Irwin bill would remove asset limit for food assistance
LANSING, Mich. (Jan. 19, 2023) — Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) introduced a bill Wednesday to fight food insecurity. Senate Bill 35 would remove the legal requirement for Michigan to apply an asset test to determine eligibility for food assistance (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP).
“A safety net only works if you can use it before you hit the ground,” Sen. Irwin said. “Food assistance is meant to help families get over a rough spot. But refusing to help people until they have fallen even deeper into poverty makes it harder for them to get back on their feet.”
The asset test is among the many bureaucratic barriers and restrictions hungry Michiganians face in getting food assistance. Households who are over the asset limit must deplete their savings before they can qualify for help. Michigan law requires the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to apply an asset test to food assistance eligibility, but the amount is set by the department. Michigan eliminated the SNAP asset limit for a period in the early 2000s when federal rules first allowed states this discretion, but reinstated it at $5,000 in 2012. Current policy sets the limit at $15,000. Most other states have eliminated the asset limit for food assistance.
Nearly 1.2 million people in Michigan are facing hunger, including nearly 300,000 children. In 2021, SNAP helped 1 in 8 people in our state pay for food for at least part of the year. In addition to helping those in need, SNAP is good for farmers, grocery stores, and the economy as a whole, generating an estimated $1.50 to $1.80 in economic activity for every dollar of SNAP benefits.
“We should stop wasting our tax dollars on a bureaucratic process whose sole purpose is to stand between Michiganians and the help they need,” Sen. Irwin said. “While the current asset limit is less draconian than it was under the Snyder administration, we need to pass SB 35 to safeguard Michiganians’ continued access to vital food assistance.”
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