BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE
Senator Robert M. Hertzberg, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
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|Bill No: |AB 1577 |Hearing |6/22/16 |
| | |Date: | |
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|Author: |Eggman |Tax Levy: |No |
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|Version: |6/13/16 |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant|Grinnell |
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CalFood Program: CalFood Account
Renames the Emergency Food Assistance Program as the CalFood
Program.
Background
Administered by the California Department of Social Services,
the Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP) provides United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA) commodities to a network
of food banks for distribution to eligible individuals and
households within their service area. To be eligible for USDA
commodities, a recipient or household must reside in the
geographical area being served and meet established income
guidelines. In the 1970s and early 1980s, USDA accumulated
large quantities of surplus dairy products, grains, and honey,
through the USDA price support system. President Reagan
authorized the distribution by food banks to low-income
individuals. Subsequently, Congress authorized the Temporary
Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) in the Jobs Bill and
provided states with administrative funds to manage and
distribute the commodities. In 1990, Congress changed the name
to the Emergency Food Assistance Program. The program was
designed to both reduce federal food inventories and storage
costs while assisting the needy. In 1992, Governor Wilson
created a program through executive order to deliver surplus
produce food banks and similar agencies in California.
AB 1577 (Eggman) 6/13/16 Page 2
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Under EFAP, USDA foods available to state distributing agencies,
based on the number of unemployed persons and the number of
people with incomes below the poverty level in the state.
States provide the food to local agencies that they have
selected, usually food banks, which in turn distribute the food
to local organizations, such as soup kitchens and food pantries
that directly serve the public. States also provide the food to
other types of local organizations, such as community action
agencies, which distribute the foods directly to needy
households.
In California, EFAP supplements the nutritional needs of
program-eligible individuals and households, and operates under
federal guidelines, with 49 sites serving all 58 counties.
Program-eligible recipients may receive commodities through
congregate feeding sites which serve meals, or through
distribution sites, which distribute food for household
consumption. EFAP funds are supplemented by the Emergency Food
for Families voluntary contribution fund, where individuals can
donate funds using their Personal Income Tax returns (AB 152,
Fuentes, 2011). Advocates for food banks and agricultural
organizations want to change the name of EFAP to the CalFood
program.
Proposed Law
Assembly Bill 1577 renames the Emergency Food Assistance Program
as the CalFood Program. The measure deletes references to
EFAP, and replaces them with CalFood.
State Revenue Impact
No estimate.
AB 1577 (Eggman) 6/13/16 Page 3
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Comments
1. Purpose of the bill . According to the author, "AB 1577
renames the State Emergency Food Assistance Program (SEFAP) to
prevent confusion with the California Food Assistance Program
(CFAP), which sound identical when pronounced as acronyms. This
change aligns SEFAP with the standard naming convention of our
California programs, such as CalWORKS and CalFresh. CalFood
follows this convention while reflecting the intent of the
program."
2. Recent amendments . As approved by the Assembly, AB 1577
revised and extended California's Personal Income and
Corporation Tax credit for taxpayers donating food to food
banks. These provisions were incorporated into the recently
approved Budget Act in AB 1609 (Committee on Budget). As such,
the author amended AB 1577 to delete its tax provisions, leaving
only the renaming of EFAP.
Assembly Actions
Assembly Revenue and Taxation 9-0
Assembly Appropriations 20-0
Assembly Floor 80-0
Support and
Opposition (6/15/16)
Support : Alameda County Community Food Bank; American Academy
of Pediatrics, California; California Association of Food Banks;
California Bean Shippers Association; California Cattleman's
Association; California Citrus Mutual; California Farm Bureau
Federation; California Fresh Fruit Association; California
Grocers Association; California League of Food Processors;
California Pan-Ethnic Health Network; California Taxpayers
Association; Californians Against Waste; Community Action Agency
of Butte County; Community Action Agency of San Bernardino
County; Community Action Partnership of Orange County; Community
Alliance with Family Farmers; Community Food Bank; FABBRI;
Feeding America, San Diego; FIND Food Bank; Food Access; Food
Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County; Food Bank of Contra
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Costa and Solano; Food Bank of Santa Cruz County; Food for
People, the Food Bank for Humboldt County; Foodlink for Tulare
County; Grimmway Enterprise, Inc.; HMC Farms; Hunger Action of
Los Angeles ; Hunger Advocacy Network; Imperial Valley Food
Bank; International Grape Management, LLC; Jacobs & Cushman; San
Diego Food Bank; Los Angeles Regional Food Bank; MAZON - A
Jewish Response to Hunger; McClarty Farms; Mendocino Food and
Nutrition Program; Napa Valley Food Bank; National Resources
Defense Council; POM Wonderful , LLC; Prime Time; Redwood Empire
Food Bank; Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services; San Diego
Food Bank; San Diego Hunger Coalition; SF-Marin Food Bank; Sharp
Healthcare; St. Anthony's Foundation; Sun World International,
LLC; The HMC Group Marketing, Inc.; The Resource Connection Food
Bank; Vessey & Company; Western Agricultural Processors
Association; Western Growers Association; Western United
Dairymen; Westside Food Bank; Wonderful Citrus, LLC; Wonderful
Orchards, LLC; Wonderful Pistachios and Almonds, LLC; Yolo Food
Bank.
Opposition : None received.
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