SR0257 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0257 LRB098 11846 GRL 45024 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, No resident of Illinois should have to be food-insecure; and

WHEREAS, 1,932,580, or 1 in 7 residents of the State of Illinois are experiencing food insecurity, meaning they lack access to adequate nutritious food for a healthy lifestyle; and

WHEREAS, 684,960, or just over 1 in 5 children in the State of Illinois are experiencing food insecurity; and

WHEREAS, Food insecurity is experienced in every county in the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Hunger increases health care costs, lowers workers' productivity, harms children's development, and diminishes children's educational performance; and

WHEREAS, Fighting hunger is a public-private partnership; in Illinois, a strong private network exists that has provided 1.4 million people in Illinois with more than 127 million pounds of food in 2010; however, private charity cannot do it alone and a strong federal hunger relief safety net is required; and

WHEREAS, The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), the Older Adult Congregate Dining and Home Delivered Meals, The Free and Reduced School Breakfast and Lunch Program, the Summer Feeding Supplemental Program (SFSP), the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) are all important pieces to the federal food and nutrition safety net that require State engagement and support; and

WHEREAS, SNAP is the cornerstone of the nutrition safety net, with 2 million, or 1 in 6, Illinois residents enrolled in the program; just under half of those utilizing the program are children; and

WHEREAS, Any reduction in funding of or change in policy that seeks to exclude individuals from participating in the SNAP Program will increase the number of food-insecure people in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Threats to the federal food and nutrition safety net, including SNAP, exist in both the reauthorization of the Farm Bill and the annual federal budget process; and

WHEREAS, Attempts to change State policy for federal food and nutrition programs, including SNAP, can have harmful effects on the food insecure; and

WHEREAS, Maintaining the current model of 100% federal funding of SNAP assistance is essential to retaining the program's effectiveness in fighting hunger; and

WHEREAS, TEFAP is a means-tested federal program that provides food commodities at no cost to Illinoisans in need of short-term hunger relief through organizations like food banks, pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency shelters; and

WHEREAS, The decisions made in developing the next Farm Bill, which includes SNAP, TEFAP, and CSFP, will impact the ability of food-insecure Illinoisans to access the food and nutrition safety they need; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge Congress to develop the 2013 Farm Bill with a strong Title IV that protects and strengthens federal food and nutrition programs; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we state our opposition to cuts in funding to the federal food and nutrition safety net through the annual federal budget process or any other measures; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we reject changes to the State's administration of the federal food and nutrition safety net that would limit access or add undo burdens to those families facing food insecurity; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the members of the Illinois congressional delegation, the President of the United States, and the United States Secretary of Agriculture.