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The Bush Administration's Farm Bill would reverse Oregon’s progress against hunger |
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From Oregon Center for Public Policy: Under the Administration's plan, a minimum of approximately 41,530 low-income Oregonians, including about 17,000 children, would lose food stamp benefits. Oregonians losing food stamps under the Administration's proposal would also lose automatic eligibility for a number of other programs, since eligibility for these other programs is linked to food stamp receipt. For instance, about 12,600 Oregon children would lose automatic eligibility for free school lunches and breakfasts under the Administration's proposal. Oregon's recent success in reducing hunger might well reverse course if the Administration's plans are adopted. Using the new flexibility Congress established under welfare reform, Oregon was able to help more low-income working families receive food stamps. The most significant change was an increase in the income limit for food stamps from 130 percent of poverty ($22,321 for a family of three) to 185 percent of poverty ($31,765 for a family of three). Oregon used expanded categorical eligibility to not only allow families to have more income, but also to allow food stamp households to hold more assets, including a reliable car for getting to work. The State instituted several other improvements to increase the number of Oregonians getting food stamps and to help ease Oregon's high hunger rate. The State launched an ambitious outreach and information initiative, scaled back paperwork requirements, and implemented a program that kept food stamps flowing to families transitioning off cash assistance into jobs. These and other federal food stamp program options the state implemented, plus the worsening of the economy beginning in 2001, sharply increased the number of Oregonians receiving food stamps.
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