This week, the Iowa legislature advanced bills that would severely restrict the food items people could purchase with SNAP benefits and expand strict work reporting requirements for program participants. These bills passed out of subcommittee meetings on party-line votes. We expect they will vote on these bills in full Committee next week to attempt to advance them before the first legislative funnel deadline on Friday, March 7.
Now is a critical time to reach out to lawmakers with your concerns about these harmful bills. You can find more information and action items below.
HSB 216: SNAP Food Restrictions
House Study Bill 216 was introduced last Thursday, February 20, by House Health and Human Services Committee Chair Rep. Carter Nordman. Check out IHC’s blog post for more information about this harmful bill.
A subcommittee meeting for HSB 216 was held on Wednesday, February 26. No one present spoke in favor of the bill as it is currently written, but many speakers expressed their support for the Double Up Food Bucks program and urged lawmakers not to make those funds contingent upon a waiver to restrict food purchases. Ultimately, the bill passed out of subcommittee on a 2-1 party-line vote.
In the News:
- “Iowa House bill would limit SNAP food eligibility,” by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch, February 26, 2025.
- “Anti-hunger advocates challenge bill that would limit food choices for Iowa SNAP recipients,” by Sabine Martin, Des Moines Register, February 26, 2025.
- “Lawmakers hear testimony on bill that changes what SNAP benefits cover,” by Nicole Tam, KCCI-8 News, February 26, 2025.
- “Food restrictions for Iowans on SNAP benefits advances in Iowa House,” by Zach Fisher, WHO-13 News, February 27, 2025.
We have heard there will be changes made to this bill, but we do not yet know exactly what those proposed changes are. Please reach out to all members of the House Health and Human Services Committee, who will likely be voting on HSB 216 (and the work reporting requirements legislation below) next week.
Medicaid and SNAP Work Reporting Requirements
House Study Bill 248 and Senate File 363 both advanced out of subcommittee meetings on Thursday, February 27, on 2-1 party line votes.
These bills moved extremely quickly, with HSB 248 introduced late on Tuesday the 25th, and the subcommittee announced with less than 24 hours in advance. We also learned about 12 hours prior to the subcommittee meeting for SF 363 that they would be doing a “strike and replace” amendment to insert the language from HSB 248 into SF 363. Needless to say, this is not a good process for making public policy. But it’s a great way to limit debate and objections from the public.
These bills would create strict work reporting requirements for 180,000 Iowans who receive health insurance through the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan (also known as the Medicaid expansion population). It also seeks to align work reporting requirements across all public benefit programs, including SNAP.
As a reminder, work reporting requirements already exist for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) who are participating in SNAP. These ABAWDs (ages 18-54) are already required to work at least 20 hours per week, or are limited to receiving SNAP for only three months every three years (known as the ABAWD time limit).
This bill would seek to expand these strict work reporting requirements to the following SNAP participants:
- adults ages 55-64
- caretakers of children ages 6 and up
- veterans
- people experiencing homelessness
- young adults aging out of foster care
Research has shown that these types of work reporting requirements for Medicaid and SNAP do not actually improve employment, they just remove people from benefit programs, leaving them in a worse-off spot than they were before. Most Iowans on public assistance programs who can work already do, and others face significant barriers to holding steady employment.
These efforts would also increase administrative costs to the state, wasting taxpayer money in an effort to punish our most vulnerable Iowans.
In the News:
- “Bill proposes work requirements for some Iowans receiving state Medicaid, food assistance,” by Tom Barton, Cedar Rapids Gazette, February 27, 2025.
- “Iowa lawmakers advance bill to place work requirements for public assistance programs,” by Liam Halawith, The Daily Iowan, February 27, 2025.
Please reach out to members of the House Health and Human Services Committee (HSB 248) and members of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee (SF 363) and ask them to reject these harmful proposals!
Thank you for your ongoing advocacy!