BILL: Should Prior Drug Offenders Get SNAP Benefits? - RESTORE Act - H.R.3479

The Bill

H.R.3479 - Re-Entry Support Through Opportunities for Resources and Essentials (RESTORE) Act

Bill Status

• Sponsored by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) and Rep. John Rutherford (R-Fla.) on May 18, 2023
• Committees: House - Agriculture
• House and Senate: Not yet voted
• President: Not yet signed

Bill Overview

• The bipartisan Re-Entry Support Through Opportunities for Resources and Essentials Act (RESTORE Act) seeks to repeal the 1996 ban on people with drug felony convictions receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, enabling them to apply for the program before their release.
• In 1996, Congress introduced a lifetime SNAP ban as a part of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act signed by President Clinton. SNAP provides food assistance to low-income individuals through an EBT card, which can be used like a debit card to purchase eligible food from authorized stores. It is the largest federal nutrition program in the U.S. 

What's in the Bill?

Improves re-entry for formerly incarcerated people 

• Aims to codify the Department of Agriculture (USDA) waiver, granting ex-offenders the ability to apply for SNAP benefits up to 30 days prior to their release, ensuring better access to essential resources.

Ends state denial of SNAP eligibility based on felony drug convictions

• Removes the ability for states to deny SNAP eligibility due to prior drug convictions. Currently, states can opt out of enforcing the ban, and 22 states still limit SNAP eligibility.

Combat hunger, poverty, addiction, and recidivism

• The RESTORE Act recognizes that removing the drug felony ban allows returning individuals to prioritize finding employment and housing instead of worrying about feeding themselves and their families.

What Supporters are Saying

• Sponsor Rep. Cohen (D-TN) said in a statement: 

"Thousands of people released from state and federal prisons each year re-enter society and find significant challenges, including lifetime bans on receiving food assistance. The RESTORE Act would repeal the 1996 ban on people with drug felony convictions receiving SNAP, and it would allow them to apply for the program before their release so that they can meet their basic needs on day one, reducing the likelihood of recidivism and increasing the quality of life for people hoping to reintegrate into their communities."

What Opponents are Saying 

• Republican policymakers favor SNAP cut proposals to reduce the deficit.
• One proposal, led by Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD), sought to broaden stringent work and reporting requirements to reduce SNAP benefits. In a statement, Johnson said:

"As Congress weighs solutions to our labor crisis, record government spending, and work requirements in the 2023 Farm Bill, I hope the America Works Act is strongly considered as a solution to lift Americans out of poverty and encourage work rather than government dependence."

Do you support or oppose repealing the ban on SNAP benefits?

-Laura Woods

(Photo Credit: Canva)