Guv Healey signs FY23 Supp Budget with funds for SNAP & school meals; Repubs in Congress seek major SNAP cuts; Upcoming Immigrant/Benefits Training 4/5

FoodSNAP
03/30/23

Thank you for joining a robust Coalition meeting and discussion on Tuesday! Our next Coalition meeting is on Tuesday, April 25 from 10-11:30.  And thanks to everyone who attended Immigrants Day at the State House yesterday. It was FANTASTIC! Please join us on April 5th for the annual Immigrants/Benefits Training (see below).  

1. Governor Healey signed the FY23 Supplemental Budget including $132 million for state-funded SNAP!

Late yesterday Governor Healey signed the special FY23 Supplemental Budget. See the Administration’s press release HERE. The Supp Budget includes three important food-security items we’ve been supporting:

 

  • $130 million for state-funded extra SNAP benefits for 3 months - April, May and June. The extra SNAP is funded at 40% of the amount SNAP households were receiving before the federal Covid “emergency allotments” ended in February (the last EA paid March 2nd). Stay tuned for more details on how DTA will roll out these extra benefits - the Guv JUST signed the budget yesterday.

  • $2 million for state-funded replacement of SNAP benefits stolen before October 1, 2022 to “wrap-around” federal replacement limit, if” sufficient funding” permits. Congress limited the amount of stolen SNAP that would be replaced, but MLRI successfully advocated that the FY23 Supp make families “whole” as much as possible. Again, stay tuned for more details on how this will roll out.

  • $65 million to fund universal free school meals - to cover the costs of meals through the end of school year 22/23 (this school year). Huge congrats to Project Bread and #FeedKids Campaign! 

2. U.S. House Republicans target deep SNAP cuts, harsh time limits

The following info is based on an alert from our colleagues at the Coalition for Human Needs (CHN) and info from Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) and Food Research and Action Center (FRAC): 

 

Negotiations in Congress around the 2023 Farm Bill are heating up as some House members push to expand harsh time limits and make drastic funding cuts to SNAP in their quest to cut people from receiving nutritional assistance. Congressman Dusty Johnson (R-SD) - on the House Agriculture Committee -- has introduced legislation that would expand from age 49 through age 64 the people who are limited to only 3 months of aid if they cannot meet burdensome work requirements for SNAP benefits. The harsh 3 month time limits put food assistance out of reach for millions of people. The Johnson bill also - for the first time - subjects parents or grandparents with children 7 years or older to this harsh time limit (currently adults with any minor child are exempt). If this bill passes,national experts predict that more than 10 million SNAP recipients -- including 4 million children -- are at risk of losing nutritional assistance under Rep. Johnson’s proposed legislation. Evidence confirms that time limited benefits and harsh work rules do not work and only punish low income households (see CBPP report).

 

  • The Center for Budget and Policy priorities released a detailed analysis this week of some of these extreme proposals and harsh impact on low income households.. 

  • The Food Research and Action Center has posted the list of important SNAP bills they are supporting in the 2023 Farm bill - including Rep Barbara Lee’s refiled bill, Improving Access to Nutrition Act, H.R.1505, which would once and for all repeal the 3 month time limit. MA Reps McGovern and Auchincloss are currently signed on as co-sponsors.

 

We need your help to fight back. During the upcoming Congressional recess from April 3rd - 15th, Members are back in their districts. Please contact your U.S. Rep and urge them to co-sponsor Rep Barbara Lee’s bill, HR 1505 and reject these extreme proposals. NOW is the time to talk with your Rep about the importance of SNAP and the dangerousness of these and other harmful proposals on the horizon seeking to dismantle the SNAP program..

 

3. Erroneous “expungement” notices sent to some SNAP households

We recently learned that some SNAP households have received DTA notices that say their SNAP will be expunged (removed from their EBT account) if they don’t use those benefits. Most of these DTA notices were sent by mistake.The ONLY time SNAP benefits are expunged is when the household has not used any SNAP benefits for at least 274 consecutive days.  

 

DTA confirmed at Tuesday’s Coalition call that many of these notices are in error and these households will NOT have their SNAP expunged.DTA is to fix these erroneous notices. Please reassure households the following: If they have used any of their SNAP at all in the past 274 days (9 months), their SNAP benefits will not be expunged.

 

4. Join us! Immigrant/Benefits Training - April 5th: