Legislative Brief
House Bill 564: Public Safety Through Food Access
Reducing recidivism by expanding access to benefits
SB 564 Summary: Ensures that all people eligible for Food & Nutrition Services and Work First benefits who have been convicted of a drug felony are no longer denied benefits if they complete a substance abuse treatment program.
Repealing the drug felony ban on food assistance and Work First supports successful community re-entry after incarceration
- People leaving incarceration face major barriers to employment and economic stability. Expanding access to public benefits reduces recidivism.[1]
- As of December 2023, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, and twenty-nine states — including Mississippi, Georgia, and Louisiana — have fully opted out of the drug felony SNAP ban that is still in place in North Carolina.[2]
Making sure people have food and income support provides critical stability during re-entry after a drug conviction
- Researchers have found that people with criminal convictions were twice as likely to report being hungry.[3] In a small-scale study, a third of people with drug felony convictions reported going without food for an entire day.[4]
- By supporting people’s ability to put food on the table, pay for gas to get to a job interview, or pay rent, North Carolina would ensure temporary help during a critical time in the re-entry process.
More about SB 564
- Changes current state law so that people convicted of a drug-related felony can access Work First and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also known as food stamps) benefits if they can demonstrate completion or active participation in a substance abuse treatment program.
- Currently people with Class H or Class I drug felonies are barred access to these benefits for a minimum of six months after their conviction or release from custody, while people convicted of a Class G or higher drug felony are banned from SNAP benefits for life.
[1] http://www.law.harvard.edu/programs/olin_center/papers/pdf/Yang_920.pdf
[2] https://ccresourcecenter.org/national-snap-tanf-drug-felony-study/
[3] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0093854819856920
[4] https://www.sentencingproject.org/reports/a-lifetime-of-punishment-the-impact-of-the-felony-drug-ban-on-welfare-benefits/
