Evers signs bipartisan law to help state shore up FoodShare

Gov. Tony Evers has signed a bipartisan bill to help fill the gap in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits that are being cut via HR1, the so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ passed by Republicans in Congress last year. 

Evers met with Republican leaders and negotiated an amendment to the bill that included more than $70 million to support the administration and oversight of the FoodShare program. FoodShare is the name of Wisconsin’s SNAP program. The money will go towards a FoodShare employment and training program, as well as covering administrative costs that have been shifted from the federal government to the state.

Wisconsin Act 116, as it is now known, will also enable the Department of Health Services (DHS) to create quality control initiatives to help keep FoodShare error rates low. The federal government is imposing a steep penalty on states with payment error rates over 6%, which could cost Wisconsin as much as $200 million. Wisconsin's FoodShare payment error rate was 4.47% for the federal fiscal year 2024.

“Ensuring the FoodShare program has the resources we need to meet new federal requirements is critical to maintaining access to essential nutrition benefits for Wisconsin families and saving Wisconsin taxpayer dollars,” said DHS Secretary Kirsten Johnson.

Originally, the bill, which was co-authored by Rep. Clint Moses (R-Menomonie) and Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield), sought only to implement a ban on soda and candy, saying it would help keep people healthy, but did not address the funding to help the state make certain it was in compliance with the new federal guidelines for SNAP.

While the bill ultimately passed, there remained differences over provisions that ban the purchase of candy or soda with FoodShare benefits.

“FoodShare is meant to be a supplemental program to help people with limited income access nutritional food. Taxpayers should not have to subsidize the purchase of soda and junk food," said Senator Eric Wimberger (R-Gillett).

Echoing those sentiments, Rep. Ron Tusler (R-Harrison) said, “Taxes are earned by real people working real jobs. They generously pay the State much of their earnings. Act 116 ensures that their generosity is not wasted by welfare recipients. Junk food is a luxury.  This luxury should not be paid for by taxpayers.”

Democrats disagreed and sought an amendment to remove such limitations on SNAP recipients, though it was voted down along party lines.

Senator Dassler-Alfheim (D-Appleton) and Rep. Lee Snodgrass (D-Appleton) ultimately voted against the entire bill based on those restrictions. 

“I am absolutely on board with the additional funding to help DHS keep the SNAP error rate at an acceptable level,” said Dassler-Alfheim.  “However, I am opposed to the government dictating what people can purchase using ill-defined terms that will inevitably cause confusion for both families and mom-and-pop grocers, when even some granola bars would be considered candy under this bill. I agree that we should be encouraging families and kids to eat healthy, but government overreach isn’t the way to do it.” 

Snodgrass went further, saying the justification for removing soda and candy from eligible items had nothing to do with health concerns. 

“While I support the additional DHS positions to help reduce the error rate and an avoidance of massive fines for non-compliance, I did not support the paternalistic aspect of policing the food choices people might make,” she said.

“That aspect of the bill was about punishing those in poverty with government overreach on someone who just wants (and likely deserves) an occasional treat or soda.  The bill was going to pass without my vote, so I decided to vote no. My vote would have been an endorsement of that paternalistic policy.”

Although Evers said he, too, disagreed with the candy and soda ban, he noted that the other provisions in the bill were important.   

“It’s one of those things called compromise,” Evers said. “This definitely takes precedence, so it’s all good.”