WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

HR 9305

Juice for Healthy Families Act of 2026

119th Congress Introduced by Mike Kelly and 3 co-sponsors

The bill would cap monthly WIC juice benefits per participant, limiting total juice allowances to align with nutrition guidance and reduce program costs.

Introduced in House
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HR 9305

Overview

HR 9305, introduced in the 119th Congress, seeks to amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to establish maximum monthly allowances for juice under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The bill is designed to tighten the financial parameters of WIC juice benefits, with the stated intent of aligning program expenditures with nutritional guidance and budgetary considerations.

Purpose and Intent

  • Limit the amount of money the WIC program can provide for juice on a monthly basis.
  • Provide a standardized cap to prevent over-issuance of juice benefits to participants.
  • Align WIC juice benefits with updated nutrition policy and potential cost-containment goals.

Key Provisions

  • Amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to set a maximum monthly allowance for juice under WIC.
  • Establish a fixed monetary cap per participant (and/or per household, depending on program design) for juice benefits each month.
  • Potentially specify the calculation methodology for determining the cap (e.g., per participant category, age group, or nutritional guidelines), though exact details are not provided in the summary.
  • Presumably retain existing WIC structures (nutrition education, checks/now-similar benefit instruments, and other WIC components) while restricting juice allotments.

Who/What Is Affected

  • WIC participants who receive juice benefits will be subject to the new monthly cap.
  • State WIC agencies administering the program, as they would implement and enforce the cap within their benefit issuance processes.
  • Households with low-income pregnant/postpartum women, infants, and children who rely on WIC juice benefits.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Introduced in the House and referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce on June 11, 2026.
  • No further actions (as of the provided history) are listed; the bill would proceed through committee markup, potential floor amendments, and votes in the House, followed by Senate consideration if it passes the House.

Potential Impacts and Considerations

  • Budgetary: Could reduce WIC juice expenditures by limiting monthly allowances, impacting overall program costs.
  • Nutritional/Health: Depending on implementation, the cap could influence participants’ juice consumption, potentially shifting emphasis toward solid fruits/vegetables or broader dietary guidance.
  • Administrative: Requires implementation guidelines, beneficiary communication, and adjustments to benefit issuance systems at state agencies.
  • Equity and Access: The impact may vary by family size and age of participants; careful design is needed to avoid unintended gaps in nutrition support.

If you’d like, I can add hypothetical examples of cap amounts or compare this approach to current WIC juice benefit policies, once you provide the specific cap figures or additional language from the bill.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.