Taxpayers are apparently buying welfare recipients booze and cigarettes for the road—at times a quite exotic road.
An analysis of a Colorado Department of Human Services welfare ATM withdrawals database shows that $3.8 million was withdrawn by Colorado welfare recipients outside the state in the past two years. There were withdrawals at out-of-state liquor stores and tobacco outlets, as well as vacation destinations such as Hawaii, Las Vegas and even the Virgin Islands, data shows.
State Rep. Tim Dore, R-Elizabeth, who has urged limitations on where welfare recipients can use their electronic benefit transfer cards in Colorado, was shocked taxpayers are apparently funding some exotic travel.
“I wasn’t even aware of that,” said Dore, who has promised to try to address the use of cards at liquor stores, casinos and marijuana shops in the next legislative session. “That’s an additional issue we need to look into it.”
Recent stories have revealed Colorado welfare withdrawals at liquor stores and casinos, despite federal and state law banning such actions, and welfare recipients taking out money at the state’s legal marijuana shops. Federal law prevents EBT withdrawals from ATMs at liquor stores, casinos and other adult establishments, and Colorado law since 1996 prevented ATM use in liquor stores and casinos in Colorado.
The database analysis of out-of-state withdrawals found about 2 percent of Colorado welfare ATM withdrawals happened outside the state’s borders. About $882,000 occurred in states neighboring Colorado, most probably by recipients who live near the border. That leaves about 1.7 percent of nearly $170 million, or $2.9 million in taxpayer money, in withdrawals from traveling or vacationing welfare recipients in the past two years.
Of the out-of-state money, more than $70,000 was withdrawn in the past two years in Las Vegas, $6,451 in Hawaii and even $560 in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands.
In addition, nearly $8,000 was withdrawn from out-of-state ATMs in places that had the words bar, liquor store or tobacco in the establishment’s name.