the farm bill 2013 stl food bank

The Farm Bill and SNAPPolicies affecting your Clients

By: Christine Woody, MSWMissouri Association

For Social Welfare

Comprehensive piece of legislation that guides and authorizes funding for most of the federal food and farm policies.

Every five years, Congress renews the Farm Bill through the reauthorization process.

What is the Farm Bill?

• Ensure a stable and affordable food supply• Protect farmers from price volatility• Provide a nutrition safety net for the poor• Support farm production and rural development• Conserve natural resources• Create new sources of energy

Farm Bill Goals from the Beginning

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using Congressional Budget Office estimates

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

• The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)

• Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)

• Seniors Farmers’ Markets• The Hunger-Free Communities Collaborative

and Infrastructure Grant Programs

What is in the Farm Bill regarding Hunger and Nutrition Policy?

For Low-income Americans broadly: • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

(SNAP)/Food Stamps • The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)For Seniors: • Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) • Seniors Farmers’ MarketsFor Children and Low Income Families: • USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program • Community Food Project Grants

Who do these Programs help?

More on SNAP

Formerly The Food Stamp Program (well in Missouri it is still called the Food Stamp Program).

Almost 1 million Missourians are on the program

The most far-reaching Federally funded nutrition program. Helps the most people not only with their hunger needs, but helps many out of poverty.

SNAP

Number of beneficiaries each month:

• 1996 – 25.5 million • 2000 - 17.2 million • 2007 – 26.5 million • 2009 – 33.5 million • November 2012 – 47.7 million

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)(“food stamps”)

Each of you as Pantry Workers should ask and encourage your clients to apply for the Food Stamp Program.

It can positively affect struggling families and relieve some of the burden of pantries who are overwhelmed by clients needing assistance.

What Must You Prove?

You reside in the State of Missouri AND

You are a United States citizen or eligible immigrant;

ANDYou meet income and resource rules;

OR You are categorically eligible for Food Stamps.

Sources: Missouri Income Maintenance Manual §§ 1105.005.00, 1105.010.00, 1110.005.00, 1135.035.00.

Eligibility Process

There are verification requirements in the Food Stamp program. Applicants should bring the following items with them to the FSD office: Paycheck stubs; Social Security card; Utility bills; Driver’s license or birth certificate; If your household has a disabled member: Hospital

bills, pharmacy receipts, or doctor bills relating to the disabled member.

Even if people do not have all of these documents readily available, people should STILL APPLY. The FSD caseworker can help them get the necessary verification after they apply.

What should you bring to apply

Individuals and families who want to apply for Food Stamps can go to their local FSD office and fill out an application. To find out where the local FSD office is at: you can go to: http://www.dss.mo.gov/fsd/office/index.htm

Applications can even be mailed or filled out over the telephone. To request an application or to fill an application over the phone, call your local FSD office.

Food Stamp applications are also available online at: http://www.dss.mo.gov/fsd/fstamp/pdf/fs1_070105.pdf

Where can you apply

Food Stamps have been proven to be a positive supplement to the health of low-income individuals and their families.

SNAP helps low income families

SNAP helps Families

For every $5 in food stamps that are spent, roughly $9 in economic activity is generated.

Every dollar spent in food stamps results in 17 to 47 cents in new spending on food.

Every $1 billion in Food Stamp spending generates 3,000 farm jobs.

Source: USDA- The Benefits of Increasing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Participation in Your State, December, 2011

And the Economy

Funding for all of these nutrition programs are vitally important!

Changed the name of Food Stamps to SNAP.

Increased the $10 minimum monthly benefit (unchanged for 30 years) to $14, and indexed it for inflation

Allowed more families to save without penalty by excluding education savings and tax-preferred retirement accounts from food stamp asset limits.

Last Farm Bill passed in 2008

It was up for reauthorization in 2012. Many proposals (positive and negative)

have been initiated in Congress. Nothing has passed yet. Passing of the

Farm Bill has been complicated by other Federal Budget Debates.

Congressed passed an extension through September.

The New Farm Bill

Provide for a way to make quicker adjustments to the Food Stamp benefit levels so that these levels don’t lag behind rising food prices

Continue to increase the minimum benefit levels to ensure that households receiving the minimum benefit levels continue to retain purchasing power

Allow benefits to be adjusted when high housing costs eat up a family’s income

Some positive possibilities

Eliminate the lifetime ban for drug felons; Allow all states to operate a Combined

Assistance Project with the Social Security Administration;

Provide more resources to states for outreach efforts;

Increase access to healthy foods- fund more farmer’s market pilot programs.

Cut the program budget for SNAP benefits;

Turn the SNAP Program into a block grant; or

Roll back the significant gains from the last two Farm Bills.

Some concerns

What has happened in the Farm Bill renewal debate

Thus Far…

Senate Bill-- S. 3240 Passed full Senate in June 2012 $4.49 billion cut to SNAP over 10

years. An estimated 500,000 households a

year will lose $90 per month in SNAP benefits (CBO estimate)

2012 Farm Bill- Senate Proposal

Passed out of House Agriculture Committee July 2012 $16 billion cut to SNAP over 10 years Restricts the Categorical Eligibility (Cat El) option that

allows states to coordinate SNAP gross income and asset rules. 1.8 million individuals per year could lose SNAP benefits

(CBO) 2-3 million individuals could lose SNAP (Obama Admin.) 280,000 low-income children could lose free school meal

access Eliminate state bonuses for effective SNAP operation

House Proposal

From the Advocates in DC

A real concern that some sort of SNAP Program cuts

are possible!

Contact your Members of Congress and urge them to support and protect the

SNAP program!

Call your Member of Congress and urge them to strengthen and protect SNAP

Schedule a meeting with your Member of Congress when they are back in their district.

Organize a site visit to your agency

How can I help?

Regardless of what happens next the message stays the same:

NO CUTS TO SNAP!

Any Questions?

Christine Woody, MSWMissouri Association for Social Welfare

www.masw.orgchristinemasw@hotmail.com

Thank You