Nutrition benefits: sweetened drinks and candy.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on the timing of implementation after receiving federal approval.

Nutrition Benefits: Sweetened Drinks and Candy

This bill changes CalFresh rules so that people cannot use their benefits to buy sweetened drinks or candy, except at restaurants. It also applies the same rule to CFAP.

What This Bill Does

• Changes the rules for CalFresh so that people cannot use their benefits to buy sweetened drinks or candy, except at restaurants.
• Requires the State Department of Social Services to ask for federal permission if needed before changing how CalFresh works.
• Applies the same rule about not buying sweetened drinks and candy to CFAP as it does to CalFresh.

Who It Names or Affects

• CalFresh recipients who use their benefits to buy food.
• Noncitizens of the United States who receive CFAP assistance.

Terms To Know

CalFresh

A program that gives food assistance to people in need, funded by both federal and state governments.

CFAP

A California food assistance program for certain noncitizens who meet specific criteria.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill only applies if the State Department of Social Services gets permission from federal authorities.
• It is not clear when the new rules will start because it depends on getting federal approval first.

Official Summary Text

AB 2171, as amended, Patterson.
Nutrition benefits: sweetened drinks and candy.
Existing federal law provides for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known in California as CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services (department) to maximize all available food choices for CalFresh recipients, as specified.
This bill, notwithstanding the requirement to maximize food choices, would require the department to prohibit CalFresh recipients from using CalFresh benefits to purchase sweetened drinks or candy, as
defined.
defined, except at restaurants.
If the department determines that federal permission, as specified, is necessary, the bill would require the department to request federal permission and authorize the department to delay implementation until federal permission is granted.
Existing law requires the department to establish a food assistance program, known as the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP), to provide assistance to specified noncitizens of the United States who meet certain criteria. Existing law, to become operative on the date that the department notifies the Legislature that the Statewide Automated Welfare System (SAWS) has been updated to perform the necessary automation, and to the extent permissible under federal law, among other things, requires the delivery of CFAP nutrition benefits to be identical to the delivery of CalFresh benefits to eligible CalFresh households.
When the department prohibits CalFresh recipients from
using CalFresh benefits to purchase sweetened drinks or candy as described above and to the extent permissible under federal law, this bill would also require the department to prohibit the purchase of those products with CFAP benefits.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF