Ending the SNAP drug felony ban in Kansas is good for all of us | Commentary

All Kansans deserve the resources they need to thrive and succeed.

In the heartland of the world’s wealthiest country, we can afford to end hunger. Despite this, hundreds of thousands of Kansans still experience food insecurity.

Currently in Kansas, anyone with more than one felony drug conviction is banned for life from receiving food assistance. This double punishment makes it more difficult for Kansans to keep their lives on track, recover from addiction and live as active, healthy members of our communities.

Hunger is a political decision. The Kansas Legislature had the power to reduce hunger and bolster local economies by passing House Bill 2215—ending Kansas’s SNAP drug felony ban. Unfortunately, the bill was stricken from the legislative calendar and will likely not move forward.

The SNAP drug felony ban, a remnant of the “war on drugs,” targeted low-income, Black, Brown and other impacted communities. In 1996, President Clinton signed into law the “Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act,” which initiated several changes to public assistance, including one provision denying federal benefits to those convicted of felony drug offenses. Since then, states could opt-in, opt-out or revise the policy.

Many states have done away with SNAP drug felony bans, but Kansas still utilizes a form of it. Restrictive policies like this cause SNAP enrollment to decrease while the need for food assistance rises.

SNAP works and is proven to improve dietary intake, help people overcome poverty and infuse economic benefits into communities. The Kansas Legislature should correct harms done by outdated policy and harness numerous benefits by eliminating the SNAP drug felony ban.

Local economy booster: Most households redeem benefits quickly, making it an effective form of economic stimulus. USDA studies show every dollar spent in SNAP benefits during an economic slowdown increases the overall economy by between $1.54 and $1.80.

Modest: SNAP benefits average only about $1.20 per person per meal. Benefits are directly based on need and dependent on a person’s income.

Efficient: About 92% of federal SNAP expenditures go directly to food purchase benefits. The program’s payment error measurement system makes fraud nearly impossible and extremely rare.

Expanding SNAP benefits to Kansans despite their past is a holistic approach to reducing hunger and poverty, boosting economies and saving the state millions of dollars.

Adversely, the SNAP drug felony ban has zero benefits.

• Drug felony bans don’t deter drug use or crime. Drug use and crime are higher in states with stricter food assistance drug felony bans.
• Drug felony bans keep people in poverty. States with SNAP drug felony bans have double the poverty rates among people with drug convictions as states without bans.
  
  
• Food assistance reduces crime. SNAP reduces recidivism risks by approximately 10%, and people with drug felonies and food assistance access were 2.2% less likely to return to prison than non-drug offenders.
• Food assistance is strongly correlated with improved health outcomes and lowers overall health care expenditures.

As Kansans work to recover and provide for themselves and their families, Kansas should do everything possible to ensure they’re not sucked back into a system set up against them.

House Bill 2215 would have extended grace and resources to Kansans, providing a chance for our friends, family members, neighbors and people we don’t even know to get the assistance they need to succeed.

Investing in our people works. Ending the SNAP drug felony ban is for all of us.

This story was originally published February 24, 2022 at 1:33 AM.