PRINTER'S NO. 1354
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
127
Session of
2023
INTRODUCED BY KINSEY, MARKOSEK, PROBST, HILL-EVANS, MADDEN,
HARKINS, DELLOSO, SANCHEZ, CURRY, SAMUELSON, GUENST, BURGOS,
GIRAL, FREEMAN, CERRATO, KINKEAD, DEASY, KENYATTA, PARKER,
CIRESI, OTTEN, D. WILLIAMS, HOWARD AND GREEN, MAY 24, 2023
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES, MAY 24, 2023
A RESOLUTION
Urging the Congress of the United States to raise income limits
for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and either
extend or make permanent Emergency Allotments.
WHEREAS, The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
is a federally funded, state-administered program in which
eligible participants receive an Electronic Benefits Transfer
card which they can use to directly purchase food for their
household; and
WHEREAS, Nearly 1 million Pennsylvania households, or about
1.8 million Pennsylvanians, use SNAP; and
WHEREAS, Approximately two-thirds of SNAP beneficiaries
nationwide are families with children, and approximately one-
third are households with older adults or people with
disabilities; and
WHEREAS, SNAP helps families bridge temporary periods of
unemployment and economic hardship; and
WHEREAS, SNAP has led to a decrease of as much as 30% in food
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insecurity nationwide; and
WHEREAS, SNAP supports the economy and the agriculture sector
as it allows people with low incomes to spend more money on
food; and
WHEREAS, Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, SNAP was responsible
for keeping nearly 8 million Americans above the poverty line,
3.6 million of whom were children; and
WHEREAS, SNAP benefits are determined in part by calculating
a recipient's total income; and
WHEREAS, Social Security payments are included as part of
income for determining SNAP benefits; and
WHEREAS, Social Security payments are tied to cost-of-living
increases as calculated by the Department of Labor's Consumer
Price Index; and
WHEREAS, Due to rising inflation over the past two years,
Social Security payments are rising by an average of $140 per
month in 2023; and
WHEREAS, For the many SNAP participants on Social Security,
this means their monthly incomes are rising, which will lead to
an average decrease of $40 per month in SNAP benefits; and
WHEREAS, For other SNAP participants, it means they will lose
access to the program altogether; and
WHEREAS, Robust expansions of SNAP at the start of the COVID-
19 pandemic and maintained over the course of several years
helped prevent massive increases in nationwide food insecurity;
and
WHEREAS, This expansion was called Emergency Allotments and
increased SNAP payments from once to twice a month; and
WHEREAS, Congress ended funding for Emergency Allotments in
December 2022; and
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WHEREAS, Funding for Emergency Allotments was originally
supposed to end when the Federal COVID-19 Public Health
Emergency Declaration ended; and
WHEREAS, The ending of Emergency Allotments starting March
2023 will contribute to between a $100 to $175 decrease in
monthly benefits for SNAP households; and
WHEREAS, The stoppage of this vital lifeline comes at a time
when Pennsylvanians are still struggling with the effects of the
COVID-19 pandemic and economic uncertainty; and
WHEREAS, It is vitally important that vulnerable
Pennsylvanians do not go hungry; and
WHEREAS, The United States Congress has the power to prevent
a national tragedy of millions of hungry Americans, including
right here in this Commonwealth, by raising the income limits
for SNAP and continuing Emergency Allotments; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge the Congress
of the United States to raise the income limits for the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and either extend or
make permanent the Emergency Allotments.
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