In another stunning legislative maneuver, Michigan
Republicans passed a bill last night (attached as an amendment to an
appropriations measure) that provides Michigan grocery store clerks may refuse
to accept Food Stamps (under the Federal Government's Supplemental Nutritional
Assistance program or SNAP as it is more commonly known) for payment of
qualifying purchases if they have "moral objections" or believe that
accepting food stamps as payment for food is a "matter of
conscience." Furthermore, the clerks
may not be fired by or otherwise penalized by their employers for refusing to
accept food stamps or other means of federal food assistance such as EBT
cards. The Obama administration has
refused to make an announcement regarding the legislation until Governor Snyder
signs the Bill into law, which he is expected to do later today. However, several activist organization have
indicated they intend to file lawsuits to overturn the legislation.
A separate bill expected to come to a vote today proposes
to remove charitable status from shelters and soup kitchens that provide meals
to the homeless, as well as local food banks.
Sponsors of the bill say they believe they have the necessary votes needed
to pass the legislation before adjournment.
No comments:
Post a Comment