TAKE ACTION NOW: Tell your senators to support the WIC Act!
The child nutrition programs – including WIC – have not been fully reauthorized since the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. In 2021, leaders in both the Senate and the House of Representatives have expressed an interest in advancing Child Nutrition Reauthorization.
Child Nutrition Reauthorization is the primary vehicle to advance positive WIC legislation through Congress. Prior reauthorizations introduced WIC’s Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program and directed states to implement EBT/e-WIC.
As the relevant committees in Congress draft a reauthorization bill, please utilize the following resources from the National WIC Association to advocate for opportunities to enhance WIC’s quality nutrition services.
In March 2021, Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Jennifer Gonzalez-Colon (R-Puerto Rico), Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), Kim Schrier (D-Wash.), and Don Young (R-Alaska) Senators Bob Casey (D-Penn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced the Wise Investment in our Children Act (WIC Act). NWA endorses this legislation, which would permit states to: (1) extend postpartum women’s eligibility to two years; (2) extend child eligibility to age six or the beginning of kindergarten; and (3) extend infant certifications to two years.
NWA will continue to provide resources to support your advocacy. As you engage legislators and other stakeholders in your community, please consult these resources:
Questions? Please contact Brian Dittmeier, Senior Public Policy Counsel, at bdittmeier@nwica.org.