The Idaho bill would require the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to request federal approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, through a waiver to ban SNAP coverage for candy and soda. (Photo by Scott Heins/Getty Images)
The Idaho House narrowly passed a bill to ban a nutritional assistance program formerly known as food stamps from covering candy and soda.
House Bill 109, by Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d’Alene, would require the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to seek federal approval to exclude candy and soda from foods eligible for coverage by the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
Idaho’s bill is part of the national movement coined “Make America Healthy Again,” or MAHA, promoted by U.S. health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Redman told the House lawmakers.
Redman told Idaho House lawmakers soda is the “number one commodity spent on SNAP.”
After little debate, the Idaho House passed the bill on a 38-32 vote Monday. Twenty-three Republican House lawmakers joined all nine House Democrats in opposing the bill.
The bill now heads to the Idaho Senate for consideration. To become law, Idaho bills must pass the House and Senate, and avoid the governor’s veto.
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Last week, the Idaho House Health and Welfare Committee narrowly advanced the bill to the full House — on an 8-7 vote.
Redman also defended the bill against critiques over its definition and concerns by business industry groups who have said the bill would be difficult to implement. He said the bill uses a definition said is used in state tax laws, and modern technology eases the process for businesses to exclude foods ineligible under the bill.
“SNAP is not a mandatory program. If it’s too difficult, they’re not required to accept SNAP. They don’t have to be involved in the program,” he said. “However, I do think with point-of-sales systems today, that the ease of use is actually a lot easier.”
Bill would ban granola bars, power bars and lead grocery stores to stop taking SNAP, Idaho House Democrat leader says
The bill defines candy as “a preparation of sugar, honey, or other natural or artificial sweeteners combined with chocolate, fruit, nuts or other ingredients or flavorings in the form of confections, bars, drops or pieces.” Under the bill, candy would not include “any item that contains more than” 10% flour “by weight or requires refrigeration.”
Idaho House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, was the only lawmaker to debate the bill on the House floor. Repeating concerns she raised in committee, she said the bill wouldn’t just ban Twix bars — it would also ban granola bars and power bars.
She told House lawmakers the bill was opposed by many Idaho business groups, including the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, a powerful lobbying group.
The bill won’t be workable, she argued, and would prompt grocery stores to stop accepting SNAP.
“If we put this incredibly vague and un-administrable definition in front of them, we will simply see grocery stores not accepting this and low-income families unable to get food at all,” Rubel said.
Almost 131,000 Idahoans are enrolled in SNAP, according to figures released last month. On average, an Idahoan on SNAP receives $177 in program benefits monthly, data from Health and Welfare shows.
Rubel argued Idaho should wait to see how the federal government tackles the issue, referencing the “Healthy SNAP Act” in Congress.
The Idaho bill would require the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to request federal approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, through a waiver to ban SNAP coverage for candy and soda. If the federal government doesn’t grant that waiver for Idaho, the bill says the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare “shall request such a waiver annually until such a waiver is granted.”
The bill’s fiscal note estimates it would not have a fiscal impact. Applying for the waiver wouldn’t cost Idaho money, Redman told House lawmakers, saying it would only require an email from the Department of Health and Welfare director to the federal USDA.
Republican legislators in Arizona, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming have introduced similar bills to request federal approval to ban SNAP coverage for candy and soda, Stateline reported.
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