The Food Rescue Partnership Board encourages Governor Reynolds to continue supporting food access for Iowans by vetoing Senate File 494.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the nation’s most important and effective tool at addressing hunger and food insecurity. In November 2022, SNAP provided $45.6 million benefits to 273,085 Iowans. In Scott County, 11.98% of residents benefited from SNAP assistance spending $1.98 average per meal benefit per individual.

Since 2013, the Food Rescue Partnership has prioritized the need to improve food availability by building a strong, well-connected food rescue network. Because hunger does not affect one type of person or one geographic location. Young or old. Rural or urban. Hunger affects 1 in 7 people throughout the United States and 229,500 Iowans. 

Passing Senate File 494 will negatively impact overall health of Iowans by increasing hunger and food insecurity. The harmful proposals in the bill include:

• Establishing an asset limit for SNAP.
• Requiring public assistance program applicants to complete a computerized identity authentication questionnaire to receive benefits.
• Establishing a new real-time eligibility verification system for public assistance programs.

Additional proposals included in House File 613 will ban soda and candy from SNAP purchases, require able-bodied adults without dependents to participant in the SNAP Employment & Training program, and create work reporting requirements for Iowans in the Medicaid expansion population.

Therefore, the Food Rescue Partnership Board does not support Senate File 494 or House File 613. The Food Rescue Partnership supports efforts to improve food access and SNAP incentives to support Iowans making healthy choices such as Double Up Food Bucks.

You can register your opinion with Governor Reynolds by asking her to veto SF 494.