Congress Introduces the HEROES Act
Bill includes 3 key SNAP priorities

The House of Representatives may vote this Friday on another COVID-19 relief package. Yesterday, Speaker Pelosi released the text for   H.R. 6800 - the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act. The bill includes several provisions that if enacted would make it easier for Californians to access the food they need, including three key SNAP priorities that the anti-hunger community has been rallying behind. 



CFPA has been advocating additional COVID-19 policy priorities with members of California's Congressional Delegation that are equitable and inclusive, maximize food access, and prepare for the long term effects of the COVID-19 crisis. In addition to the three key SNAP priorities, CFPA was happy to see the House package also includes many of these priorities.

Of our COVID-19 federal policy priorities, the HEROES Act includes the following:

Equitable and Inclusive
  • Enact additional stimulus payments that are inclusive of immigrant families who have Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs). (included)
  • Provide COVID-19 related testing and treatment for all low-income immigrants, regardless of immigration status.  (included)
  • Suspend the public charge rule. (included)
  • Extend Pandemic EBT to include young children, older adults, and individuals with disabilities who are eligible for meals under the Child and Adult Care Food Program and whose access to meals has been negatively impacted by preschool, child care, and adult day care closures. (young children included, but not adults) 

Maximize Access to Food
  • Increase CalFresh/SNAP maximum benefits by 15%. (included) 
  • Increase CalFresh/SNAP minimum benefits from $16 to $30. (included) 
  • Suspend federal CalFresh rulemaking that would decrease access to nutrition resources or diminish benefit levels for low-income Californians. (included) 
  • Temporarily increase the Cash Value Benefit to enhance fruit and vegetable purchases by WIC families. (included) 
  • Extend eligibility and certification periods for the WIC program further so the program can reach more families and for extended periods of need. ( not included )
  • Sustain Pandemic EBT through the crisis and into the summer. (included) 

Prepare for Long Term Effects
  • Key relief measures such as increasing SNAP benefits and halting harmful SNAP rules must continue until the economy has recovered, instead of ending them prematurely when the public health emergency ends or on an arbitrary date. (not included, some relief measures are not tied to economic indicators)

A bipartisan deal is still several weeks away, but now is an important moment to help build the bipartisan support necessary to advance the relief package.  We encourage you to elevate the good provisions of the bill with House Democrats and Republicans alike, to help build bipartisan support for the next relief package. 

Need help reaching your Members of Congress? Use this tool , which provides the phone numbers, emails, and social media accounts for California's Congressional Delegation.



Questions?  Contact Melissa Cannon at melissa@cfpa.net  

Virtual Public Charge Training
Help keep immigrant families connected to vital resources 

Even with the new public charge rule in effect, immigrant Californians can receive assistance from a number of nutrition programs without it harming their immigration goals. 

To learn what public charge means for immigrants seeking food assistance, and other forms of support,  join the Public Charge & COVID-19 Virtual Training !


Led by the Outreach & Communications Workgroup of CA-PIF, in partnership with the Long Beach Immigrant Rights Coalition.  

Please share with your partners and networks, thank you!


Questions?  Contact Gabby Tilley at gabby@cfpa.net  


Become a Spokesperson--Drive Change
The COVID-19 crisis is increasing the need for food assistance and other resources across California. Reporters and legislative staff continue to ask CFPA about the challenges Californians experience in accessing the food they need. Our staff works to share existing problems and outline solutions, but our voices are not the most important. Members of the media and government leaders need to hear directly from local community members and individuals affected by hunger and other hardships. If you are interested and able, we'd like to help connect you to the media and policymakers to share your experiences and ideas.

Learn more here:  English , Spanish