Arizona Action Alert: Urge Your State Senator to Oppose Harmful SNAP Bills HB2502 & HB2503

At the end of last month, the Arizona House of Representatives voted to pass two bills that would amend the way the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program would work in our state. If these policies are signed into law, it would become much harder for the most economically disenfranchised and medically vulnerable people to access the food assistance they need. This week, we are encouraging you to contact your state Senators and urge them to oppose these harmful bills.

What Do These Bills Do?

There are many requirements that dictate a person’s eligibility to receive assistance from the SNAP Program, including work requirements. Able-bodied adults are required to work at least 20 hours a week in order to receive benefits, though there are provisions for people collecting unemployment and recently unemployed. If a person does not meet work requirements, they are only able to collected three months of assistance during a 12 month period.

However, there are a handful of situations in which an adult can be exempt from this requirement. This makes sense— many people find themselves in times and places that make it incredibly difficult to meet work requirements while they are in need of help. In addition to legally recognized disability, adults over the age of 52, those dealing with a physical or mental health problem, pregnant individuals, homeless folks, veterans, former foster youth under the age of 24, and those living in geographically exempt areas, like reservations, do not have to meet this requirement. People in these demographics can have difficulty finding or holding down jobs during points in their life, and this way they are still able to get help access food.

HB 2502 would restrict which individuals are able to receive exemptions from the work requirements. It would raise the age limit to 60 years old, meaning that many older people would still be required to work in order to receive assistance. The new exemptions would only extend to caregivers of incapacitated individuals or children und six, a student enrolled at least half-time in higher education or workforce training, or a regular pariticipant in a drug or alcohol rehabilitation program. The program would require every other person failing to work 30 hours a week to participate in a mandatory employment and training program. You can read the full bill text here.

HB 2503 would prohibit the Arizona Department of Economic Security from seeking, accepting, or renewing any waivers for work requirements except where required by federal and state law. You can read the full bill text here.

Why We Oppose Them

These bills would make it much more difficult for individuals to access SNAP assistance during vulnerable times in their life. These policies would make it especially difficult for vulnerable people— like unhouse folks, and pregnant individuals— to access help. Many of us have had difficulty holding jobs at some point or another, be it during times of economic downturn, pregnancy, or illness. If passed, these bills would penalize people for these very normal occurrences, and bar them from accessing the food they need.

Many people who are currently able to waive their work requirements until their health or economic situations improve would now be required to participate in arduous employment training programs. We know from other states that these programs have very little rates of success, and cost the sate much more money. The vast majority of people on SNAP are working to improve their lives, and putting more red tape in their way does not help them put food on the table.

HB2503 also makes operation much more difficult for the Department of Economic Security, and would likely result in a much more difficult process for folks applying for work requirment waivers.

All in all, these policies would cost the state money with little positive outcome. Instead, it would bar many of our vulnerable, hungry neighbors and add unnecessary stress to the lives of many more.

What You Can Do

Both of these bills passed the House by relatively thin margins. As they are now being heard in Senate committees, it is more important than ever that we speak out against these policies that would harm so many of our community members. We are encouraging you to reach out to your state Senators and the members of the assigned commitees to voice your opposition to this bill.

• Visit the Find My Legislator website to find your state Senator and the contact information for their office

• Reach out to members of the respective committees: Both bills have been assigned to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee (Theresa Hatathlie, Sally Ann Gonzales, Eva Burch, Thomas Shope Chair, Janae Shamp Vice Chair, Justine Wadsack, Sonny Borrelli) and the Rules Committee (Lela Alston, Catherine H. Miranda, Denise Epstein, Warren Petersen Chair, Sonny Borrelli Vice Chair, Sine Kerr, Thomas Shope). Their emails can also be found on the Find My Legislator Website.

• Sign against these bills on your RTS Account: If you haven’t yet weighed in on these bills via Request To Speak, log into your account here. After opening the RTS app, select “My Bill Positions” from the menu. Then, enter the bill numbers, select your stance, and click the “Add” button. If you don’t have an RTS account, sign up for one now!

If you want to know more about the SNAP program, and how it works in our state, please keep reading. Thank you all for your advocacy!

Quick Facts About SNAP

Here at LAMA, we talk a lot about the SNAP program, as it is one of the frontline defenses against hunger for people facing economic difficulty. However, many people are not familiar with the inner workings of the program. Today, we decided to include some facts about the program so that everyone is able to understand our stance on this policy.

The SNAP program used to be known as Food Stamps. In 2008, the name was changed in order to remove the stigma around the term ‘Food Stamps.’ Additionally, the program had not been using actual stamps for quite a while; by 2004, every state has switched to the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) system. On a set schedule, monetary assistance is virtually loaded onto a card that participants can then use at stores the same way a regular debit or credit card is used. For more information on the program’s history, visit the USDA website here.

The SNAP program exists to help low income individuals purchase food so that no one has to go hungry when they are struggling. The federal government provides all the money that is distributed to participants. States have the choice to participate in the program and currently, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico all participate in some form of the program. When a state opts in to the program, the federal and state governments split the cost of administration. This means that individual states all run their programs slightly differently and are able to implement individual policies.

The government implements strict requirements for SNAP eligibility. In Arizona, for example, a single person must make under $18,945 a year before taxes, and have less than $2,000 in the bank. These limits are adjusted based on the number of people in a household, the number of children and elderly family members, and so on. The amount of assistance a household receives is also based on house hold size, usually breaking down to a set number of dollars per day. There are also several requirements that participants must meet, including working a certain number of hours a week. The SNAP program also requires frequent renewal.

During 2022, 825,700 Arizona residents, or 11% of the state population participated in the program. More than 69% of participating households included children (which is higher than the national rate). Between 2018 and 2018, SNAP lifted 180,000 people above the poverty line.

The SNAP program helps our local economy, too. The Department of Agriculture estimates that every $1 provided in SNAP assistance generates $1.50 in economic activity. It also frees up a family’s limited income for other uses, like saving, and puts money into the pockets of local farms and business.