Amendment ASA1-AB292

LRBs0115/1

PJK:amn

2015 - 2016 LEGISLATURE

ASSEMBLY SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT 1, TO ASSEMBLY BILL 292

September 4, 2015 - Offered by Representative Jorgensen.

AB292-ASA1,1,3 An Act to create 20.435 (4) (d) and 49.798 of the statutes; relating to: a Grow Wisconsin pilot program providing benefits to FoodShare recipients for purchasing Wisconsin-grown foods and making an appropriation.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This substitute amendment directs the Department of Health Services (DHS) to design and implement Grow Wisconsin, a pilot program in Dane, Rock, and Milwaukee counties under which a recipient under the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known as FoodShare in Wisconsin and formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, receives tokens for purchasing foods and food products that are grown or made in Wisconsin at farmers' markets, and receives rewards for purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables at grocery stores.

Currently, FoodShare provides benefits to eligible low-income individuals and households for the purchase of food. The benefits, which are electronically debited to a Quest card, are paid entirely with federal funds. FoodShare is administered by DHS, and the state and federal governments share the cost of administration.

Under the substitute amendment, farmers' markets and grocery stores located in Dane, Rock, or Milwaukee County that apply to, and satisfy criteria set by, DHS may participate in Grow Wisconsin. Under the program, DHS issues to participating farmers' markets tokens worth $2 each. For every $2 that a recipient spends on food with his or her Quest card at a participating farmers' market, up to $20 per farmers' market per day, the recipient receives a token, which the recipient may then use at any time at any participating farmers' market to purchase fruit, vegetables, meat, or dairy products that were grown or made in Wisconsin. At participating grocery stores, a recipient who purchases fresh fruit or vegetables with his or her Quest card receives an in-store reward in the same amount that the recipient spent on the fresh fruit or vegetables with his or her Quest card, up to $20 per grocery store per shopping trip. An in-store reward must be redeemed within a month of its issuance to purchase fresh fruit or vegetables at the participating grocery store that issued it.

The substitute amendment specifies certain duties for DHS related to the pilot program, such as establishing criteria for participation by farmers' markets and grocery stores; establishing guidelines for labeling Wisconsin-grown or Wisconsin-made fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy products; and establishing accounting and reporting requirements for farmers' markets and grocery stores. In addition, DHS must submit a report on the program to the legislature no later than September 1, 2018. The report must contain recommendations on making changes to the program and whether the program should be expanded statewide. The substitute amendment appropriates $144,902 of general purpose revenue per fiscal year in the 2015-2017 fiscal biennium for the program.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB292-ASA1,1 Section 1. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert the following amounts for the purposes indicated: - See PDF for table

AB292-ASA1,2 Section 2. 20.435 (4) (d) of the statutes is created to read:

AB292-ASA1,2,6 20.435 (4) (d) Grow Wisconsin pilot program. Biennially, the amounts in the schedule for designing, implementing, administering, and paying all costs under the program under s. 49.798.

AB292-ASA1,3 Section 3. 49.798 of the statutes is created to read:

AB292-ASA1,3,2 49.798 Grow Wisconsin pilot program for buying Wisconsin-grown foods. (1) Definitions. In this section:

AB292-ASA1,3,4 (a) "Benefit card" means the electronic benefit transfer card used by a recipient to purchase food under FoodShare.

AB292-ASA1,3,6 (b) "FoodShare" means the food stamp program, as defined in s. 49.79 (1) (c), operating in this state.

AB292-ASA1,3,8 (c) "Program" means the Grow Wisconsin pilot program described in this section.

AB292-ASA1,3,10 (d) "Recipient" means an individual, or a member of a household, that is eligible for and receiving benefits under FoodShare.

AB292-ASA1,3,14 (2) Program description. (a) General. The department shall design, implement, and administer a pilot program as outlined in this section. The program shall operate in Dane, Rock, and Milwaukee counties. Any recipient may participate in the program at any participating farmers' market or grocery store.

AB292-ASA1,3,21 (b) Farmers' markets. 1. Any farmers' market operating in Dane County, Rock County, or Milwaukee County may apply to the department to participate in the program. If an applying farmers' market meets the criteria established by the department under sub. (3) (a), the farmers' market may participate in the program and the department shall issue tokens to the farmers' market. Each token is worth $2 for the purchase of foods specified in subd. 2. at participating farmers' markets but has no cash value.

AB292-ASA1,4,2 2. For every $2 worth of food that a recipient purchases with his or her benefit card at a participating farmers' market, limited to $20 per farmers' market per day, the recipient shall receive a token. The recipient may use the tokens at any time at any participating farmers' market in any of the counties in which the program is operating to purchase fruit, vegetables, meat, or dairy products that were grown or made in Wisconsin.

AB292-ASA1,4,8 (c) Grocery stores. 1. Any grocery store located in Dane County, Rock County, or Milwaukee County may apply to the department to participate in the program. If an applying grocery store meets the criteria established by the department under sub. (3) (a), the grocery store may participate in the program and the department shall reimburse the grocery store for in-store rewards issued by the grocery store and redeemed by recipients under the program.

AB292-ASA1,4,14 2. A recipient who purchases fresh fruit and vegetables with his or her benefit card at a participating grocery store shall receive an in-store reward in the amount that the recipient spent with his or her benefit card for the fresh fruit and vegetables, limited to $20 per grocery store per shopping trip. A recipient must redeem an in-store reward within a month after receiving it to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables at the participating grocery store that issued the in-store reward.

AB292-ASA1,4,16 (3) Department responsibilities. The department shall do at least all of the following:

AB292-ASA1,4,18 (a) Establish criteria for participation in the program by farmers' markets and grocery stores.

AB292-ASA1,4,20 (b) Provide up-to-date information to recipients on which farmers' markets and grocery stores are participating in the program.

AB292-ASA1,4,23 (c) Establish accounting practices and policies and reporting requirements for issuing and redeeming tokens and issuing, redeeming, and reimbursing in-store rewards.

AB292-ASA1,4,24 (d) Establish guidelines or requirements for all of the following:

AB292-ASA1,4,25 1. Distributing tokens and in-store rewards.

AB292-ASA1,5,1 2. Redeeming tokens and in-store rewards.

AB292-ASA1,5,3 3. Identifying and labeling Wisconsin-grown or Wisconsin-made fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy products.

AB292-ASA1,5,6 4. Ensuring that tokens are used only for the purchase of Wisconsin-grown or Wisconsin-made fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy products and that in-store rewards are used only for the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables.

AB292-ASA1,5,15 (4) Report. No later than September 1, 2018, the department shall submit to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature for distribution to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) a report that analyzes the various effects of the program. The department shall include in the report any changes to the program that the department recommends, such as expanding the program to more geographic areas or statewide, limiting participation to just farmers' markets or just grocery stores, making participation in the program mandatory for farmers' markets or grocery stores, limiting or expanding the foods that may be purchased with tokens or rewards cards, and modifying the token or rewards card value.

AB292-ASA1,5,16 (End)