Mo. bill would allow SNAP benefit at restaurants

ST. LOUIS– After it passed the Missouri State Senate last week, the Missouri House is starting to take up discussion on a measure which would let some Missourians who receive benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, at certain restaurants.

Senate bill 798 passed the Senate 18-15 on April 28 with bipartisan support, and will be heard in a House committee Wednesday morning. 

Supporters say it provides more choice for people who have limited options, while opponents have dubbed it as a “welfare whopper” on social media.

The bill would have the Department of Social Service launch a “Restaurant Meals Program” allowing certain disabled, elderly or homeless to have the option to use SNAP benefits at outlets that contract with the department, for “hot food and meals intended for immediate consumption.”

Advocates include Paraquad, the St. Louis-based disability services non-profit organization.

“For someone who uses a wheelchair, or who is unable to hold and control a sharp knife, even a small amount of food prep can present a significant obstacle to nutrition,” Briana Conley, Paraquad’s Public Policy Manager said in Senate committee testimony.

“Consider the number of steps and the amount of time it takes to roast a whole chicken; now compare that to what it takes to turn a store-bought rotisserie chicken into a healthy meal. Or on a Friday night, the time and steps involved in making a frozen pizza versus bringing one home from the prepared section,” she said.

Critics, including State Sen. Dr. Bob Onder, a Republican from St. Charles County, charge that the move is an expansion of welfare and that fast food restaurants should not qualify.

Julie Peetz, the Executive Director of the Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging says the program doesn’t cost more money and isn’t an expansion. “Anything that gives people more choices is better,” she said, sharing the story of one Missouri woman who she said was forty-five minutes away from the nearest grocery store, but close to a convenience store. 

The bill could be voted on by the House Committee on Urban Issues Thursday morning.