Editorial: Food Stamp of Approval? - WSFA.com: News Weather and Sports for Montgomery, AL.

Editorial: Food Stamp of Approval?

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By Collin R. Gaston - bio | email

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MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) -

Representative Christopher John England (Tuscaloosa) has sponsored a bill in the Alabama legislature that would allow convicted felons of drug crimes to receive food stamps under certain circumstances.  As the law stands now they are not eligible for any benefits with this program due to their crime.

HB85 would allow any person convicted of a drug related felony to become eligible for assistance upon completion of his or her sentence or if the person is satisfactorily serving a sentence of a period of probation, including if the person is in the process of completing or has completed mandatory participation in a drug or alcohol treatment program.

Here's the problem with this bill.  Right now the federal food stamp program is under siege and looking at billions in cuts. Some of the proposed revised eligibility rules - if enacted in Washington - could force 3 million people out of the program. 

So if law abiding U.S. citizens might be forced out why in the world would we waste precious time during this session debating whether convicted drug felons should get in?  The answer is simple … we shouldn't!  Our legislators would better serve us if they used the same time they've been discussing this bill to begin work on solutions to a Food Stamp program that is facing significant challenges in the near future.

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