LCO No. 3830 1 of 2
General Assembly Raised Bill No. 958
January Session, 2021
LCO No. 3830
Referred to Committee on HUMAN SERVICES
Introduced by:
(HS)
AN ACT ALLOWING CERT AIN SUPPLEMENTAL NUT RITION
ASSISTANCE BENEFICIA RIES TO USE ELECTRONIC BENEFIT
TRANSFER CARDS AT PA RTICIPATING RESTAURA NTS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) As used in this section: (1) 1
"Restaurant Meals Program" means a federal program that allows 2
eligible beneficiaries of supplemental nutrition assistance to purchase 3
meals at participating restaurants using their electronic benefit transfer 4
cards, (2) "eligible beneficiaries" means an elderly or disabled member, 5
as defined in 7 USC 2012(j), and the spouse of such member, and 6
homeless individuals, as defined in 7 USC 2012(l), and (3) "electronic 7
benefit transfer card" means a card allowing for the transfer of payments 8
from state administered programs, including, but not limited to, 9
supplemental nutrition assistance. 10
(b) Not later than July 1, 2021, the Commissioner of Social Services 11
shall develop and implement a plan to commence participation in the 12
Restaurant Meals Program beginning not later than October 1, 2021. The 13
plan shall identify restaurants that contract with the Department of 14 Raised Bill No. 958
LCO No. 3830 2 of 2
Social Services to offer meals to eligible beneficiaries at concessional 15
prices pursuant to 7 USC 2018(h) and allow eligible beneficiaries to use 16
their electronic benefit transfer cards to purchase such meals. 17
(c) The Department of Social Services shall adopt policies and 18
procedures to implement the provisions of this section. The department 19
may implement such policies and procedures while in the process of 20
adopting such policies and procedures in regulation form, provided the 21
department posts notice of intent to adopt regulations on the 22
eRegulations System and the department's Internet web site not later 23
than twenty days after adopting such policies and procedures. Such 24
policies shall be valid until the time final regulations are adopted. 25
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
Statement of Purpose:
To require the Department of Social Services to develop and implement
a plan to participate in a federal program that allows certain
supplemental nutrition assistance beneficiaries to purchase meals at
participating restaurants.
[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.]