The following article was originally published in the Ohio Capital Journal and published on News5Cleveland.com under a content-sharing agreement.
COLUMBUS, Ohio—State lawmakers removed two provisions from the state budget that would have made food stamps more difficult to access for poor Ohioans.
Senate Republicans earlier this month proposed two changes to how the state administers benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
One would impose an “asset test” on recipients, which eliminates their benefits if their householders save up $2,250 or more.
The other would have required recipients to report every fluctuation worth $500 or more in their income to officials. This would require cumbersome paperwork for SNAP recipients who take odd jobs or extra shifts at work.
However, a conference committee comprised of representatives and senators removed the proposal Monday evening, hours before lawmakers passed the budget.
The final package now goes to Gov. Mike DeWine, who can approve or veto individual provisions on a case-by-case basis.
