$1M Lotto Winner Cut From Food Assistance
LINCOLN PARK (WWJ/AP) - The state says a Detroit-area woman who won a $1 million lottery prize but continued to get food stamps has been removed from a food assistance program.
Michigan Department of Human Services said Wednesday the lottery winner no longer was getting benefits. It followed a report this week from WDIV-TV in which 24-year-old Amanda Clayton, a Lincoln Park mother of two, acknowledged continuing to get $200 in monthly food aid after her September win.
Her mother, Euline Clayton, told The Detroit News her daughter didn't break any laws.
Legislation in Lansing would require lottery and other gambling winnings to factor into eligibility for government food assistance programs.
The legislation comes after a Bay County man last spring acknowledged he continued to use food stamps despite winning a $2 million lottery prize in 2010. State officials said at the time that lump sum payments weren't counted when judging eligibility for food aid.
Welfare has been a recent hot topic in Michigan. Last August, the state removed about 30,000 college students from its food assistance program after enforcing federal guidelines. Then in September, Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law a stricter, four-year lifetime limit on cash welfare benefits. Lawmakers have also considered mandating drug tests for welfare applicants.
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