SB 900 (Wiener & Arambula), the California Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot Project bill, will be heard in the Senate Human Services Committee on April 10. Given the bill’s connection to California agriculture, it will also be heard in the Senate Agriculture Committee at a later date yet to be announced. CFPA is now actively soliciting letters of support for the bill’s first hearing. Show your support for making healthy food more affordable — submit a letter of support for SB 900 today! Letters need to be received by Friday, March 30.
Download a customizable letter with instructions for submission. doc
Want to learn more about what SB 900 does and who it helps? Read our newly released Frequently Asked Questions. PDF
Background
CFPA is proud to be co-sponsoring SB 900 with the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR). This legislation would
enable the CalFresh EBT system to integrate supplemental nutrition benefits that incentivize California-grown produce purchases, and would pilot community-based initiatives to earn and redeem supplemental nutrition benefits via EBT at grocery stores and farmers’ markets.
Fight Hunger & Support California Agriculture
CalFresh helps over 4 million people put food on the table. Despite the reach of CalFresh, the federal benefit levels limit the ability to purchase healthy foods. Supplemental nutrition incentive programs provide matching dollars tied to the purchase of California-grown vegetables and fruit. These programs operate locally across the state to make purchasing California-grown fruits and vegetables more affordable for low-income Californians.
For these efforts to reach their full potential for people, farms, and the economy, we must integrate California fruit and vegetable benefits into the CalFresh EBT card, which is widely accepted by food retailers statewide. We can advance our state systems to support food security, health and agriculture.
To learn more, visit CFPA’s SB 900 page.
Learn more about CalFresh link
Sign-up to receive SB 900 legislative updates. link
Questions: Contact Tracey Patterson at 510.433.1122 ext 101, or tracey@cfpa.net
