Kent Conrad: “This amendment addresses a serious problem with the food stamp provisions of the welfare bill that is before us now.…”

“This amendment addresses a serious problem with the food stamp provisions of the welfare bill that is before us now. 600,000 Americans will lose eligibility each month under the provision that is in the bill before us. The 600,000 estimated by the Congressional Budget Office is to be the number of people who would be terminated from the Food Stamp Program in any given month because they are unable to find a job within the 4-month time limit provided for in this legislation. Our amendment insists on work, and that is as it should be. But it promotes State flexibility by giving States an option to assist people who would otherwise be at risk of going hungry. Our amendment achieves these goals in two ways. First, the amendment would expand the State option to exercise a hardship exemption. The amendment increases the hardship exemption from 10 percent to 20 percent of the eligible population and makes it consistent with the AFDC block grant.”