Bill Text: NJ S3402 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Streamlines authorization for farmers market programs to participate in WIC and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-12-07 - Substituted by A4786 [S3402 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-S3402-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator NILSA CRUZ-PEREZ
District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)
Senator PATRICK J. DIEGNAN, JR.
District 18 (Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Streamlines authorization for farmers market programs to participate in WIC and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The WIC Services Unit in the Department of Health shall authorize a farmers market vendor to participate as a vendor for the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children if the vendor is authorized to participate as a farmers market in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and has not been deficient in its participation as specified by State and federal law and regulation.
The WIC Services Unit shall grant the authorization immediately upon receipt of documentation that the vendor is an authorized farmers market participant in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and shall not require any further documentation from the farmers market.
The WIC Services Unit shall not issue the authorization where doing so would be contrary to federal regulations or would jeopardize federal financial participation.
2. The Commissioner of Health may adopt rules and regulations, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), in order to effectuate the purposes of this act.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the WIC Services Unit in the Department of Health to authorize a vendor that is a farmers market to participate in the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) if the applicant is approved to operate as a farmers market for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This bill is intended to streamline the application process for farmers markets to participate in federal and State nutrition programs.
Specifically, the bill provides that the farmers market is only required to provide documentation to the WIC Services Unit that it is an approved farmers market for SNAP to be authorized as a WIC vendor. Currently, farmers markets are required to receive authorization separately from the State WIC Services Unit to participate in the WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program and the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program and from the federal Department of Agriculture to participate as an authorized SNAP farmers market vendor. This bill will allow the one federal application to serve as authorization for all three programs.
