Action Alert: Double Up Food Bucks

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Rationale

DA BUX provides a dollar-for-dollar match on fresh, locally-grown produce for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants. This program is a “triple win” for Hawai‘i: making healthy food more accessible for families in need, supporting agriculture and farmers, and keeping money within the local economy. Continued funding is needed to support this important program.

TAKE ACTION NOW:

Public hearings are an opportunity for the public to weigh in on bills being considered by lawmakers. Submitting testimony for these hearings is an important way to let lawmakers know your position on these important issues. All you need to do is share why you are in strong support (we have some talking points below to get you started!). Each hearing may have different lawmakers, so you must submit testimony each time there is a new hearing.

Hearing Information

Bill: HB 1248
Position: Support
Committee: Senate Committee on Ways and Means
Date: Friday, March 31, at 9:45 AM
Hearing Notice

Please submit your testimony at least 24 hours prior to the hearing for consideration.

How to Submit Testimony

  1. Log-in/make an account on the Capitol website.
  2. Go to the bill page for HB 1248 and click the “Submit Testimony” button.
  3. Write your testimony on why you SUPPORT HB 1248 (it doesn’t need to be long!).
  4. Submit your testimony by Thursday, March 30, at 9:45 AM to be considered on time. Late testimony will still be accepted up until the time of the hearing.

Talking Points:

Help to fund and grow the DA BUX program. We are requesting the state to support the DA BUX program with $3M in funding to support families, local farmers, and our economy. For more information, visit dabux.org.

Helps Families Eat Healthy

  • A survey conducted among DA BUX participants (n=436) revealed that 59% of participants are food insecure (dabux.org).
  • This program helps SNAP recipients buy more fresh fruits and vegetables by doubling their purchasing power.

Helps Local Farmers and Businesses – numbers are from dabux.org site

  • DA BUX supported 470 farm producers and 8 distributors.
  • Local produce sales increased 531% at Farm Direct Retailers.
  • Helps to grow our local food supply and put more money into our economy.
  • The general sentiment from recipient interviews was that DA BUX is giving farmers the opportunity to feed local residents (rather than exporting products to the mainland) and increases production toward a self-sufficient local food supply for the state.

Helps Hawai‘i’s Economy

  • SNAP Benefits are shown to have a large multiplier effect. For every dollar that is spent by a SNAP recipient, an additional $0.79 moves throughout the economy.
  • Farmers use that money to pay workers or buy other goods and services, continuing the benefit of SNAP dollars down the line.
  • A $3M dollar investment in Double Up Bucks would result in over $9.9M in economic activity.

Opportunity for Federal Match

  • If Hawaiʻi allocates $3M for the DA BUX program, it could apply for an additional $3M in federal matching funds, totaling $6M.