At stake in the upcoming House and Senate negotiations over the final version of the Farm Bill (H.R. 2419) will be the scope, duration, and priorities for new investments in the Food Stamp Program and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). Please plan now for activities while Members of Congress are home this month and in January in order to educate them about hunger in your communities and the importance of moving the best Farm Bill nutrition title choices to address hunger as soon as possible.

Below are details about potential gains pending for hungry families, the process for moving forward in House/Senate Conference Committee, and recommendations for site visits, meetings, Food Stamp Challenges and other media work that can build momentum for the best possible nutrition title.

Gains Worth Fighting For : The Senate version of the Farm Bill that passed on December 14th and the one that passed the House in July each contain important new investments in the Food Stamp Program and TEFAP. These include, among other changes:  increasing and then indexing the Food Stamp Program $10 minimum monthly benefit and standard deductions for households of three or fewer; lifting the cap on the child care deduction; raising food stamp household asset limits and then indexing them; and boosting TEFAP commodities purchases.

The two bills differ in how they much they would do on many of these provisions, on how the investments would be paid for, and on how long the investments would be in place. For example, the House bill would put nutrition program improvements in place for ten years, while the Senate bill would sunset those after five years. The Senate bill contains a more significant raise in asset limits (from $2,000 to $3,500 and from $3,000 to $4,500 before indexing). Advocacy to secure the best provisions from each bill and to finance these investments for ten years is critically important for the potential gains to be realized for hungry families.

Long-Term Extension of Current Programs Not A Good Alternative : Some in Congress have suggested enacting a one-year extension of existing laws rather than completing House/Senate Conference Committee action on this bill. It is vital that Members of Congress hear how important it is for families that face a constant struggle against hunger to have action on the Farm Bill completed as soon as possible in 2008 and with adequate funding of investments in the Food Stamp Program and TEFAP. A long-term extension of current law, by contrast, means continued erosion of the purchasing power of food stamp benefits, of eligibility standards, and too many empty shelves in emergency feeding outlets. A long-term extension of current law is not a good deal for hungry families.

Procedural Outlook : Senior Members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, as well as leaders of the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees, are likely to participate in the House-Senate Conference Committee on the Farm Bill (H.R. 2419). House and Senate leaders also are expected to play significant roles in decisions about the financing and priorities in the Farm Bill package. Members of Congress who are not on the Conference Committee still can influence the direction of the package and should be asked to weigh in on behalf of nutrition title priorities with their leaders and Conference Committee Members. While formal Conference sessions are not expected until later in January, staff likely will begin negotiations immediately after the New Year, and in some cases decisions might occur before then. Once a package is finalized, the House and Senate must each vote to approve it and send it to President Bush for signature or veto.

Message : Urge Members of the House and Senate to expedite a House/Senate Conference on the Farm Bill (H.R. 2419) and move in early 2008 to pass a final Farm Bill with the strongest possible nutrition title. Specifically, urge support for the most adequate additional investments in Food Stamp Program benefits (including the minimum monthly benefit and standard deduction), in Food Stamp Program access/asset limits, and in TEFAP. Explain that a long-term extension of current law is not sufficient; hungry people can’t wait.

Ask Members of Congress to Convey that Message to Key Leaders Making Decisions : Ask Members of Congress to convey these requests to House and Senate Leaders and Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees: House Democrats Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD), Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (MN); Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV), Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (IA); House Republicans Minority Leader John Boehner (OH), Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Bob Goodlatte (VA); and Senate Republican Minotiry Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) and Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Saxby Chambliss (GA).

Plan Activities Now: We will be providing more detailed comparisons about the House and Senate bills’ provisions. In the meantime, however, please plan activities for the December break and early 2008 that can educate Members of Congress about the urgency of enacting the best possible nutrition title.

Specifically:

-- Site Visits: Invite Members of Congress to visit nutrition program and other sites where they can meet low-income families and see how important food stamp benefits and TEFAP services are to help them feed their families.

-- Member Meetings: Ask to meet with your Members of Congress while they are home (before the State of the Union Message in late January). Urge allies from other anti-hunger, religious, children’s, elderly, union, human needs and other groups to join you for such a meeting. Check with the district office of your Senators and Representative(s) to find out about any town hall meetings or other events your Members are hosting in December or January and plan to attend them.

-- Leverage the Power of the Food Stamp Challenge: Plan to shop and eat on $21 for a week in December, January or early February. Ask others in your community to join you. Past Challengers garnered significant media attention about the fact that the $1 per person per meal food stamp average allotment and the $10 monthly minimum food stamp benefit are not adequate. Many of these Challengers sparked press articles before, during and after the Challenge Week. Moreover, many had elected offcials join them. Ask your Members of Congress and other elected officials to take the Challenge. For the toolkit on mounting a Food Stamp Challenge, prepared by The Hatcher Group and FRAC, go to http://www.frac.org/pdf/FSC_Toolkit.pdf For technical assistance on mounting challenges, contact evollinger@frac.org

-- Already Taken the Challenge? Write an op ed or letter to the editor that calls on your experience in the Challenge to buttress the case for investments in food stamps and TEFAP.

-- Other Media Hooks: In the last several weeks, new reports documenting the extent of need have provided additional hooks for op eds and letters to the editor. These include the release this week of the annual survey on hunger and homelessness from the U.S. Conference of Mayors; publication in November of new food insecurity data from USDA and of the numbers of people turning to Catholic Charities agencies in need of food; and a recent Newsweek article on rural nutrition.

-- Holiday Themes? The period of religious holidays, New Year’s Day, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday provides opportunities to call on the public to help those less fortunate, to make a New Year’s Resolution to end hunger in the U.S., and to remind opinion leaders and the public that Dr. King’s vision included addressing hunger and poverty. FRAC can help you draft op eds on these and the other themes discussed in this memo.

Feedback and Assistance
For feedback and/or further assistance, contact evollinger@frac.org and eteller@frac.org

Prepared by Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), 1875 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009; 202-986-2200 x3016; www.frac.org