Blogs on MLS -- All Posts

The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) is hosting the FY2012 budget hearing on Monday, December 13th in Boston (and a second hearing in Western Mass, TBA).

Thanks to the hard work of Governor Patrick, EOHHS, DTA, our Congressional Delegation (lead by Congressman Jim McGovern), Senator John Kerry and members of the Food SNAP Coalition, USDA has agreed to NOT require states to reduce SNAP benefits on January 1st!  This three month extension will allow SNAP benefits to be calculated using the higher utility allowance through March 31, 2011. 

Today, tomorrow and early next week are opportune times to communicate with the Massachusetts delegation and their staff about the important of protecting the SNAP program and ensuring alternate funding for Child Nutrition. Members of Congress are coming back to work next week (during the "lame duck session") to take up this and a number of critical budget and legislative issues. The core message to Congress is a strong two-fold ask: pass the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Bill and fix the SNAP cut in a separate legislative vehicle!

In its October 2010 Report to Congress on “Direct Certification in the National School Lunch Program”, USDA Food and Nutrition Service reports that Massachusetts has one of the lowest percent of “categorically eligible children” certified for free school meals for the school year 2009-2010. “Categorically eligible” children are children who participate in the SNAP program or live in a household that receives SNAP benefits. The USDA FNS report is available at: http://www.fns.usda.gov/