***For Immediate Release***
Tuesday, April 12, 2022
Contact: James Goddard
Senior Director of Programs, Nebraska Appleseed
O: 402-438-8853 x108
C: 402-570-9462
jgoddard@neappleseed.org
Nebraska Appleseed Responds to Legislature’s Failure to End Arbitrary Food Ban with LB121
Lincoln, NE — Today, Nebraska Appleseed’s Economic Justice Program Manager for Food and Nutrition Access Eric Savaiano issued the following statement on the Nebraska Legislature’s failure to advance LB121:
“Yesterday, the Nebraska Legislature again failed to pass a bill that would end Nebraska’s counterproductive lifetime ban on food assistance for people with certain drug convictions. Since 1996, Nebraska has continued this arbitrary ban and perpetuated the inequitable and harmful consequences it has in our communities.
As Nebraska faces a turning point on criminal justice, the Legislature has missed yet another opportunity to focus on prevention and reentry, and not on lifetime punishment. Denying people a basic need like food only leads to recidivism and desperation. Eliminating this ban would have decreased our crisis-level prison population, better ensuring people can reenter and remain in our communities. At some point our leaders must act to address mass incarceration in our state, and meeting people’s basic needs must be part of that needed action.
We would like to thank Senator Megan Hunt for introducing and prioritizing this legislation, and for the work of the advocacy community in contacting their senators and expressing their strong support.
Nebraska Appleseed stands with the more than 1,000 individuals who are currently banned, as well as their families and children who suffer from it as well. This fight is not over. We will not stop until our state has ended this cruel ban.”
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