MAND March Public Policy Updates

Federal Updates

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics continues to advocate for key policy issues including passage of the MNT Act and protection of school meals and SNAP funding. Learn more about our federal priorities here.

The Food Group, which partners with Hunger Solutions, is continuing to urge our legislators to oppose federal cuts to SNAP and the Community Eligibility Provision, which allows schools in low-income areas to provide no-cost breakfast and lunch for all students. These cuts would have major impacts on Minnesotans across the state. The Academy has issued action alerts on these items – find more information in the “Take Action” section below.

Here in Minnesota

MAND continues our work to defend RD scope of practice in our state.

HF1270/SF1746 – A bill that would expand the scope of the practice of acupuncturists to include dietary counseling is back this session. A similar bill was introduced last year and at that time, MAND had major concerns over its language that sought to allow acupuncturists to provide dietary counseling and administer or prescribe food. Although this language has been narrowed and refined in the current bill, MAND still has concerns as it seems to circumvent the extensive training and educational requirements nutrition professionals need to provide dietary counseling and conflicts with our licensing statute. Last week, MAND leadership sent letters to bill authors expressing these concerns and requesting that this portion of the bill be removed. We will continue to keep MAND members updated on this matter.

On Tuesday, March 11th, DFL candidate David Gottfried won the House district 40B (Roseville) seat. He will be sworn in next week, bringing the House back into a 67-67 split.

On March 6th, the Minnesota Management of Budget provided another budget outlook for Minnesota. They now project wider short- and long-term deficits than they did in their previous projection last November. They also noted that “shifting policies at the federal level introduce significant uncertainty to the projections.” Read more about it here and see Governor Walz and legislator’s response to the updated budget forecast.

Minnesota’s Attorney General, Keith Ellison, has continued to sue the Trump administration on a number of executive orders. See a recent CBS news story for an update: Minnesota AG joins other states in suing the Trump administration

We want to hear from you!

In recent weeks, there have been several executive orders resulting in federal funding freezes and proposed legislation that have impacted, or could stand to impact, MAND members and the nutrition community. MAND is seeking specific examples to show how the field of nutrition is being affected due to these recent actions.

If you or your community have been impacted, please consider sharing your experience with us through our member survey.

How will this information be used? 

We want to understand how the federal funding freezes and proposed legislation are affecting the nutrition community in our state. With permission, we may share some examples in our member communications and with our legislators to highlight the impact these changes have made so far. We are here to support you and your work and to let you know that you are not alone!

Fill out the Google Form here.

If you have questions, please contact Ali Webster (aliwebster0514@gmail.com) and Sonja Mydels (mydel001@gmail.com), MAND’s State Policy Representative and Public Policy Coordinator, respectively.

Take Action

Check out the Academy’s open action alerts here and contact your legislators on the topics that matter to you. The provided templates can be sent as-is or they can be edited for a more personal, specific message.

• Protect Medicare Patient Access to MNT

• Urge Congress to Avoid the Impact of a Federal Shutdown, Extend Critical Waivers and Protect Nutrition Programs

• Tell Federal Leadership to Support Nutrition Research and Protect Public Health

• Tell Congress to Oppose Changes to SNAP and School Lunch Program

The Food Group also has open action alerts here to contact your legislators on important issues.

• Tell Congress to Protect SNAP and CEP (Community Eligibility Provision)

• Tell Congress to Restore and Protect Federal Funding

Upcoming Events

• Friday, April 11th: Join the policy panel at the MAND Annual Conference, where we will be leading the lunch keynote presentation, “Policy and Advocacy for Nutrition Professionals: Using Your Voice”. We look forward to seeing you there as we collectively strengthen our advocacy skills and continue to build connections. Register by 3/21 HERE.