LINCOLN- For some past drug offenders in Nebraska, a punishing Nebraska law prohibits them from obtaining food stamps, or benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. "SNAP would be such a great stepping stone to help me get the stability I need to keep my kids happy and to move forward in my career," said Kayla Tobey, a working mother of two children and passed drug offender.

On Friday, Tobey joined advocates and other offenders at a press conference to call on the Nebraska Legislature and U.S. Congress to pass bills to lift the ban for people who have since moved past drug use. "We continue to see the harm that results from the unnecessary lifetime SNAP ban," said Eric Savaiano of Nebraska Appleseed.

Some in the Legislature, however, are working to change the law. Sen. Hunt's LB88, introduced last year, would allow persons convicted of a felony involving the possession, distribution, or use of a controlled substance to have the ban lifted from them once they complete their sentence. U.S. Rep. Don Bacon is also a co-sponsor of the federal Restore Act proposal, which would do the same thing on a national level.

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