AHNC Updates & Action Alert: 2014 Session Update-Week One

Updates & Action Alert

AHNC Weekly Update and Alerts: 2014 Legislative Session Week One REGISTER FOR HUNGER ACTION DAY HERE!! (see more below) Session Background The 2014 Legislative Session began this week with dozens of bill filings and hearings on the Governor's Supplemental Budget in the House Appropriations and Senate Ways and Means Committees.  On Monday morning more than a dozen lobbyists met for the first AHNC Lobbyist meeting on the session. These meetings take place every Monday morning at 11 a.m. in John A Cherberg Senate Office Building Room 234 - if you're in Olympia, stop by! We'll be following up these meetings with a call for updates on the AHNC Legislative Agenda items from leads on each issue.  This communication will include information and will also outline ACTIONS needed in the coming week on Coalition issues.  As you know, 2014 is a Supplemental Budget year when the legislature meets for a shorter period.  There is debate about whether there will be a Supplemental Budget written this year.  Governor Inslee has presented a budget; none of the AHNC budget priorities were included in his request.  This does not mean that these programs are being cut!  It means that there are currently no proposed changes to the programs.  Updates    Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP) On Monday, the House Appropriations Committee heard testimony on the Governor's budget proposal where Northwest Harvest and Food Lifeline testified about the need to increase funding for the Emergency Food Assistance Program.  On Wednesday, the Senate also held a hearing on the Governor's budget - a huge thanks to Carla Jones (Seattle Indian Health Center Food Bank), Kevin Glackin-Coley (St. Leo Food Connection), and Robert Coit (Thurston County Food Bank) who testified eloquently for additional funding for EFAP.  Clickhere to watch their testimony (beginning near  2:07).    Action Needed!  Washington Food Coalition is collecting signatures on a community letter of support for EFAP to deliver to legislators on Hunger Action Day.  Click here to sign on your organization.  Then please forward to your local partners and community organizations and ask for their support, too.  We are also working with Rep. Blake and Sen. Hatfield who are circulating EFAP letters of support among legislators - please contact your legislators and make sure they have signed on before the end of the month.  Thanks to Claire Lane for providing this information.    State Food Assistance (SFA)      The Children's Alliance and members of their action network from Auburn and Federal way provided testimony on Monday and Wednesday on the need to equalize SFA benefits with SNAP benefits.  The Children's Alliance will be holding Have a Heart for Kids Day onFebruary 3. The day begins at 10 a.m. in the Columbia Room in the Legislative Building and will include a noon rally on the Leg Building steps. More information is available atwww.childrensalliance.org.    Action Needed! The Children's Alliance issued an alert this week asking our members to contact legislators about full funding of SFA.   It's easy to direct folks from your networks to this alert; if they enter their address, the website will find their legislators and contacting them is as easy as clicking a button.  You can find the alert here. For more information, contact Linda Stone, linda@childrensalliance.org.  Farmers Market Nutrition Programs (FMNP)   Claire Lane provided testimony at the Wednesday Senate budget hearing on the importance of the FMNP and the need for added funds to expand the program.  A lobby day for FMNP has been scheduled for February 11. Contact Ellen Gray at the WA Sustainable Food and Farming Network for more information (egray@wsffn.org). School Breakfast The first week of state legislative session was a busy one as signatures were gathered for the Breakfast after the Bell bill. Zack Hudgins, D-Tukwila is sponsoring the bill in the House and Steve Litzow, R-Mercer Island is sponsoring the companion bill in the Senate.  Cathy Dahlquist, R-Enumclaw is a co-sponsor in the House.  Katie Mosehauer made an excellent presentation on Washington Appleseed's  Future of Breakfast report to a joint work session of House Education and House Health and Wellness Committees.  There were a number of questions raised by Committee members after the presentation centering on cost, appeal of school breakfasts, displacement of instructional time and usurping parental responsibility.  In the meantime, we are talking with and providing information to a number of school organizations to bring them on board.  Action Needed! If you have contacts with any school organizations or with elected officials, we would encourage you to share your support of this approach to increasing school breakfast. Please make sure you stay on message with this legislative one pager.  Thanks for Lauren McGowan for providing the update.  Hunger Action Day    Action Needed!  Register now for Hunger Action Day on Friday, Feb. 7 in Olympia! Hunger Action Day is the Anti-Hunger & Nutrition Coalition's annual lobby day - come to learn about our hunger priorities, get updates on what's happening in the legislature, and meet with your lawmakers.  Click here to register and we'll make appointments with your legislators.  If you can't come to Olympia in person, you can participate in our online lobby day. Click hereand add your voice to our online petition!