SNAP eligibility expansion considered
Members of the Health and Human Services Committee heard testimony on a bill March 5 that would eliminate the state’s lifetime ban on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program eligibility for individuals with certain drug-related convictions.
Current Nebraska law prohibits individuals from receiving SNAP benefits if they have one or more felony convictions involving the sale or distribution of a controlled substance or three or more felony convictions for use or possession.
An individual with one or two felony convictions for possession or use is eligible only if they participate in an approved substance abuse treatment program.
LB319, introduced by Bellevue Sen. Victor Rountree, would remove the lifetime ban and participation in a treatment program as a condition of eligibility. The measure would allow individuals with felony drug convictions to receive SNAP benefits if they otherwise would qualify and have completed their sentence or are serving a term of parole, probation or post-release supervision.
Rountree said that while families of individuals with felony drug convictions may still qualify for SNAP benefits under Nebraska law, the amount they receive is impacted by the current restriction. A banned individual is not counted toward the overall household size, he said, but their income is included in eligibility determinations, which results in fewer benefits for the family.
“It does not matter who you are … what your background is or what you have done,” Rountree said. “Everyone has to eat.”
Ryan Dale, Assistant Chief of the Lincoln Police Department, spoke in favor of the measure. Testifying on behalf of the department, he said the consequences for committing drug crimes should be determined solely by the judicial system.
Accountability is an important part of correcting behavior, Dale said, but the end goal should always be for individuals to learn from their mistakes and become a better version of themselves for their families and communities.
“Once individuals serve their sentence, they should not be punished a second time for the same crime,” he said.
Representing the ACLU of Nebraska, Jason Witmer also testified in support, saying the bill would help address barriers formerly incarcerated individuals face when reentering society.
Providing individuals with SNAP benefits not only addresses food insecurity, he said, but also allows system-impacted individuals to redirect their limited financial resources toward finding housing and employment.
Katie Nungesser testified in support of LB319 on behalf of Voice for Children in Nebraska. Many individuals with felony drug convictions do not qualify for substance abuse treatment programs, she said, and therefore are unable to complete the necessary steps currently required for them to qualify for benefits.
“We know this rule is outdated … and even if people are trying to meet those requirements … it can feel impossible,” Nungesser said.
Shannon Grotrian, director of the state Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of Economic Assistance, opposed the measure. Among other provisions, she expressed concern about removing the treatment program participation requirement.
“The goal of the treatment requirement is to help individuals return to productive functioning within their families, workplaces and communities,” Grotrian said. “DHHS applauds individuals striving to overcome substance addiction, believes completing treatment is imperative to this process and opposes removing this requirement for SNAP eligibility.”
The committee took no immediate action on LB319.
