PUBLIC ASSISTANCE – Adds to existing law to provide that the director of the Department of Health and Welfare shall seek a waiver to exclude candy and soda from supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits.
Idaho's H 109 requires the Director of Health and Welfare to seek a federal waiver excluding candy and soda from SNAP benefits. The bill defines "candy" as sugar-based treats without flour (like candy bars) and "soda" as sweetened nonalcoholic drinks (excluding milk, juice, or ready-to-prepare beverages). If the waiver is granted, SNAP recipients in Idaho cannot use benefits to buy these items; if denied, the state must reapply annually. The law takes effect July 1, 2025, following Governor approval on April 15, 2025. This policy directly affects SNAP beneficiaries and the state's administration of federal nutrition benefits.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Mar 2025
House Passage
Mar 2025
Senate Passage
Apr 2025
Signed into Law
Apr 2025
Introduced Feb 3, 2025
Signed Apr 4, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Bill Text
→
Engrossment 1
·
3 edits
MINOR
The bill was amended in the Senate to simplify the definition of 'candy' for SNAP waiver purposes. The change removes specific examples of candy forms (confections, bars, drops, pieces) and clarifies that candy is any preparation with sweeteners that contains flour and requires refrigeration. This makes the definition clearer and potentially expands what items can be excluded from SNAP benefits.
Scope change
The scope of the SNAP waiver definition was modified to be more precise about what constitutes candy.
DEFINITION
The definition of 'candy' was rewritten to remove specific examples like 'confections' and 'bars' and to clarify that candy includes any sweet preparation containing flour and requiring refrigeration.
The flour percentage threshold was removed, changing the rule from 'more than ten percent flour' to simply 'containing flour'.
The refrigeration requirement was changed from 'requires refrigeration' to 'shall require no refrigeration', meaning items needing refrigeration are now explicitly excluded from the candy definition.
Floor votes · Senate Mar 26, 2025 · House Mar 3, 2025
How they voted
26–9
Passed
Total votes 35
Mar 26, 2025
D
Democratic5
100% Nay
R
Republican30
86% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
33
Key actions
9
Committee
6
Amendments
3
Apr 4, 2025
Signed into law
Reported Signed by Governor on April 15, 2025 Session Law Chapter 340 Effective: 07/01/2025
lower
Apr 1, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed by President; returned to House
upper
Mar 31, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported Enrolled; Signed by Speaker; Transmitted to Senate
lower
Mar 27, 2025
Committee
Bills as Amended Referred to JRA for Engrossing
lower
Mar 27, 2025
Lower · Passed
House Concurred in Senate Amendments
lower
Mar 27, 2025
Introduced
Returned from the Senate Amended; Held at Desk
lower
Mar 26, 2025
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (26-9)
senate
Mar 21, 2025
Introduced
Amendments reported printed
upper
Mar 21, 2025
Introduced
Amendments ordered printed
upper
Mar 21, 2025
Upper · Passed
Placed in the Committee of the Whole
upper
Mar 20, 2025
Committee
Referred to 14th Order for amendment
upper
Mar 19, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation; Filed for second reading
upper
Mar 4, 2025
Introduced
Introduced, read first time; referred to: Health & Welfare
upper
Mar 3, 2025
Lower · Passed
Read Third Time in Full – PASSED - 38-32-0AYES – Alfieri, Andrus, Barbieri, Beiswenger, Boyle, Bruce, Cannon, Cayler, Crane(12), Crane(13), Ehardt, Ehlers, Harris, Hawkins, Healey, Hill, Holtzclaw, Hostetler, Leavitt, Miller, Mitchell, Monks, Palmer, Petzke, Pickett, Price, Rasor, Raybould, Raymond, Redman, Scott, Shepherd, Shirts, Tanner(13), Tanner(14), Vander Woude, Weber, Mr. SpeakerNAYS – Achilles, Berch, Burgoyne, Cheatum, Church, Clow, Cornilles, Dygert, Egbert, Erickson, Fuhriman,
lower
Feb 25, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation, Filed for Second Reading
lower
Feb 4, 2025
Committee
Reported Printed and Referred to Health & Welfare
lower
Feb 3, 2025
Introduced
Introduced, read first time, referred to JRA for Printing
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
No sponsor information available.
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