As the farm bill conference committee moved behind closed doors on Thursday, Rep. Ralph Abraham continued his support for punitive work requirements for SNAP recipients. Abraham described the new work requirements as ‘reasonable,’ despite the fact that there are already work requirements on the books and nearly three-quarters of SNAP recipients already work. Abraham, like other proponents of work requirements, leave out critical barriers that some individuals face. Gannett’s Greg Hilburn reports.

“I don’t see any reason to take food off the table of people who need to eat,” said Jan Moller, executive director of the left-leaning Louisiana Budget Project, an organization that advocates for low-and moderate-income families. … “These benefits are especially critical in his [Abraham’s] district because it’s one of the poorest in the United States,” he said. Moller said many food stamp recipients may not have transportation to get to a job or school, especially in rural areas, or they may be family caregivers even if not to a direct dependent. “The stakes are very high,” he said.

New Orleans city employees can’t afford to live in the city
Toinette Johnson works full-time for the City of New Orleans, providing crucial services to make the city a better place to live. Despite this, she doesn’t make enough to live in the city that she works for. Unfortunately, her story is not unique. Writing in a guest column for Nola.com/Times-Picayune, Johnson calls on the city to reciprocate the work and love that city employees show.

We ask that the Cantrell administration and the people of New Orleans put themselves in our shoes. Imagine doing back-breaking work for the city you love, and still needing public assistance because you aren’t paid a living wage. Imagine working your fingers to the bone and not even being given a pair of gloves. That’s why we went on strike, and that’s why we’re going to continue to fight for our rights and our dignity. … That’s why we’re joining together with Step Up Louisiana, SEIU Local 21LA, and other workers across the city to demand economic justice for all New Orleanians. This Labor Day, we’re calling for a $15 minimum wage for city employees.

4,600 lose health coverage in Arkansas
Those who support making work a condition of receiving Medicaid often make the dubious claim that adding a work requirement to the health insurance program will result in more Americans achieving self-sufficiency and economic prosperity. But what if Medicaid recipients never receive the letter in the mail saying they have to comply with a new requirement? Or what if they’re already working but don’t have access to the internet to report their work hours to the government? That seems to be the case in Arkansas where new punitive work requirements have ripped health care away from nearly 5,000 low-income people. Sam Baker with Axios Vitals reports:

Some of those 4,600 people likely met the underlying work or community service requirements — just not the state’s reporting requirements. Arkansans have to submit their hours online, and Arkansas is among the least connected states in the country. Interviews with a handful of Arkansans revealed a “profound lack of awareness about the policy,” according to Health Affairs.   The bottom line: Those numbers suggest that these rules are costing thousands of people their health benefits but only nudging a few hundred into the workforce. That could be a problem for the administration as it argues in court that work requirements don’t contradict Medicaid’s goals as a source of health care coverage.

Gender and racial bias pervade the legal world
Discrimination in the workplace is one of the major factors contributing to the gender and racial pay gaps that exist in every state. A new survey of legal professionals reveals the prevalence and severity of bias women and people of color in the world of law.  Karen Zraick writes for The New York Times:

They found that many women and people of color felt they were held to a higher standard than white men. That feeling was most prevalent among women of color, who reported the highest levels of bias in almost every category. About half of the women of color said they felt they had equal access to the kind of “high-quality” assignments that lead to exposure and advancement in an organization. Among white men, that number was 81 percent. Women of all races said they had to walk a “tightrope” in their behavior. They reported pressure to behave “in feminine ways” and a backlash for exhibiting stereotypically male behaviors.

Lower profile assignments and uncomfortable workplace culture translates into less pay and higher attrition for women and people of color in law firms, the survey found:

In a law firm, that kind of work reduces billable hours, which can hurt compensation. And while it takes up time and energy and helps the organization, it often does not lead to career advancement. The report states that a lack of opportunities to take on challenging work also contributes to high attrition rates among women in law firms. Many women said they felt they were paid less than their colleagues with similar experience. (Almost 70 percent of women of color said so, compared with 60 percent of white women and 36 percent of white men.)

Number of the Day
$37 – The amount of corporate income tax Louisiana collected per capita in fiscal year 2016, the lowest of any state with a corporate income tax.  (Source: The Tax Foundation)