W. Virginia governor OKs bill requiring work for food stamps

[Miles Archer]

W. Virginia governor OKs bill requiring work for food stamps
It applies to people ages 18 to 49 who aren't pregnant, disabled or military veterans, have no dependents and receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
Author: Associated Press
Published: 6:53 AM EDT March 29, 2018
Updated: 6:53 AM EDT March 29, 2018

http://www.wcnc.com/article/news/w-virginia-governor-oks-bill-requiring-work-for-food-stamps/533087191

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - West Virginia's governor has signed a bill to impose the federal 20-hour weekly work requirement for many food stamp recipients statewide.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that Gov. Jim Justice signed the bill Tuesday.

It applies to people ages 18 to 49 who aren't pregnant, disabled or military veterans, have no dependents and receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

Currently, 46 of West Virginia's 55 counties have the work requirement waivers.

The maximum possible benefit is $192 a month or about $6.40 a day, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

[dameatball]

1. 20 hours a week is more than the President works.

[Farmer-Rick]

2. You know you can qualify for SNAP, or food stamps, if you are currently employed full time

You can be working full time, at Walmart for example, and still legally qualify for food assistance. So, forcing the underpaid, overworked poor to work even more hours is NOT the solution to hunger in America.

No One has a right to cheap labor. If you can't run a business or corporation without paying a living wage to ALL your Workers, you don't deserve to be in business in the US.

[Merlot]

3. So if you're unemployed you can't get the food stamps?

[procon]

4. Why do Republicans hate poor, hungry people?

Its food, dammit! Go try to find 20 hrs work to get your box of Rice A Roni and a bag of generic cornflakes, or volunteer for no pay when jobs aren't available or you don't have the means to get there? When there's no food assistance these people will put a strain on food pantries that are already struggling to serve needy people. Desperate people will do desperate things, but maybe that's the purpose, arrest them and instead of feeding people they feed the private prison for profit industry.

[appalachiablue]

5. How about working on job creation and economic investment instead

of targeting and punishing poor Americans with requirements like this?