Chapter 319tt

Sec. 17b-790a. Food assistance program for legal immigrants. (a) The Commissioner of Social Services, within available appropriations, shall establish a food assistance program for individuals entering the United States prior to April 1, 1998, whose immigrant status meets the eligibility requirements of the federal Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended, but who are no longer eligible for supplemental nutrition assistance solely due to their immigrant status under Public Law 104-193. Individuals who enter the United States after April 1, 1998, must have resided in the state for six months prior to becoming eligible for the state program. The commissioner may administer such program in accordance with the provisions of the federal supplemental nutrition assistance program, except those pertaining to the determination of immigrant status under Public Law 104-193.

(b) The commissioner shall provide assistance to an individual under this section in an amount equal to seventy-five per cent of the amount the individual would be eligible to receive under the federal Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended.

(c) The commissioner shall terminate assistance under this section to any individual whose federal supplemental nutrition assistance benefits have been restored.

(d) The commissioner shall implement the policies and procedures necessary to carry out the provisions of this section while in the process of adopting such policies and procedures in regulation form, provided notice of intent to adopt the regulations is published in the Connecticut Law Journal within twenty days after implementation. Such policies and procedures shall be valid until the time final regulations are effective.

(P.A. 98-11, S. 1, 3; 98-239, S. 12, 35; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-2, S. 18, 69; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9, S. 129, 131; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7, S. 25; P.A. 04-258, S. 18; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-2, S. 26; P.A. 09-9, S. 29.)

History: P.A. 98-11 effective April 1, 1998; P.A. 98-239 amended Subsec. (a) to require that the commissioner establish the program within available appropriations, effective July 1, 1998; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-2 amended Subsec. (a) to prohibit commissioner from accepting new applications for assistance under section after June 30, 2002, effective July 2, 2001; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9 revised effective date of June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-2 but without affecting this section; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7 amended Subsec. (a) to extend the deadline for certain aliens to apply for assistance until June 30, 2003, effective August 15, 2002; P.A. 04-258 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting provision that prohibited commissioner from accepting new applications for assistance under section after June 30, 2003, effective July 1, 2004; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-2 deleted former Subsec. (b) re commissioner's discretion to determine initial assistance provided, redesignated existing Subsecs. (c) to (e) as Subsecs. (b) to (d), and changed level of assistance from 100% to 75% of amount of assistance provided under the federal Food Stamp Act of 1977 in redesignated Subsec. (b), effective July 1, 2007; P.A. 09-9 replaced “food stamp” and “food stamps” with “supplemental nutrition assistance” and replaced “Food Stamp Act of 1977” with “Food and Nutrition Act of 2008” throughout, effective May 4, 2009.

Sec. 17b-790b. Access to supplemental nutrition assistance programs. Not later than January 1, 2025, the Commissioner of Social Services, in collaboration with the Commissioners of Public Health, Agriculture and Education, shall take action to decrease hunger in the state by (1) coordinating, within available appropriations, state-wide public access, information and outreach, and promoting, within available appropriations, cross-referral and collocation of entry points and application processes for (A) the supplemental nutrition assistance program administered by the Department of Social Services pursuant to the federal Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 and section 17b-2, (B) the federal Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children administered by the Department of Public Health pursuant to section 19a-59c, (C) the Connecticut Farmers' Market/Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program administered by the Department of Agriculture pursuant to section 22-6h, and (D) any other child nutrition programs administered by said departments or the State Department of Education, and (2) attempting to secure federal reimbursements and any additional funding for the costs of administering said programs.

(P.A. 10-133, S. 5; P.A. 24-82, S. 2.)

History: P.A. 10-133 effective June 8, 2010; P.A. 24-82 designated existing provisions as Subdivs. (1) and (2), added references to Commissioner of Agriculture, Connecticut Farmers' Market/Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program and other child nutrition assistance programs administered by the state as Subdiv. (1)(A) to (D) and added provision in Subdiv. (2) re Commissioner of Social Services to attempt to secure any additional funding to administer nutrition assistance programs and made technical changes, effective May 30, 2024.

See Sec. 4-165c re immunity of the state and its officials, employees and agents.

Sec. 17b-790c. Food and nutrition policy analysts. Employment by Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity. Definitions. Duties. Reporting requirements. (a) As used in this section:

(1) “Food insecurity” means a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to sufficient and nutritionally adequate food;

(2) “Food insecurity program” means a nutrition program in the state intended for households with limited or uncertain access to sufficient and nutritionally adequate food;

(3) “Food desert” means an area identified as a food desert in the Food Access Research Atlas produced by the United States Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service;

(4) “Food as medicine” means nutritional and meal preparation planning directed by a qualified health professional to treat chronic health conditions, including, but not limited to, cardiovascular conditions, cardiopulmonary conditions, prediabetes, diabetes, obesity and renal conditions.

(5) “Food recovery organization” means a public or private entity, including, but not limited to, a community-based organization, food bank, food pantry or soup kitchen, that, on a nonprofit basis and in the ordinary course of such entity's business or operations, provides nutritional assistance to individuals in the state who are in need of such assistance, free of charge; and

(6) “Nutritionally adequate food” means food that provides sufficient nutrients and proteins consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

(b) The executive director of the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity, subject to the approval of the Joint Committee on Legislative Management pursuant to section 2-127, shall recruit and employ a person to serve as a food and nutrition policy analyst to help coordinate efforts in the state to reduce food insecurity, reduce or eliminate the number of food deserts, promote food as medicine and provide data on access to nutritionally adequate food.

(c) The food and nutrition policy analyst shall, at a minimum, have a bachelor's degree in public health or public administration or equivalent experience in food and health policy, including, but not limited to, demonstrated knowledge of food insecurity issues, the impact of the availability of nutritionally adequate food on public health, and policies surrounding Medicaid coverage of food as medicine. Duties of the analyst shall include, but not be limited to:

(1) Creating an interactive program that allows a user to insert a home address and receive data on local food recovery organizations, food insecurity programs, farmers markets, supermarkets and information on available government programs, including, but not limited to, supplemental nutrition assistance, the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children and free or reduced cost school meal programs;

(2) Creating an interactive map program that provides comparative food insecurity data by city, county or census tract within the state by average distance that must be traveled within such area for nutritionally adequate food, number and location of food deserts and costs of nutritionally adequate food in such area compared to the state or county average of such cost;

(3) Creating a database and updating such database not less frequently than every two years listing food recovery organizations, food insecurity programs, supermarket locations and agricultural producers of food available for sale directly to the public;

(4) Producing and submitting to the executive director an annual report on the state of food insecurity in the state;

(5) Administering a community-focused work group comprised of an equal number of representatives from local food recovery organizations, local food insecurity programs, local supermarket owners, agricultural producers of food and representatives of other working groups appointed by the General Assembly or executive branch to develop new best practices and initiatives concerning food security;

(6) Promoting public awareness of access to nutritionally adequate food and food as medicine, including planning public events focused on solutions to food insecurity; and

(7) Working with state agencies involved in food security efforts and the executive director and staff of the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity to enhance public health by promoting equitable access to nutritionally adequate food.

(d) The executive director of the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity shall include on the commission's Internet web site links to any programs, data and reports produced by the food and nutrition policy analyst pursuant to subsection (b) of this section. Not later than January 15, 2024, and annually thereafter, the food and nutrition policy analyst shall compile such data into a report and the executive director shall submit the report along with recommendations to reduce food insecurity, in accordance with section 11-4a, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging, the environment, human services, planning and development and public health.

(P.A. 23-204, S. 154, 155.)

History: P.A. 23-204, S. 154, codified by the Revisors as Subsec. (a), and S. 155, codified by the Revisors as Subsecs. (b) to (d), effective July 1, 2023.

Sec. 17b-791. (Formerly Sec. 17-598). Supplemental nutrition commodities assistance program. The Department of Social Services shall establish a supplemental nutrition commodities assistance program to provide funds for the purchase of high protein or other nutritionally beneficial supplemental foods, or both, for soup kitchens, food pantries and emergency shelters. Such foods shall be purchased in bulk by the Connecticut Food Bank through in-state wholesalers or brokers, or both, and allotted to existing soup kitchens, food pantries and emergency shelters in accordance with the established policies of the Connecticut Food Bank. Such soup kitchens, food pantries and emergency shelters shall pay a handling charge of five cents per pound in order to cover the costs incurred by the Connecticut Food Bank. The food shall be distributed free of charge by the soup kitchens, food pantries and emergency shelters.

(P.A. 87-424, S. 1, 2; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87; P.A. 09-9, S. 39; P.A. 10-26, S. 5.)

History: Sec. 17-31ii transferred to Sec. 17-598 in 1991; P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of human resources, effective July 1, 1993; Sec. 17-598 transferred to Sec. 17b-791 in 1995; P.A. 09-9 changed “supplemental nutrition assistance program” to “supplemental nutrition commodities assistance program”, effective May 4, 2009; P.A. 10-26 made a technical change, effective May 10, 2010.

Sec. 17b-792. Transferred to Chapter 319d, Sec. 17a-302.

Secs. 17b-793 to 17b-799. Reserved for future use.