Press Releases
WEINER APPLAUDS MAYOR FOR JOINING FIGHT AGAINST HUNGER
New York City – Today, Rep. Anthony D. Weiner (D- Queens & Brooklyn) released the following statement in response to reports that Mayor Bloomberg is pursuing a federal waiver that would make it easier for childless adults to qualify for food stamps:
“I am pleased the Mayor has decided to join the fight against hunger and malnutrition. It is a moral failure that millions of New Yorkers go hungry each year. We cannot accept the status quo any longer.
“Two weeks ago, Rep. Jose Serrano and I introduced legislation in Congress that will offer assistance to the almost 600,000 hungry New Yorker’s who are currently eligible for food stamps, but needlessly fail to receive federal funds that are already available.
“I am committed to seeing progress on this issue and hope the Mayor will join us in the effort to enroll all of New York’s eligible food stamp participants.”
The Serrano-Weiner Anti-Hunger Empowerment Act of 2006 will:
- Provide states with performance-based incentives to enroll all of its eligible food stamp recipients in the program. Under this bill, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will annually report on the efficiency of each state’s program and allocate more federal funding to those states that: 1) Reduce wait times and repeat visits 2) Increase hours of service 3) Implement on-line applications 4) Provide required-document checklists to applicants.
- Create a new Beyond the Soup Kitchen Grant Program to provide funds for eligible faith-based and secular community based organizations working together to feed the hungry. Advocacy groups, all colleges & universities plus government agencies will be eligible to apply for grants between $500,000 and $20 million to expand grass-roots anti-hunger, nutrition, and community food security activities.
- Eliminate obstacles eligible food stamp applicants currently face by instituting a nationwide prohibition against fingerprinting requirements, and requiring states to waive face-to-face interviews in place of phone interviews, except in the case of suspected fraud."
