The following is a news release from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

Following direction from Idaho Gov. Brad Little, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare submitted a formal request to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Friday seeking approval to implement House Bill 109, signed by Gov. Brad Little in April.

Idaho is among just a few states to move quickly on submitting the waiver, a step that is required to implement the new law. House Bill 109 aims to promote healthier food choices by removing soft drinks and candy from the list of items eligible for purchase through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly referred to as food stamps.

“My administration is committed to securing the necessary waiver as quickly as possible so we can improve lives and Idahoans’ overall health,” Little said. “I appreciate the support of USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Idaho Legislature as we promote the MAHA movement in Idaho.”

Health and Welfare’s Division of Self-Reliance submitted the formal request.

“Idaho supports the health and well-being of families who rely on SNAP,” said Self-Reliance Division Administrator John Bernasconi. “By aligning SNAP benefits with basic nutrition standards, we hope to reduce preventable chronic health conditions and encourage healthier habits across the state.”

Once finalized, Idaho’s waiver request will ask the USDA to approve specific modifications to SNAP’s allowable food categories. If approved, SNAP benefits would no longer cover the purchase of soda, energy drinks, or candy. These changes reflect growing public health concerns over the role of added sugars and processed foods in contributing to conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

House Bill 109 received strong support in the 2025 legislative session and builds on a national conversation about the role of nutrition in federal food assistance programs. According to USDA data, a significant portion of SNAP purchases—approximately 20% nationally—are spent on sugary beverages and snacks.

“This effort is not about limiting choice—it’s about encouraging better options for families and making sure public resources are supporting long-term health,” Bernasconi said.

Some soft calls were coming from my bird feeders as I walked out to check my rock tumblers, “evening grosbeaks,” I thought as I strolled across the lawn. Two males flushed from the sunflower seed feeder as I got near it. I stopped and watched them join a small flock in the flowering chokecherry bushes along the full water ditch.

The next day while walking through the baren garden the sharp call of a male bullocks oriole came from a tree that they normally feed on orange halves. He appeared disappointed that the oranges had not appeared yet, but he came back as soon as I ran in the house to get the tree supplied with two halves for him.

After a four-day stay in EIRMC for a heart attack, I came home with all my feeders empty and quickly had my grandchildren load them up. This week I have had black-headed grosbeaks, lazali buntings and western tanagers joining the evening grosbeaks and bullock’s orioles adding color to my backyard. If you want these beautiful birds to visit your backyard, it is time to put out an assortment of food like orange halves, grape jelly, shelled sunflower seeds and bird feed with some white millet in it.

With the cold rainy weather this week, I have increased my types of feed adding dried mealworms and safflower seeds for any odd bird that may show up and need a snack. One of my favorite winter birds, a male steller’s jay, showed up Friday morning to brighten my morning along with a House wren.

I have been researching types of bird food this week to see if I need to expand even a little more. If you follow me, I have preached that red millet is a huge waste so I will not purchase bird feed that contains a lot of it, but in doing so, I have not used white millet. In visiting with another birder, I was told that white millet attracts Lazuli buntings, I found a store that carries white millet mixed with nyger seeds and will add it to my backyard restaurant for birds. If you have a favorite food for birds, give me a shout about it.

Colorful, and plain, birds are like medicine for me. In the spring when my daffodils, tulips and other early spring flowers brighten the wet, dark dreary days, adding colorful or new birds brings joy to my life. When I am tethered to a doctor’s or self-imposed physical leash and cannot leave home as often as I would like, a beautiful backyard full of flowers and birds lessen the need for an escape.

This to shall pass and hopefully in a week or two (probably four), I shall be able to chase the birds, rocks and fish and won’t have to bring them to my backyard. The doctors tell me being lazy is not a sin, but a healing process, so I will do my best to follow their instructions.

If any of you are following the nesting sandhill cranes at Camas National Wildlife Refuge or watching the great blue herons harvest voles on the south side of Mud Lake, now is the time to do it. The cranes should hatch out in the next week to 10 days and one of the nests is very visible if you can time the hatch. Watching a colt (sandhill crane chick) come out of the egg is a show you will never forget.

Good luck and stay safe – this is a crazy time of the year with too much going on to miss!!