AEB 4242: Policy Brief
Total points: 100. This is an individual assignment.
DESCRIPTION: For this assignment you will write a policy brief on the topic presented below. The goal of the policy brief is to convince the target audience of the urgency of the current problem and the need to adopt the preferred alternative or course of action outlined and therefore, serve as an impetus for action.
TOPIC: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest nutrition assistance program funded by the federal government. The 2018 Farm Bill reauthorized SNAP despite the growing debate related to program spending. Over 70% of the 2018 Farm Bill spending is devoted to the nutrition title, of which SNAP makes up most of the spending. Most of SNAP funding is provided by the federal government and is spent on program benefits. The other program costs are related to determining SNAP eligibility and are covered by the government at the state and the federal levels. One of the issues that has been particularly contentious is SNAP work requirements.
SNAP program participants receive their benefits on an Electronic Benefit Transfer card, which works like a debit card that can be used to buy groceries at authorized locations. SNAP eligibility is determined based on income. SNAP eligibility rules primarily apply to household, and students who attend a higher education institution more than half-time can only be eligible for SNAP under specific exemptions ( https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/students) in addition to meeting all other SNAP eligibility requirements (see https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/recipient/eligibility for outline of general eligibility and https://www.benefits.gov/benefit/1244 for requirements in Florida). During COVID-19 pandemic, the Congress authorized temporary exemptions that allowed students to qualify for SNAP. Under these exemptions, students who are eligible for state/federal work-study programs and have a $0 expected family contribution when they apply for financial aid could get SNAP. Estimates suggest that close to 3 million college students were added to the program as a result of these exemptions. However, these exceptions have expired in June 2023.
In the meantime, Enhance Access to SNAP Act of 2023 or EATS Act of 2023 bill was introduced to expand access to SNAP benefits to low-income students. Make sure to read the details of the proposed bill here https://frac.org/wp-content/uploads/Enhanced-Access-to-SNAP-Act-_R3.pdf
ASSIGNMENT: Imagine that you are a staff member at a lobbying group that has an interest in the EATS Act of 2023. Your goal is to persuade a Congressman from Florida to vote with you on this bill. Therefore, you will need to take a position and argue either for OR against these proposed changes. The choice is up to you on whether you argue for or against the bill, however, you need to ensure that your position is well-supported by research and economic/quantitative evidence. To achieve your goal, you will have to
(1) research the effectiveness of the current SNAP program (look for unbiased economic reports and studies that include relevant information and statistics!)
(2) understand the proposed changes under the EATS Act of 2023
(3) prepare a policy brief, in which you will use the research and data you find to relate the impacts of this bill to Florida and to persuade a Congressman from Florida to vote with you. Make sure to structure your policy brief as outlined below.
LENGTH: Your policy brief should be 3-4 pages single-spaced using a 12-point Times New Roman font and 1’’ margins, not including reference list or any figures/tables/graphics that you may include in the appendix.
EVALUATION CRITERIA: Policy briefs will be evaluated based (1) content in each section of the policy brief; (2) effective use of sound arguments for or against SNAP program changes and quantitative/qualitative facts that support your arguments; (3) policy brief structure and writing style (i.e., your policy brief should follow the structure outlined below, be well-written, well-formatted, without typos and English grammar errors); (4) proper citation of your sources.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION: As UF students, you can have access to almost all scholarly articles you can find on google scholar and you can access them through the UF library. In addition to scholarly articles, for this policy brief, you can use reports, white papers and reliable news sources. Remember that the facts you include in your policy brief should come from reliable sources.
CITING YOUR SOURCES: All sources of information used for the policy brief should be properly cited in text and in your reference list. Please see additional guidance on how to cite your sources here https://academic.oup.com/documentlibrary/ajae/guide.pdf
PLAGIARISM: Your assignment will be checked for plagiarism through Turnitin. Keep in mind that any information or thoughts that are not your own, need to be properly cited. This means that using information for a policy brief from a source without citing it, is considered plagiarism.
TIPS FOR WRITING A POLICY BRIEF: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/policy-briefs/; https://post.parliament.uk/how-to-write-a-policy-briefing/
STRUCTURE OF POLICY BRIEF & GRADING RUBRIC
[5 points] Policy brief structure: Please make sure to your policy brief includes the elements described below and uses the outlined structure.
Title: choose a relevant title for your brief.
[10 points] Executive summary: A short overview and summary of your policy brief, highlighting your position and key arguments/facts supporting your position.
[20 points] Background & Information Pertinent to the Issue: Context of the issue and an explanation of the problem and its significance. Provide background, current status, affected stakeholder groups and various interests involved in this issue. Provide evidence on whether the policy has or has not been working well so far. What do economic studies say about the effectiveness of SNAP?
[20 points] Controversy related to the policy: Is this a controversial issue? Outline current debate about the issue, and/or data about the issue, reasons for urgency of the issue and why SNAP program changes may or may not be necessary. Why is this policy change controversial (present a neutral and unbiased view of different sides of the issue)? What other policy options exist and how they compare to the current proposed changes? Make sure to illustrate opposing opinions regarding proposed changes.
[20 points] Impact of the proposed legislation: What will be the impacts of the EATS Act of 2023? Will there be any groups within the US who may substantially gain or lose due to these changes? How will SNAP changes proposed under EATS Act of 2023 impact Florida residents specifically? What are the benefits or drawbacks of the proposed SNAP changes? What are the costs and benefits of this these changes? Do the costs outweigh the benefits?
[20 points] Recommendations: List reasons for why the Congressman you are lobbying should vote for or against the bill (this depends on the position you choose to argue). This should include arguments for why the bill would benefit (or would be detrimental/too costly) to the people living in Florida and in the US.
[5 points] References: Use endnotes or in-text citations.
Appendices (if any): any graphs, tables or figures should be placed in the appendix.
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