Protecting Taxpayers from Abuse of EBT
State Senator Patty Ritchie of New York has introduced legislation that would limit the use of EBT cards to healthy, appropriate items while prohibiting their use on junk food and luxury items.
“The goal of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is to help low-income consumers make wise and healthy food choices—however in New York State, SNAP beneficiaries are able to use their taxpayer-funded EBT cards to purchase things like soda, candy, cake and other types of junk food and luxury items,” said Senator Patty Ritchie.
“Many of these items aren’t just unhealthy, they’re also expensive. This legislation would not only help low-income families and individuals stretch their food budgets further and promote health and nutrition, it would also protect taxpayers from abuse of a program that’s intended to help those who have fallen on hard times.”
Under current law, EBT cards can be used to purchase “non-essential” items—including unhealthy foods like candy, cakes and soda, as well as luxury items, like steak and lobster—that are subject to state and local sales tax.
It is not as easy as one might think to modify how the EBT card is used. The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 allowed nearly every food item to be purchased with SNAP benefits. The USDA says federal legislation is needed to change its current definition of “food.”
Senator Ritchie’s measure (S.6761) seeks to move New York State closer to the SNAP program’s goal of improving public health, by limiting the use of EBT cards solely for use on items that are deemed to be essentials, including things like milk, juice, fruits, vegetables, granola bars, peanut butter and dozens of other healthy foods.
In addition, in an effort to protect taxpayer dollars, under the measure, the Office of Temporary Disability Assistance will be directed to establish a list of luxury food items that cannot be purchased with an EBT card.
While it is heartening to see a state legislator work to make the program more in keeping with its professed design, there is still much more to be done. There will still be black market trade for the cards, which in the past have even been used at cash machines in Las Vegas casinos and at strip clubs. It is also discouraging to imagine the huge percentage of value that is siphoned off to support the government bureaucrats who manage the program, and who seek to expand it in a multitude of ways so that their kingdom will also increase. And most importantly, it is difficult to encourage personal responsibility and then to dictate to EBT users what items they can and cannot buy. Unfortunately, the nanny state may be necessary in this case due to the fraud and abuse that have been so widespread over the last several years. Good luck to Ms. Ritchie, there will no doubt be vast interest groups fighting her efforts.
Source: nysenate.gov
Sad that they eat better than the working class.
Chances are if your on food stamps, you don’t have dental care, so another reason not to buy candy. The tax payer pays double and the kids have poor eating habits.
How about this bull$#%&!@*
I was in a walmart and a lady used her food stamp card to get cash back. This$#%&!@*got $100 in cash out. What happened to buying food?
To make it worse. She was parked right beside me in her nice new lexus suv.
i pay texas i wors 5 day,s a week and i cant by steak or lobster it fair
No one really thinks will stop them from purchasing these and other prohibited items, this like all the laws passed under Obama and this congress as empty as my wallet in April. If you want to stop the abuse, stop food stamps, ebt, subsidized housed, free education, free medical and a number of other wasteful programs.
GOOD
idiotic anxieties- corporate lobbying and bribery – no problem, loose nukes- no worries, polluting aquifers – no worries, destroying the oceans – no problem, spending trillions on wars around the world – so what, pumping dangerous levels of gases and carbons into the air- no worries
Good
Unfortunately been going on for 30 plus years. Lobster, shrimp, Top end cuts of meat ($7.00 to$10.00 a pound), in some states cigarettes, soda, energy drinks, candy. All on tax payers dime.
Did’t think those options were open before!