Western Center on Law and Poverty’s Statement on Passage of S. 3307

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Western Center on Law and Poverty’s Statement on Passage of S. 3307
12/02/2010

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (S.3307). Its passage was accompanied by the commitment of the President and Congressional leaders to fix the cut to food benefits for low-income Americans that were included in that Act.

Western Center responds.

December 2, 2010

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (S. 3307). Its passage was accompanied by the commitment of the President and Congressional leaders to fix the cut to food benefits for low-income Americans who receive “SNAP”, referred to as CalFresh in California, that were included in that Act.

The Western Center on Law and Poverty applauds the work of the many members of Congress and the Administration and the many anti-poverty, anti-hunger, nutrition, child care, education, labor and other groups around the country which have fought for two years to produce the strongest possible child nutrition bill and one that doesn’t cut the SNAP program. Their efforts have been heroic.

According to the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), the bill included the following important provisions:

 Expanding the Afterschool Meal Program to all 50 states;

 Supporting improvements to direct certification for school meals and other strategies to reduce red tape in helping children obtain school meals;

 Allowing state WIC agencies the option to certify children for up to one year;

 Mandating WIC electronic benefit transfer (EBT) implementation nationwide by October 1, 2020;

 Enhancing the nutritional quality of food served in school-based and preschool settings; and Making “competitive foods” offered or sold in schools more nutritious.

Now, we are calling upon our National leaders to follow-through with their commitment to quickly fix the cuts to SNAP.

Western Center urges our partners and all who care about the health and wellbeing of low-income families to call the President and their Representative to request that SNAP benefits be quickly restored.

Western Center Responds to Passage of S. 3307