The proposed changes in H111 would likely exacerbate food insecurity among children and create significant barriers for families relying on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Here's how this bill affects kids:
1. Restricting EBT Card Use Hurts Families
Current Issue: SNAP benefits are provided to a household, not an individual, to ensure everyone in the household has access to food.
Proposed Impact: By requiring the EBT card to match the photo of the user, the flexibility families need to purchase food would be eliminated. For example:
A teenager couldn't buy groceries or baby formula while their parents were at work.
A second parent or caregiver would also be unable to use the card to shop for the household.
Effect on Children: These restrictions could delay or limit access to food, making it harder to provide regular meals for children.
2. Increased Food Insecurity for Vulnerable Kids
SNAP benefits are critical for feeding children in low-income families.
With approximately 150,000 people in Idaho using food assistance and two-thirds (100,000) being children, any disruption to SNAP benefits would disproportionately affect kids.
Likely Outcomes:
Families may face delays in accessing food due to stricter, more burdensome rules.
Complicated systems could result in children going hungry, particularly during school breaks or when their primary caregivers are unavailable.
3. Administrative Complexity = Delays and Denials
Creating additional layers of bureaucracy, like requiring photo verification, could lead to mistakes, delays, or denials in issuing or using benefits.
Families in crisis may lose benefits temporarily while trying to navigate new and confusing requirements.
Impact on Kids: Disruptions in food access could mean children miss meals or rely on less nutritious, lower-cost alternatives, leading to health and developmental issues.
4. Amplifying Food Insecurity Trends
Idaho has already faced challenges with food insecurity, particularly for children. Adding these restrictions would worsen an already critical issue by creating more barriers to accessing assistance.
Conclusion
This bill would unnecessarily complicate SNAP benefits and place an undue burden on families with children. As a result, more kids would face food insecurity, poorer nutrition, and increased stress, all of which have long-term consequences for their health, development, and ability to thrive.