Policy & Advocacy

Winds of change bring us cooler temperatures and a swift conclusion to the 2023 special session Governor Stitt requested on tax cuts and budget transparency. As we look ahead to the end of the calendar year, advocates will be focusing on the smattering of remaining interim studies scheduled in the coming weeks, a few special elections, and eagerly awaiting December 8 and January 18 deadlines for bills to be requested and filed for 2024’s Legislative Session.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its 2022 Household Food Security in the United States report this week. The USDA report shows a national increase in food insecurity rates, and state-level data reports Oklahoma’s food insecurity rate is higher than the national average.

Winds of change bring us cooler temperatures and a swift conclusion to the 2023 special session Governor Stitt requested on tax cuts and budget transparency. As we look ahead to the end of the calendar year, advocates will be focusing on the smattering of remaining interim studies scheduled in the coming weeks, a few special elections, and eagerly awaiting December 8 and January 18 deadlines for bills to be requested and filed for 2024’s Legislative Session.

Richard Comeau, Chief Program Officer for Hunger Free Oklahoma (HFO), was recently welcomed to Aspen, Colorado, where he began his tenure as a Food Leaders Fellow of the Aspen Institute. The 2023 Food Leaders Fellows include entrepreneurs, investors, and civic and nonprofit leaders dedicated to changing the food system to eradicate food and nutrition insecurity, support entrepreneurs and farmers, and push forward sustainable solutions.

Governor Stitt called for a special session regarding taxes and the state legislative budget process, which is slated to begin October 3.

The weather isn’t the only thing heating up as we approach the end of summer. Interim studies in the Oklahoma House and Senate have been finalized and are beginning to be scheduled.

This year, the most important legislation for addressing food insecurity is being considered by Congress – the Farm Bill. But what is the Farm Bill, really? A bill about farms? Yes, but at a much deeper level than most people might realize.  

The deadline for Governor Stitt to act on bills sent to him during Special Session was June 1. The Governor signed 344 bills and joint resolutions into law and allowed 15 other regular session measures to take effect without his signature.

This year, the most important legislation for addressing food insecurity is being considered by Congress – the Farm Bill. But what is the Farm Bill, really? A bill about farms? Yes, but at a much deeper level than most people might realize.  

The deadline for Governor Stitt to act on bills sent to him during Special Session was June 1. The Governor signed 344 bills and joint resolutions into law and allowed 15 other regular session measures to take effect without his signature.

Despite the May 26 deadline for regular session rapidly approaching, work for Oklahoma’s legislators is far from over. House and Senate leadership finally reached an agreement on this session’s vigorously debated education budget.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federal nutrition program that helps low-income families. Service members that receive the Basic Housing Allowance (BAH) especially struggle to qualify for SNAP, as BAH counts as income when determining SNAP eligibility. Currently, active-duty military access to SNAP is insufficient, and it is imperative that Congress works towards excluding BAH as income for SNAP eligibility.

With May rapidly approaching, it’s crunch time for many legislators and advocates. April 27 is the deadline for the third reading of any active bills in their opposite chamber, so we anticipate another busy week at the Capitol. Here’s a status update on the remaining bills we’re tracking (including some that have already successfully reached the Governor’s desk!)

As the current Congress nears its end, federal lawmakers are negotiating one final spending package that could impact food security programs. At the time of writing, the just-released mega-bill includes:

As the current Congress nears its end, federal lawmakers are negotiating one final spending package that could impact food security programs. At the time of writing, the just-released mega-bill includes:

As the current Congress nears its end, federal lawmakers are negotiating one final spending package that could impact food security programs. At the time of writing, the just-released mega-bill includes:

We at Hunger Free Oklahoma are reflecting on 2022 with gratitude for you and so many others who continued to press on with us in the movement to end hunger across our state and our nation.

As the current Congress nears its end, federal lawmakers are negotiating one final spending package that could impact food security programs. At the time of writing, the just-released mega-bill includes:

Congress is on the cusp of advancing a critical end-of-year omnibus spending package that will make two much-needed, though limited, improvements to federal child nutrition programs.

Over the past few months as an Emerson National Hunger Fellow, I have found that when I tell people that I work at Hunger Free Oklahoma (HFO), they often ask the same question. “So, do you give people food?” Answering “no” tends to make explaining my job more complicated, but it also provides an opportunity for a conversation about a more holistic view of what anti-hunger work can—and does—look like.  

“Collectively, this support will allow us to make Double Up Oklahoma the largest nutrition incentive program in the region. More importantly, this grant allows us to make sure more communities have access to fresh fruits and vegetables and more Oklahomans have the resources they need to make healthy choices,” – Chris Bernard

The Oklahoma legislature will have 15 new members of the House of Representatives and eight new members of the Senate. This means that 22% of the legislature will be new members come next session. Hunger Free Oklahoma will focus on educating new and returning legislators alike on the landscape of food security issues and policies. 

The TV ads have stopped. The billboards are coming down. The unsolicited text messages and calls have slowed (or switched topics, at least). The 2022 election season has, largely, come to an end. Aside from this brief reprieve from electioneering, what happens now? Let’s break down what the aftermath of an election looks like and what it means for advocates at every level.

The federal public health emergency has been extended through January 11, 2023. At this time, we do not anticipate the emergency declaration will be extended past January 2023, though no official action has been announced or taken yet. The end of the federal public health emergency will mean several changes to federal nutrition programs. We are tracking this very closely and will keep our partners updated with the latest information.