Bill would require food stamp recipients 50 and older to work

Bill would require food stamp recipients 50 and older to work

A new bill introduced in Congress could push many older food stamp recipients into the workforce.

U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, has introduced the “America Works Act.” The act would reform work requirements for able-bodied adults who are part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program, or SNAP, the official name for food stamps.

“Work is the best pathway out of poverty,” Johnson said in a release. “Work requirements have proven to be effective, and people who can work should work. With more than 11 million open jobs, there are plenty of opportunities for SNAP recipients to escape poverty and build a better life.”

READ MORE: 400,000 Alabama households will see food stamps cut by some $170

Current federal law requires Able Bodied Adults Without Dependents, referred to ABAWDs, younger than 49 years old to participate in work, training or education programs for at least 20 hours a week in order to receive SNAP benefits.

The bill would do away with the process that allows states to file for exemptions for the work requirement. It would also require older SNAP recipients to work in order to keep their benefits.

Currently, ABAWDs are 18-49 are required to work at least 20 hours a week unless unable to do so due to physical or mental limitations, having someone under 18 in their household or pregnancy. Johnson’s bill would raise the age requirements from 18-49 to 18-65, consistent with the age individuals become eligible for Medicare. It would keep in place the requirement that limits ABAWDs to a three-month limit on SNAP benefits unless they work 80 hours a month.

The bill has picked up handful of sponsors.