New Bill Could Allow SNAP Benefits to Be Used for Fast Food

Fox45now.com

There is a new bill working its way through the Statehouse to allow people to use food stamps to buy fast food. Right now, you can only use that money to buy groceries at a store or farmer’s market but if this bill is signed into law, you could order a burger at the nearest fast food joint. House Bill 3343 would establish a Restaurant Meals Program to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. If passed, recipients can use their monthly allotment to buy meals from restaurants. Only certain recipients qualify: the elderly, disabled, homeless people and their spouses. State Representative Tom Demmer, R-Dixon supports the bill, but he also has some concerns. If the bill becomes law, restaurants will have to be certified to participate in the program.