News

Mass. lawmakers seek to end EBT cash withdrawals

April 12, 2012

The push to ban cash withdrawals using Electronic Benefits Transfer cards continues to heat up, fueled by a convicted Boston drug dealer's attempt to use his EBT card to withdraw bail money, said a story by The Boston Herald.

According to the Herald story, Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo has proposed changes to the system that would ban the use of EBT cards to purchase guns, porn, makeup and tattoos among other products, or to pay fines or bail.

However, State Representative Shaunna O’Connell said the proposal doesn't go far enough, According to the Herald. She plans to file a budget amendment that would prohibit the use of EBT cards altogether for cash withdrawals.

“We don’t know how these funds are being used if recipients use the benefits as cash. Right now they are ATM cards with no oversight. I want to make sure recipients are using them to provide necessities such as food and clothing, not bail,” said O’Connell.

Earlier this week, The Herald reported that a man used his one call from jail to get someone to use his EBT card to get cash for bail. “Get my EBT card and go to the ATM and get the money to bail me out, get me outta here tonight,” Clark said, according to a police report.

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