Substitute House Bill No. 5003, Public Act No. 24-82, is a legislative measure aimed at improving child and family nutrition by enhancing the accessibility of various nutrition programs. 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 streamline cross-enrollment for children receiving services under HUSKY A into nutrition programs such as the federal Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the Connecticut Farmers' Market/Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program. The plan should involve licensed health care professionals in assessing eligibility, and the departments must also create a fact sheet detailing eligibility, application instructions, and benefits of these programs, translated into the five most commonly spoken languages in the state. Additionally, the bill requires the Commissioner of Agriculture to develop educational materials for farmers' markets about accepting payments through federal nutrition programs and to provide the necessary equipment for benefit recipients to make purchases at these markets.

The bill amends existing statutes, including Section 17b-790b, to reflect the collaboration between the Commissioners of Social Services, Public Health, Agriculture, and Education to decrease hunger and coordinate public access to nutrition assistance programs. It also amends Section 10-215h to include collaboration with the Office of Early Childhood for increasing participation in federal nutrition programs. A new provision requires the Commissioner of Public Health to consider each nutrition education program offered as part of SNAP by January 1, 2025. The bill also mandates annual reporting by the Commissioner of Public Health on the WIC program's fund expenditure, the development of a joint plan to streamline applications and enrollment across nutrition programs, the convening of a working group to recommend strategies for expanding participation in federal nutrition programs, and the contracting of an outside vendor by the Commissioner of Social Services to update the SNAP administration system 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