South Carolina is the only US state that fully enforces a 1996 federal law barring individuals with felony Drug Convictions from receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Families who have previously benefited from SNAP but have since been found to have had a member with a drug conviction have been told they owe the state significant sums. A bipartisan bill before Congress, the 2023 RESTORE Act, would repeal the lifetime ban. It would also allow people leaving jails and prisons to apply for SNAP benefits up to 30 days before their release so they can have access to food as soon as they leave incarceration.

The post How some families are banned from Food Stamps for life due to past drug convictions appeared first on Balanced News Summary.