Food security advocates cried foul last year when Wyoming became one of 15 states to opt out of a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that aims to supplement the food needs of low-income children when school isn’t in session.
A new bill would bring the state into the program. House Bill 341, “Summer nutrition assistance for children,” directs state participation in the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer, or SUN Bucks, and sets out duties for state agencies to administer it.
The federal grocery benefit is available across most of the U.S. to families with eligible school-aged children. The program furnishes a debit card with $120 per child to buy groceries during the summer, the idea being to fill the gap when free and reduced-price lunches aren’t available because school isn’t in session.
Lander Republican Rep. Loyd Larsen sponsored the bill, which he said was written to align with the goals of First Lady Jennie Gordon’s Wyoming Hunger Initiative. The motivation behind the bill was simple, Larsen said.
“What we have found is … the most efficient, effective way to get food to those kids is really through those cards,” he said. “It works.”
The House Transportation, Highways & Military Affairs Committee unanimously advanced the bill Thursday; it now heads to the House floor.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, who labeled the summer food program last year as a welfare program mis-marketed as a benefit for kids, did not testify on the bill. A representative from the Wyoming Department of Education said only that Degenfelder believes it might be better as a topic of study for after the session.
Getting food to kids
The Biden administration launched the USDA-funded summer program in 2024.
Summer electronic benefit transfers reduce child hunger and improve diet quality, according to evaluations of a multi-year demonstration project cited by the agency. The project decreased the number of kids with very low food security by about one-third and supported healthier diets, USDA said.
Degenfelder, however, said she preferred to improve Wyoming’s existing program rather than sign on.
“I will not let the Biden administration weaponize summer school lunch programs to justify a new welfare program,” Degenfelder told WyoFile in early 2024. “Thanks, but no thanks. We will continue to combat childhood hunger the Wyoming way.”
State food pantry and food assistance employees, meanwhile, told WyoFile the USDA benefit would be one more crucial way to increase access to quality food in the state.
Under Larsen’s bill, the Wyoming Department of Family Services and Wyoming Department of Education would administer the program by determining eligibility, while federal monies would go onto the cards.
“This is approximately $3.8 million of federal benefit directly to local communities,” Department of Family Services Director Korin Schmidt said. “It really is just an effective means for people to be able to purchase food benefits.”
First Lady Gordon has put a major emphasis on fighting food insecurity with her Wyoming Hunger Initiative. Gordon could not attend the meeting due to a medical emergency, Larson and committee chairman Rep. Landon Brown, R-Cheyenne, reported, but she had planned to voice support for the bill.
What can it buy
Jackie Semmens is the American Heart Association’s government relations director for Wyoming. Her organization backs the bill.
“Summer EBT is a great way for families to meet children’s nutritional needs,” Semmens said. “This is especially important for families who live in rural areas who have challenges getting to a food bank, getting to a feeding site.”
The Northern Arapaho Business Council also supports it, representative Travis McNiven testified.
Lawmakers questioned whether the program allows participants to buy all kinds of food — including things like sugary sodas with no nutritional value.
The program uses the food eligibility standards of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Schmidt said.
“It does include things like soda and candy,” she said. “What we do know is that 40 cents on the dollar is spent on basics. It’s spent on bread, milk, cheese, those things.”
According to the USDA, SUN Bucks can buy fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy products, breads, cereals, snack foods and non-alcoholic drinks. They cannot purchase hot foods, pet foods, cleaning or household supplies, personal hygiene items or medicine.
The issue of what kinds of foods can be purchased with food-assistance programs has come up in another bill this session. House Bill 323, “SNAP benefits-waiver request,” attempts to prevent Wyoming SNAP beneficiaries from purchasing candy and sodas.
Freshman Rep. Reuben Tarver, R-Gillette, attempted to amend Larsen’s bill to stipulate that beneficiaries can only buy Wyoming-made products and cannot buy soft drinks. His amendment would also halt the program if federal government payments are reduced or if Wyoming has to pay any money.
After lawmakers agreed the enforcement would be difficult if not impossible, the product-origin amendment portion died. The other changes passed.
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