A Maryland business owner is going after the federal government for blocking him from accepting food stamps.
Altimont Wilks owns Carmen's Corner Store in Hagerstown andHe opened his first shop in Hagerstown, in part, to serve a low-income community trapped in a food desert, and to make it easier for folks to get an affordable meal. Many of his customers rely on SNAP benefits — formerly called food stamps. The problem is, Wilks is a convicted felon and the U.S. Department of Agriculture says that means he can't accept SNAP benefits.
"If you ask the average person if they'd rather be a legitimate business person or a lowly drug dealer, I'm pretty sure they'd say, a legitimate business person. And that's what we need. But without the resources and the level playing field, entrepreneurs like myself don't stand a chance," Wilks said.
After serving more than 12 years in prison, he was released in 2018 and opened his corner store, which is named after his mother. Now, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says he's not allowed to accept SNAP benefits because of his criminal history. "The business integrity rule hurts the low-income communities that Congress intended to help," said Jared McClain, an attorney at the Institute for Justice. "He opened his store to be able to provide local groceries at a community convenience store for his neighborhood and not being able to sell the groceries that he has provided for them doesn't just hurt Altimont but hurts his community as well.
Maryland Congressman David Trone has introduced a bipartisan bill called the Snap Second Chance Act that would prohibit the USDA's ability to impose these kinds of restrictions.that I have read and agree
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Maryland police using drones from a Chinese company on US investment blacklistInsider tells the global tech, finance, markets, media, healthcare, and strategy stories you want to know.
Read more »
Food stamps: Virginia SNAP begins distribution for August benefits in two daysPeople who benefit from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in Virginia will begin to see their payments for the month of August sent out in two days.
Read more »
Food stamps: Rhode Island residents will receive up to $1,691 of SNAP payments in two daysRhode Island will send out all direct payments to state residents participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for the month of August in two days.
Read more »
I went hungry in college because nobody told me about SNAP🗣️'I went hungry in college because nobody told me about SNAP' - Heather Taylor, the managing director of bread4theworld, shares her experiences of poor nutrition as a result of struggling financially in college.
Read more »
Snap’s Struggle to Keep Up With Bigger Digital Ad RivalsFor Variety VIP+ subscribers: Is Snap’s struggle to keep up with its bigger digital rivals in Q2 just a splash of cold water on a warming ad market?
Read more »
Wicked weather slams millions in US as storms snap heat wave on East CoastNEW YORK — Millions of people in the eastern United States awoke to cooler, drier air on Monday morning after blustery storms helped bring an end to the first heat wave of the season.
Read more »