End of ban on SNAP fees maybe first farm bill expiration casualty
Legislators have said the expiration of the farm bill at midnight Saturday won’t have any big ramifications until the end of December when the dairy program ends, but those statements apparently do not account for a provision that banned processing fees on the cards that participants use to get their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. That ban expired along with the farm bill. Jennifer Hatcher, chief public policy officer and senior vice president at FMI – The Food Industry Association, said in an email Sunday, “There are many important provisions in the farm bill to ensure our nation’s food security. Most of the farm bill will remain intact until it is extended — hopefully later this year or early next year.” “One provision that is important to authorized SNAP retailers and our customers is ensuring that neither are allowed to be charged transaction fees,” she said. “Since the beginning of the paper food stamp program and then the transition to SNAP electronic benefits, Congress has always ensured that fees could not be charged to retailers or customers on these transactions.” Contracts for SNAP are competitively bid in each of the states for a defined period of time. It would be inconsistent with congressional intent and the design of the program to allow another set of transaction fees to be imposed on either retailers or customers. “Thankfully, bipartisan legislation has been introduced in both the House and Senate to extend the moratorium on fees permanently, and we hope this legislation will ultimately be included in the farm bill. We’re optimistic for a resolution since there is considerable bipartisan support for a permanent moratorium on SNAP transaction fees. “FMI and our members are committed to building upon the success of SNAP to ensure it continues to serve families in need across the country with efficiency and integrity.” Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, and Sens. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M, and Peter Welch, D-Vt., have introduced bills to make the ban on Electronic Benefit Transfer card processing fees permanent, but neither chamber has acted on them. Luján explained the issue in a news release. |