Congress Approves FY2010 Agriculture Spending Bill:
Low-Income Families in NYS Score Major Victories

The bill:

  • provides tens of billions in ongoing nutrition program support;
  • boosts WIC fruit and vegetable vouchers for women to the IOM-recommended levels;
  • invests new funding in the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, summer nutrition, child care food, school equipment, and school meal direct certification.

The bill also extends the child nutrition programs for one year (to September 30, 2010) in order to give Congress more time to reauthorize them, as well as funds new one-time grant opportunities. Although the bill extends the programs for one year, Congressional leaders have expressed their resolve to complete the reauthorization process within the next 6 months - before passage of the new FY2011 budget resolution in the spring.

View the entire conference report.

For more information on the FY2010 Agriculture Spending Bill, go to the FRAC Legislative Action Center.

Nutrition Consortium of NYS Commends Governor Paterson, NYS Legislature, for Restoring Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP) Funding

Program brings millions of federally-funded food stamp dollars into local communities; helps hungry New Yorkers put food on the table.

Albany, NY, 4/7/09 – The Nutrition Consortium of NYS, a non-profit anti-hunger organization, commends Governor David Paterson and the NYS Legislature for restoring funding for the Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP), which helps eligible New York State residents enroll in the federally-funded Food Stamp Program.  Last year, 25,000 new households received food stamp benefits due to NOEP.  This brought more than $60 million in federally-funded food stamp dollars into New York State’s economy...(Full Press Release)

Farm Bill

The Nutrition Consortium would like to thank our congressional representatives, state and national partners, USDA and our state agencies, for their tireless determination in the long process which was passing this year’s Farm Bill.  The Farm Bill made great improvements to the Food Stamp Program including raising and indexing for inflation the standard deduction and minimum benefit, reducing some of the restrictions on asset limits, and re-naming the program “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).”

Nutrition Consortium’s Farm Bill thank you letter sent to the NYS congressional delegation.