Latest news with #SNAPEmploymentandTraining
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House Republicans Want to Punish Single Parents
Republicans on the House Agriculture Committee may make it harder for single parents to access the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. A new provision in Republicans' 97-page bill, rolled out Monday evening, allows for exceptions to the program's work requirements for some able-bodied adults, including certain married parents, without making the same considerations for single parents. The general work requirements for SNAP benefits include registering for work, participating in SNAP Employment and Training, or E&T, taking a suitable job if offered, and not voluntarily quitting or reducing work hours below 30 a week without a good reason, according to the USDA Food and Nutritional Service. Republicans' new bill includes a work-requirement exception for an individual who is 'responsible for a dependent child 7 years of age or older and is married to, and resides with, an individual who is in compliance' with the work requirements, but contains no equivalent exception for single parents. In 2022, children in single-parent families made up a 53 percent majority of SNAP recipients, according to a report from the Institute for Family Studies. A whopping 49 percent of those children are living with their mothers, 4 percent reside with their fathers, and 6 percent reside with relatives or foster parents. On top of that, E&T requirements have created something of a catch-22 within the SNAP benefits program. Congress's 2018 farm bill, which permitted paid training to be a component in E&T, inadvertently resulted in significant reduction or total loss of food assistance for beneficiaries because the earnings they made ended up counting against their eligibility. The new legislation would tighten eligibility requirements for SNAP and place a greater financial burden on states instead of the federal government, which is looking to shed millions of dollars in spending as part of the Trump administration's cost-cutting efforts. Republicans on the House Agriculture Committee have been directed to find $230 billion in potential cuts.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
WV Senate passes bill that would expand work, training requirements for SNAP
Sen. Rollan Roberts, R- Raleigh, lead sponsor of Senate Bill 249, addresses the Senate during the session Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Charleston, (Will Price | West Virginia Legislative Photography) The West Virginia Senate has approved a bill that would expand the work and training requirements for recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly called food stamps. Senators approved Senate Bill 249 with no discussion and a vote of 32 to 2. With some exceptions, able-bodied people without dependents ages 18 to 54 are required to work or train in order to receive SNAP benefits. The bill would expand the age to 59 by requiring the Department of Human Services to assign people in that age range to a mandatory work or training program. Under the bill, exemptions include caring for a child under age 6 or an incapacitated adult, going to school at least part time, being employed at least 30 hours a week and participating in a drug or alcohol treatment program, among other things. The bill would allow the state Department of Human Services to exempt up to 20% of individuals from the SNAP Employment and Training program work based on challenges that the person would experience complying with the requirements. According to a fiscal note from the Department of Human Services, the agency estimates the cost of implementing the legislation would be $2.7 million in state funding for fiscal year 2026 and about $1.7 million per year in state funding when the bill is fully implemented. Those costs include hiring one new family support supervisor in each county office to oversee the program. The department warns that the implementation of a program based on this bill might lead to a higher error rate for SNAP, which could lead to the state having to pay back federal funding. 'Other states implementing mandatory E&T programs have seen drastic increases in their SNAP error rates,' the department wrote. 'Error rates above the national average for two consecutive years place a state at risk of federal financial sanctions requiring potential repayment of federal funding. While West Virginia's error rates are currently compliant, the administrative complexity of implementing new eligibility criteria under a mandatory program does expose the state to significant risk of repayment.' Rhonda Rogombe, health and safety new policy analyst for the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, called the bill harmful. 'We know from lots of studies, including some of our own, that mandating work reporting requirements disconnects people from access to food but does not connect them to work,' she said Wednesday. 'So we have lots of concerns about this bill.' The bill would also impact retailers that rely on SNAP and put pressure on the state's food banks as they fill in the gaps, she said. Jeremiah Samples, the former deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Resources and now a lobbyist for the right-leaning organization Opportunity Solutions Project, previously testified in support of the bill, saying it gives people both the expectation and resources to work. The legislation has been opposed by representatives of the state's charitable food network. Caitlin Cook, director of advocacy and public policy for Mountaineer Food Bank, told West Virginia Watch previously that in other states, mandatory education and training programs have increased food insecurity. The Senate passed the legislation during the 2024 legislative session, but the House did not adopt it. The bill will next go to the House of Delegates for consideration. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Job Fair in Petersburg on March 19. Seeking employment, training, new career? What to know
PETERSBURG — Seeking employment, a new career or training? Virginia Works, SNAP Employment and Training (E&T), and Petersburg Department of Social Services will host a Job Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 19 at Virginia Community Resource Center located at 22 W. Washington Street in Petersburg. The job fair will have on-site referrals to resources for vocational, technical and educational training as well as information on employment opportunities, according to the city of Petersburg. The event is sponsored by Virginia Works, Southside Programs for Adult Continuing Education, SNAP E&T, Virginia Career Works [Crater Region] and Virginia Department of Veterans Services. Companies featured on the flier include: Live! Casino and Hotel, the city of Petersburg, Southern: Something Extra in Onsite Dining, Care Advantage, Inc., Randstad, Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services and LEGO. 'Reach for the stars' Petersburg: Young entrepreneur spreads positive vibes via her first business Free fruit, veggies, diapers, activities Petersburg: Free Community Health Fair, vaccinations, immunizations, health screenings Kristi K. Higgins aka The Social Butterfly, an award-winning columnist, is the trending topics and food Q&A reporter at The Progress-Index voted the 2022 Tri-Cities Best of the Best Social Media Personality. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses? Contact Kristi (she, her) at khiggins@ follow @KHiggins_PI on X and @socialbutterflykristi on Instagram. Your support is vital to local journalism. Please . This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Petersburg: Job Fair March 19 at Virginia Community Resource Center
