Connecticut 2025 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB01475 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	LCO No. 5845 1 of 3
4	4
5	5	General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1475
6	6	January Session, 2025
7	7	LCO No. 5845
8	8
9	9
10	10	Referred to Committee on HUMAN SERVICES
11	11
12	12
13	13	Introduced by:
14	14	(HS)
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17	17
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19	19	AN ACT CONCERNING FOOD DESERTS AND THE SNAP PROGRAM.
20	20	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
21	21	Assembly convened:
22	22
23	23	Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) As used in this section, (1) 1
24	24	"Restaurant Meals Program" means a United States Department of 2
25	25	Agriculture program that allows an eligible supplemental nutrition 3
26	26	assistance program beneficiary to purchase meals at participating 4
27	27	restaurants with their benefits, and (2) "eligible beneficiary" means a 5
28	28	supplemental nutrition assistance program beneficiary who is sixty 6
29	29	years of age or older, disabled, homeless or the spouse of an eligible 7
30	30	supplemental nutrition assistance program beneficiary. 8
31	31	(b) The Commissioner of Social Services shall develop a plan to 9
32	32	participate in the Restaurant Meals Program that offers a variety of 10
33	33	restaurant choices and healthy meal options for an eligible beneficiary 11
34	34	throughout the state. Not later than October 1, 2025, the commissioner 12
35	35	shall file a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of 13
36	36	the general statutes, on the plan with the joint standing committee of the 14
37	37	General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human 15
38	38	services. The commissioner shall submit a formal application for state 16
39	39	Raised Bill No. 1475
40	40
41	41
42	42
43	43	LCO No. 5845 2 of 3
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45	45	participation in the plan with the United States Department of 17
46	46	Agriculture not later than December 1, 2025. 18
47	47	Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) As used in this section "food 19
48	48	desert" means an area identified as a food desert in the Food Access 20
49	49	Research Atlas produced by the United States Department of 21
50	50	Agriculture's Economic Research Service. 22
51	51	(b) Not later than October 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, the 23
52	52	Attorney General shall file a report, in accordance with the provisions 24
53	53	of section 11-4a of the general statutes, on any price discrimination 25
54	54	investigation launched by the Attorney General against a grocery store 26
55	55	under state law in any area of the state, including, but not limited to, a 27
56	56	food desert. The Attorney General shall file the report, in accordance 28
57	57	with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, with the joint 29
58	58	standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of 30
59	59	matters relating to commerce, human services and the judiciary. The 31
60	60	report shall include information on any investigations under federal law 32
61	61	into said price discrimination that the Attorney General is aware of and 33
62	62	recommendations on legislation that may be needed to protect 34
63	63	consumers against said discrimination. 35
64	64	This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
65	65	sections:
66	66
67	67	Section 1 from passage New section
68	68	Sec. 2 from passage New section
69	69
70	70	Statement of Purpose:
71	71	To establish a Restaurant Meals Program under the U.S. Department of
72	72	Agriculture and require reporting from the Attorney General to
73	73	legislative committees of cognizance on grocery store price
74	74	discrimination.
75	75
76	76	Raised Bill No. 1475
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78	78
79	79
80	80	LCO No. 5845 3 of 3
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82	82	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
83	83	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
84	84	underlined.]
85	85