Since December 1996, under and unemployed adults in Oregon between the ages of 18 and 50 who had no dependents or disabilities could only get food stamps for three months every three years. The new policy rescinds these restrictions, which were particularly burdensome for seasonal workers such as cannery and construction workers and agricultural laborers. A study released in October by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that nearly six percent of Oregon households were living in hunger, the highest rate in the country. Weigel's group was among a coalition of organizations that has been pressing the State to change its policy. She said that more than 500 rural Oregonians from her group sent postcards to the Governor, requesting the change.
Seasonal workers face annual periods of unemployment when their resources are scarce.
With food stamps limited to three months every three years, seasonal workers could not rely on the program to help them through hard times from year to year. The change in policy may help reverse Oregon's declining food stamp caseload, down 20 percent from 1996 to 1999. Nearly 31,000 able-bodied adults without dependents were getting food stamps when the limits were imposed in December 1996. At the end of the first three years, the caseload was just half its former size. The policy change follows research by the OCPP demonstrating that the Oregon Department of Human Resources could effectively remove the limits in Oregon by piecing together waivers and exemptions the federal government provides.