Salaam:
Thanks for supporting this SNAP legislation for the 2022 session. I also think Medicaid is one we should consider for the 2022 session as well. Do you agree with adding Medicaid or should that be a separate bill?

This is common sense legislation. Also, SNAP benefits are federally funded.

Can you adapt the below text with Legislative Services to get things going. Do you have a patron or do you wish for us to ask Del. Hoe or Kaye Kory? SALT will advocate and it should have considerable support.

This simple and practical legislation makes an enormous difference for a more successful reentry. The bill is needed now – Bread is an Awesome anti-hunger organization. I’ve been a member forever. You can be sure SALT will support.

Thanks for considering. Please advise. john & SALT This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Heading off hunger before leaving prison

People leaving prison are exceptionally vulnerable to hunger.

In California, Bread leaders took action by advocating for and ensuring passage of Assembly Bill 3073. The bill allows eligible individuals in California to pre-enroll in the SNAP program while still incarcerated so they can immediately access food assistance for themselves and their families upon their release.

In the past, formerly incarcerated individuals could apply for SNAP benefits only after they left prison. As a consequence, it could be weeks or even months before they received food assistance—leaving them vulnerable to hunger.

To address this reality, Bread staff and leaders sought help from Jessica Bartholow, a policy advocate at the Western Center on Law & Poverty. She ended up writing the bill.

The bill has a lot of upsides—and not just for the formerly incarcerated individual who gets immediately access to food assistance. In fact, it could be a model for other states. The bill’s cost is minimal because pre-enrolling incarcerated individuals for SNAP benefits is as simple as adding a line to a form that recipients already fill out.

Moreover, the bill allows the state to invest in people when they need the help the most—right before they leave prison. By providing access to food assistance for such a vulnerable population, the bill can reduce recidivism and increase public safety.

The bill made its way to the governor’s desk and on September 28, Gov. Gavin Newson signed the bill into law, thanks in great part to hunger advocates across California.

“Every year more people are incarcerated, whether it is justified or not, they suffer a period of time away from their family, relatives, and friends. The silence and solitude can be devastating to the human soul,” the patron said.

He added: “But when they are free again to begin a new life, the social reinsertion to the society can be painful. That's why AB 3073 is necessary so the applicant can experience the reentry process as a new opportunity given by our government, and our society."