Eligibility would be extended to allow more children and mothers to participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) under a bipartisan bill recently introduced by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME).
“By giving states the flexibility to address the WIC gap and reduce burdensome barriers to participation,” said Sen. Collins, “our bipartisan bill builds upon the program’s proven ability to improve maternal and child well-being and health outcomes.”
WIC — which currently serves approximately 6.3 million pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and young children up to age five — provides federal grants to states for supplemental foods, healthcare referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk.
The Wise Investment in Children Act of 2021, S. 853, which Sen. Collins and bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Robert Casey, Jr., (D-PA) introduced on March 18, would extend the WIC eligibility date until a child’s sixth birthday, extend the certification period to two years, and extend post-partum eligibility to two years for all mothers, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.
“The WIC program ensures that millions of women, infants, and children — including 16,000 in Maine — are getting the proper nutrition they need to grow and be healthy,” Sen. Collins said, adding that S. 853 “would take important steps to keep eligible new mothers and young children enrolled in this successful and cost-effective nutrition program.”
The bill garnered support from myriad state and national entities, including the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, the Arizona Local Agency WIC Association, the California WIC Association, the Children’s Advocacy Alliance, the National WIC Association, the American Heart Association, the American Psychological Association, the Children’s Defense Fund, Feeding America, March of Dimes, and the Save the Children Action Network, among many others.