OHIO, USA — Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted made a move Wednesday he says will help low-income families and the state's workforce.
He asked the federal government to waive a rule that affects families who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, also known as food stamps.
In a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Husted said as many as 50,000 young Ohioans are not getting jobs or entering work-based learning programs because they fear the wages they earn could cut their family's SNAP benefits.
"I strongly urge you to grant the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services' request for a waiver to exclude income from secondary students under age 21. Removing this obstacle will open many doors for more low-income students," Husted wrote in the letter to the USDA.
Under USDA policy, the wages of 18 to 21-year-olds count toward their overall household income in determining the amount of SNAP benefits their household receives.
The lieutenant governor wants the USDA to waive that so those 50,000 individuals can work without fear of jeopardizing their family's benefits. Husted says this will help low-income families and Ohio's workforce at a time when the state has a significant labor shortage.
"We want 18 to 21-year-olds to go to work, but the idea that if you're in high school or you're in community college and you're also going to work, that you could literally eliminate your parents' ability to feed your younger siblings doesn't make any sense," Husted told 10TV in an interview Wednesday.
Husted discussed the waiver at the Governor's Executive Workforce Board meeting he chaired in Groveport. Many of the business and state leaders at the meeting expressed support for the effort to get the waiver.
Husted submitted the waiver request Wednesday morning. There is no word on when he could get a decision from the USDA.