Cutting food assistance for families behind on child support does nothing but make children hungrier. That’s why SB 156, though perhaps well-intentioned, would be a step in the wrong direction for Alabama.

SB 156, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, would deny SNAP food assistance to people who fail to “cooperate” or “comply” with child support orders or collection services. SB 156 would take food off the tables of already struggling families, sending them even deeper into poverty.

 Here are a few of the bad things SB 156 would do to struggling Alabamians:

• Take food away from everyone in the family, including the children, if a parent doesn’t “comply” with child support collection.
• Take food away from the very child who is owed child support if the custodial parent doesn’t cooperate with child support collection efforts.
• Make victims of domestic violence and child abuse choose between food and safety if they pursue child support collection.
• Take food away from children living with a non-custodial parent who cannot afford to keep up with child support payments.
• Force grandparents who are raising a grandchild to collect child support from their adult children.
• Cost the Department of Human Resources tens of millions of dollars to update expensive data systems to track child support payments.

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