Program Menu:
2023 Legislative Priorities
Latest Policy & Advocacy Updates
The San Diego Hunger Coalition stands with the nearly one million San Diegans experiencing nutrition insecurity and the more than 500 nonprofit organizations working to connect people to food.
In partnership with Hunger Free Activists, we elevate the experiences of people struggling to access healthy, affordable food and advocate for stronger hunger relief policies and programs. We act as a resource for county, state, and federal policymakers by providing research summaries, policy analyses, and case studies of what’s happening in San Diego County to inform their policy decisions. We coordinate local advocates through call-to-action to meet with policymakers, make phone calls, and write letters supporting state and federal legislation.
Hunger Coalition 2023 Legislative Priorities
Creating a Hunger Free San Diego requires clearing obstacles and driving government policies to make food assistance programs work better for everyone. Below are the state and federal bills that the Hunger Coalition has identified as moving the needle to end hunger in our region. If you have any questions concerning a specific bill or policy please contact Hunger Coalition’s Public Affairs Manager, Mauricio Medina at Mauricio@sdhunger.org.
CalFresh
School Meals
Federal School Meals Bills - Check back for updates at a later date
Additional Hunger Relief Efforts
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• Currently, many immigrants are excluded from CalFresh and the state-funded California Food Assistance Program (CFAP). Federal laws exclude undocumented immigrants, DACA recipients, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and certain visa holders from CalFresh. Food4All would expand CFAP eligibility to anyone excluded from CalFresh solely due to their immigration status.
• Intersection: Immigration Rights
San Diego Hunger Coalition Letter of Support for AB 311 sent to Human Services Committee
San Diego Hunger Coalition Letter of Support for SB 245 sent to Human Services Committee
SB 600 (Menjivar)—CalFresh Minimum Benefit Adequacy Act of 2023
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• SB 600 would require DSS, with appropriate state funds, to establish the CalFresh Minimum Nutrition Benefit (MNB), to provide additional CalFresh nutrition benefits to ensure all CalFresh households receive a minimum benefit of $50 a month. This bill will help ensure our most vulnerable households do not go hungry.
San Diego Hunger Coalition Letter of Support for SB 600 sent to Human Services Committee
San Diego Hunger Coalition Letter of Support for SB 600 sent to Senate Appropriations Committee
AB 605 (Arambula)—CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable Supplemental Benefits Expansion
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This proposal would allocate new state funding to expand the CalFresh Fruit & Veggie EBT pilot project. This pilot is now operating at several locations across the state and provides a penny-for-penny CalFresh matching supplemental benefits all through the EBT system when people purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at a participating retailer. Those supplemental EBT benefits can then be spent by the CalFresh shopper anytime at any CalFresh retailer for any CalFresh-allowable purchase (bread, milk, cheese, whatever the household needs).
• Intersection: Food Systems
San Diego Hunger Coalition Letter of Support for AB 605 sent to Human Services Committee
AB 870 (Arambula)—Student Resources Network
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• This bill builds off the success of AB 1326 by requiring a workgroup between higher education liaisons, county staff, and other stakeholders to meet regularly to discuss how to improve the experiences and increase public benefits enrollment among the college student population.
• Intersection: College Hunger
San Diego Hunger Coalition Letter of Support for AB 870 sent to Human Services Committee
San Diego Hunger Coalition Letter of Support for AB 870 sent to Assembly Appropriations Committee
AB 274 (Bryan) –CalWORKs: CalFresh: eligibility: income exclusions
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• Currently, private scholarships are considered to be counted towards income and prorated for college students. It is confusing and convoluted to promote the educational expense deduction while also trying to count only private scholarships as income.
• Intersection: College Hunger
AB 928 (Reyes)—CalFresh Data Dashboard: students
AB 843 (Carrillo)—Electronic Benefits Transfer System
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• Existing law requires that basically any cash benefits that are stolen must be replace promptly, while there is merely a regulation in place which protects food benefits stolen in the same manner. This bill would codify that regulation into law, essentially requiring both food and cash benefits which are stolen be treated the same.
• Intersection: EBT Protection
AB 991 (Alvarez)—Public social services: reporting and verification
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• This bill would require counties to accept change reports and requested verification any way the applicant can get it to the welfare office--no wrong door for reporting change or providing requested verification.
AB 1603 (Alvarez)—Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program: qualified entities: consumer cooperatives
AB 1644 (Bonta)—Medi-Cal: medically supportive food and nutrition services
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• This bill is stepping stone to enacting legislation that would make medically supportive food and nutrition services a covered benefit for some Medi-cal recipients, increasing coverage vs existing levels.
2023 Federal CalFresh Bills
H.R.1510 (Lee and Adams)—Improving Access to Nutrition Act of 2023
H.R. 706 (Brown)—SNAP Access for Medically Vulnerable Children Act of 2023
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Currently only older adults and people with disabilities can deduct medical expenses for Calfresh. This bill adds children with chronic medical condition.
Intersections: Children
H.R. 309 (Bonamici)—Opportunity to Address College Hunger Act
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Currently students who are enrolled in at least half time are considered ineligible for SNAP unless they meet one of many exemptions, one being that they work more than 20 hours in a federal work study program, but students may not be aware that they could be eligible. This bill would require institutions of higher education to notify those students receiving work-study assistance about potential eligibility for SNAP.
Intersections: College Hunger
San Diego Cosponsors
Rep. Levin
Rep. Jacobs
Rep. Vargas
Rep. Peters
H.R. 205 (Ruppersberger)—SNAP Theft Protection Act of 2023
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Intersections: EBT Skimming
San Diego Cosponsors
Rep. Levin
Rep. Jacobs
Rep. Vargas
H.R. 3183 (Gomez)—EATS Act of 2023
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Expands eligibility to college students who are enrolled at least part time.
Intersections: College Hunger
San Diego Cosponsors
Rep. Levin
Rep. Jacobs
Rep. Vargas
Rep. Peters
H.R. 3037 (Adams)—Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2023
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Intersections: Older Adults
San Diego Cosponsors
Rep. Levin
Rep. Jacobs
H.R. 4170 (Jayapal)— Lift the Bar Act of 2023
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Under current law, immigrants with legal permanent resident (LPR) status must wait five years before being able to access critical supports like Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and SNAP/CalFresh.
Intersections: Immigrant Rights
San Diego Cosponsors
Rep. Jacobs
Rep. Levin
Rep. Peters
Rep. Vargas
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Specifically this bill will:
Increase the minimum monthly SNAP benefit for all participants
Simplify application and certification processes for eligible individuals in nutrition programs, including SNAP, and ensure they can stay enrolled in programs for longer periods of time
Support outreach efforts to enroll more older adults, grandparent and kinship caregivers, and adults with disabilities in nutrition programs
Enable adults with disabilities to participate in additional programs that provide shelf stable, supplemental food and fresh, locally sourced food
Provide grants to non-profits, local aging and disability service providers, and related organizations to bring fresh, local food to accessible locations
Expand SNAP food delivery options through public-private partnerships and strengthen retail delivery options for older adults and adults with disabilities
Intersection: Older adults
H.R. 3847 (Bonamici)— Support for SNAP Act
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The recently-passed Debt Ceiling Bill expands work requirements for some people who receive SNAP benefits, but also creates new exemptions to those work requirements for people experiencing homelessness. The Securing Unhoused Peoples’ Program for Outreach Resources and Transportation (SUPPORT) for SNAP Act will provide dedicated outreach, application aid, enrollment assistance, and access to transportation for people experiencing homelessness so they can benefit from SNAP. The SUPPORT for SNAP Act would provide the necessary funding to establish outreach programs and provide training about SNAP applications for staff who work with people experiencing homelessness. The program would be established at USDA in consultation with HUD, which has expertise on issues related to homelessness. The bill includes:
Application assistance for people who are experiencing homelessness and seeking SNAP benefits;
Street outreach activities to connect caseworkers with individuals about their potential eligibility;
Engagement with Continuums of Care, Community Action Agencies, and other organizations with experience supporting very-low income families or people experiencing homelessness;
Allowance for funding to provide transportation to SNAP offices for people who need to apply in-person because of technology access;
Funding for training on SNAP benefits, including the shelter deduction and homeless household deductions that can improve benefit values for vulnerable SNAP recipients.
Intersection: Homelessness
H.R. 1230 (Carson)— Food Deserts Act
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Underserved communities are communities that have (1) limited access to affordable, healthy foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables, in grocery retail stores or farmer-to-consumer direct markets; and (2) a high rate of hunger, a high rate of food insecurity, or a high poverty rate.
San Diego Cosponsors
Rep. Vargas
H.R. 3519 (Meng)— Hot Foods Act of 2023
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Of the more than 42 million SNAP participants nationwide, almost 70% of participants are children, elderly, or those with disabilities. The ability to purchase hot foods or hot foods ready for immediate consumption would provide enormous flexibility to those who rely on this program to supplement their nutrition and dietary needs.
San Diego Cosponsors
Rep. Vargas
Rep. Jacobs
2023 California State School Meals Bill & Budget Items
SB 348 (Skinner)—Healthy School Meals for All
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• In 2021, California became the first state in the nation to establish a universal school meals program. Initially proposed in Senate Bill 364 (Skinner), the landmark California School Meals for All program was codified through the Budget Act of 2021. As a result, every K-12 student in the state now has the right not only to a free education, but also to two meals every day at school free of charge. SB 348 builds upon this success by maximizing federally funded child nutrition benefits to provide free school meals in the summer and on half days of school; aiming to identify the best ways to give students adequate time to eat.
San Diego Hunger Coalition Letter of Support for SB 348 sent to Human Services Committee
San Diego Hunger Coalition Letter of Support for SB 348 sent to Senate Appropriations Committee
San Diego Hunger Coalition Letter of Support for SB 348 sent to Assembly Education Committee
AB 1178 (Rivas)—California Caregiver Meal Act of 2023
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• If children from a food insecure home are hungry, it is likely that the parents or caregivers in the household are also facing hunger. This is especially true during the summer months when schools are not providing breakfast and lunch to students. AB 1178 seeks to combat household hunger by providing parents or caregivers access to the summer meal program. AB 1178 will create a state funded Summer Food Service Program to serve meals to parents and caregivers of children who utilize the federal summer meal program. This bill will also develop and provide guidance for program operators participating in the federal program on how to serve parents and caregivers a meal at summer meal program sites.
San Diego Hunger Coalition Letter of Support for AB 1178 sent to Assembly Appropriations Committee
San Diego Hunger Coalition Letter of Support for AB 1178 sent to Senate Education Committee
San Diego Hunger Coalition Letter of Support for AB 1178 sent to Assembly Education Committee
AB 679 (Wicks)—Food with Care
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• Existing state law creates an inequitable gap that keeps family childcare home providers from receiving the full state reimbursement for meals served to children in their care. This gap means home-based childcare providers receive no state funding for one out of every four meals they serve. Food with Care will eliminate the discriminatory reimbursement rate gap that underpays and undervalues family childcare home providers serving healthy meals to kids in their care.
• Intersection: Child Care
San Diego Hunger Coalition Letter of Support for AB 679 sent to Human Services Committee
AB 1600 (Hoover)—Local Control Funding Formula
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• English learners, low-income students and foster youth have greater needs, which require more resources under California’s education finance system. School districts receiving concentration grants are those with at least 55% of high-need students, but the Local Control Funding Formula does not address inequities between two cities within a school district, it simply provides funding based on the total number of unduplicated pupils in the entire district. In school districts with two cities within their boundaries, where one has more high-need students than another, the formula reduces the percentage, which results in schools with the highest needs not receiving adequate funding. In order to make sure all students in need in a school district are considered, AB 1600 would allow school districts with two or more cities within their boundaries to apply separately for concentration grants.
AB 712 (Carrillo)—Local Control Funding Formula
Help us create a Hunger Free San Diego through policy change. By influencing local, state, and federal legislative and administrative policy, and by increasing awareness among legislators and the public about the solutions to hunger we can create measurable change in San Diego.
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Whether you struggle with food insecurity yourself, or you believe in food justice for all, your voice can make a real difference in the lives of everyday San Diegans struggling to feed their families.
