Update: HB2502 & HB2503 Pass the Senate

Here at LAMA, we have been campaigning hard against two bills that seek to drastically tighten work requirements for the SNAP program. These bills would make participation in SNAP much more difficult by implementing a mandatory job training program. This program would add extra stress to the lives of people who are unable to work but might not qualify for a waiver, and would not treat the underlying issues putting folks in this position.

We have put out multiple action alerts and RTS alerts about these bills and Hunger Advocacy Fellow Autumn Byars joined our colleagues from the William E. Morris Institute of Justice and the Arizona Food Bank Network in testifying against this bill.

Despite our fervent efforts, both HB 2502 and HB 2503 passed the Senate with a 16-11 vote. You can find your Senator’s vote here. The bills have now been passed to the governor, where they will either be vetoed or signed into law. You can email Governor Hobbs and express your opinion on these bills here.

This is unfortunately not the update we wanted to bring you about these bills, but we still wanted to make sure that the LAMA community was aware of this outcome.