Hunger Advocacy Network's 2020 Legislative Priorities

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2020 has presented unusual challenges for hunger relief in the United States. The Hunger Advocacy Network (HAN) has focused its attention on federal and state legislation and policies that ease the strain felt by millions of Americans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Because of the unusual times in which we find ourselves, HAN has voted to focus efforts on three bills in the 2020 California legislative cycle that will advance hunger relief efforts throughout the State.

Legislative advocacy is one of the most effective ways to implement lasting change by becoming an active part of American democracy. Below are easy-read overviews of the 2020 state legislative priorities.

Questions? Contact John Millspaugh, Policy & Engagement Manager, at john@sdhunger.org.

AB 2413 (Ting) CalFresh Eligibility and Reporting

Update 7/02/2020: Gutted and amended to focus on climate change. Not a HAN priority.

Background: The application for CalFresh (known nationally as SNAP or food stamps) is a long process that can be burdensome on both those applying for assistance and the government agencies who administer the program. One of the biggest hurdles for applicants is the need to provide verification of income and expenses at least twice per year. This often takes the form of various documents such as pay stubs or signed letters from an employer. This results in increased “churn” or individuals who lose their benefits when they are still eligible and must reapply. Churn creates an additional burden on individuals and families in need of assistance and on government agencies who must process these unnecessary additional applications.

What This Bill Does: This bill will simplify and streamline the application and reporting process for CalFresh. It will allow applicants to self-confirm income and expenses, also known as self-attestation. This is expected to reduce churn. The bill will also require government agencies to implement text messaging reminders for individuals who must file a mid-year report or recertify their eligibility for CalFresh. The bill will also streamline the application process by improving dual enrollment whereby an individual who applies for Medi-Cal and is likely eligible for federal food assistance will be provided with a pre-filled application for CalFresh using the information they have provided for Medi-Cal enrollment or recertification.

Impact: The financial impact is minimal, estimated in the low- to mid-hundreds of thousands. The policy changes, if implemented, will likely result in increased enrollment, increased retention of benefits, and a streamlined application process that will reduce the burden on applicants and ease administrative logjams. The bill would impact all CalFresh recipients and applicants, who total more than 300,000 annually in San Diego alone.

SB 33 (Skinner) Online EBT for Grocery Purchases

Updated 8/20/2020: Held under submission by Committee on Appropriations. Dead.

Background: CalFresh is California’s name for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) which provides monthly grocery benefits based on income and household size to eligible individuals. Benefits are loaded onto an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Card and may be used at retailers authorized by the state of California to accept EBT payments. Hunger advocate studies demonstrate several barriers to using EBT cards at authorized retailers, including mobility and transportation limitations, as well as a simple lack of retailers within a given community. Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, the ability to make online grocery purchases for home delivery using EBT was limited to a small pilot in only a couple of states. In April 2020, online purchasing was temporarily approved for California for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, but only for Amazon and Wal-Mart.

What This Bill Does: This bill is expected to be revised. Originally, the bill created a stakeholder group that would begin meeting February 2021 to make recommendations to the California Department of Social Services on how to prepare for a statewide rollout of online purchases using EBT cards. This would help guide safe and ethical standards for online EBT purchases. In April 2020, after the bill was drafted, online EBT purchases were authorized due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Advocates and hunger relief experts expect the current version of the bill to be reworked to:

  • Expand online EBT purchasing beyond the current pandemic;

  • Authorize the exploration of additional online retailers (beyond Walmart and Amazon); and

  • Safeguard online EBT users from aggressive marketing and from having their personal information compromised or sold.

Impact: The fiscal impact is expected to be in the low hundred thousands. Online EBT purchasing is expected to make it easier for CalFresh users to access healthy and fresh food via home delivery. This bill is particularly important for elderly and disabled persons, rural households, and households in food deserts. The bill would impact all CalFresh recipients and applicants, who total more than 300,000 annually in San Diego alone.

SB 882 (Wiener) Simplified CalFresh Application for Seniors & Adults with Disabilities

Updated 6/19/2020: Held under submission by Committee on Appropriations. Dead.

Background: CalFresh (known nationally as SNAP or food stamps) is one of our most effective tools for combatting food insecurity. The application process can be unnecessarily burdensome, especially for older adults and individuals with a disability who have no income. The application for CalFresh is a difficult 16-page document. Regular reporting requirements, including signatures, often lead to individuals losing access to benefits even though they remain eligible. San Diego County is one of the few counties in California that allows for telephonic signatures. Under the COVID-19 pandemic, the application process was made easier to accommodate a 300% increase in applicants. Many of the temporary COVID-19 policy changes are included in this bill for long-term policy and have proven successful.

California participates in the Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP) which allows States to streamline the application process for CalFresh/SNAP. However, California has not participated in the parts of this program that allows for user-friendly applications for seniors and the waiving of semi-annual reports for ESAP households.*

*An ESAP household is one in which all members are elderly or disabled and do not have any income.

What This Bill Does: This bill would require California to participate in all aspects of ESAP. This means that all counties must accept telephonic signatures and implement simplified applications for older adults with no income and people with disabilities with no income. Some streamlined application policies implemented during COVID-19 would continue beyond the pandemic, including the waiver of semi-annual reporting for ESAP households.

Impact: Financial impact is estimated to be a one-time cost of $1 million. However, this cost will be offset by an estimated annual savings of $7.6 million due to decreased administrative burden on counties. It is also expected that there will be an increase in applications, approvals, and CalFresh benefits retention.

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