LOBBY DAY 2013

Schedule

Tonight: Reception, 5:30-7PM

Wahrenberger House, 208 West 14th

Schedule

Tomorrow:

• 8AM – Breakfast in the Capitol Grill (E.1)

• 10-11AM – House proclamation (House gallery, 3rd Fl)

• 11-Noon – Senate proclamation (Senate gallery, 3rd Fl)

Statistics

Food insecurity• 1 in 5 Texas households (18.5%) is food insecure • 1 in 4 Texas children (27.1%) lives in a food insecure household• Texas is among the eight worst states in terms of our food

insecurity rate• Texas is #2 in the number of food insecure households

SNAP• Texas ranks 40th in terms of SNAP participation• Only 67% of potentially eligible Texans receive SNAP benefits

Food Banks• There are 21 food banks in Texas• We feed 3M Texans annually, one third of which are children

Anatomy of a Lege Meeting

Talking Points

General points:

• Our food bank helps your constituents every day.

• We are a successful partner with the state of Texas.

• We are here for you and your constituents.

Anatomy of a Lege Meeting

Talking Points

TDA Partnership:

• The ask: Double funding ($1.6M > $3.2M)

• Key phrases: Statewide; healthy food; reinvestment in ag economy; win-win for farmers and hungry families

• Key stats: We distribute 12 pounds of produce for every $1; doubling would mean 15M more meals for hungry Texans.

Anatomy of a Lege Meeting

Talking Points

HHSC Partnership:

• The ask: Maintain funding

• Key phrases: We help the most vulnerable; we provide access (NOT outreach); we make HHSC more efficient

Talking Points

Breakfast for Success:

• The ask: Support bill by Eddie Rodriguez (HB 296)

• Key phrases: breakfast improves testing, behavior and health; We help the most vulnerable; we provide access (NOT outreach); we make HHSC more efficient

• Pushback? Schools have already done this at no-cost (federal $$ covers expansion); school breakfast is not associated with obesity; children don’t have to take it if they don’t want it

Talking Points

Breakfast for Success:

• The ask: Support bill by Eddie Rodriguez (HB 296)

• Key phrases: breakfast improves testing, behavior and health; We help the most vulnerable; we provide access (NOT outreach); we make HHSC more efficient

• Pushback? Schools have already done this at no-cost (federal $$ covers expansion); school breakfast is not associated with obesity; children don’t have to take it if they don’t want it

Talking Points

TANF:

• The ask: Fund HB 1622 (passed in 2009)

• Key phrases: nutritious food for children at risk of hunger and diet-related disease; we successfully used TANF funds in 2011 ($25M) and this year ($3M)

Talking Points

Physical Activity:

• The ask: Enact policies in the Kelder report (RGK foundation)

• Key phrases: Revenue-neutral; we’re interested in both nutrition and physical health

Talking Points

Assets:

• The ask: Use SNAP as an outreach tool to help families save (and incidentally, remove the asset test)

• Key phrases: “Shortening the line;” promoting self-sufficiency; emergency savings as a bridge; helping people find and keep work

Anatomy of a Lege Meeting

Anatomy of a Lege Meeting

Finally: Complete a meeting feedback entry after every meeting!

Social Media

• Facebook? Tag us: “Texas Food Bank Network”

• Tweeting? Include the hashtag #txlege

• Good meeting? @ include legislator’s twitter name