RTS For The Week of 3/12
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Happy Tuesday, advocates! Today we have one new water bill to alert you to, and we are revisiting two hunger related bills that are in a hearing today.
Water
H.B.2024— This session, we have talked a lot about the On Farm Efficiency Fund that provides the money to run the Water Irrigation Efficiency Program through the U of A. This program helps farms throughout the state transition to more sustainable irrigation methods. This boosts crop yields, help the economy, and save water, all in one! Earlier in the session, we promoted HB 2056, which would have allocated the $30 million for the program from the state’s general fund. However, that bill has since stalled in committee. We at LAMA strongly support the Water Irrigation Efficiency Program, and HB 2024 allocates $30 million from the lottery fund to the program. This program has been vital for farmers around the state, particularly as Colorado River levels have fluctuated. We support this bill and hope to see the program continue!
Hunger— Both of these bills are in hearings TODAY!
H.B. 2502— This bill tightens work requirements for individuals applying to receive SNAP assistance. It would require the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) to require able-bodied adults who are under 60 years of age and receiving supplemental nutrition assistance to participate in a mandatory employment and training program unless the person meets the exempt criteria. This bill greatly tightens the exempt criteria: currently, the age limit for the work requirement in Arizona is 52, and allows homeless and pregnant individuals, along with folks living on reservations, veterans, and former foster care youth under the age of 24 to bypass the work requirements to access SNAP. This is important because all of those demographics are more likely to face hunger and are often unable to work the required amount of hours, or find jobs that fulfill the requirements. H.B. 2502 require most of these folks to meet the work requirements, despite their need, unless they fall into a much more narrow set of circumstance. Also of note: many disabled and handicapped people struggle to receive legal disability status, often waiting in limbo for months or years, or due to other barriers in the application process. These folks are often unable to meet SNAP requirements, but are still legally considered able bodied adults. This bill would make it harder for them to access assistance in the state of Arizona.
H.B. 2503— This bill is in tandem with HB 2502; it would prohibit the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) from seeking, applying, accepting or renewing any waiver of work requirement for able-bodied adults without dependents unless it is required by federal law or authorized by state law. This means that many people in need of an exemption from the work requirement will not even have their cases heard, unless they fall into the legally designated categories outlined in HB 2052. This bills means that many people struggling to recieve legal designations, due to systemic barriers or beaurocractic timelines, will not be able to recieve the assistance they need.
These bills unfairly target the most vulnerable Arizonans and take away much of the already meager support available to our neighbors living in crisis. If these bills pass, hungry Arizonans will have fewer options to put food on their tables.
How To
To weigh in on either of these bills, log into your RTS account.
Select the blue RTS app with the microphone.
Select “My Bill Positions” from the menu on the left
Search for the bill number in the search bar, and click on the option that appears.
Select your stance.
Click the blue “Add” button.
