NILES, Mich. -- Michigan State Representative Brad Paquette (R-Niles) introduced legislation on March 27 which would prevent the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to purchase pop.

State officials say Paquette’s House Bill 4305 would require the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to request a federal waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to prohibit SNAP in this way.

“Michigan taxpayers should not be required to fund poor food consumption,” Paquette said. “This legislation is in no way calling for low-income individuals to be stripped of the assistance they currently receive to feed themselves and their families, but we have to recognize that this assistance is a privilege and comes at the expense of taxpaying workers. We should ensure that SNAP beneficiaries are not using this program in a way that is both exorbitant and palpably harmful to themselves.”

Officials say House Bill 4305 states if the Department of Agriculture denies the MDHHS’s legislatively directed request for a waiver, the MDHHS will be required to request the waiver annually until it is granted.

House Bill 4305 was referred to the House Committee on Health Policy.