General Assembly Raised Bill No. 241
February Session, 2016 LCO No. 1736
*01736_______AGE*
Referred to Committee on AGING
Introduced by:
(AGE)
General Assembly
Raised Bill No. 241
February Session, 2016
LCO No. 1736
*01736_______AGE*
Referred to Committee on AGING
Introduced by:
(AGE)
AN ACT INCREASING THE DOLLAR VALUE OF FARMERS' MARKET VOUCHERS FOR SENIOR CITIZENS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (a) of section 22-6q of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2016):
(a) There is established the Connecticut Farmers' Market/Senior Nutrition Program which shall be provided for from funds available to the commissioner and from other sources as such funds may become available. The program shall supply Connecticut-grown fresh produce to senior participants through the distribution of vouchers that are redeemable only at designated Connecticut farmers' markets. The Commissioner of Agriculture shall establish the dollar value of the vouchers, provided such value shall not be less than twenty-five dollars. For purposes of this section, a "senior participant" is defined as a person who is sixty years of age or older and is currently residing in elderly housing, or is a participant of a registered congregate meal site, or has been identified by a municipal elderly agent as being at nutritional risk. The program is designed to provide both a supplemental source of fresh produce for the dietary needs of seniors who are judged to be at nutritional risk and to stimulate an increased demand for Connecticut-grown produce at Connecticut farmers' markets.
Sec. 2. (Effective July 1, 2016) The sum of ____ dollars is appropriated to the Department of Agriculture from the General Fund, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017, to increase the dollar value of Connecticut Farmers' Market/Senior Nutrition Program vouchers to twenty-five dollars each and to ensure that a sufficient number of vouchers are available.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2016 22-6q(a)
Sec. 2 July 1, 2016 New section
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1
July 1, 2016
22-6q(a)
Sec. 2
July 1, 2016
New section
Statement of Purpose:
To increase the amount of nutritious food that senior participants may purchase at farmers' markets.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]