BATON ROUGE, LA (Apr. 19, 2024) – Louisiana State Senator Blake Miguez of District 22 issued a statement on his Facebook page and to BY Local News (BYLN) about Senate Bill (SB) 195 that “Provides relative to work requirements within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program”. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is also known as food stamps.
In Miguez’s Facebok post, he states:
“Senate Bill (SB) 195, which strengthens the integrity of our Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by establishing statewide work requirements for able-bodied adults aged 18-55 without dependents, cleared the Louisiana Senate.
By requiring able-bodied adults to engage in work, we are not only promoting individual dignity but also ensuring that our resources are directed to those who need them most. Welfare should be a stepping stone to personal and economic independence, not a way of life. This is about more than just reform; it’s about respecting the dignity of work and making sure that every Louisianian has the opportunity to contribute to our state’s prosperity.
Together, we will continue to fight for policies that lift individuals out of poverty and support their journey towards self-reliance. Thank you for your support as we work to transform lives and ensure that Louisiana’s safety net serves as a trampoline, not a trap.”
Miguez also provided BYLN with the following information:
“There are over 90,000 able-bodied adults on food stamps in Louisiana right now, and of those, about 40,000 are able-bodied adults without dependents.
Able-bodied adults without dependents (the 40,000) are required by federal law to work, train, or volunteer at least 20 hours per week to remain eligible for benefits. But for years, Louisiana has been using waivers to exempt all of these individuals from the work requirement. This bill would end the use of these waivers.
If you are an able-bodied adult without dependents or young children in the house, then it’s not too much to ask that you be working, training, or volunteering to continue to receive your benefits.
There are well over 120,000 open jobs in Louisiana right now and the labor force participation rate is just above 58%. There’s no excuse to waive these work requirements when there are so many open jobs in the state and we need workers.
This bill is about reducing dependency and helping Louisianans become self-sufficient through work. States that have the work requirement in place have seen positive benefits to those on the food stamp program. More people leave the program and find a job and their incomes go up.”
