Legislative Update – April 2025
The Idaho Foodbank advocates for the people we serve and supports safety net programs for people in need, including food assistance. Each year we monitor changes to state and federal policies and programs that impact people who are facing hunger.
The Idaho Legislature adjourned earlier this month after passing two bills that impact government food assistance programs and a bill to increase the grocery tax credit.
House Bill 135 changed current exemptions in state law to the requirement that individuals provide proof of legal status for government assistance benefits. This bill removed the exemption for food assistance for dependent children. The House and Senate passed this bill and the Governor signed the bill into law.
The Idaho Foodbank shared concerns during the committee hearings in the Idaho Legislature about House Bill 135 and its impact on food insecurity. We are concerned that this bill will prevent pregnant women and young children from receiving benefits under the WIC program if the mother does not have legal documentation. The Idaho Foodbank is also concerned that this may add additional paperwork requirements to the two government food programs that we administer. We will work with state agencies to understand any changes in this new law that impact the two government programs we administer.
Eleven percent of the food we distribute is from government programs — the vast majority of the food distributed by The Idaho Foodbank is donated. We do not require proof of income or legal status for the donated food, or food purchased with donated funds, that we distribute to Idahoans in need.
The Legislature passed House Bill 109, which has Idaho apply for a waiver from the United States Department of Agriculture so that SNAP benefits in Idaho cannot be used to purchase soda and candy, as defined in this bill. House Bill 109 is awaiting action by the Governor. The Governor signed into law a bill to increase the grocery tax credit. This bill increases the grocery tax credit for all individuals to $155 per person, regardless of age. Our March e-newsletter story included additional information about these bills.
Turning to activity at the federal level, one of the government food programs we administer is The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). We administer this program in some regions of Idaho. Recently the USDA announced a supplemental, bonus order of TEFAP food was cancelled. This cancellation did impact The Idaho Foodbank, but only the bonus TEFAP food that was scheduled to arrive in the summer – not our regular orders of TEFAP food. Unfortunately, the cancelled order included protein, which is an in demand food at food banks, as well as dried cranberries. We do have TEFAP food available for our food distribution partners who distribute TEFAP.
We will continue to communicate with our partners on new and increased needs that may come up. The Idaho Foodbank’s focus will continue to be on the people that we serve and how we can best support them and our partner network.
You can find more information below about WIC and SNAP.
What is SNAP?
SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which used to be known as food stamps. SNAP helps alleviate hunger by providing money for households with incomes at or below 130% of the federal poverty level ($20,345/year for a single person or $41,795/year for a family of four) to purchase food.
SNAP cannot be used to purchase alcohol, tobacco, hot prepared foods, or non-food items. SNAP is an important part of the social safety net that complements the charitable food provided by food banks. For every one meal provided by food banks, SNAP provides nine.
What is WIC?
The Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children is known as WIC. WIC is available to those with incomes at or below 185% of the federal poverty level ($37,814/year for a family of two). WIC beneficiaries are able to purchase food from a list of pre-approved foods that are nutritious for pregnant women, women who gave birth within the last 6 months, and parents or other caregivers of children up to age five. WIC also provides breastfeeding support and nutrition education for beneficiaries.