HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2825        FILED ON: 1/20/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2131

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Paul W. Mark

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to an agricultural healthy incentives program.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Paul W. Mark

2nd Berkshire

1/20/2017

Christopher M. Markey

9th Bristol

10/24/2017

John J. Lawn, Jr.

10th Middlesex

10/24/2017


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2825        FILED ON: 1/20/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2131

By Mr. Mark of Peru, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2131) of Paul W. Mark, Christopher M. Markey and John J. Lawn, Jr., for legislation to establish a program to provide matching reimbursements for healthy food programs within the Department of Agricultural Resources.  Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninetieth General Court
(2017-2018)

_______________

 

An Act relative to an agricultural healthy incentives program.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Chapter 128 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 2E the following section:-

Section 2F. (a)There shall be within the department of agricultural resources a healthy incentives program. The program shall provide that for every dollar of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, established pursuant to the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, 7 U.S.C. section 2011 hereinafter referred to as SNAP, redeemed for fruit and vegetable purchases, either fresh, canned, dried or frozen, by a SNAP recipient, the recipient shall receive a matching benefit reimbursed on the recipient’s EBT card of one dollar, within limits to be established by the department.

(b) There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund, to be jointly administered by the commissioners of the department of agricultural resources and the department of transitional assistance, which shall be known as the Massachusetts Healthy Incentives Fund. The Fund shall consist of all revenues from public and private sources as appropriations, gifts, grants and donations and from the federal government as reimbursements, grants-in-aid or other receipts to further the purposes of the Fund in accordance with this section.

(c ) The department of agricultural resources or its partners shall apply for any available federal programs such as Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Grants administered by the United States Department of Agriculture to provide matching benefits to be deposited in the Fund.

SECTION 2. The department of agricultural resources shall promulgate rules and regulations to implement the program set forth in section 1.