Establishing the Pennsylvania Food Bucks Program and the Pennsylvania Food Bucks Program Account; and providing for research on Pennsylvania Food Bucks Program.
Summary
HB1096 would create the Pennsylvania Food Bucks Program within the Department of Agriculture as a nutrition incentive program for SNAP recipients. The program is designed to encourage the purchase of eligible fruits and vegetables at participating food retailers, including farmers markets, corner stores, grocery stores, and supermarkets that accept SNAP. The bill also creates a dedicated Pennsylvania Food Bucks Program Account in the General Fund and authorizes the department to accept gifts, donations, federal funds, and other revenues for the program.
Under the bill, the department would select a qualified Pennsylvania nonprofit 501(c)(3) grantee to administer the program for at least two years. That grantee must have experience running healthy food incentive programs and be able to seek federal support through the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program. The bill requires the incentive to be at least 40 cents for every $1 of SNAP benefits spent on eligible fruits or vegetables, and it directs the grantee to evaluate the program every two years and publicly report spending, county-level distribution, and participating retailers. The bill also allows the department to issue regulations to implement the chapter, and it would take effect 120 days after enactment.
Impact
HB1096 would amend Title 3 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes by adding a new chapter establishing a state-run nutrition incentive program and a restricted account to fund it. It would affect the Department of Agriculture, SNAP-authorized retailers, nonprofit administrators, and SNAP participants by creating a formal framework for subsidizing fruit and vegetable purchases. The bill also sets reporting and evaluation requirements that would generate data on program use and its effects on Pennsylvania farmers and retailers, while allowing the program to be supported by state appropriations, federal grants, and private contributions.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests generally favorable sentiment toward the bill, with the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee reporting it out by a 23-3 vote and the House ultimately passing it by a wide 164-39 margin. The bill did face a brief procedural challenge on the House floor, where a motion to table was narrowly defeated 102-101, indicating some organized resistance or hesitation before final passage. Overall, however, the final vote totals point to broad support for the program’s nutrition and agricultural goals.
Contention
The main points of contention appear to center on whether the Commonwealth should create and fund a new incentive program, how much money should be committed, and whether the state should rely on a nonprofit grantee to administer it. The requirement that at least 60% of available money be distributed directly or through partner organizations to SNAP recipients may also have been a point of scrutiny, along with the mandate for a minimum 40-cent incentive per $1 of SNAP benefits redeemed. The narrow motion-to-table vote suggests some members questioned the bill’s policy approach, fiscal structure, or administrative design, even though the final passage vote was decisive.
Establishing the Office of New Pennsylvanians and providing for its powers and duties; establishing the Office of New Pennsylvanians Restricted Account; and establishing the Advisory Committee to Office of New Pennsylvanians and providing for its powers, duties and membership.
A bill for an act relating to the double up food bucks program, the supplemental nutrition assistance program, including a waiver for eligible foods, and making an appropriation.(See HF 796, HF 970.)
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