Law 191 Invalidating Puerto Rico Birth Certificates and the Food Stamp Program

A new memo is now avialable providing information regarding the enactment of Law 191 by the government of Puerto Rico which invalidates all Puerto Rican birth certificates. The memo explains how this change affects food stamp applicants and recipients who have a Puerto Rican birth certificate.

Law 191 implements the following changes:

1. On September 30, 2010 all Puerto Rican birth certificates issued before July 1, 2010 will be invalidated.
2. Starting July 1, 2010 Puerto Rico will begin to issue new security enhanced birth certificates.

To veiw the memo click here.

For more information on why this law has been enacted and how to apply for a new Puerto Rican birth certificate see GIS 10 TA/DC016.

For information on the impact of this law on food stamp applicants, recipients and those reapplying see GIS 10 TA/DC018.

Update: Urgent Action Needed to Stop Raid on SNAP/FS Benefits

From Food Research and Action Center (FRAC)

Thanks to everyone for their hard work this week. We are providing this quick recap to reiterate next steps in light of the SNAP/FS cuts voted on by the Senate yesterday afternoon.

• The Senate voted to pass the "FMAP" bill (technically the Federal Aviation Administration Bill, with amendments), which includes aid to states and funding for teachers' salaries and FMAP (Medicaid). This bill reduces SNAP (food stamps) benefits to generate $11.9 billion to pay for items added to the bill. It does that by ending the economic recovery act's SNAP/FS monthly benefits increase in April 2014.
• On top of this cut, the Senate also voted to pass its version of Child Nutrition Reauthorization, which further reduces SNAP/FS benefits to generate $2.2 billion to pay for this bill - a "child nutrition" bill that will make children hungrier. It does this by moving the SNAP/FS benefits increase termination date forward to November 2013.
• If these two bills are enacted, that means a family of four would see their SNAP/FS benefits fall by $59 starting in November 2013.

In response to the SNAP/FS cuts included in the Senate CNR bill, FRAC issued a statement that urges the House of Representatives to reject the Senate bill and move quickly to pass its version of Child Nutrition Reauthorization.

NEXT STEPS

• Our sign-on letter (pdf) is 1,400 organizations strong and growing by the minute. Please continue to circulate this letter.
• Contact your Members of Congress and tell them to stop the raid on SNAP/FS benefits. Tell them it's unacceptable to cut SNAP/FS and they must pass the House version of CNR in September with other funding. For the Capitol Switchboard, call 202-225-3121; toll-free calls: 1-866-277-7617.

Feedback and Technical Assistance

Check the new FRAC website (www.frac.org) for the latest news on the SNAP cuts. At the home page, you can sign up for the RSS feed and have updates delivered to you.

Please share reports on your contacts and suggestions for additional actions to prevent the SNAP benefit cuts. For feedback and technical assistance, contact evollinger@frac.org and eteller@frac.org.

Free Trainings on Public Benefits

Benefits Enrollment Training: Helping Families in Need Access Public Benefits

A collaboration amongst the NYS Community Action Association, Chautauqua Opportunities, Empire Justice Center, Nutrition Consortium of NYS, and Single Stop.

This free, in-person training will enhance the skills of employees who help families access public benefits. The training will increase worker awareness of the range and types of resources available to support struggling families, and will provide valuable tools to use such as the NYS Community Action's Helping Hands Tool Kit and the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance's mybenefits.ny.gov.

In addition, please check out free program specific webinars offered.

To learn more about training locations and webinar dates, please browse the brochure or visit the NYSCAA website.

Action Needed: Senate Moves Forward on $11.9 Billion Cut in SNAP/FS Benefits

From the Food Action and Research Center

Senate Moves Forward on $11.9 Billion Cut in SNAP Benefits; Legislation Needs to Be Fixed Before Passage

Breaking News
This morning the Senate, by a vote of 61 to 38, ended a filibuster on a bill that provides for enhanced Medicaid funding to states (FMAP) and preserves teachers' positions, but pays for much of it by reducing future SNAP/Food Stamps benefits by $11.9 billion. (To read FRAC's statement, click here). That bill still awaits final Senate passage this week and further action in the House in September - or possibly as early as next week if Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) calls the House back from recess. In addition, the manager's amendment to the Senate Agriculture Committee's Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR) bill (S. 3307), which could go to the Senate floor this week, also would cut SNAP benefits. In contrast, the more robust House version of CNR (H.R. 5504) contains no SNAP cuts.

Messages
1. Overall Message: Oppose cutting SNAP/Food Stamps to pay for other programs - regardless of the merits of those proposals.

2. FMAP Message: Support a fixed FMAP bill that does not take money from SNAP.

3. CNR Message: Support enactment of a robust Child Nutrition Reauthorization Bill that does not take money from SNAP. Senate Leaders should fix the CNR manager's amendment (S. 3307) and delete cuts to SNAP.

Immediate Action Step One - Circulate and Sign Group Letter
Immediately sign your group on to a letter opposing SNAP/Food Stamps cuts and circulate it to allied groups and urge them to sign on. Already 800 groups have signed on in three days. The interim deadline is August 5th at noon (the final letter will be kept open). Click here to sign on. (If you have any technical difficulties signing on, e-mail your sign-on information to emelcher@frac.org.)

Immediate Action Step Two - Tell Members of Congress and the White House to Fix the Bills and Stop SNAP Cuts
Contact Senators and the White House and tell them cutting SNAP/Food Stamps benefits, now or in the future, is unacceptable. For the Capitol Switchboard, call 202-225-3121; for the White House, call 202-456-1414. For toll-free calls, call 1-866-277-7617 and get connected first to the Capitol Switchboard and then routed to the White House. (Thanks to Voices for America's Children for use of its toll-free number).

Background - Legislative Vehicles
The proposal to pay for spending for other programs by rolling back the boost that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) made to SNAP benefit levels has cropped up in a variety of contexts. The FMAP bill would reduce SNAP benefits in April 2014 to generate $11.9 billion to pay for items such as aid to states and funding for teachers' salaries as well as to reduce the budget deficit. The manager's amendment to the Child Nutrition bill would reduce monthly SNAP benefits beginning August 2016 to generate $2.4 billion to pay for part of the Reauthorization (S. 3307). These bills should be fixed - they should not be paid for with low-income peoples' food benefits. Congress should not be voting to increase hunger.

For a brief from FRAC which provides greater background on the proposed cuts.

For new FRAC charts that provide data on the numbers of SNAP participants by state in May 2o10.

Longer Term Outlook
FRAC will be providing you with additional information in coming days on ways to build opposition to the SNAP benefit cuts during the August recess.

Feedback and Technical Assistance
Please share reports on your contacts and suggestions for additional actions to prevent the SNAP benefit cuts. For feedback and technical assistance, contact evollinger@frac.org and eteller@frac.org.

Sign Letter Opposing Food Stamp Cuts - Action Needed Immeditately

From the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC)

Action Needed: Sign the National, State and Community-based Organizational Letter Opposing SNAP/Food Stamp Cuts (Deadline Extended to: Thursday, August 5 at Noon ET)

SNAP/Food Stamps on Chopping Block, Again Senate Leaders Contemplate Proposal to Cut Billions from Future SNAP Benefits

Disturbing news coming out of the Senate includes proposals to cut billions from future SNAP/Food Stamp benefits to offset part of the cost for other legislative priorities. FRAC, along with other national groups, strongly opposes using SNAP funding to pay for other programs -- regardless of the merits of those proposals. SNAP/Food Stamp cuts should never be used as a way to pay for legislation.

To push back against these efforts, FRAC is circulating a national, state and community-based organization sign-on letter.

Click here to view and sign your organization onto the letter.

Congressional leaders and the White House need to hear a strong message from groups across the country that Congress should not be making it even harder for struggling families to purchase healthy food.

Deadline Extended to: Thursday, August 5 at Noon ET.
(Depending on the Senate's schedule, this deadline may be extended. Still, we urge you to act IMMEDIATELY and to circulate this alert.)

Background on Proposals to Cut SNAP/Food Stamps
The proposals would cut short a boost in benefits included in the Economic Recovery Act and return benefits to lower levels at which families often run out of food in the third or early in the fourth week of the month. The cut would increase hunger and obesity by making it even harder for struggling families to purchase healthy, adequate, food.

Taking money from the neediest seniors, children and households in America is not an acceptable way to pay for other legislative priorities - regardless of the merits of those proposals. Economists and lawmakers agreed that the higher benefit level is needed to fight hunger and grow the economy. This is an investment we should protect, not raid.