Bill > AB605

This bill establishes the California CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable Supplemental Benefits Expansion Program, which aims to increase the purchasing power of CalFresh (the state's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) participants for California-grown fresh fruits and vegetables. The bill creates the California CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT Expansion Fund in the State Treasury and outlines the process for the State Department of Social Services to enroll authorized retailers, including grocery stores, farmers' markets, and farm stands, to provide supplemental benefits to CalFresh recipients upon the purchase of fresh produce. The bill allocates specific funding amounts for different types of authorized retailers and requires the department to contract with vendors to develop technology solutions for retailers to accept EBT CalFresh benefits and offer the supplemental benefits. The Department of Food and Agriculture is also required to develop a grant program to support participating retailers. The bill includes reporting requirements and provisions for the reversion of unencumbered funds if certain conditions are not met.