Posted on 05/20/2015 4:17:11 PM PDT by upchuck
Wisconsin’s State Assembly approved legislation last week that puts in place new rules about what recipients of food stamps may purchase with the benefits.
Assembly Bill 177 would limit the types of food that could be purchased with Wisconsin’s food stamp program, FoodShare.
In addition to banning the purchase of foods such as lobster with the publicly-funded program, the legislation would also require that just over two-thirds of the benefits be used to purchase healthy foods:
“Under this bill, DHS [Department of Health Services] must require that not less than 67 percent of the SNAP benefits used by a recipient in a month be used to purchase any of the following foods: foods that are on the list of foods authorized for the federal special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC foods); beef; pork; chicken; fish; fresh produce; and fresh, frozen, and canned white potatoes. In addition, DHS must prohibit using SNAP benefits for the purchase of crab, lobster, shrimp, or any other shellfish.”
The bill was passed in a 60-35 vote.
Supporters say the measure is fiscally responsible and encourages healthy eating, while opponents say that limiting the types of food that can be purchased places additional hardship on those receiving aid.
“A lot of people, an awful lot of people who are on FoodShare are also on BadgerCare, so there is a direct financial benefit not just to the individual, which of course is obvious to have better health, but also to state taxpayers and society as a whole,” Rep. Robin Vos, R-Rochester, told the Associated Press.
“It’s a restriction that’s designed just to make the lives of those that are already struggling that much harder,” Rep. Lisa Subeck, D-Madison, told The Capital Times. “And instead, we should be focusing not on the foods people buy but on putting people to work by creating jobs that get people off of FoodShare.”
Rachel Sheffield, a policy analyst for The Heritage Foundation’s DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society, said that the “food stamps program is in serious need of reform.”
“Most importantly food stamps should include a work requirement that requires able-bodied adults to work, prepare for work or look for work in exchange for receiving assistance,” said Sheffield.
The bill will go on to the state Senate for approval. The AP reports that the Wisconsin Senate declined to take up a similar bill last year.
Excellent point.
Candy, pop, cookies, chips, fast food, etc, ban them all.
I think Ripple and Thunderbird should be ok. A glass of wine with meals is ok.
“It’s a restriction that’s designed just to make the lives of those that are already struggling that much harder,” Rep. Lisa Subeck, D-Madison, told The Capital Times”
Yep, I agree: cutting out the free lobster and crab paid for by the taxpayers is an outrageous hardship.
Hopefully, the price of crab and lobster will go down.
Going against the grain here...Food stamps should not be spent on alcohol or tobacco products, on this we all agree.
I do believe if we are going to provide food stamps for those in need, it is up to the adults to decide what is appropriate to feed their own families.
We either approve of the government dictating how we raise our families or we don’t. It is not a principle which applies to some but not others.
They didn’t pay squat... they never did.
This was studied well before today’s hypocritical grudge based modern morality, which has really given away the bigger farm because it now accepts welfare itself as a given, and only wants to modulate it in various allegedly virtuous ways but only complicates the devil dance. The old private godly grace-driven “CHARITY” has quite gone out of everybody’s windows.
Early welfare regulations served to pry apart the black family and they have never recovered from the trend.
If you are going to do charity at Caesar’s level, at least make it LOOK like charity. Don’t get into cynical games.
It could be that in exchange for the benefit, recipients would do X hours of “community service” work while simultaneously developing skills that could lead to gainful employment. There are always public works needed to be done in every hamlet in the US.
“More states should implement something like this. Add a work requirement, too.”
Yup. Such a measure in the red states would drive the parasites to the libtard states. Excellent!!
No, it would just pull them on board the slave train that got the blue states where they are now.
“... it is up to the adults to decide what is appropriate to feed their own families.”
You are exactly correct. “Should I get the red beans or the navy beans? The white rice or the brown rice,...
What needs to be dusted off is the old private “CHARITY” concept.
Let’s be so bold as to actually ask for tax CREDIT for anything given to private “CHARITY.” After all the charity can’t do any worse with it than the gummit can. And it would jumpstart it back off the ground like a rocket.
ALL ABOARD!!
Sounds oh so virtuous, but you have just endorsed another form of fascistic slavery. Better to just transfer tax receipts to charity instead (see my above).
Clearly you scoffingly disbelieve in the spiritual trend that you have been warned about.
Perhaps it should have been qualified as to the scope of food selection provided to the so-called “needy”. There clearly needs to be a prohibition on hi-dollar food items on the taxpayer dime. Such as no alcohol!!
Agree. Making the slippery slope more slippery. What’s wrong with canned vegetables? Fresh produce is more expensive. Does this mean they’ll have to increase everybody’s food stamp amount to cover the extra expense?
Food Stamp Redemption Center -- brilliant!
Food Stamp Redemption Center -- brilliant!
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