AB 164 (Arambula) Set for April Hearing: Act Now to Support!
AB 164 (Arambula),
California Leads to Meet Food Needs, has been set for an April 25 hearing in Assembly Human Services. If you haven't already, please send in a letter in support by
April 14!
CFPA is proud to be sponsoring AB 164, which would create a flexible and responsive framework for California Food Assistance to effectively meet Californians' food needs.
link
Now is the time for California to be proactive! AB 164 would enable the State to effectively and efficiently respond with nutrition assistance when benefits are inadequate, or to respond to vulnerable populations that are ineligible for federal benefits.
California Food Assistance should be flexible and responsive so that we can step up if federal assistance does not fully meet California's needs.
Use a customizable template to submit a letter of support for AB 164. doc
Take Action: Support Safe Drinking Water Budget Request
California families need your help! On April 19, 2017 a budget request will be heard in the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Human Services to invest in a $5 million multi-county initiative to bring relief to CalFresh families impacted by unsafe water in the 2017-18 Budget. The request may also be under consideration in Senate Budget Sub 3 the following day.
The state's CalFresh Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) system would deliver time-limited nutrition benefits to mitigate the burden of purchasing water for drinking and cooking for households without safe water. While past state investments and recent rains have brought significant improvements to the California's water crisis, there are still a number of communities in the state where a long-term solution for safe drinking water is not yet in place.
We are calling on our partners to sign on to our letter requesting the Legislature work with the Administration to fund the pilot.
HELP US TAKE ACTION TODAY
Read and sign on to our letter by April 7, 2017: link
Tweet at budget leaders to support CFPA's 2017-18 budget request.
@HollyJMitchell @PhilTing @drarambulaAD31 @DrPanMD we support @CAFoodPolicy $5million budget request 2 bring safe water to CalFresh families
Families shouldn't need to choose between food and water. [insert representative twitter handle] Support @CAFoodPolicy bring relief 2 those w/o safe water
[insert representative twitter handle] Nutrition initiative 2 bring relief to families w/o safe water is smart CA investment. Let's make it happen: http://bit.ly/2nHcL6K
Water is a human right that no one should go without. Support @CAFoodPolicy $5mil budget request. Learn more here: http://bit.ly/2nHcL6K
SB 138 (McGuire) Passes Senate Ed with Unanimous Support!
SB 138 (McGuire) has
passed out of the Senate Committee on Education with unanimous, bipartisan support! SB 138 would more effectively identify low-income students and increase access to school meals by ensuring that the Department of Education and school districts identify students eligible for free and reduced-price school meals with verified Medi-Cal income data and by calling for very high poverty schools to serve breakfast and lunch free of charge to all students.
A big thank you to Senator McGuire for being a great champion of this bill, to Jennifer Marrone of San Diego Unified for showing that these two strategies (Medicaid Direct Certification and Universal School Meals) can work, and to that the Senate Education Committee for recognizing SB 138's ability to fight the devastating effects of child hunger.
SB 138 will need your continued support as it moves to the Senate Committee on Appropriations. Stay tuned for next steps, but in the meantime send out a tweet to your networks.
Sample Tweets with infographic:
More than 1.7 million CA homes with kids struggle put food on the table. #SB138 can help! @CAFoodPolicy @ilike_mike @senricardolara
CA must reduce child hunger #SB138 gives schools viable solution 2 close achievement gap @CAFoodPolicy @ilike_mike @senricardolara
