Loophole Assures Food Stamp Flow

Single, frequently homeless people will continue to get food stamps that had been targeted for cutoffs next year, the New York Times reported. A loophole in a new federal welfare law that will allow the food stamps to continue to flow to up to 400,000 single and childless men and women, the newspaper said. The welfare-overhaul bill that President Clinton signed into law in August slashed food stamp eligibility to just three months every three years unless the recipient worked, or was looking for work or had job training. Thirteen states have asked the Agriculture Department, which runs the food stamp program, to exempt hundreds of thousands of people from the three-month, three-year provision, the Times said. California is considering requesting the waivers, the paper said.