Second Harvest has officially adopted the following positions on 2018 federal and state public policy issues to further our vision of a hunger-free community.
Morgan Hill Library “Lunch at the Library”
Federal Policy Agenda
Protect and Strengthen Federal Nutrition Programs in Budget and Spending Legislation
Federal nutrition programs are currently at risk. This is alarming because these programs provide a critical safety net by helping families and individuals put food on the table during times of need. Investing in hunger prevention and relief is not only humane, it is fiscally sound. Hunger increases health care costs, lowers worker productivity, harms children’s development, and hampers students’ ability to perform at school.
2018 Farm Bill
The 2014 Farm Bill is set to expire on September 30, 2018. The upcoming reauthorization process provides an opportunity to make improvements and new investments in food and nutrition programs covered under the bill.
- Protect the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, CalFresh in CA)
- Protect other food and nutrition programs including The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and Meals on Wheels
- Increase TEFAP funding for food purchases, storage and distribution
- Oppose any proposals for cuts, block grants or structural changes to programs that would increase hunger and cause economic hardship
- Provide support for growers and producers to connect excess food to communities in need
Read more from the California Association of Food Banks:
- CAFB Opposes SNAP Cuts in House Farm Bill
- CAFB Analysis on the House Farm Bill
- CAFB and CA Farm Bureau Encourage Congress to Pass Unified Farm Bill
- CAFB Federal Policy Resource Page
H.R. 1276 Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2017 – Adams
Makes many key improvements to SNAP to better account for the cost of food and living expenses.
Read more:
- Summary: H.R. 1276 – Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2017
- Infographic: H.R. 1276 – Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2017 – Food Research and Action Center
California Policy Agenda
Budget
CalFood — State Emergency Food Assistance Program [Support]
Invests $20.6 million to enable California food banks to purchase and distribute California-grown foods.
Breakfast After the Bell — School Breakfast [Support]
Strengthens and expands California’s Breakfast After the Bell grant program for high-poverty schools.
Legislation
AB 1871 [Support] – Bonta
Ensures low-income K-12 students attending public charter schools have access to at least one nutritious meal a day at school.
AB 1892 [Support] – Jones-Sawyer
Extends Transitional CalFresh benefits to a broader group of Californians leaving safety-net programs.
AB 1894 [Support] – Weber
Builds on previous legislation to improve access to federal anti-hunger benefits for California’s low-income college students.
AB 1952 [Support] – Mayes, Steinworth, Arambula
Establishes a workgroup responsible for drafting a plan to create a hunger-free California.
AB 1957 [Support] – Berman
Modernizes laws governing communication between public social services and program applicants and recipients.
AB 2297 — Hunger Impact of 2018 [Support] – Arambula
Increases benefits for CalFresh households and requires additional benefits for cash-aid recipients who have a special diet or food-preparation need.
SB 990 [Support] – Wiener, Arambula
Enables the CalFresh Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) system to integrate incentives for eligible purchases of California-grown fruit and vegetables at grocery stores and farmers’ markets.
Download our 2018 Public Policy Agenda (pdf).