NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — If welfare recipients want to dole out the dollar bills at a strip club, they’d better make sure it’s not government money … at least if a bill in Congress becomes law.
The House last week overwhelmingly passed legislation that would require states to ban the ability to access government benefits at strip clubs, liquor stores and casinos.
The benefit program in question is Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), formerly known as welfare. TANF provides cash assistance to working poor families — often through an electronic benefit transfer card that can be used like a debit card. The money is meant to be spent on food, rent and other necessities.
Also, many low-income Americans live in areas where banks are scarce, making it hard for them to find an ATM, she said. Barring them from using ATMs in liquor stores or casinos could mean recipients have to travel farther or pay higher fees to access their benefits.
The legislation, which is also part of the larger payroll tax bill now before a Congressional conference committee, moves to the Senate.
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