Policy Corner: January 17, 2020

States Sue USDA Over Food Stamp Work Requirements

Fourteen state attorneys general, the District of Columbia, and New York City announced that they are suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) over its plan to impose stricter work requirements on millions of food stamp recipients. The states believe that the USDA plans to unlawfully limit state discretion to exempt certain adults from work requirements for an extended period based on local employment conditions. These stricter work requirements, initially proposed by the administration, were rejected by Congress and excluded from the 2018 Farm Bill. However, the administration began its effort to make changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and has finalized the rule that will apply to recipients who are able-bodied adults without children or other dependents.

Under SNAP’s current work requirements, such able-bodied adults are not supposed to receive benefits for more than three months during a three-year period unless they have a job or are enrolled in education and training programs for 20 hours per week. States can waive that time limit when unemployment rates are high. The USDA’s new rule would make it more difficult, in part by lowering the unemployment qualification rate. The changes take effect in April and an estimated 688,000 adults will lose their benefits.

President Nominates ACL Disabilities Commissioner to DOL Post

President Trump announced his intent to nominate Julie Elizabeth Hocker to be an Assistant Secretary of Labor (Disability Employment Policy). Hocker currently serves as the Commissioner of the Administration on Disabilities within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), where the Traumatic Brain Injury Program is housed. She previously worked with the Administration for Children and Families, held a leadership role in asset and risk management at The Vanguard Group, and was a Senior Policy Fellow at the American Conservative Union Foundation. A native of Pennsylvania, Hocker earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and a master’s of business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

DOT Seeks Input to Make Airplane Lavatories More Accessible

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) seeks public comments on improving restroom access for passengers with disabilities on single-aisle aircrafts with 125 or more seats. The proposal addresses lavatory interiors, onboard wheelchairs, and training of flight attendants. The DOT’s Advisory Committee on Accessible Air Transportation drafted the proposal with input from aviation industry representatives, disability rights advocates, and other stakeholders. Comments are due by March 2, 2020. Click here to read the proposal in the Federal Register.

Bills Waiting Approval in the Senate

The second session of the 116th Congress has resumed. Several bills of interest have passed the House of Representatives, but have yet to pass the Senate. These include the Dignity in Aging Act of 2019, H.R. 4334, which reauthorizes the Older Americans Act and includes provisions for screening for fall-related TBIs, and the Lifespan Respite Care Reauthorization Act of 2019, H.R. 2035. The Brain Injury Association of America supports both these bills.