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Fla. bill would ban buying sweets with food stamps

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.,None — A Florida lawmaker is pushing a bill that would ban the use of food stamps to purchase snacks and sweets like cookies and cakes.
 
Republican Sen. Ronda Storms of Valrico says she wants to stop the small percentage of recipients who misuse food stamps. Her bill would also require the state to start a program to teach food stamp recipients about healthy eating and how making your own products like cakes is cheaper than buying store-made.  The bill is moving through committees.
 
The bill's critics say the government shouldn't be telling people what to eat. Democratic Rep. Gwyndolen Clarke-Reed of Pompano Beach also says the educational provision is demeaning to minorities and the poor by implying they aren't smart enough to make their own choices.