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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Fifth Legislature, First Regular Session
nutrition assistance; benefit match; appropriation
Purpose
Appropriates $1 million annually beginning in FY 2022 to the Department of Economic Security (DES) for a produce incentive program to provide matching monies for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) enrollees to purchase Arizona-grown fruits and vegetables at authorized retailers.
Background
SNAP is a federally funded program run by DES that assists in the prevention of under-nutrition for low-income parents and their children by providing benefits for the purchase of food.
The U.S. Food and Nutrition Service (U.S. FNS) determines various food items that SNAP enrollees can purchase, including: 1) breads and cereals; 2) fruits and vegetables; 3) meats, fish and poultry; and 4) dairy products (U.S. FNS).
S.B. 1176 annually appropriates $1 million to DES from the state General Fund beginning in FY 2022.
Provisions
1. Appropriates $1 million annually from the state General Fund beginning in FY 2022 to DES for the following purposes:
a) to plan, prepare and develop the infrastructure necessary to implement a produce incentive program for SNAP enrollees to purchase eligible Arizona-grown fruits and vegetables at SNAP-authorized farmers markets, farm stands, mobile markets, community supported agriculture sites, grocery stores and convenience stores;
b) to provide matching monies of up to $20 per participating SNAP-authorized site per transaction for an enrollee in SNAP to purchase eligible Arizona-grown fruits and vegetables.
2. Prohibits DES from spending monies without matching contributions from any combination of federal, local or private sources.
3. Specifies that the $1 million appropriation monies are nonlapsing and do not revert to the state General Fund.
4. Defines eligible Arizona-grown fruits and vegetables as any Arizona-grown variety of fresh, canned, dried or frozen whole or cut fruits and vegetables that do not contain added sugars, fats, oils or salt.
5. Defines SNAP as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
6. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
January 28, 2021
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