Washington state has ended its COVID-19 state of emergency, and that's having effects on the public benefits people were relying on to get through the pandemic.

The state of emergency came to a halt at the end of October. The declaration had lifted some of the more onerous restrictions for benefits.

Christina Wong, director of public policy and advocacy with Northwest Harvest, said temporary expansions of relief also were connected to the health emergency.

"People might have fewer resources to help pay for essentials," said Wong. "That will then mean they'll be considering skipping meals in order to make savings to continue paying for those other really important needs."

Wong said people still are in a precarious position, struggling with higher prices at the grocery store and other costs of living such as rent and transportation.

She noted that people will rely more on food banks, but that pantries are feeling a squeeze from higher prices as well.

Marcy Bowers is the executive director of the Statewide Poverty Action Network, based in Seattle.

She said some of the waivers in place - such as suspending reviews for the Aged, Blind, and Disabled and Housing and Essential Needs referral programs - provided more flexibility and time for the people who rely on these programs.

She added that it also boosted confidence in the system.

"Many people told me that they felt like the state systems trusted them for the first time in a long time," said Bowers, "that they didn't have to continuously prove how much they needed something."

The emergency food allotments that boosted the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - or SNAP - also were tied to states' emergency declarations, leaving the future of these additional benefits uncertain.

Wong said fortunately, there could be a way to fix that.

"The good news," said Wong, "is that there are lots of examples out there about how other states who have ended their state public-health emergency declaration have still been able to get approval to provide emergency SNAP allotments by connecting it to the federal emergency health declaration."

However, Wong noted that the federal emergency declaration is set to expire in February.

Bowers said the additional benefits provided during the pandemic have helped many people who were struggling.

She said she's concerned that ending those resources abruptly could be like pulling the rug out from under them and leave them worse off than before the pandemic.

Bowers said there are positive lessons to be learned from the response to this public health emergency.

"Many of the things that we did better during the pandemic were a result of waivers and, sort of, a suspension of the rules," said Bowers. "But we do have the ability via public policymaking to change those rules so that we can better serve people."

Alabama is one of 14 states opting out of the 2024 summer electronic benefit program.

As summer rolls around, there will be no programs in place to help low-income families with grocery costs.

LaTrell Clifford Wood, hunger policy advocate for the group Alabama Arise, said as a result, more than 500,000 children who usually receive free or reduced lunch could go without meals. She noted while summer feeding programs will be available, they will not reach everyone in need.

"Ninety-four percent of Alabama children who rely on free and reduced-price meals won't have access to them over the summer," Clifford Wood reported. "That means that only 6% of the children who rely on those meals during the school year are going to be fed through summer feeding programs."

Clifford Wood warned limited hours, transportation and strict program rules will hinder many families from benefiting from such vital programs. The Alabama Legislature did not allocate the necessary $15 million for the program by the end of the last session. However, Clifford Wood noted there is a chance the program will be funded in the summer of 2025.

As legislators focus on next year's budgets, Clifford Wood stressed the need for funding next summer's EBT program. She pointed out Alabama Arise is calling for lawmakers to allocate funds from the Education Trust Fund to combat child hunger, affecting one in four children in the state.

"This is a program that's been tested for 13 years," Clifford Wood emphasized. "It's had three rigorous evaluation periods, and it was shown to improve the diet of children and decrease children's food hardship by a third."

Clifford Wood believes prioritizing children's needs and addressing food insecurity is a form of preventive care and serves as an early investment in the state's overall wellness.

The Food Research and Action Center said funding the e-benefits program would also benefit the economy - adding anywhere from $98 million to $117 million. The Alabama Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee is expected to vote on the budget next week.

California's program helping low-income families buy fresh fruit and vegetables is on the chopping block and health care advocates are asking legislators to save the Market Match program.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed cutting most of the program's $35 million budget to help close the state's budget shortfall.

Sophia Vaccaro, a participant in Market Match from Echo Park, said she depends on Market Match in more ways than one.

"It helps people being able to stretch their budget further," Vaccaro explained. "Then, I think it helps the community, in that it creates a sense of camaraderie at the farmers' market and makes people more invested in the community itself."

The program matches every dollar CalFresh customers spend on fresh fruits and vegetables at a farmer's market up to between $10 and $20 per day. It is active at 294 sites across the state and is partially paid for through federal matching funds.

Dr. John Maa, surgeon at Marin Health Medical Center and board member of the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the American Heart Association, said Market Match promotes healthy eating and boosts the local farm economy.

"An improved diet really will have long-term meaningful impacts on health, and also reduce health care costs," Maa explained. "It really helps to sustain the growers and the merchants. I guess it's a win-win-win."

Siu Han Cheung, outreach coordinator for the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation and board member of the Heart of the City Farmers' Market, argued the program is vital to residents across the state.

"If the Market Match will be cut, that is terrible," Cheung stressed. "That means they have less money to buy their food. So, Market Match is very important for the low-income families and the seniors."

Legislators and the governor are working toward the May budget revisions, and must pass a balanced budget by June 15.

South Dakotans face high prices at the grocery store and some are working to ease the burden.

A new report from the Federal Trade Commission finds some grocery retailers used the supply-chain disruptions of the pandemic to raise prices and collect bigger profits, even after supply chains regulated.

One South Dakota group is trying to reduce sticker shock by targeting the state sales tax on groceries. Dakotans for Health is sponsoring a citizens ballot initiative to repeal the 4.2 % tax.

Rick Weiland, co-founder of the group, said lower food bills would make a meaningful difference for some.

"People of modest means, or low income hardworking families, disproportionately spend upwards of 30% on food," Weiland pointed out. "This is going to be helpful."

South Dakota is one of only two states in the country to apply its full state sales tax rate to groceries with no exemptions, Mississippi being the other. More than 9% of South Dakotans are considered food insecure, meaning they do not always have access to enough healthy food.

The grocery tax has been a popular topic among state legislators in recent years. Republican Gov. Kristi Noem even campaigned on the promise to repeal it. Critics have said proposing a tax cut without a way to finance it is irresponsible.

Weiland pointed out Gov. Noem had a formula spelled out when she brought forward her bill in 2023, which was voted down.

"She had no problem defending her position in front of the Legislature, in terms of how much revenue the state was going to lose and where they could make it up," Weiland recounted.

The initiative needs about 17,500 signatures by next month to appear on the November ballot.