CHEYENNE — As the future of SNAP benefits, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is up in the air amid the federal government shutdown, Wyoming lawmakers are looking to update the program by disallowing certain items from purchase, ranging from soft drinks to candy and mustard to spices.

However, state officials also say this move could end up costing Wyoming taxpayers $3.1 million.

On Friday, the Legislature’s Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Committee discussed a SNAP benefits waiver request, outlined in a bill intended to mandate that the state take aggressive action to limit the purchase of certain items through the program. Officially, the bill draft requires the director of the Department of Family Services to request a waiver from the U.S. Department

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