* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Clarke
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
title
Informational Hearing - Changes to Food Supplement Program Benefits Schedule
FOR the purpose of requesting that representatives from the Health Department and the State Department of Human Resources appear before the City Council to discuss the change in the SNAP benefit distribution schedule, the short and long term pluses and minuses of this shift, and what resources are available to assist SNAP recipients who may experience difficulties in feeding their families while the benefit schedule is adjusted.
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Recitals
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), called the Food Supplement Program (FSP) in Maryland, formerly known as Food Stamps, helps lowincome households buy the food they need for good health. Once a month, benefits for qualified recipients are issued to households on an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card ? similar to a debit or credit card ? for use in purchasing food.
In order to avoid disruptions to the food distribution system caused by large numbers of people shopping for food in a constricted time period each month, the State has staggered the release of benefits over multiple days for some time now, allotting benefits on a particular day each month to households based on the first letters of the primary recipient?s last name.
Until recently, the benefits were delivered over a 10 day period each month. However, the compression of demand into a third of ...
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