SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1106        FILED ON: 1/17/2019

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 48

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Anne M. Gobi

_________________

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:

 

Anne M. Gobi

Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex

 

Jason M. Lewis

Fifth Middlesex

1/28/2019

Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr.

12th Hampden

1/28/2019

William L. Crocker, Jr.

2nd Barnstable

1/28/2019

Jack Patrick Lewis

7th Middlesex

1/28/2019

Michael D. Brady

Second Plymouth and Bristol

1/28/2019

Mary S. Keefe

15th Worcester

1/28/2019

José F. Tosado

9th Hampden

1/28/2019

Thomas M. Stanley

9th Middlesex

1/28/2019

Mike Connolly

26th Middlesex

1/28/2019

Danielle W. Gregoire

4th Middlesex

1/28/2019

Joanne M. Comerford

Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester

1/28/2019

William N. Brownsberger

Second Suffolk and Middlesex

1/28/2019

Maria Duaime Robinson

6th Middlesex

1/28/2019

James T. Welch

Hampden

1/28/2019

John J. Lawn, Jr.

10th Middlesex

1/28/2019

Michael J. Barrett

Third Middlesex

1/29/2019

Brian W. Murray

10th Worcester

1/29/2019

Patrick M. O'Connor

Plymouth and Norfolk

1/29/2019

Michael O. Moore

Second Worcester

1/29/2019

Daniel M. Donahue

16th Worcester

1/29/2019

Jennifer E. Benson

37th Middlesex

1/30/2019

James B. Eldridge

Middlesex and Worcester

1/30/2019

Brian M. Ashe

2nd Hampden

1/30/2019

Hannah Kane

11th Worcester

1/30/2019

Ryan C. Fattman

Worcester and Norfolk

1/30/2019

Angelo M. Scaccia

14th Suffolk

1/30/2019

Rebecca L. Rausch

Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex

1/30/2019

Kay Khan

11th Middlesex

1/30/2019

Adam G. Hinds

Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden

1/30/2019

Edward J. Kennedy

First Middlesex

1/30/2019

Cindy F. Friedman

Fourth Middlesex

1/30/2019

Todd M. Smola

1st Hampden

1/30/2019

Daniel J. Hunt

13th Suffolk

1/31/2019

Brendan P. Crighton

Third Essex

1/31/2019

Patricia D. Jehlen

Second Middlesex

1/31/2019

Harold P. Naughton, Jr.

12th Worcester

1/31/2019

Donald F. Humason, Jr.

Second Hampden and Hampshire

1/31/2019

Jonathan D. Zlotnik

2nd Worcester

1/31/2019

David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf

17th Worcester

1/31/2019

Diana DiZoglio

First Essex

1/31/2019

John Barrett, III

1st Berkshire

2/1/2019

Barry R. Finegold

Second Essex and Middlesex

2/1/2019

Susannah M. Whipps

2nd Franklin

2/1/2019

Bruce E. Tarr

First Essex and Middlesex

2/1/2019

Sal N. DiDomenico

Middlesex and Suffolk

2/1/2019

Eric P. Lesser

First Hampden and Hampshire

2/1/2019

Joseph A. Boncore

First Suffolk and Middlesex

2/1/2019

Walter F. Timilty

Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth

2/1/2019

Elizabeth A. Malia

11th Suffolk

2/1/2019

Sonia Chang-Diaz

Second Suffolk

2/1/2019

Julian Cyr

Cape and Islands

2/1/2019

John H. Rogers

12th Norfolk

2/1/2019

Harriette L. Chandler

First Worcester

2/1/2019

Nick Collins

First Suffolk

2/4/2019

Dean A. Tran

Worcester and Middlesex

2/13/2019

David Allen Robertson

19th Middlesex

3/26/2019


SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1106        FILED ON: 1/17/2019

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 48

By Ms. Gobi, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 48) of Anne M. Gobi, Jason M. Lewis, Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr., William L. Crocker, Jr. and other members of the General Court for legislation  relative to an agricultural healthy incentives program.  Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

_______________

 

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)The department of transitional assistance, in partnership with the department of agricultural resources and the department of public health, shall operate 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 transitional assistance 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 transitional assistance shall promulgate rules and regulations to implement the program set forth in section 1.