The Alabama House of Representatives Wednesday passed a bill that would prohibit Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients from purchasing certain sugary products with their benefits.
SB 57, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, would prohibit SNAP beneficiaries from buying candy, sodas and energy drinks with their benefits. The bill does not change the amount of money allotted to the recipients and requires the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) to request a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to exclude the products from the list of eligible items.
“If they’re gonna spend their money, their $500 or whatever their money may be, and they can’t buy soft drinks, maybe they’ll supplement it with sweet potatoes and bananas and fruits and vegetables,” Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Pike Road, said after the bill passed.
The bill passed on a party-line vote of 75-27.
According to the USDA, 22 other states — including Hawaii, South Carolina, Texas and Florida — have introduced similar legislation to prohibit the purchase of soda and candy with SNAP benefits and have had their waivers approved by the department.
Ingram, who carried the bill, said the legislation was aimed at tackling Alabama’s high obesity rate.
“They can still buy a diet drink or a drink that doesn’t have the first two ingredients as sugar or high fructose corn syrup,” he said after the bill passed. “We’re one of the worst states as far as health is concerned and obesity in the Union.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2024, Alabama ranked fourth in the nation for adult obesity.
Northwell Health, a non-profit health care network in New York, reported in February that inflation has driven the price of fresh produce up making it harder for low-income families to afford healthier options. According to the article, because of the rising grocery costs, Americans are more likely to choose processed foods that have longer shelf life and are cheaper than fresh food.
Under the legislation, if the waiver requested by DHR is rejected, the department will submit a waiver annually to the USA until it is accepted. If the waiver is approved, retailers will have three opportunities to not be fined, penalized or punished for the accidental acceptance of ineligible SNAP items.
House Democrats raised concerns about unintended consequences the bill could have by only targeting SNAP recipients.
“It seems as though we’re trying to keep our kids healthy, we’re trying to teach good eating habits, but at the same time, we’re discriminating,” Rep. Pebblin Warren, D-Tuskegee, said during debate. “We’re not worried at all about the children as a whole. We’re only concerned about the children getting SNAP [benefits]. That to me defeats the whole purpose of trying to help children.”
Rep. Napoleon Bracy, D-Prichard, said the bill could make some families and children feel less than because they aren’t allowed to purchase treats to celebrate accomplishments.
“And you have a situation where the kids have been working hard in school, they’re making straight A’s, they come home [and say] ‘Look mom, I made the honor roll’ and they’re excited about it and they might not be able to go out and do something special for the kids on the level that one of us may be able to do for our kids,” he said.
Later on Wednesday, Orr moved to send the bill to a conference committee to discuss the changes. The committee is scheduled to meet Thursday morning.
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