Lincoln, NE – Today, Nebraska Appleseed’s Economic Justice Program Manager for Food and Nutrition Access Eric Savaiano issued the following statement on the Nebraska Legislature’s failure to advance LB121:

“Yesterday, the Nebraska Legislature again failed to pass a bill that would end Nebraska’s counterproductive lifetime ban on food assistance for people with certain drug convictions. Since 1996, Nebraska has continued this arbitrary ban and perpetuated the inequitable and harmful consequences it has in our communities. 

As Nebraska faces a turning point on criminal justice, the Legislature has missed yet another opportunity to focus on prevention and reentry, and not on lifetime punishment. Denying people a basic need like food only leads to recidivism and desperation. Eliminating this ban would have decreased our crisis-level prison population, better ensuring people can reenter and remain in our communities.  At some point our leaders must act to address mass incarceration in our state, and meeting people’s basic needs must be part of that needed action. 

We would like to thank Senator Megan Hunt for introducing and prioritizing this legislation, and for the work of the advocacy community in contacting their senators and expressing their strong support.

Nebraska Appleseed stands with the more than 1,000 individuals who are currently banned, as well as their families and children who suffer from it as well. This fight is not over. We will not stop until our state has ended this cruel ban.”

This press release was released by the Appleseed Foundation on April 12, 2022. 

Further Info on LB121 from Unicameral Update published on March 23, 2022

A bill that would eliminate a lifetime ban on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program eligibility for felony drug convictions advanced from general file March 22.

Under current state law, an individual with three felony convictions for use or possession of a controlled substance or one felony conviction for distribution or intent to sell or distribute a controlled substance is prohibited from receiving SNAP benefits.

LB121, introduced by Omaha Sen. Megan Hunt, would overturn that prohibition and allow individuals with felony drug convictions to receive SNAP benefits only if they have completed their sentence or are on parole, probation or in post-release supervision.

Hunt said protections exist to prevent SNAP recipients from selling their benefits and that it is unfair to single out drug felonies as the only crime that carries such a prohibition.

“It’s wrong that somebody can get convicted of distribution of marijuana at age 18 … and then be unable to receive SNAP benefits 15 years later,” Hunt said. “It only becomes [clearer] what a great injustice this is when you realize that someone could have served time for murder, for rape, for robbery, for child molestation – anything – and they would still be eligible for SNAP.”

Omaha Sen. Terrell McKinney supported the bill. He said individuals released from prison would be less likely to reoffend if they have access to food. Policies like the lifetime ban are outdated and punitive, he said.

“If a person serves a year, six months or even five years in prison, isn’t that enough? What else do we need from these people?” McKinney said.

Sen. Julie Slama of Sterling opposed LB121, saying she did not support expanding SNAP benefits to drug felons. She suggested possibly amending the bill during the next round of debate to exclude all individuals with felony convictions from eligibility.

“Nebraska has a very expansive SNAP eligibility criteria and I actually do support reining that in,” Slama said.

This story first appeared in The Unicameral Update, a daily news source produced by the Clerk of the Legislature’s Unicameral Information Office that covers legislative activity, including floor action and com-mittee hearings. For additional coverage, visit update.legislature.ne.gov.