AB 1747, as amended, Weber. Food assistance: higher education students.
(1) Existing federal law provides for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known in California as CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Existing state law authorizes a county to deliver CalFresh benefits through the use of an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) system. Existing federal law authorizes counties to participate in the Restaurant Meals Program.
This bill would require each public and private postsecondary educational institution that is located in a county that participates in the Restaurant Meals Program to apply to become an approved food vendor for the program, if the institution operates any qualifying food facilities on campus, or to provide contracting food vendors with specified information about the program. By imposing these requirements on community colleges, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
(2) Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services, if private nonprofit organizations are successful in raising money for CalFresh outreach activities and have secured a local governmental agency to serve as the contracting agency, upon request and subject to approval by the United States Department of Agriculture, to act as their state entity for the receipt of matching funds.
This bill would include public postsecondary educational institutions among the entities that may receive matching funds for conducting CalFresh outreach activities, as specified.
end deleteThis bill would additionally require the department to act as the state entity for the receipt of federal reimbursement for CalFresh outreach activities on behalf of state educational institutions or other state or local agencies, subject to certain conditions.
end insert(3) Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to establish and administer the State Emergency Food Assistance Program, to provide food and funding for the provision of emergency food to food banks, as provided. Existing law creates the State Emergency Food Assistance Program Account within the Emergency Food Assistance Program Fund and requires that moneys in the account, upon appropriation by the Legislature, be used by the program for the purchase, storage, and transportation of food grown or produced in California and for the department’s administrative costs.
This bill would establish the Public Higher Education Pantry Assistancebegin insert Programend insert Account in the Emergency Food Assistance Program Fund, and would require that moneys in the account, upon appropriation by the Legislature, be allocated to the department for allocation to food banks that support on-campus pantry and hunger relief efforts serving low-income students, as specified.
(4) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
It is the intent of the Legislature to increase the
2college graduation rates of low-income Californians and to reduce
3the incidence of economic hardship and hunger among low-income
4college students.
Section 66025.93 is added to the Education Code, 6immediately following Section 66025.92, to read:
(a) Each public or private postsecondarybegin delete educationend delete
8begin insert educationalend insert institution that is located in a county that participates
9in the Restaurant Meals Program established pursuant to Section
102020 of Title 7 of the United States Code shall do all of the
11following:
12(1) Apply to become an approved food vendor for the Restaurant
13Meals Program, if the institution operates any qualifying food
14facility on campus.
15(2) Annually provide all
on-campus food vendors not operated
16by the institution with information regarding the Restaurant Meals
17Program and the manner in which to apply.
18(3) If an on-campus food vendor has been approved to
19participate in the Restaurant Meals Program, annually inform
20students about the program using information provided by the
21State Department of Social Services.
22(b) This section does not require an institution to create, operate,
23or maintain an EBT system on behalf of on-campus food vendors.
24
(c) An approved food vendor participating in the Restaurant
25Meals Program pursuant to this section, and a county in which
26the program is operated, shall meet the requirements of the
27Restaurant
Meals Program.
Section 18904.3 of the Welfare and Institutions Code
2 is amended to read:
(a) If a private nonprofit organization or a public
4postsecondary educational institution is successful in raising money
5for CalFresh outreach activities and has secured a local
6governmental agency to serve as the contracting agency, the
7department shall, upon request and subject to approval by the
8United States Department of Agriculture, act as the organization’s
9or institution’s state entity for receipt of matching funds.
(a) If a private nonprofit organization, public
11postsecondary educational institution, or other state or local
12agency secures funds for CalFresh outreach activities that are
13allowable for partial federal reimbursement, and complies with
14contracting requirements established in state and federal law, the
15department shall, subject to approval of the state’s outreach plan
16by the United States Department of Agriculture, act as the state
17entity for receipt of federal reimbursement on behalf of the
18organization, institution, or agency.
19(b) Any
reduction in federal funding to the state that is due to
20the result of any audit of CalFresh outreach contracts or activities
21shall be applied to the appropriate local government that served
22as the contracting agency for CalFresh outreach activities.
Section 18995 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is
24amended to read:
(a) On and after January 1, 2012, the State Department
26of Social Services shall establish and administer the State
27Emergency Food Assistance Program (SEFAP). The SEFAP shall
28provide food and funding for the provision of emergency food to
29food banks established pursuant to the federal Emergency Food
30Assistance Program (7 C.F.R. Parts 250 and 251) whose ongoing
31primary function is to facilitate the distribution of food to
32low-income households.
33(b) (1) The State Emergency Food Assistance Program Account
34is hereby established in the Emergency Food Assistance Program
35Fund established pursuant to Section 18852 of the Revenue and
36Taxation Code, and may receive
federal funds and voluntary
37donations or contributions.
38(2) Notwithstanding Section 18853 of the Revenue and Taxation
39Code, the following shall apply:
P5 1(A) All moneys received by the State Emergency Food
2
Assistance Program Account shall, upon appropriation by the
3Legislature, be allocated to the State Department of Social Services
4for allocation to the SEFAP and, with the exception of those
5contributions made pursuant to Section 18851 of the Revenue and
6Taxation Code and funds received through Parts 250 and 251 of
7Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations, shall be used for the
8purchase, storage, and transportation of food grown or produced
9in California. Storage and transportation expenditures shall not
10exceed 10 percent of the SEFAP fund’s annual budget.
11(B) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), funds received by the State
12Emergency Food Assistance Program Account shall, upon
13appropriation by the Legislature, be allocated to the State
14Department of Social Services for allocation to the SEFAP as
15described in paragraph (1), and
shall, in part, be used to pay for
16the department’s administrative costs associated with the
17administration of the SEFAP.
18(c) (1) The Public Higher Education Pantry Assistance Program
19Account is hereby established in the Emergency Food Assistance
20begin insert Programend insert Fund established pursuant to Section 18852 of the
21Revenue and Taxation Code.
22(2) Notwithstanding Section 18853 of the Revenue and Taxation
23Code, funds in the Public Higher Education Pantry Assistance
24Account shall, upon appropriation by the Legislature, be allocated
25to the State Department of Social Services for allocation to food
26banks established pursuant to Parts 250 and 251 of Title 7 of the
27Code of
Federal Regulations that meet both of the following
28criteria:
29(A) The primary function of the food bank is the distribution
30of food to low-income households.
31(B) The food bank has identified specific costs associated with
32supporting on-campus pantry and hunger relief efforts serving
33low-income students.
If the Commission on State Mandates determines that
35this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to
36local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made
37pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division
384 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
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