Mike Larson, President and CEO, Michigan Association of United Ways joins MBN's Jeffrey Mosher on this segment of Michigan Business Beat.
Mike covers how The Farm Bill, which oversees food and agriculture programs across the country, recently expired in Washington. The legislation provides access to nutritious food through SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The Michigan Association of United Ways is urging the U.S. House of Representatives to work swiftly to accept the bipartisan Senate version of the bill, which passed in June by a vote of 86-11. There are currently 1.4 million food-insecure Michiganders—14.2 percent of the population. Of those individuals, 73 percent are below the SNAP poverty threshold.
Those opposing the Senate version of the bill often argue that SNAP doesn’t have strict enough work requirements for participants. However, current requirements, which are supported in the Senate Bill, limit recipients to just three months to find a job. Meanwhile, House-proposed changes to SNAP would further limit that time-frame to one month.
The Michigan Association of United Ways is urging the statewide business community to contact their congressional representative to take action on the bill.
Mike's conversation on this topic with Jeffrey can be heard by clicking play below.