NAP provides meals to more than 42 million Americans, including seniors, children, low-wage workers and veterans. Most are in families living below or at the poverty level who are struggling to put food on the table while trying to keep up with the cost of rent, transportation, health care and utilities. Many are stuck in low-wage jobs where they don’t earn a living wage, can’t get enough hours and have no benefits. Many can’t find jobs, are between jobs or are looking for better jobs.

But the bill doesn’t stop at taking benefits away from struggling single parents, older people and people with disabilities. It goes one step further by creating a lifetime ban on food assistance for individuals who were convicted of a single violent crime — even if that crime is decades in the past, and the convicted person has already served their time and is working hard to reintegrate into society.

Worse, the bill also punishes their families. Although the returning citizen can no longer get SNAP, their income is still counted toward a total family income amount used in determining benefits, potentially taking benefits from the rest of the family including their children.

As a returning citizen myself, I know firsthand about the obstacles facing people coming out of prison, particularly African Americans who are disproportionately jailed and are more severely punished for committing the same crimes as their white counterparts.

Read more here