Leno Bill to Help Families Receive Food Stamps Passes First Hurdle
California Political Desk
April 15, 2009
SACRAMENTO – Legislation authored by Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) that would improve access to food stamps cleared its first hurdle, passing the Senate Health and Human Services Committee with a 3-1 vote. Senate Bill 718 would end California´s requirement that food stamp applicants be fingerprinted in order to qualify for benefits.
California is one of only a few states that requires food stamp recipients to be fingerprinted in order to receive benefits. It also ranks last among all 50 states for eligible resident participation in and access to the federal food stamp program. As a result, an estimated 2 million California families that are eligible for food stamps do not receive them, and California is losing more than $2 billion annually in federal benefits that could help families in need.
"In this time of economic crisis, it is critical we do all we can to help California families get the nutrition they need," said Senator Leno. "SB 716 will also help recover billions of federal dollars the state loses each year because of its burdensome and outdated fingerprinting requirement. Eliminating the expensive and unnecessary process of fingerprinting will give more California children access to nutritious foods and improve the health of California´s most vulnerable populations," he said.
California currently requires all adult household members to be fingerprinted and photographed (at a cost of $15 to $25 per person) in order to obtain food stamp benefits. However, tough work requirements and the use of more comprehensive and sophisticated fraud detection systems, including Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards that track each transaction, have made this requirement unnecessary and obsolete.
While some states enroll more than 80 percent of their eligible residents in the federally-funded food stamp program, California enrolls only 46 percent of its eligible residents. The national average is about 60 percent.
"Fingerprinting deters eligible families from receiving food stamps because it adds one more layer of red tape to an already burdensome process," said Eric Manke, Policy Manager at the California Association of Food Banks. "Removing this requirement will have a direct impact on adults and children who would benefit from assistance."
Senator Leno introduced a nearly identical measure to eliminate the fingerprinting requirement in 2007. That measure, Assembly Bill 1382, passed the Legislature, but was vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
SB 718 will be heard next month in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
California is one of only a few states that requires food stamp recipients to be fingerprinted in order to receive benefits. It also ranks last among all 50 states for eligible resident participation in and access to the federal food stamp program. As a result, an estimated 2 million California families that are eligible for food stamps do not receive them, and California is losing more than $2 billion annually in federal benefits that could help families in need.
"In this time of economic crisis, it is critical we do all we can to help California families get the nutrition they need," said Senator Leno. "SB 716 will also help recover billions of federal dollars the state loses each year because of its burdensome and outdated fingerprinting requirement. Eliminating the expensive and unnecessary process of fingerprinting will give more California children access to nutritious foods and improve the health of California´s most vulnerable populations," he said.
California currently requires all adult household members to be fingerprinted and photographed (at a cost of $15 to $25 per person) in order to obtain food stamp benefits. However, tough work requirements and the use of more comprehensive and sophisticated fraud detection systems, including Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards that track each transaction, have made this requirement unnecessary and obsolete.
While some states enroll more than 80 percent of their eligible residents in the federally-funded food stamp program, California enrolls only 46 percent of its eligible residents. The national average is about 60 percent.
"Fingerprinting deters eligible families from receiving food stamps because it adds one more layer of red tape to an already burdensome process," said Eric Manke, Policy Manager at the California Association of Food Banks. "Removing this requirement will have a direct impact on adults and children who would benefit from assistance."
Senator Leno introduced a nearly identical measure to eliminate the fingerprinting requirement in 2007. That measure, Assembly Bill 1382, passed the Legislature, but was vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
SB 718 will be heard next month in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
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