The North Texas Food Bank Urges State Lawmakers to Support Anti-Hunger Policies

SNAP, Food as Medicine and Summer Meals are among Feeding Texas’ priorities for the 89^th Texas Legislature.

Bill filing has begun for the 89^th Texas Legislature. As state lawmakers begin to introduce legislation, Feeding Texas and the North Texas Food Bank call on our elected officials to support policies that prevent hunger and tackle the root causes of food insecurity.

According to Feeding America’s latest data, Texas now leads the nation in hunger, with nearly 5 million people who are food insecure. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) recent study on food security shows Texas has the second highest rate of food insecurity in the country at 16.9%—a 1.4% increase from the previous year. What’s more, the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and its surrounding counties have the third highest number of people experiencing hunger in the nation, with 1.2 million, or 1 in 7 people facing hunger.

While inflation is leveling out and unemployment remains low, many neighbors tell us they are struggling to make ends meet due to the higher costs for groceries, rent, utilities and other necessities. Additionally, the state’s backlog in processing applications for SNAP, or food stamps, is preventing many families and seniors from accessing the food benefits they need and adding to the demand from food banks like the NTFB.

Feeding Texas’ legislative priorities urge Texas lawmakers to support hunger solutions that make it easier for families to access the food resources they need to thrive. Feeding Texas is also advancing policy solutions to prevent and tackle the root causes of hunger. The legislative priorities are supported by Feeding Texas’ network of 20 food banks, including the NTFB, as well as the Texas Food Policy Roundtable, which includes leaders from the food banking, retail, nonprofit, education and healthcare sectors. Together, we call on Texas lawmakers to:

1. Eliminate the backlog of SNAP applications and increase efficiencies by streamlining SNAP six-month eligibility checks with periodic reporting. Periodic reporting is a proven tool to reduce workload, save on administrative costs and enhance program integrity. Georgia recently implemented periodic reporting and saw a 25% reduction in workload for their eligibility staff. Applied to Texas’ eligibility workforce, this change could save over $33 million in state funds per year.
2. Fight child hunger during the summer by implementing Summer EBT. In North Texas, 1 in 5 children experience hunger, and child hunger is even more pronounced during the summer because millions of students lose access to school meals. Summer EBT is a new program that would provide low-income families with children access to $120 in food benefits during the summer.
3. Improve health outcomes and reduce state healthcare costs by developing a streamlined Medicaid reimbursement model that integrates food bank services into our healthcare system and enables doctors to prescribe healthy food. The NTFB recently launched a FoodRx program that partners with health clinics to do just this type of work.
4. Modernize the eligibility system by adequately funding the Texas Health and Human Service Commission’s Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR) Exceptional Item #2 to fix problems with TIERS. System errors and glitches within TIERS, the system that enrolls Texans in SNAP, Medicaid, and TANF, have led to application processing delays and wrongful denials.

The second section of Feeding Texas’ legislative agenda focuses on tackling the root causes of hunger. We know that hunger and poverty are inextricably linked, and focusing on things like health, housing and financial security can help us not only provide food for today but also hope for tomorrow.

Feeding Texas is working with partner organizations across the state who are experts on the following issues. Texas lawmakers can help address the root causes of hunger by supporting legislation to:

1. Strengthen Our Local Food Systems: Local food systems can help reduce food insecurity and increase resilience by reducing food waste, supporting local economies, improving food quality and making fresh, nutritious food more accessible to everyone.
2. Increase Healthcare Access: Hunger and health are deeply connected. Individuals facing hunger are more likely to experience adverse health effects and face barriers to accessing necessary health services.
3. Ensure Housing Affordability: Strengthening access to affordable, quality housing allows Texan to allocate more of their household budgets to other essential needs like food.
4. Improve Financial Security: As food prices continue to rise, financial security and economic stability are essential to ensure Texas households can meet their nutrition needs, thrive in the workforce, and save for the future.

Hunger is a nonpartisan issue that impacts neighbors from all walks of life—students in your children’s school, neighbors living on your street or coworkers at your office. We can all agree that North Texans deserve access to the nutritious food they need to thrive. Join us in urging your representatives to support legislation that promotes a hunger-free, healthy North Texas.

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