Electronic benefits transfer system: CalFresh supplemental benefits.
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SB 900 — Electronic benefits transfer system: CalFresh supplemental benefits.
Last action — June 26 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.
No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.
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✓Introduced
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✓In Committee
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3Passed Senate
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4Passed Assembly
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5To Executive
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6Enacted
This bill died with 2017-2018 Regular Session. It reached “Passed Senate” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.
Summary
Existing federal law provides for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) , known in California as CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Existing law, administered by the State Department of Social Services, provides for the establishment of a statewide electronic benefits transfer (EBT) system for the purpose of providing financial and food assistance benefits, including CalFresh benefits. This bill would establish the California Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot Project, which requires the department, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture and stakeholders with experience operating CalFresh nutrition incentive programs, to include within the EBT system a supplemental benefits mechanism that allows an authorized retailer, as defined, to deliver and redeem supplemental benefits, as specified. The bill would define supplemental benefits to mean additional funds delivered to a CalFresh recipient's EBT card upon purchase of California-grown fresh fruits and vegetables using CalFresh benefits, and to be redeemed only for purchases allowed under the CalFresh program at an authorized retailer. The bill would create in the State Treasury the California Fruit and Vegetable EBT Grant Fund, as specified. The bill would, upon the deposit of sufficient moneys into the fund, as determined by the department, and upon the appropriation of moneys from the fund by the Legislature for this purpose, also require the department to provide a minimum of 3 grants to nonprofit organizations or government agencies for pilot projects to implement and test the supplemental benefits mechanism in existing retail settings, and to develop and adopt guidelines for awarding the grants, that includes selection criteria requiring that grant applicants demonstrate, among other things, previous experience and effectiveness in administering CalFresh nutrition incentive programs, or similar supplemental benefits programs. The bill would require the department to evaluate the pilot projects and make recommendations to further refine and expand the supplemental benefits mechanism, and to submit a report to the Legislature with the outcomes of that evaluation on or before January 1, 2021. The bill would require the department to seek any necessary federal approvals to establish this pilot project, and would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2024.
Bill Text
- Amended 05/25/18 - Amended Senate Current pdf May 25, 2018
- Amended 03/19/18 - Amended Senate pdf March 19, 2018
- Introduced 01/16/18 - Introduced pdf January 16, 2018
- SB900 View text html
Action History
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June 26 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.
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Referred to Coms. on HUM. S. and AGRI.
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In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
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Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 4398.) Ordered to the Assembly.
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Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
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Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
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From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 4298.) (May 25).
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Set for hearing May 25.
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April 30 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
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Set for hearing April 30.
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From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 4. Noes 0. Page 4696.) (April 17). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
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Set for hearing April 17.
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From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on AGRI. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 4624.) (April 10). Re-referred to Com. on AGRI.
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From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on HUMAN S.
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Set for hearing April 10.
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Referred to Coms. on HUMAN S. and AGRI.
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From printer. May be acted upon on or after February 16.
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Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
Sponsors
- Arambula · Cosponsor
- Glazer · Cosponsor
- Mayes · Cosponsor
- Pan · Cosponsor
- Steinorth · Cosponsor
- Scott D. Wiener · Primary
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 5 co-sponsors · 116 not signed on
Sponsors (1)
- Wiener, Scott D. Democratic
Co-sponsors (5)
- Arambula
- Glazer
- Mayes
- Pan
- Steinorth
Not signed on (116)
116 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 116 →"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 32 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Democratic | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 37 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| % of votes cast | 95% | 0% | 0% | 5% |
How each member voted (39)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Anderson | — | Yea |
| Bates | — | Yea |
| Bradford | — | Yea |
| Hill | — | Yea |
| Hueso | — | Yea |
| Leyva | — | Yea |
| Moorlach | — | Yea |
| Newman | — | Yea |
| Skinner | — | Yea |
| Wieckowski | — | Yea |
| Cannella | — | Yea |
| Fuller | — | Yea |
| Galgiani | — | Yea |
| Dodd | — | Yea |
| Glazer | — | Yea |
| Allen | — | Yea |
| Atkins | — | Yea |
| Hernandez | — | Yea |
| Portantino | — | Yea |
| Hertzberg | — | Yea |
| Mitchell | — | Yea |
| De León | — | Not Voting |
| Beall | — | Yea |
| Lara | — | Yea |
| Monning | — | Yea |
| Morrell | — | Yea |
| Nielsen | — | Yea |
| Pan | — | Yea |
| Roth | — | Not Voting |
| Vidak | — | Yea |
| Wilk | — | Yea |
| Beth Gaines | — | Yea |
| Bill Berryhill | — | Yea |
| Mark Stone | — | Yea |
| Jackson, Corey A. | Democratic | Yea |
| McGuire, Mike | Democratic | Yea |
| Nguyen, Stephanie | Democratic | Yea |
| Stern, Henry I. | Democratic | Yea |
| Wiener, Scott D. | Democratic | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Democratic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (7)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Bates | — | Yea |
| Beall | — | Yea |
| Hill | — | Yea |
| Lara | — | Yea |
| Nielsen | — | Yea |
| Bradford | — | Yea |
| Wiener, Scott D. | Democratic | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Democratic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 86% | 0% | 0% | 14% |
How each member voted (7)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Bates | — | Not Voting |
| Beall | — | Yea |
| Hill | — | Yea |
| Nielsen | — | Yea |
| Lara | — | Yea |
| Bradford | — | Yea |
| Wiener, Scott D. | Democratic | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 80% | 0% | 0% | 20% |
How each member voted (5)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Galgiani | — | Yea |
| Dodd | — | Yea |
| Pan | — | Yea |
| Wilk | — | Yea |
| Bill Berryhill | — | Not Voting |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unaffiliated | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 86% | 0% | 0% | 14% |
How each member voted (7)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Portantino | — | Yea |
| Leyva | — | Yea |
| Glazer | — | Yea |
| Bill Berryhill | — | Not Voting |
| McGuire, Mike | Democratic | Yea |
| Nguyen, Stephanie | Democratic | Yea |
| Wiener, Scott D. | Democratic | Yea |
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does SB 900 do?
- Existing federal law provides for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) , known in California as CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Existing law, administered by the State Department of Social Services, provides for the establishment of a statewide electronic benefits transfer (EBT) system for the purpose of providing financial and food assistance benefits, including CalFresh benefits. This bill would establish the California Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot Project, which requires the department, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture and stakeholders with experience operating CalFresh nutrition incentive programs, to include within the EBT system a supplemental benefits mechanism that allows an authorized retailer, as defined, to deliver and redeem supplemental benefits, as specified. The bill would define supplemental benefits to mean additional funds delivered to a CalFresh recipient's EBT card upon purchase of California-grown fresh fruits and vegetables using CalFresh benefits, and to be redeemed only for purchases allowed under the CalFresh program at an authorized retailer. The bill would create in the State Treasury the California Fruit and Vegetable EBT Grant Fund, as specified. The bill would, upon the deposit of sufficient moneys into the fund, as determined by the department, and upon the appropriation of moneys from the fund by the Legislature for this purpose, also require the department to provide a minimum of 3 grants to nonprofit organizations or government agencies for pilot projects to implement and test the supplemental benefits mechanism in existing retail settings, and to develop and adopt guidelines for awarding the grants, that includes selection criteria requiring that grant applicants demonstrate, among other things, previous experience and effectiveness in administering CalFresh nutrition incentive programs, or similar supplemental benefits programs. The bill would require the department to evaluate the pilot projects and make recommendations to further refine and expand the supplemental benefits mechanism, and to submit a report to the Legislature with the outcomes of that evaluation on or before January 1, 2021. The bill would require the department to seek any necessary federal approvals to establish this pilot project, and would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2024.
- Who sponsors SB 900?
- SB 900 is sponsored by Arambula, Glazer, Mayes, Pan, Steinorth, and Wiener, Scott D. (Democratic).
- What is the current status of SB 900?
- This bill died with 2017-2018 Regular Session. It reached “Passed Senate” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
- Where can I track SB 900?
- Track SB 900 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
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