An appropriations subcommittee meeting for House File 613 has been scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday, March 28) at 10:00am.
Please contact the House members on this subcommittee ASAP and tell them why HF 613 is a step in the wrong direction for Iowa!
- Rep. Joel Fry – joel.fry@legis.iowa.gov
- Rep. Tracy Ehlert – tracy.ehlert@legis.iowa.gov
- Rep. Heather Matson – heather.matson@legis.iowa.gov
- Rep. Ann Meyer – ann.meyer@legis.iowa.gov
- Rep. Henry Stone – henry.stone@legis.iowa.gov
Here’s some of the latest SNAP statistics from February 2023 on the areas these legislators represent:
- In counties fully or partially represented by Rep. Joel Fry (Clarke, Decatur, Lucas, and Wayne), the number of SNAP participants is at an 18-year low. 9.2% of the population receives SNAP (2,990 individuals), and the average per-meal benefit is $1.68. SNAP benefits generated an estimated $695,016 in economic impact in these counties in February.
- In Linn County, portions of which are represented by Rep. Tracy Ehlert, the number of SNAP participants is at a 14-year low. 9.2% of the population receives SNAP (21,062 individuals), and the average per-meal benefit is $1.81. SNAP benefits generated an estimated $5.3 million in economic impact in Linn County in February alone.
- In Polk County, portions of which are represented by Rep. Heather Matson, the number of SNAP participants is at a 13-year low. 10.3% of the population receives SNAP (50,623 individuals), and the average per-meal benefit is $1.85. SNAP benefits generated an estimated $13.0 million in economic impact in Polk County in February.
- In Webster County, portions of which are represented by Rep. Ann Meyer, the number of SNAP participants is at a 14-year low. 11.9% of the population receives SNAP (4,387 individuals), and the average per-meal benefit is $1.81. SNAP benefits generated an estimated $1.1 million in Webster County in February.
- In counties fully or partially represented by Rep. Henry Stone (Emmet, Kossuth, and Winnebago), the number of SNAP participants has recently seen an uptick, but is still below pre-pandemic levels. 6.8% of the population receives SNAP (2,336 individuals), and the average per-meal benefit is $1.72. SNAP benefits generated an estimated $557,004 in economic impact in these counties in February.
You can also submit a public comment online, but we do recommend reaching out directly to legislators, as public comments are not guaranteed to be read.
We still have not seen a fiscal note for HF 613, but the fiscal note for SF 494, a similar but more limited bill, would spend millions of dollars and hire hundreds of new employees – and no savings would be seen from SNAP. The fiscal note for HF 613 is sure to be even more costly, given the added piece the House bill contains that are not in the Senate’s version.