what, no more strip clubs w/ govt' $, WTF!!!
 

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.

Some recipients' use of their TANF benefits were called into question after media reports found the cards were being swiped at ATMs in strip clubs, liquor stores and casinos. Some recipients were also accessing their benefits out of state, including in Las Vegas casinos, at shops in Hawaii and on cruise ships, according to the reports.

The bill would force states to develop policies to prevent this from happening.

"This legislation stops waste, fraud, and abuse within the welfare program," said Rep. Charles Boustany, Jr., a Louisiana Republican. "It protects the public interest by ensuring money meant to help Americans get back on their feet is used for that very purpose."

Advocates for the low-income, however, said the legislation isn't really needed and that Congress has more important issues to focus on.

"Of all the things Congress needs to be dealing with, that this is a priority seems pretty strange," said Elizabeth Lower-Basch, senior policy analyst at CLASP, adding that several states have already adopted such rules.

My wife and I have debit cards for our HSA (Health Savings Account).

It will work at a doctor's office or pharmacy because they are approved medical vendors.

It won't work at a gas station or resturant because they are not approved medical vendors.

Private sector FTW.

I am a federal employee, I have have the same HSA card. FWIW

Issued by a private company.

I think the only federal employees that are on healthcare that isn't private is military and probably the politicians themselves.

My point was that private providers thought of restricted use cards years ago.

It should have been done from the beginning on the welfare cards.

Seriously, have you seen the usage fees charged at a casino or strip club ATM? Talk about government waste!

It was done back in the day when they gave you a paper voucher that was only redeemable at food stores, then they went ahead and turned it into a credit card.

But... I remember using food stamps and WIC credits and other such government programs as a kid and trading them in for cash, $.65 on the $1. It is still going to be just as easy to trade the credit card for cash

Ive never used either card but Im betting its easier to tell the difference (electronically) between a gas station and a doctors office transaction than an ATM at a 7-11 and and ATM at a strip club, especially when both ATMs could be the same make and model.

How about not ATM use at all? Where the fuck do you need cash for the essentials these days anyway?

when i lived in florida i would have ppl all the time ask if i was paying in cash because they wanted to pay for my groceries with their welfare card in exchange for cash.