Bill Text: MO HCR54 | 2012 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Strongly urges Congress to modify the eligibility requirements for SNAP food stamp benefits which result in less benefits for our citizen households than comparable noncitizen households
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-05-02 - Public Hearing Completed (H) [HCR54 Detail]
Download: Missouri-2012-HCR54-Introduced.html
SECOND REGULAR SESSION
House Concurrent Resolution No. 54
96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE BROWN (116).
WHEREAS, SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a government assistance program to help low-income households pay for food; and
WHEREAS, a "household" is the basic unit used by the SNAP food stamp program. A SNAP food stamp household is an individual or a group of people who live together and buy food and prepare meals together to eat at home; and
WHEREAS, members of a SNAP food stamp household receive their benefits together, on one EBT card, and their income is counted as a group in determining eligibility; and
WHEREAS, household members who are applying for benefits must be United States citizens or eligible noncitizens; and
WHEREAS, undocumented or illegal noncitizens, noncitizens with undetermined status, nonimmigrants, and noncitizens who do not meet length of stay or other immigration status requirements are ineligible for SNAP food stamps; and
WHEREAS, in addition, certain convicted felons who are citizens of the United States are ineligible for SNAP food stamps; and
WHEREAS, the household of any United States citizen or noncitizen who is ineligible for SNAP food stamps may still receive SNAP food stamp benefits for the eligible people residing with the ineligible United States citizen or noncitizen; and
WHEREAS, under current federal law and regulations, the income and financial resources of an ineligible United States citizen who is a convicted felon is counted for purposes of determining eligibility for and the amount of SNAP food stamp benefits. However, the income and financial resources of an ineligible noncitizen are not counted for purposes of determining eligibility for and the amount of SNAP food stamp benefits; and
WHEREAS, as a result, the household of an ineligible United States citizen receives less SNAP food stamp benefits than a comparable household of an ineligible noncitizen; and
WHEREAS, this disparity in the treatment of households with an ineligible United States citizens and households with an ineligible noncitizen is patently unfair and discriminatory against the household of an ineligible United States citizen; and
WHEREAS, the households of our United States citizens should not receive less SNAP food stamp benefits than the household of our noncitizens:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-sixth General Assembly, Second Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, hereby strongly urges the United States Congress and the United States Department of Agriculture to modify the federal laws and regulations regarding the SNAP food stamp program which results in the households of the citizens of the United States receiving less benefits than comparable households of noncitizens; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Missouri General Assembly urges this disparity in treatment under the SNAP food stamp program be promptly addressed to provide the same benefits for similarly situated households; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of Representatives be instructed to prepare properly inscribed copies of this resolution for the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives, the Food and Nutrition Service within the United States Department of Agriculture, and each member of the Missouri Congressional delegation.
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