On Tuesday, February 24, House File 2716 was introduced in the Iowa House of Representatives and placed on the calendar. That means this bill could come to the House floor for a vote at any point, and we need you to reach out to your Representative in the House and urge them to vote NO on HF 2716!
HF 2716 (previously HSB 696) is a “welfare reform” bill that would take food assistance away from pregnant women, infants, and young children. It contains a number of harmful provisions we oppose, including:
Restricting eligibility for WIC based on citizenship status. WIC provides pregnant and post-partum mothers, infants, and young children with access to food assistance, breastfeeding support, and nutrition education.
HF 2716 would restrict people who are undocumented and certain legal humanitarian immigrants from accessing WIC. While states have long had the authority to restrict WIC eligibility based on citizenship status, no states currently have this policy in place. Iowa would be the only state in the nation to impose this requirement for WIC.
For every dollar invested in WIC, $2.48 is saved in medical, education, and productivity costs. WIC is fully federally funded. This bill would not save the state of Iowa any money—in fact, it would have the complete opposite effect.
WIC is a vitally important program for supporting the healthy development of young children in low-income families. It is an investment in our shared future. Access to proper nutrition in the first five years of life can have life-long impacts on physical and brain development. Our state legislators should not be voting to jeopardize young children’s futures.
Requiring 12 months of continuous residency in Iowa to qualify for public assistance programs. This provision is in direct violation of federal laws that prohibit states from imposing “durational residency requirements” for SNAP (7 CFR 273.3(a)) and WIC (7 CFR 246.7(c)(i)).
The bill also redefines public assistance programs in Iowa to include Child Care Assistance and WIC alongside SNAP, Medicaid, Hawk-i, and the Family Investment Program (TANF). Division III of the bill seeks to allow the state to ask applicants to public assistance programs how long they’ve been in Iowa and their “reasons for being in the state.”
Requesting a waiver from USDA to allow Iowa HHS to expunge SNAP benefits from EBT accounts after three months of inactivity “or of benefits remaining.” Current policy allows states to expunge SNAP benefits after nine months of EBT account inactivity, and we do not see any good reason to change this. If Iowa were granted this waiver by USDA, it would be the only state in the nation to have this policy in place.
Don’t wait – take action today by contacting your House Representative and urging them to vote NO on HF 2716! We encourage you to make your message personal and local – let them know why it matters to you and your community. If you need some help, feel free to borrow some of the language below in developing your message.
Hello Representative,
I am a constituent and am contacting you today to urge you to vote NO on HF 2716. This bill would create additional restrictions for SNAP and WIC. At a time when food pantries are serving record numbers of Iowans, and grocery prices have risen nearly 30% in the past 5 years, we should be reducing barriers to food assistance, not creating new ones.
I ask that you lead with compassion and reject this attempt to take vital nutrition assistance away from children in our community.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]