NY Gov Cuomo Pushes NYC to End Fingerprinting Requirement for Food Stamp Applicants

New York governor Andrew Cuomo

According to a story in today's online editions of The New York Times, only one state in the Union requires the fingerprinting of food stamp applicants. That's Arizona. The newspaper also noted that New York City mandates fingerprinting before a poverty-slammed individual can apply for food stamps. Gotham government officials have defended the quasi-criminal treatment of food stamp applicants as "necessary" to prevent fraud.

Ironically, it has taken a New Yorker to challenge New York City's stance on fingerprinting. The state's governor, Andrew Cuomo, has proposed regulations that would end the City's practice.

I hope Cuomo's push gets results. It is absurd to lump food stamp recipients into the same style of governmental scrutiny as accused criminals. As Bishop Howard J. Hubbard said at a news conference announcing the proposed regulations, "Poverty and hunger are not crimes."