A ban on “soft drinks” for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits is approved by the state House.

Drafters of the bill says it’s modeled after the Women, Infants and Children program and still allows some sugary drinks like milk, milk alternatives and some juices.

Rep. Will Mortenson is in favor of the bill. He said the “bottom line” is whether people want taxpayer dollars spent on soda or other, “healthier” items.

"Pop is the number one item purchased with SNAP. [That’s] more than milk, more than eggs, more than cheese, more than bread, number one. And believe me, I’m not casting any blame or judgement on that," Mortenson said. "That excites me and why? Because we’re not cutting the SNAP benefit. Every one of those dollars that’s now being spent on pop is available to spent for meat, and milk, and eggs, and cheese. That’s an exciting thing. We should all be excited about that.”

However, not everyone is sharing the excitement. Some brought up concerns on the fiscal impact on small-town grocers and challenges with implementation.

Rep. Kadyn Wittman shared a personal story, calling the measure “punitive.”

“If this kind of law had existed when I was a kid in Minnesota, it would’ve meant that I couldn’t have pop at my own birthday party," Wittman said. "So, I really need everybody here to think about the unintended consequences that just because my family was on food assistance, we wouldn’t be able to participate in things like this. In my opinion, this is not about nutrition this is about shame."

Lawmakers approved the legislation in a 58-11 vote; it now heads to the Senate side.