BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 1321 (Ting) - Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program
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|Version: July 1, 2015 |Policy Vote: AGRI. 4 - 1 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: No |
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|Hearing Date: August 17, 2015 |Consultant: Robert Ingenito |
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This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: AB 1321 would establish the Nutrition Incentive
Matching Grant (NIMG) Program in the Office of Farm to Fork
within the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)
to encourage the consumption and purchase of fresh fruits, nuts,
and vegetables. It also would create the NIMG account in the
state treasury.
Fiscal
Impact: CDFA indicates that the bill could ultimately result in
annual General Fund costs potentially reaching the low millions
of dollars (special fund), some of which could be offset by
federal funds. However, the department would not be authorized
to operate the program if sufficient funds have not been
appropriated.
AB 1321 (Ting) Page 1 of
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Background: The Office of Farm to Fork (OFF) was established in 2014 within
the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to
increase food access and the amount of agricultural products
available to underserved communities and schools in California.
CDFA is responsible for regulating certified farmers' markets
(CFM) and other forms of direct marketing to ensure product
quality and to prevent fraud, deception, or misrepresentation in
the marketplace. Currently, there are nearly 800 CFMs in
California and 3,350 certified farmers selling directly to
consumers.
The Department of Social Services administers the CalFresh
Program, federally known as the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP; formerly Food Stamp), to provide food
assistance for eligible low-income Californians.
Proposed Law:
This bill would, among other things, do the following:
Establish the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program
(Grant Program) in the Office of Farm to Fork to encourage the
consumption and purchase of fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables
by connecting farmers with food assistance recipients.
Create the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant (NIMG) Account
within the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund to collect
matching funds from the federal Food Insecurity Nutrition
Incentives Grant Program and other public and private sources.
Require that sufficient funds be deposited into the grant
account before the Grant Program becomes operative.
Require OFF to establish minimum standards, funding schedules,
and procedures for awarding grants in consultation with USDA
and other stakeholders, including the State Department of
Public Health, State Department of Social Services,
organizations with expertise in nutrition benefit programs,
qualified small business owners, and certified farmers' market
AB 1321 (Ting) Page 2 of
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operators.
Limit the allocation of Grant Program funds for qualified
small business consumer incentive programs to one-third of the
fund.
Require CDFA to give grant funding priority to qualified
entities based on:
o The service area and lack of consumer incentive
programs.
o Community demographics such as the number of people
who qualify for food assistance, the prevalence of
diet-related illnesses, and access to fresh produce.
o Demonstrated efficiency in administering a consumer
incentive program.
Related
Legislation: AB 2413 (Perez, Chapter 583, Statutes of 2014)
created the Office of Farm to Fork within CDFA to, among other
things, promote food access and increase the amount of
agricultural products available to underserved communities and
schools within California.
Staff
Comments: The NIMG program would provide a 100 percent match of
the value of qualifying CalFresh purchases made at certified
farmers markets or certain other stores. As an example, a family
that spends $20 in CalFresh benefits at a participating farmers
market would get another $20 from the NIMG program to purchase
fresh fruits and vegetables.
As noted above, the NIMG account created by the bill could
receive moneys from public and/or private sources. The bill
AB 1321 (Ting) Page 3 of
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would preclude CDFA from operating the program until such time
that the account contains "sufficient funds." However, this
term is not defined in the bill. But until such time, the bill
would have no fiscal impact to CDFA.
Additionally, the bill provides no funding to implement the
Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program. Implementation of
the program is contingent upon funds being provided by the state
or outside sources. Should funds be available for the program
there will be a fiscal impact to CDFA to establish the program,
apply for matching grants, solicit proposals, grant funds, and
oversee compliance among grant recipients. The specific costs to
CDFA would depend on the eventual funding and grant
applications.
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