Pols push latest effort to curb SNAP fraud
Originally published in
Staten Island Advance
on
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A pair of Staten Island elected officials announced their latest efforts Thursday to curb fraud under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican representing Staten Island and part of South Brooklyn, and State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, a Democrat representing the North Shore and part of South Brooklyn, each announced pieces of legislation aimed at curbing the tens of millions of dollars in fraud seen under the program each year.
“I am proud to stand with Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton in our shared commitment to combat this rampant fraud impacting our constituents,” Malliotakis said. “SNAP is a vital lifeline for thousands of families in our community, and this legislation will modernize the system, strengthen safeguards against abuse, and ensure taxpayer funds are protected and directed to those who truly rely on this program.”
“The skimming of SNAP benefits has impacted far too many of our constituents, with my office receiving numerous calls from seniors who discovered their SNAP funds were missing after grocery shopping,” Scarcella-Spanton said. “Our families should not have to skip meals or stretch limited budgets because of a system failure beyond their control.”
Most New York legislation gets done each year in the annual budget, and Gov. Kathy Hochul included funding for Scarcella-Spanton’s SNAP bill in her Executive Budget released last month. The final budget should be passed sometime in the spring.
“This legislation will get the root of the problem to better protect public assistance funds from theft, protecting families already facing financial hardship,” Scarcella-Spanton said. “This bipartisan effort alongside Congresswoman Malliotakis will help ensure that New Yorkers approved for SNAP benefits do not have to worry about how they will put food on the table.”
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