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Read. Follow. Verify.Idaho directs health director to seek federal waiver prohibiting SNAP purchases of candy and soda
Last action · March 25, 2026: Take bill off General Orders; referred to Health & Welfare
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What This Bill Proposed
PUBLIC ASSISTANCE – Amends existing law to revise certain definitions relating to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Changes what foods state residents can purchase using federal food assistance benefits, depending on federal approval of the request.
- The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is a federal program that provides nutrition benefits to low-income individuals and families. context
- House Bill 903 was introduced during the Sixty-eighth Legislature Second Regular Session of Idaho in 2026. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants
Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
The department director is tasked with submitting the initial federal waiver request and annual reapplications if denied.
Key Facts
- The director of the Department of Health and Welfare must request a waiver from the United States Department of Agriculture to exclude candy and soda from SNAP eligible foods.
- If the waiver is granted, the director must prohibit the purchase of candy and soda using SNAP benefits.
- If the waiver is denied, the director is required to reapply annually until it is granted.
- Candy is defined to exclude baked goods, baking ingredients, savory snacks, fruit snacks made with real fruit, trail mix, and meal replacement bars.
Show all 5 facts
- Soda is defined to exclude beverages containing milk substitutes, greater than 50 percent fruit or vegetable juice, items requiring preparation, sports drinks, oral rehydration solutions, and dietary supplements.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if the federal government denies the waiver request?
Are all snack bars and baked goods classified as candy under this bill?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
6 actions- Mar 25, 2026CommitteeTake bill off General Orders; referred to Health & Welfare
- Mar 20, 2026U.C. to be placed on General Orders, no objection
- Mar 20, 2026Read second time; Filed for Third Reading
- Mar 19, 2026Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation, Filed for Second Reading
- Mar 16, 2026CommitteeReported Printed and Referred to Health & Welfare
- Mar 16, 2026IntroducedIntroduced, read first time, referred to JRA for Printing
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Conditional SNAP Eligibility Restrictions
The measure establishes a conditional state policy that hinges entirely on federal USDA approval to alter standard SNAP food definitions.
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.idaho.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 60)
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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