NWICA

June 19, 2013

Yesterday, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA & Related Agencies, chaired by Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR), marked up the Agriculture Appropriations bill, which includes funds for WIC.

The bill provides $7.070 billion for WIC in FY2014:

• includes $50 million for breastfeeding peer counselors (a reduction from $60 million for FY 2013, though no money is provided for bonus awards);
• $14 million for infrastructure; and
• $30 million for MIS/EBT.

June 13, 2013

Today the full House Appropriations Committee chaired by Congressman Rogers (R-KY) marked up the FY2014 Agriculture Appropriations bill, which funds WIC. There were several amendments offered of relevance to WIC.

The bill funds WIC at $6.655 billion in FY2014. This compares to the President’s FY2014 Budget request of $7.142 billion and last year’s final FY2013 funding level of $6.522 billion, post-sequester.

BREASTFEEDING PEER COUNSELOR FUNDING

June 5, 2013

This morning the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA and Related Agencies, chaired by Congressman Aderholt (R-AL), marked up their version of the Agriculture Appropriations bill, which provides $6.655 billion for WIC in FY2014.

April 10, 2013

Today the president released his FY2014 budget proposal that included a request for $7,141,625,000 for WIC. Of this funding, he requests:

• a $60 million set aside for breastfeeding peer counselors;
• $30 million for MIS/EBT projects;
• $14 million for infrastructure and technical assistance; and
• $16 million for program initiatives and evaluation, including $5 million for research and $1 million to support program integrity efforts.

April 10, 2013

Today the president released his FY2014 budget proposal. It includes a request for $7,141,625,000 for WIC, of which there is a $60 million set aside request for breastfeeding peer counselors, $30 million for MIS/EBT projects, and $1 million to support program integrity efforts. This funding level is intended to meet program needs in FY2014 with an estimated total national caseload of 8.9 million participants, reflecting the Administration’s commitment to serving all eligible mothers and young children who seek benefits.

March 21, 2013

Today, the House passed the Continuing Appropriations Act of 2013 (H.R. 933) in a vote of 318-109. On Wednesday, the Senate passed the omnibus measure 73-26. It will now go to the President to be signed into law. This replaces the Continuing Resolution set to expire on March 27th.

March 14, 2013

January 22, 2013

If you have not had an opportunity to listen to President Obama’s Inaugural remarks or read his remarks, we invite you to take a few moments to do so now. The President, with this address has set out his key priorities for the coming four years. The details on many of these issues will be further shared during the State of the Union Address scheduled for February 12th.

January 2, 2013

Late last night, the House passed the fiscal cliff deal that had overwhelmingly passed the Senate earlier in the day in a bipartisan vote of 257-167; 172 Democrats and 85 Republicans, including Speaker John Boehner (OH) and House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (WI), voted for the legislation. President Obama is expected to quickly sign the bill into law.

WIC-relevant points:

December 18, 2012

There are hopeful signs of optimism in Washington that negotiators may be nearing a deal that will avoid the "fiscal cliff" preventing draconian cuts to WIC and other human needs programs.

President Obama delivered Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) a new offer to resolve the pending fiscal crisis — in what may be close to a final deal -- that would raise revenues by $1.2 trillion over the next decade, but keep in place the Bush-era tax rates for any household with earnings below $400,000.

September 21, 2012

We hope this Q&A will help answer questions you may have about the 2013 WIC Budget.

Q: What does the 6 month Continuing Resolution (CR) mean for FY 2013 WIC funding?

September 13, 2012

Congress appears set to act on a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the federal government, including WIC, for the first half of Fiscal Year 2013 (through March 27, 2013).

The US House of Representatives is expected to vote today, Thursday, September 13, 2012. A copy of the text of the Resolution (HJ Res 117) is available here: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112hjres117ih/pdf/BILLS-112hjres117ih... .
A Senate floor vote will follow the House’s action. Passage in the Senate will then send the bill to the President for signature.

August 8, 2012

Washington, DC, August 8, 2012—So far, the full Senate has passed their version of the farm bill (S. 3240), meanwhile the House version of the farm bill (H.R. 6083) has been passed out of the Agriculture Committee but did not make it to the floor for full House consideration before the August recess.

July 31, 2012

Washington, DC, July 31, 2012 –This afternoon, leadership in the House and Senate reached an agreement to approve a six-month Continuing Resolution (CR) to wrap all federal appropriations (including Agriculture Appropriations covering WIC funding), extending funding beyond September 30th when the current fiscal year comes to an end, and avoiding the contentious risk of a government shutdown in an election year when Congress is markedly unpopular with the electorate. The CR will allow funding for the first half of the fiscal year 2013.

July 17, 2012

Washington, DC, July 17, 2012 – The FDA announced today that the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) is banned from baby bottles and sippy cups.

After manufacturers of these products previously ceased using the chemical, the American Chemistry Council filed a petition to the FDA to impose a ban.

June 29, 2012

June 19, 2012

June 6, 2012

May 29, 2012

The American Community Survey (ACS) is in danger of elimination or becoming voluntary! Both actions are problematic for policymakers and businesses in communities across the country to be able to make effective decisions.

What is ACS? Why is it Important?

April 26, 2012

Today the Senate Appropriations Committee marked up and approved the FY 2013 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill by a vote of 28-1.