Wyoming lawmakers on the interim Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Committee voted to sponsor a draft bill on Oct. 17 that would ask the feds for permission to ban candy and soda from SNAP purchases, formerly called food stamps.
The committee’s vote to sponsor the bill comes as nearly 30,000 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients in Wyoming might not receive their payments to buy food in November if the federal government shutdown continues. That’s according to an Oct. 16 press release from the state Department of Family Services (DFS).
SNAP waiver
Some state legislators said the bill under consideration could improve the health of food benefits recipients, keep taxpayer dollars from being misused and impress the Trump administration, which has SNAP bans listed as part of its “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.
“We’d rather not have government funds be spent on pop, candy,” said Sen. Lynn Hutchings (R-Cheyenne) at the meeting in Cheyenne.
Opponents of similar waivers in other states say the policy could hurt people in places where healthy options are limited and erode their ability to make their own food choices.
Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia received approval for their SNAP waivers in August. Earlier this year, the feds granted waivers to Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska and Utah.
The bill would require the director of the state Department of Family Services (DFS) to request a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to exclude candy and soft drinks from the definition of eligible food that can be purchased with SNAP benefits.
Wyoming DFS officials told electeds they would need an appropriation of $650,000 a year to do the request right. That sum includes salaries for two full-time positions and a study to see if the change makes Wyomingites healthier or not.
“I've been persuaded that the bureaucratics are such that we're going to need an appropriation on this if we're going to make the application and implement it without endangering the other things that [DFS] does,” said Sen. Charles Scott (R-Casper).
But an amendment to give the agency those funds later failed, with some lawmakers arguing that since the waiver hasn’t been sent to USDA yet, an appropriation was premature.
“I think we need a little bit more verification before we consider an appropriation,” said Rep. Jacob Wasserburger (R-Cheyenne), an endorsee of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus.
Others on the committee worried about the ban’s effect on the most rural parts of Wyoming, where people often rely on convenience stores with limited options to buy food.
Rep. Pam Thayer (R-Rawlins) asked the director of DFS, Korin Schmidt, about how the legislation would impact those communities.
“Could there be potential health impacts on communities that have less access to healthy food options?” said Thayer. “We are very rural, not everybody has a grocery store and having the SNAP program even used less – thoughts on that, with those limited access to healthy food options.”
Schmidt said that if the bill becomes law, her agency will be watching that closely.
“On the [Wind River] reservation, the closest grocery store is 20 miles away,” replied Schmidt. “Reservation residents rely on the convenience stores. We don't know how much of their bottom line really comes from the purchase of these foods, but certainly there is an access issue, and what food can be purchased in the convenience store if candy or snacks or whatever is excluded can't [be purchased].”
No one from the Northern Arapaho or Eastern Shoshone tribes spoke at the meeting.
The bill will need a two-thirds majority in its chamber of origin in order to be heard during the legislative session beginning on Feb. 9.
Potential missed SNAP payments
Tens of thousands of SNAP beneficiaries in Wyoming might not receive their payments in November according to DFS, which said that it’s “actively working with local food banks and community partners to fill the gap left by the absence of payments, which were expected to go to recipients the first week of November.”
In Wyoming, about 44% of SNAP recipients are children ages 17 and younger, while 13% are adults ages 60 and older.
“We understand the uncertainty about November’s SNAP funds may create a hardship for families and elderly who rely on this resource, and we want to give them time to prepare,” Schmidt said. “We will continue to work with our clients to process applications and renewals so that benefits can be issued as soon as Congress reinstates funding."
The release encourages state residents who are currently receiving SNAP to monitor social media and DFS’s website for further information and updates.
This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.
