SNAP in Texas: How Eligibility Will Expand to More Families

A new bill, approved by the Texas Congress last week, would change the eligibility criteria so that More state residents are receiving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Waiting for Governor Greg Abbott to sign it into law, Bill 1287 for the legislature for the desired state One-time inflationary upgrade to the maximum value of a key car to get more Texans to qualify. Under current law, the value of family vehicles is very low, which disqualifies many residents from receiving a SNAP.

Currently, in Texas, rate Vehicles received must cap $15,000 for the base vehicle and $4,650 for any additional vehicles.. These limits have not been updated since 2001 for a base car and since 1974 for add-on cars, according to the Texas Tribune. More than 11,000 Texas families were denied SNAP benefits in 2019, and 54,740 families were denied SNAP benefits in 2022 because of the value of their cars, according to Texas Nutrition Report.

The new bill approved It will increase the value of the base vehicle to $22,500 and $8,700 for each additional vehicle. Any vehicle worth more than these amounts will disqualify the family from receiving SNAP benefits.

“I don’t really see this as a handout but as a handout… What we want people to do is stop relying on government. You have to have transportation to do that,” Republican Senator Louis Colkhorst told the Texas Tribune. The ability to go to work.”

SNAP benefits are calculated based on an individual’s income, family size, and citizenship status. Although food stamps are a federal program, with rules that must apply across the United States, since each state has its own money management, Local governments have the ability to adjust some standards based on the needs of their area and the lifestyle they lead. It’s not the same quality of life people have in Texas as it is in California or Wyoming or Arkansas or other states.

In this sense, with the change created in the Texas legislature, the state will not incur additional costs when values ​​are increased, since SNAP is a federally funded program.

The House signed the bill into law on May 28 and the Senate signed the bill on Monday and sent it to Abbott’s office on Tuesday. It is not known if he plans to sign into law..

Food stamp recipients Get an average of $169 In monthly benefits, depending on Department of Agriculture (USDA).

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