Gov. Brown signs bill eliminating fingerprinting requirements for food stamp recipients

The San Jose Mercury reports:

Under AB 6, food stamp recipients will no longer be forced to be fingerprinted -- something that health advocates say frightened away eligible families from the program, now called CalFresh. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, only 50 percent of eligible Californians receive food stamps -- one of the lowest rates in the country.

"This important legislation will help thousands of California families feed their children in these most challenging economic times," said Daniel Zingale, senior vice president of the California Endowment, a health advocacy organization. "It eliminates bureaucratic red tape and eases the delivery of vital nutrition assistance to our state's most vulnerable children."

It's for the children! Only backward types could object!