Food stamps are a win-win for New York City, and a critical resource for those who need our help the most. Food stamps bring money into our local economy – money that local businesses desperately need during tough economic times.

Many New Yorkers who have recently lost their jobs depend on food stamps to feed their families, and they can literally mean the difference between life and death for at risk groups like children and seniors. The Council has worked hard to expand access to food stamps, and ensure that they can be widely used for the purchase of nutritious foods.

Requiring fingerprinting for food stamp applicants dramatically undermines our efforts, and the ultimate effectiveness of the program. It discourages New Yorkers from signing up, and wastes valuable government resources that could be used to promote enrollment. I have long opposed the practice of fingerprinting, believe it should be ended immediately, and will continue to press the Bloomberg Administration to abandon this destructive policy.