FOX 11 Investigates follow up: Lawmaker proposes changes to FoodShare program
By Robert Hornacek
Published: April 2, 2015, 4:19 pm
Updated: April 2, 2015, 5:25 pm
A FOX 11 Investigates story could lead to a change in state law. It has to do with the FoodShare program.
Last fall, FOX 11 Investigates found that some people are racking up thousands and thousands of dollars in FoodShare benefits they’re not using.
We obtained documents that showed balances as high as $12,000 even $14,000. It’s all legal. But some people had a big problem with the big balances.
“They should be cut off. Obviously they can pay for their own and have means of taking care of them themselves. The state doesn’t need to care of them,” Jessica Campbell told us back in November.
“That’s wrong if they’re not using it. It’s a clear thing of abuse of the system,” said Mario Metoxen in our original report.
We also showed State Rep. Andre Jacque (R-De Pere) what we found.
“It’s just stunning. It’s not something that should happen,” Jacque told us then.
Now, Jacque is taking action.
“Really, your story gave us a great starting point for where we could look at,” he said in an interview with FOX 11 Investigates.
Jacque is circulating a bill that would put limits on how long people can bank their benefits.
“This bill is about program integrity and preserving the program for those who do need it,” Jacque said.
Under the bill, a person would lose their benefits if they don’t use their account for six months. The recipient would be able to get the benefits back if they reapplied to the program or made a request to the state.
Benefits would be expunged from the account if they are not used within one year. The state had already done that in practice, but the bill would put that practice into law.
“This is supposed to be a need-based program. And if those benefits are going unused, certainly, in the large amounts you had shown me last year, really creates concerns that the program isn’t functioning as it was intended,” Jacque said.
Jacque says so far, 10 other legislators have signed on to the bill. He plans to introduce it later this month.