by PROCON ('Progressive' is a Euphemism for Totalitarian)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Ueriah

(These were horrible, btw).

9 posted on 03/16/2019 11:43:35 AM PDT by Larry Lucido
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: PROCON

The positive thing about this is liberals are no longer telling people what they can eat.

If someone wants a burger and fries, none of my business.

The government micromanages our lives too much already.


10 posted on 03/16/2019 11:44:45 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PROCON

I have noticed that my local McDonalds has really raised their Prices. A big Mac is almost five bucks and even some greasy Hash Browns are over two bucks each.

Absolutely ridiculous IMHO.

For that money you could prepare a Meal for two people from items bought at a Grocery Store.

Heck, they could even make Kraft Mac & Cheese and a couple of Sandwiches for that money. Of course that would require some “work” over a hot stove. Can’t have that now can we?


11 posted on 03/16/2019 11:45:46 AM PDT by Kickass Conservative (THEY LIVE, and we're the only ones wearing the Sunglasses.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Bob434

And what’s your problem with fast food? Keep your grubby hands off my burger and pizza.

This is America and I eat what I want. The Food Police can shove it where the sun don’t shine.


12 posted on 03/16/2019 11:47:13 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: goldstategop

nothing- My point is democrats are A HYPOCRITES- thought that point was obvious


13 posted on 03/16/2019 11:49:23 AM PDT by Bob434
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: goldstategop
This is America and I eat what I want. The Food Police can shove it where the sun don’t shine.

If you can pay for it, you can eat whatever you want. If I'm paying for it, I get a say.

14 posted on 03/16/2019 11:50:50 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: PROCON

"...prolly two million more chickens a year"

15 posted on 03/16/2019 11:51:07 AM PDT by Doogle (( USAF.68-73....8th TFW Ubon Thailand....never store a threat you should have eliminated)))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kickass Conservative

Once in awhile I want to eat out. I don’t say its a good use of money to dine every day at a restaurant.

Its healthier and more frugal to dine at home. But every now and then I want to take a break from cooking.

That’s where dining out and takeout delivery come in.


16 posted on 03/16/2019 11:51:35 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: goldstategop

i fully support people’s right to eat whatever they want- but the fact is fast food is slow death- I’m a fast food junkie- and don’t care one bit- my whole point is the left screams about ‘not one more life’ when it comes to gun regulations, yet now they are supporting paying people to eat fast foods? They are hypocrites- who display blatant selective outrage-


17 posted on 03/16/2019 11:53:14 AM PDT by Bob434
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

I’ve noticed when it comes to policing people’s personal business, there’s a uniparty mentality to the effect Big Brother knows best.

The desire to limit human freedom is as old as human nature and has its advocates on all sides of the political spectrum.


18 posted on 03/16/2019 11:55:05 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: goldstategop

Me too, but I don’t pay for the convenience of Fast Food with Taxpayer Money. That was my point.


19 posted on 03/16/2019 11:56:02 AM PDT by Kickass Conservative (THEY LIVE, and we're the only ones wearing the Sunglasses.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: goldstategop

Don’t want to be told what to do, don’t take the King’s Coin.


20 posted on 03/16/2019 11:56:27 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-51 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson