A West Virginia House of Delegates committee is considering legislation that would prohibit recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps, from using their benefits to purchase soft drinks and candy.
House Bill 2350, and similar legislation around the country, is part of an effort promoted by the Trump administration and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to “Make America Healthy Again.”
The bill was before the Committee on Health and Human Resources for a hearing on Tuesday.
It would require the cabinet secretary for the Department of Human Services to request a federal waiver to prohibit the purchase of candy and soft drinks with SNAP benefits. If the waiver is not granted, the bill says the secretary would ask for such a waiver annually until the waiver is granted.
Bill sponsor Del. Adam Burkhammer, R-Lewis, said the legislation is meant to promote healthy options for SNAP recipients.
More than 144,000 West Virginia households got SNAP benefits in December 2024, according to the state Bureau for Family Assistance.
Opponents of the bill say the legislation would have a negative effect on the state’s grocery stories, particularly in counties that border other states.
Facing restrictions in West Virginia, SNAP recipients who live near the state’s borders are likely to drive across state lines to use their benefits, said Seth DiStefano, policy outreach director for the Center on Budget and Policy.
“The direct result — long story short, is that grocery stores close,” he said. “And grocery stores closing is very bad for the health of an entire community. Food deserts get worse. Options become less.”
Restrictions and “poverty shaming” won’t improve health, he said.
“The only real impact so far as I could tell is that it’s going to put a lot of folks in those border counties, it’s going to give them a choice,” DiStefano said. “Do I want to sit in line and be embarrassed when I get into a back and forth with a cashier who may not have coded something correctly with my kid in line? Or do I take my business across the river to Gallipolis or Belpre or Steubenville or Hagerstown or any myriad of towns where folks just simply don’t have to deal with the administrative hassle and the increased embarrassment and stigma that a bill like this puts on them?”
Burkhammer responded to concerns about the bill’s economic impact by saying that poor health has an economic impact as well.
“I would say that there is a continued economic negative impact if we continue to fuel childhood diabetes, diabetes and so forth with that,” he said. “So I understand that concept and I understand we’re a body that has to consider the financial impact on every decision almost that we make and this is one of those that I was willing to make that financial decision to say the health and the wellbeing of our state and our communities is greater than the financial risk that is potential.”
He added that SNAP recipients still have the option to purchase candy and soft drinks with their own money.
Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha
Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, raised concerns about the definition of candy and soft drinks in the bill.
According to the bill, soft drinks are “nonalcoholic beverages that contain natural or artificial sweeteners. Soft drinks do not include beverages containing milk or milk products, soy, rice or similar milk substitutes or greater than 50% of vegetable or fruit juice by volume.
Candy, according to the bill, means “a preparation of sugar, honey or other natural or artificial sweeteners in combination with chocolate, fruits, nuts or other ingredients or flavorings in the form of bars, drops or pieces.” It does not include any preparation containing flour and does not require refrigeration.
Burkhammer said a forthcoming committee substitute would allow the cabinet secretary to define candy and soft drinks.
The bill did not include a cost estimate as of Wednesday.
“The one place that I would say that we need to really change policy is the SNAP program and food stamps and in school lunches,” Kennedy told Fox News host Laura Ingraham. “There, the federal government in many cases is paying for it. And we shouldn’t be subsidizing people to eat poison.”
The bill and others like it around the country are supported by the Opportunity Solutions Project, a partner organization to the conservative group Foundation for Government Accountability.
Jeremiah Samples, the former deputy secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Resources who is now a lobbyist for the Opportunity Solutions Project, spoke in support of the legislation.
“[The bill] really starts a dialogue between the states and the federal government, which we now have a partner in the Trump administration to really address these issues to tackle what everyone knows and recognizes is a major problem in what is called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,” he said. “Nutrition. We have lost the nutrition part of the SNAP program.”
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West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.
SUMMARY: The West Virginia Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers in West Virginia have united to form a new organization called Education West Virginia. Co-president Dale Lee reported overwhelming support for this collaboration, emphasizing shared goals and values. Historically, both unions worked together during the 2018 teacher strike advocating for better pay and health insurance. The new union aims to maintain a strong presence in legislative discussions, focusing on issues such as pay raises and funding for public education. Their main objective is to advocate effectively for educators and students throughout West Virginia.
The West Virginia Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers in West Virginia merges to form a larger group called Education West Virginia.
Family members caring for aging parents, spouses, veterans and others in West Virginia would be eligible for a tax credit, according to a bill in the Senate.
AARP West Virginia backs this bill, estimating that it could help 250,000 caregivers who are helping family members in the state.
But as Crossover Day is Wednesday — the day legislation must move out of their chamber of origin — the tax credit bill sits parked in the Senate Finance Committee.
“Family caregivers often face significant out-of-pocket expenses, averaging over $7,200 annually, to ensure their loved ones receive the necessary care,” said Gaylene Miller, AARP West Virginia state director. “A caregiver tax credit would provide significant financial relief to family caregivers, promoting independence and safety for loved ones, and encouraging more individuals to take on caregiving roles.”
The measure, Senate Bill 697, is known as the “Caregiver Tax Credit Act.” It would establish a nonrefundable tax credit with a maximum of $2,000 for eligible family members 18 years of age and older for eligible expenditures incurred in their caregiving duties.
A fiscal note by the state Tax and Revenue Department estimates that the proposed legislation would result in a loss of General Revenue funds of $160 million to $260 million per year beginning in fiscal year 2028.
Sen. Laura Wakim Chapman, R-Ohio
“While this tax credit will cost the state initially, I believe the savings will more than be made up for it because Medicaid will not have to pay for nursing home residential care,” said Sen. Laura Wakim Chapman, R-Ohio, who sponsored the bill. “Beyond the savings, our elderly deserve to remain in their homes surrounded by their loved ones for as long as possible.”
Sen. Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell
Representatives from AARP West Virginia say their research shows 84% of Republican, Democratic and independent voters support a tax credit for caregivers.
“The caregiver tax credit bill is a righteous investment in keeping disabled or elderly West Virginians out of institutional care,” said Sen. Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell, a co-sponsor of the measure. “This is the most ‘West Virginia’ bill I have seen in 11 sessions. We are our brothers’ keepers.”
The Senate Health Committee advanced the legislation March 19, sending the measure to the finance committee.
Senate Finance Chairman Jason Barrett was unavailable to comment for this story.
U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., has introduced a bill on the federal level — the Credit for Caring Act — aimed at providing financial relief for family caregivers. The bipartisan legislation would offer a tax credit of up to $5,000 for eligible working family caregivers to help offset caregiving expenses.
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West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Dave Mason | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-03-31 12:41:00
(The Center Square) – Federal legislation allowing states to jam cellphones smuggled into prisons has won support from Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and other attorneys general.
Mayes joined a bipartisan coalition that wrote a letter to majority and minority leaders in the House and Senate last week in support of H.R. 2350 and S. 1137, federal legislation that supporters say disrupt prisoners’ ability to orchestrate crimes from behind bars by using cellphones smuggled into prisons.
The bills, which are sponsored by U.S. Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tennessee, and U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, allow states to deploy cellphone jamming systems.
“Contraband cell phones give dangerous individuals the power to direct drug trafficking, commit fraud, and threaten innocent people from behind bars,” Mayes said in anews release. “This legislation is about giving states the tools we need to protect the public and stop violent criminals from continuing to operate prison-based crime rings. It’s a commonsense, bipartisan solution — and Congress should act without delay.”
Theletterto Congress stresses that phones go beyond being communication devices to being tools that criminals use to commit crimes. It cites a case of a violent gang leader who used a cellphone smuggled into prison to target a local prosecutor and her family in North Carolina.
The criminal planned to kidnap and kill the prosecutor’s father, but law enforcement prevented that from happening, the attorneys general said in their letter to congressional leaders.
“Current federal law severely restricts our ability to implement effective countermeasures,” the attorneys general wrote. “While we have access to some technological solutions, we cannot deploy the most effective tool available — cell phone jamming systems — which leaves our prisons vulnerable and our communities at risk.”
“Each day that passes without this authority represents another opportunity for incarcerated criminals to extend their reach beyond prison walls,” they said.
Besides Mayes, attorney generals signing the letter represent Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
