Sen. Booker: Ex-Drug Offenders Are Being 'Banned' From Food Aid

NEWARK, NJ — Anyone who has repaid their debt to society shouldn’t have to suffer from a lifetime of continued punishment, according to U.S. Sen. Cory Booker. So why are former prison inmates being denied food aid at a time they need it the most?

On Friday, Booker – a Newark resident – introduced a bill that would repeal a “lifetime ban” that prevents formerly incarcerated people convicted of felony drug offenses from accessing federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, or assistance under programs funded by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grants.

Read the full text here.

Why is the Making Essentials Available and Lawful (MEAL) Act needed? Booker's office gave the following explanation:

“According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than 600,000 individuals are released from local and federal prisons every year. However, due to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act established in 1996, many formerly incarcerated individuals do not have access to critical programs such as SNAP and TANF. Meanwhile, studies have shown that access to public assistance like SNAP and TANF is associated with a reduced risk of recidivism among returning citizens.”

States have the ability to opt-out of or modify the ban.

If it becomes federal law, the MEAL Act would amend the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act and the related Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, allowing formerly incarcerated people convicted of felony drug offenses to have access to these benefits.

Companion legislation to Booker’s bill was introduced in the House earlier this year. Its sponsors included his Democratic Party colleague, U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey’s 12th Congressional district.

“For formerly incarcerated individuals trying to reenter society, the lifetime ban on SNAP and TANF benefits poses unnecessary barriers that we know increase the risk of recidivism,” said Booker, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary.

“Those who have repaid their debt to society shouldn’t have to suffer from a lifetime of continued punishment,” Booker added. “The MEAL Act will repeal this decades-old lifetime ban and ensure that people convicted of felony drug offenses can meet their basic needs and safely reintegrate into their communities.”

The MEAL Act has been endorsed by co-sponsors in the Senate including Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM).

A list of endorsing organizations can be viewed here.

According to a 2013 report from the Sentencing Project, there is little reason to believe that barring people with felony drug convictions from receiving welfare benefits deters drug use – or crime.

“The ban has not been shown to decrease drug use, nor is it necessary to reduce welfare fraud,” the report states. “Furthermore, by raising a new substantial barrier to successful reentry, the ban may actually harm public safety and public health, while contributing to swollen prison populations.”

• See related article: 'Ban The Box': Ex-Inmates Deserve Work Too, Lawmakers Say
• See related article: Inspiring Videos From NJ Ex-Inmates: 'Voting Changed Our Lives'

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