Substitute House Bill No. 5003, known as Public Act No. 24-82, is a legislative measure aimed at improving child and family nutrition by streamlining the enrollment process for various nutrition programs and enhancing public access to these services. The bill requires the Department of Public Health, in collaboration with the Departments of Social Services and Agriculture, to develop a plan by January 1, 2025, to facilitate cross-enrollment of children receiving HUSKY A services into federal nutrition programs. It also mandates the creation and distribution of a fact sheet in multiple languages detailing eligibility and application information for these programs. Amendments to existing statutes include revisions to Section 17b-790b, which directs coordination and outreach efforts for nutrition programs, and a substitution in Section 10-215h, requiring the Department of Education to administer a child nutrition outreach program.

Additionally, the bill obligates the Commissioner of Agriculture to produce educational materials on the benefits of accepting federal nutrition program payments at farmers' markets and to procure necessary equipment for facilitating transactions for benefit recipients. It also calls for the development of a common application or portal for all nutrition-based programs by January 1, 2025, and the establishment of a working group to recommend strategies for expanding participation in federal nutrition programs. The Commissioner of Social Services is required to contract with an outside vendor by December 31, 2024, to update the SNAP administration system to allow for staggered benefit distribution. The bill was approved on May 30, 2024.

Statutes affected:
Raised Bill: 10-215h
PH Joint Favorable: 10-215h
File No. 320: 10-215h
APP Joint Favorable Substitute: 10-215h
File No. 624: 10-215h
File No. 645: 10-215h
Public Act No. 24-82: 10-215h