State Legislative Session Wraps Up
 

While change is slow and there are always setbacks, nutrition advocates generally have something to cheer about at the end of each legislative session.  This year some progress has been made but a few celebrations will have to be delayed.

Much Needed Improvements to School Meals

After several years of advocacy, this year's state budget finally increased the reimbursement in school meal programs and tied this funding to improved meals.  Such progress is welcome and should be celebrated.

Progress on Nutrition Information

The effort to require chain restaurants to post nutrition information, SB 120, survived close votes in the legislature and is headed to the Governor.  Take a moment to celebrate and then get ready to call the Governor to ask him to sign the bill.

The Dramatic Life of AB 433
There was also some progress made toward the goal of connecting health and nutrition programs. During this legislative session, advocates, counties, and the administration were able to come to an agreement on using the tool of "categorical eligibility" to make it easier for MediCAL recipients and others to more easily enroll in the Food Stamp Program. 

The bill to make this health-nutrition connection, AB 433, had a dramatic end of session.  Thanks to advocacy efforts and considerable rule waivering, AB 433 was pulled to the Senate floor in this final week of session.   However, the bill was pulled to the floor without the amendments agreed to by counties, advocates and administrators.  Rules require that bills on the Senate floor during the last week of session be amended by a 2/3rd vote - an impossible task, as folks know from the recent budget saga. 

Because the bill could provide as many as 100,000 low-income Californians with nutrition benefits, an army of friends tried to do the impossible.  Assembly Member Jim Beall, the author of the bill, and his staff, including Casey McKeever, launched the effort to get the bill amended.  They were joined by Speaker Nunez and his staffer, Gail Gronert, and in the Senate by Senator Darrell Steinberg and his staff, Kathy Dresslar.  Lobbyists Kathy Mossburg (CFPA) and Mike Herald (WCLP) rounded out the team.  They worked deep into the night on Tuesday but ultimately ran out of time. 

The celebration on AB 433 hasn't been cancelled - merely postponed.  The bill will be picked up in January where it left off.  The Administration has reiterated its support for this effort, so we should be back on track to provide new nutrition benefits to these needy families.

Legislation on a Collision Course with the Governor

Two bills opposed by the administration are headed to the Governor's desk.  AB 508, the bill to have California entirely opt-out of the lifetime food stamp ban for individuals convicted of drug related felonies, passed the Senate last week.  While the current ban is an injustice that must be righted, the administration has been vociferously opposed to the bill. 

AB 1382, the bill to end finger imaging for food stamp only-cases, is also headed to the Governor's desk.  While trips to the food stamp office are clearly barriers to food stamp participation for the working poor, the administration is opposed to altering the state's finger imaging statute. 

While these are two tough fights, the administration must be made aware of the benefits of reducing trips to the food stamp office for working families and of the benefits of good nutrition to felons who have served their time.  Stay tuned for info on contacting the Governor.

Paperwork Piling Up

The waivers that allow California to operate its food stamp reporting system expire in a few weeks.  Despite this pressure and the benefits of 6-month reporting experienced in just about every other state, an agreement with the administration could not be worked out.  AB 1060, the bill to move to 6-month reporting,  remains in the Senate Appropriations committee while counties and food stamp participants continue to be buried in unnecessary paperwork.

Breakfast Set-Backs

Perhaps the biggest nutrition disappointment of the session is the loss of the California Fresh Start Program.  While this program was wildly successful at increasing produce offerings, it was allowed to perish.  Legislators reasoned that in tight times, the across-the-board increased reimbursement (see above) was the best possible outcome for the session.  They also pointed out that the reimbursement could be used to support produce purchases.  But given other cafeteria department needs, it will be a tough task for local advocates to get the increased reimbursement directed toward produce.  Look for CFPA and others to push for the return of Fresh Start.

As you’ll see in the new Breakfast Report “Running on Empty”  (see link in this alert), far too many severe need schools aren’t offering breakfast.  Yet AB 92, from Assembly Woman Bonnie Garcia, died at the hands of the Assembly Appropriations Committee.  The need is severe, but thus far the legislative response has been severely lacking.

Looking Ahead 

Stay tuned for updates and actions on legislation heading to the Governor’s desk.  We also welcome your thoughts for legislation in 2008.  As we think ahead, we feel challenged by the bleak budget picture but we also feel inspired by the passionate and dedicated people (like those who fought so hard on AB 433) who continue to push for nutrition improvements in California. 

In this issue:

State Legislative Session Wrap-up

New Breakfast Report

Farm Bill Update

9th  Food Stamp Forum: Save the Date

Running on Empty:  A Report on the School Breakfast Program in California

Most people know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  Most schools in California knows this too, as the vast majority of schools operate a school breakfast program.  But despite this recognition, far too many kids are "running on empty" in California.

The report, released today, examines a number of performance measures with regard to school breakfast.  Most notable, 50 of California's 58 counties were below the national average for breakfast participation.  Given the importance of breakfast and the availability of new options to increase participation, California can and should do a better job.

Another interesting finding is that a significant number of the schools not offering breakfast are so-called "severe need" schools.  611 schools in California have such deep need (high percentages of low-income students) as to qualify for increased reimbursement and the designation as "severe need" but don't offer breakfast.    For a list of these schools, click here.

Copies of the report can be found here.  There are a number of county-specific data points which we hope will help advocates in their local work.

In addition, a press page, with local press releases, has been developed.  Click here.

Farm Bill Update

Our friends in Washington are hearing that a Senate Farm Bill proposal could emerge in the coming weeks, perhaps as early as September 24th.  Here are the 3 messages our partners at FRAC are encouraging people to send to their Senators:

1) Build on the House-passed 2007 Farm Bill nutrition title’s $4 billion in new five-year investments (H.R. 2419) by further strengthening food stamp benefit increases (especially for the minimum monthly benefit and standard deductions), by raising food stamp resource limits significantly, and by restoring food stamp eligibility to more vulnerable groups currently left out. 

2)  Urge Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-MT) to provide the financing needed to invest in a strong Farm Bill nutrition title. 

3) Strongly communicate to Senate leadership that a Farm bill must pass this year to ensure that much-needed food stamp and nutrition program improvements are enacted.   

For more information, visit:  http://www.frac.org/Legislative/action_center/index.html

9th Food Stamp Forum Save the Date:

Contact:  schandran@cfpa.net