Update: the February 2nd subcommittee meeting for SSB 1105 was postponed.
Yesterday saw the introduction of Senate Study Bill 1105, which targets SNAP and other public assistance programs. A subcommittee meeting for this bill has already been scheduled for Thursday, February 2, at 10:00am.
Please contact the members of the subcommittee for SSB 1105 today and tell them you do not support this harmful bill!
Sen. Jeff Edler – jeff.edler@legis.iowa.gov
Sen. Mark Costello – mark.costello@legis.iowa.gov
Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott – sarah.trone.garriott@legis.iowa.gov
One note on the subcommittee meeting tomorrow: you can testify remotely in the Senate via Zoom!
SSB 1105 is similar to House File 3, but is not identical. Some key differences:
- SSB 1105 does not restrict the purchase of soda and candy from SNAP, nor does it include a $1 million appropriation for the Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) program.
- SSB 1105 does not contain the sections on work requirements for the Medicaid expansion population or banning the use of pre-populated forms for Medicaid.
Unfortunately, SSB 1105 does include some very harmful provisions that are also in HF 3, including:
- Establishing an asset limit of $2,750 for SNAP households, or $4,250 if there is at least one member of the household with a disability or age 60+. Families with more than one vehicle would especially be at risk of losing access to SNAP.
- Requiring custodial parents to cooperate with the child support recovery unit in order to be eligible for SNAP. By definition, these are households with children. There is not a way to implement this policy without taking food away from children.
- Requiring all public assistance program applicants to complete a computerized questionnaire to prove their identity and creating additional eligibility verification processes.
Please contact the members of the subcommittee for SSB 1105 today and tell them to put a stop to this harmful bill!