Ending Hunger in America, 2014 Hunger Report Full Report | Page 130

Courtesy Minneapolis Health Department

SNAP recipients can use
their EBT-debit cards
to shop for food at
farmers markets, thanks
to wireless technology
provided to farmers
markets by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.

120? Chapter 4

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Bills that Congress is considering at the time of this writing would make accessing the
nutrition programs more difficult. A House bill would limit SNAP benefits to three months
over a three-year period to any unemployed person between the ages of 18 and 50 who was not
raising children. An amendment approved in the Senate-passed farm bill would bar people
convicted of certain crimes from receiving SNAP benefits for life—regardless of whether they
had finished serving time decades ago. The amendment would also impact children and
other members of the household
by reducing the family’s total food
budget.
A decade ago the SNAP program seemed to finally be getting
some respect on Capitol Hill.
Although it was called the Food
Stamp Program until 2008, its
image had vastly improved since
administrators replaced the old
paper coupons (the “food stamps”)
with an electronic debit card. The
debit card has reduced payment
errors (both overpayments and
underpayments) to the point that it
is not an exaggeration to describe
SNAP as a model of efficiency. Participation rates climbed because
there was less stigma, thanks both
to the use of the debit card and to
the general acceptance by policymakers at the national and state
levels that SNAP serves an essential countercyclical role in an increasingly low-wage eco ?????)9?????????M9@??????????????????????????????????????????%?????????????)?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)???????????????????????????????????????????????M9@??????????????????????????????9??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????????????e????)????????????????????????????????????????????e?+?q????????????)??????????????????????????????????????????????????????)??????????????????)??????????????????????????1?????????????????????)????????????????)??????????????I???????????????????Q??????????)?????????M9@)???????????????????????????????????????????????)???????????????????)???e??????????????????????????e??????????????????)???????????????????????????????????????????????)??????????t)??????????????????????????????????() ??????????]????%??????((0