Congress Begins the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Process
Find the latest news and resources on the Child Nutrition Reauthorization page.
Legislative/Administrative Food and Nutrition Roundup and Advocacy Actions
As action heats up in Congress and within the Administration, anti-hunger advocates should take note of recent legislative updates that are critically important to our work, as well as harmful administrative proposals that require action. See the roundup below for more information.
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) Introduces Bill to Abolish Time Limits on SNAP
H.R. 2809, which has 31 cosponsors, would lift SNAP’s arbitrary three-month time limit and ensure that all people have access to nutrition assistance and stay healthy while seeking full-time work. Under current law, certain adults aged 18-49 without dependents are subject to an arbitrary three-month time limit of SNAP benefits unless they document 80 work hours a month. See FRAC’s statement.
Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC) Introduces Bill to Increase SNAP Benefits
H.R. 1368, which has 111 cosponsors, would increase benefits for all SNAP participants by basing benefits on the Low Cost Meal Plan instead of the Thrifty Food Plan, increase SNAP benefits for families with children with high shelter costs by removing the cap on the SNAP shelter deduction, raise the SNAP monthly minimum benefit to $25, and authorize a SNAP Standard Excess Medical Deduction for persons who are elderly or have disabilities (with a minimum standard of $140).
USDA’s Proposed SNAP Rule Will Arbitrarily Limit States’ Ability to Provide Benefits, Increasing Hunger and Poverty
The Trump Administration’s proposed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) rule would diminish food assistance for unemployed and underemployed people in areas with insufficient jobs; undo long-settled regulations; cynically attempt to end run Congress; and increase hunger and nutrition-related diseases.
President Signs Farm Bill
President Trump signed the Farm Bill into law on December 20. Read FRAC’s analysis. The final Farm Bill conference report was filed the evening of Monday, December 10. On December 11, the Senate passed the conference report, 87-13. The House passed the bill on December 12 by a vote of 369-47. Check out FRAC’s statement.
Thank you for taking action to protect immigrant families
The public comment period on the Department of Homeland Security’s proposed public charge rule is now closed. Thanks in part to the efforts of anti-hunger and nutrition stakeholders, more than 210,000 comments on the rule were submitted. Stay tuned for updates on the rulemaking process and see FRAC’s public charge resource page to learn more about continued action to protect immigrant families.
What Every Policymaker Should Know About Hunger
Even though the 2018 elections are over, FRAC’s one-stop-shop for anti-hunger advocates provides the facts and tools needed to ensure every candidate-turned-lawmaker knows about the extent of hunger in America and the solutions that exist to solve it.
ON THE HILL
- 2018 Farm Bill letter to House and Senate Budget and Appropriations CommitteesFRAC is proud to have played a leadership role in developing and garnering support for this letter (pdf) urging the House and Senate Budget and Appropriations Committees not to “hinder development and passage of the 2018 Farm Bill with further cuts.”
- SNAP Support Letters
Take Action
FRAC Response to Dangerous House FY2018 Budget Resolution - Advocates Urged to Take Immediate Action
Find out more
Read FRAC’s Farm Bill Primer
Read More
Prohibit Lunch Shaming: Endorse S. 1064 and H.R. 2401
Organizations: Take action here
Organize a Site Visit
Read MoreThe Anti-Lunch Shaming Act of 2017
Read more
Recent Publications & Data
See More Resources- Interactive Data Tool
Interactive maps and tables providing state-by-state data on participation in breakfast and lunch service through the Summer Nutrition Programs.
Find out more - Guide
This primer features information on how to support opportunities to register people to vote through public assistance agencies.
Fmd out more - Toolkit
The Summer Nutrition Programs play a critical role in closing the summer nutrition gap that exists for low-income families when the school year — and access to school breakfast and lunch — ends.
To make sure you have everything you need to show policymakers that there are too many children in your state missing out on free summer meals, FRAC has developed a communications toolkit for states.
Find out more - Report
This report measures the reach of the Summer Nutrition Programs in July 2018, nationally and in each state. A companion piece, FRAC’s Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation: Summer Breakfast Status Report, focuses on summer breakfast participation.
Read the report
News
FRAC Chat
This interview was originally published by The State of Obesity on July 9, 2019.
June, the beginning of the Atlantic Ocean’s hurricane season, is a good time to highlight disaster preparedness and the role of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in helping to reduce hunger and food insecurity before, during, and after a disaster.
Participation in community eligibility — a powerful tool for high-need schools to offer breakfast and lunch at no cost to all students while eliminating the need for families to fill out school meal applications — is growing across the nation, according to a new FRAC report released this month. Community Eligibility: The Key to Hunger-Free Schools, School Year 2018–2019 shows that nearly 13.6 million children in nearly 28,500 schools across the country (64 percent of all eligible schools) are using the provision in the 2018–2019 school year.