Today, Congressman Andy Levin (D-Bloomfield Township) announced that his bill, the More Options to Develop and Enhance Remote Nutrition (MODERN) WIC Act, passed out of the House Education and Labor Committee. The MODERN WIC Act ensures the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is more accessible to participants in a pandemic and a twenty-first century economy.

The bill was included in the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act, a holistic package aimed at eliminating child hunger by delivering a comprehensive, evidence-driven reauthorization of federal child nutrition programs that meets the needs of children and families.

“As new variants emerge and COVID-19 continues to put a strain on our social welfare programs, we must not let up in the fight to ensure that not a single parent or child is left behind. Last year, President Biden signed my bill into law to determine how we can make WIC more accessible to families that rely on the program. Now, we are building upon those findings to make certain we can maximize the program’s efficiency and cut red tape for the most vulnerable for years to come,” said Congressman Levin. “I’m grateful to Chairman Bobby Scott, my Republican co-lead Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler and my colleagues for their support and look forward to getting yet another WIC bill across the finish line and onto President Biden’s desk for signature.”

The MODERN WIC Act will:

• Permanently allow participants the option to get WIC certification or re-certification through video teleconference or phone as opposed to being physically present in the WIC office;
• Allow remote benefit issuance so that participants can receive their WIC benefits on WIC EBT cards through mail or remote issuance, as opposed to physically picking up or reloading benefits on the WIC EBT card at the WIC office;
• Provide $60 million in funding for WIC offices around the country to upgrade and establish technology to help streamline changes to the program;
• Require a report to Congress to be made that contains the uses of remote technologies, impact of remote technologies, and best practices; and
• Incorporate COVID-era flexibilities like phone and video certifications while strengthening WIC’s public health efforts by further coordinating with physicians and health care providers.

The MODERN WIC Act is endorsed by the National WIC Association, WIC Association of New York State, Inc., Hunger Solutions New York, 1,000 Days, A Better Balance, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Alliance to End Hunger, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, Association of State Public Health Nutritionists, Bread for the World, Danone North America, First Focus Campaign for Children, The Food Industry Association, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, National Grocers Association, Nurse-Family Partnership, RESULTS, Save the Children and Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior.

Original source can be found here.