From: PRWatch
COMMENT - Is there any end to the insanity of Greedville?
by Rebekah Wilce — May 6, 2013 - 11:55am
Wisconsin ranks 44th in the nation for new job creation. Rather than
rolling up their sleeves and finding new and innovative ways to help
create jobs, the Wisconsin legislature is spending its time telling
people needing food assistance what they should be eating. AB 110, which
will be up for a vote in the Assembly on Tuesday, May 7, is geared
toward limiting "the amount of food stamp benefits that could be spent
on junk food."
But some of the fine print of the bill, bizarrely, would ban people
from choosing more healthy and less expensive options for their
families. The bill is one of many being considered that are unduly
punitive of the poor.
Restricting Access to Organic and Other Whole Foods
As of March 2013, 858,000 Wisconsinites receive FoodShare benefits. The bill, AB 110,
would limit FoodShare, Wisconsin's food stamp program funded through
the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). As the
Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) has reported,
Governor Scott Walker has already proposed to require all "able-bodied
adults" who receive food stamps (and don't have dependent children) to
train or search for work in order to continue receiving those benefits.
This even though Walker has failed to create the 250,000 jobs he
promised when running for office in 2010.
Now Representative Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah) is sponsoring another bill to further limit FoodShare. Kaufert told
the Wisconsin Radio Network that the bill would make it so that a
benefit recipient "can't buy six bags of nachos and four cases of soda."
Specifically, the amended
program would allow only a third of an individual's FoodShare benefits
to be spent on a full range of food as they currently can be. The
remaining two-thirds would be subject to the same restrictions as the
federal Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutritional program, with
some small modifications. (Both programs, of course, bar restaurant
food, cigarettes, alcohol, and pet foods.)
WIC
is a federal program intended to supplement food stamp benefits for a
particularly vulnerable population of women and young children. As such,
it has strict -- and at times very odd -- guidelines to focus these supplemental food dollars on nutritionally dense staple foods.
Wisconsin's AB 110 would mandate that two-thirds of a person's
FoodShare benefits could be spent only on foods on the WIC-approved
list. Exemptions have been added so recipients can also purchase fish,
beef, pork, chicken, and potatoes. Strangely, exemptions were not added
so that the "healthy" two-thirds could also be spent on a full range of
healthy Wisconsin farm products and fresh food.
The result is that the bulk of your FoodShare dollars can be spent on
milk, but not organic milk; on eggs, but only on white eggs by the
dozen, not on brown, free-range, or organic eggs; on 100 percent whole
wheat bread, but not on gluten-free bread for those with Celiac disease;
on slices of American cheese, but not sharp cheddar. FoodShare dollars
can be spent on dry beans, but not if they come from a money-saving bulk
bin at your local food coop. You can get juice boxes for your children,
but only Juicy Juice brand juice boxes.
In order for the state Department of Health Services to implement
changes to FoodShare purchasing guidelines, it would need to attain a
federal waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). But when
Minnesota tried to prohibit purchase of candy or soda in 2004, and New
York City tried to ban purchase of certain sugary drinks in 2010, both
waiver requests were denied. The USDA points out the lack of clear standards to define foods as healthy or unhealthy.
As Bill Approaches Vote, Public Input Needed
According to the Associated Press, the Assembly committee heard input
from food companies, grocery stores, and food banks. They told
Wisconsin lawmakers that restrictions "would shame recipients
and burden businesses with enforcement." Democrats on the committee --
who voted against the measure -- said it "would stigmatize poor people
who already have limited options in buying food."
In addition to Rep. Kaufert, AB 110's supporters include
Representatives John Nygren (R-Marinette), Kathy Bernier (R-Chippewa
Falls), Ed Brooks (R-Reedsburg), Jeff Stone (R-Greendale), Paul Tittl
(R-Manitowoc), Garey Bies (R-Sister Bay), Samantha Kerkman (R-Powers
Lake), Scott Krug (R-Wisconsin Rapids), Pat Strachota (R-West Bend),
Daniel LeMahieu (R-Cascade), Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green), Mike
Kuglitsch (R-New Berlin), Michael Schraa (R-Oshkosh), Alvin Ott
(R-Forest Junction), Mike Endsley (R-Sheboygan), Jeffrey Mursau
(R-Crivitz), and Travis Tranel (R-Cuba City). In the Senate, the bill's
supporters include Senators Robert Cowles (R-Shawano), Joe Leibham
(R-Sheboygan), Frank Lasee (R-Casco), and Glenn Grothman (R-Fond du
Lac).
As Wisconsin Assemblymembers gather to vote on this bill May 7, these elected officials should expect to hear from those whose lives and food choices would be directly affected by the bill.
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