Des Moines, Iowa — Seven Republicans in the Iowa Senate have voted to deny food stamp benefits to parents who aren’t making an attempt to pay child support.
The seven Republicans on the Senate Labor Committee also have endorsed quarterly income checks to make sure people on Medicaid and food stamps are eligible for the assistance. Senator Jason Schultz, a Republican from Schleswig, says the plan also calls for checking to ensure people aren’t getting welfare benefits from the State of Iowa if they move out of state.
The four Democrats on the committee opposed both bills. Senator Bill Dotzler, a Democrat from Waterloo, says it’s “pretty punitive” to require quarterly income checks for low-income elderly and disabled Iowans who’re on Medicaid.
Another Democrat said he’s no fan of “dead beat dads” who aren’t paying child support, but he suspects some of those fathers are living in other homes with other kids who’d suffer if the household loses food stamps benefits.
