Wisconsin Republicans introduce bill to require photo ID card for food stamp recipients

[HereSince1628]

It's another hoop to jump through for recipients, but if the cards were issued for free and met requirements for voter ID, I'd give this idea enough attention to see what other evils were attached to I.

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Rep. Jesse Kremer, R-Kewaskum, says the proposal is an effort to crack down on waste, fraud and abuse and to make programs like FoodShare more efficient. But detractors say it would shame those living in poverty, with no discernible benefit.

The bill, currently being circulated for co-sponsorship, would require the state Department of Health Services to submit an implementation plan to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for approval to issue electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards with photo identification to participants in FoodShare, the state's successor to the food stamps program. Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, is the Senate's lead sponsor.

It would also require DHS to submit a waiver request to the USDA, to allow DHS to require FoodShare recipients to show their photo EBT card when making purchases.


Read more: http://host.madison.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/wisconsin-republicans-introduce-bill-to-require-photo-ids-for-food/article_ecac7028-0c95-5757-88cf-76149a8fab4b.html#ixzz3Xmkatwix

[Downwinder]

1. Do you have to show a photo ID to run for office in Wisconsin?

[HereSince1628]

2. my only interest in this would be getting the r's to undermine their own voter ID law

If that was possible I'd look into the evils lurking in the rest of the bill

I don't know if getting onto a ballot requires a photo ID or not

[WillowTree]

3. According to the story.......

.......the photo would be on the EBT card, not unlike a lot of credit cards that now incorporate a photograph of the owner. I guess I'm not seeing how this "shames" or inflicts some kind of imposition on the benefit recipient. What am I missing here?

[HereSince1628]

5. Not my point, which would be getting it to satisfy the voter WI ID law.

I think having to get a photo ID and use it at every purpose -is- another step that doesn't currently exist

IF we could get the r's to actually provide for free an ID card that satisfies our still never enforced but existant voter id law that would be OK with me...although I haven't looked at the bill to know exactly what other evils might lie within it.

[WillowTree]

7. Well, they "have to get" the EBT card in order to use it, right?

So I fail to see the big problem with having the issuing agency put the user's picture on said card, the additional up side being that now they will have a photo ID at no additional cost or inconvenience that might be useful for other things, as well. If it could also satisfy a photo voter ID requirement, so much the better. An excellent idea would be to pursue that.

But just floating the idea of putting the picture on the EBT card isn't automatically a negative thing. It really isn't necessary to always see the glass as half empty. Honest.

[HereSince1628]

8. Well, the issue for me rests on getting the WI legislature to accept it as a voter ID.

THe comments you are making suggest you don't understand the nature of WI voter ID requirements.

My Veterans Administration photo ID does not meet the legislature's standard.

Employer's ID cards do not do that.

IF I were still working my faculty ID would not do that. College and university student ID would not do that.

If the bill isn't otherwise terrible, I think dems pushing to make it meet, for free, Voter ID would be a terrific ploy getting the Republican controlled government of the state to actually create a mechanism to defeat their voter disenfranchisement act.

[WillowTree]

9. Well, since this would be a state-issued photo ID.......

.......it might not be a big problem to get it to meet the voter ID requirements. What are you doing toward making that happen?

[HereSince1628]

10. Firstly, University ID are also state-issued they don't work as Voter ID

the whole point of the voter ID law is to limit photo ID to forms most not in the possession of poor people who can be profiled as democratic voters... to work the ID must include an expiration date and current, accurate residential address. Out of date ID like an old passport, or expired drivers license that have addresses aren't accepted. ID without an address that matches the voter registration record isn't accepted. Student's move, a lot. WI, Universities are reluctant to put dorm rooms on IDs as they can contribute to stalking and assaults.

secondly, I'll be getting my hands on the bill so I can read it, and also making a suggestion in an email to Peter Barca, who isn't my representative to the legislature...all my representatives are republicans.

[WillowTree]

11. University IDs (both for students and faculty) are issued by the university, not the state.

And, seeing as how I went to Steven's Point, I do know what I'm talking about in that particular respect. Employer IDs or school IDs are issued for very different purposes and you've listed some of them. This might be a different matter as such cards would already necessarily be kept current and I'd bet that those issuing agencies already have addresses that might be able to be put on the cards (or encoded on the magnetic strip).

Instead of putting up straw men and finding reasons why your actually very good idea can't be made into a reality, why not expend the energy toward getting it done? And while you're at it, when you send your suggestions to Mr. Barca, send it to your own representative(s) as well, regardless of party. Get it in front of as many people as possible. Couldn't hurt, right?

[kelliekat44]

4. I don't like it but it may be a way to get lots more people needed ID for voting. nt

[vankuria]

6. I'm not sure they've thought this one through

it would have the potential to make it easier to vote where voter ID is required...but knowing how evil the GOP is perhaps they'd make some kind of rule that it couldn't be used at the voting booth.

[HereSince1628]

12. There are already rules about what the ID must provide

the trick would be to get this ID to meet those requirements...
either by stating it's issuance satisfies the requirement, or by including all the needed residency information, expiration date, etc.

Doesn't seem like it would be a huge technical problem to include such information, but political resistance to that would be a different matter.