1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to agriculture; expanding the eligibility 
  1.3             requirements for the Minnesota grown coupon program; 
  1.4             establishing a pilot project to expand the Minnesota 
  1.5             grown program; establishing program components; 
  1.6             appropriating money; proposing coding for new law in 
  1.7             Minnesota Statutes, chapter 17. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  [17.1021] [MINNESOTA GROWN COUPON PROGRAM.] 
  1.10     Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] The commissioner shall 
  1.11  establish a Minnesota grown coupon program to provide food 
  1.12  coupons to: 
  1.13     (1) legal noncitizens who are MFIP-S recipients according 
  1.14  to section 256J.11, subdivision 2; 
  1.15     (2) individuals receiving food stamps whose income does not 
  1.16  exceed 120 percent of federal poverty income guidelines; 
  1.17     (3) adult or minor legal noncitizens who are residing in 
  1.18  this state as of July 1, 1997, lost their eligibility for the 
  1.19  federal Food Stamp Program under the provisions of Public Law 
  1.20  Number 104-193, title IV, are receiving general assistance or 
  1.21  supplemental security income, and comply with the eligibility 
  1.22  requirements in section 256D.05, subdivision 8, paragraph (b); 
  1.23  and 
  1.24     (4) legal noncitizens who are not eligible to receive food 
  1.25  stamps or any other type of food supplement, whose income does 
  1.26  not exceed 120 percent of the federal poverty income guidelines. 
  2.1      Subd. 2.  [COMMISSIONER TO ISSUE FOOD COUPONS.] (a) Coupons 
  2.2   shall be issued each month within the funds available by the 
  2.3   commissioner to individuals who are residents of participating 
  2.4   counties and eligible for the supplement under this section.  
  2.5   Individuals in subdivision 1, clauses (1) and (2), must receive 
  2.6   monthly coupons worth $10 and individuals in subdivision 1, 
  2.7   clauses (3) and (4), must receive monthly coupons worth 
  2.8   $........  The commissioner of human services must provide to 
  2.9   the commissioner of agriculture the names of the heads of 
  2.10  households that contain individuals who are eligible for the 
  2.11  supplement under this section, their addresses, and any other 
  2.12  information necessary to ensure the administrative efficiency of 
  2.13  the Minnesota grown coupon program.  The amount of the Minnesota 
  2.14  grown coupons must be excluded as income under the AFDC, refugee 
  2.15  cash assistance, general assistance, MFIP, MFIP-R, MFIP-S, food 
  2.16  stamp programs, state housing subsidy programs, low-income 
  2.17  energy assistance programs, and other programs that do not count 
  2.18  food stamps as income.  Counties must apply to the commissioner 
  2.19  to participate in the Minnesota grown coupon program. 
  2.20     (b) The coupons must be clearly labeled as redeemable only 
  2.21  for products licensed to use the Minnesota grown logo or 
  2.22  labeling statement under section 17.102.  Coupons may be 
  2.23  redeemed by farmers, custom meat processors, community-supported 
  2.24  agriculture farms, grocery stores, and retailers.  The person 
  2.25  accepting the coupon is responsible for its redemption only on 
  2.26  products licensed to use the Minnesota grown logo or labeling 
  2.27  statement. 
  2.28     (c) The commissioner may establish criteria for vendor 
  2.29  eligibility and may enforce the Minnesota grown coupon program 
  2.30  according to sections 17.982 to 17.984. 
  2.31     Sec. 2.  [APPLICATION PROCESS.] 
  2.32     The commissioner of human services shall establish an 
  2.33  application process for legal noncitizens under Minnesota 
  2.34  Statutes, section 17.1021, subdivision 1, paragraph (a), clause 
  2.35  (4), to receive Minnesota grown coupons. 
  2.36     Sec. 3.  [MINNESOTA GROWN COUPON PILOT PROGRAM.] 
  3.1      Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] A pilot program is 
  3.2   established to expand the Minnesota grown coupon program to 
  3.3   assist low-income families in accessing nutritious and 
  3.4   affordable food, and to promote economic development by creating 
  3.5   new markets and food distribution systems.  The Sustainable 
  3.6   Resources Center shall administer the pilot program. 
  3.7      Subd. 2.  [DUTIES.] The Sustainable Resources Center, in 
  3.8   conjunction with the Minnesota Food Association, shall select 
  3.9   two urban and two rural communities to conduct activities that 
  3.10  establish models of sustainable community food systems.  These 
  3.11  activities shall include but are not limited to: 
  3.12     (1) conducting food system assessments in each community to 
  3.13  identify assets and needs; 
  3.14     (2) supporting the creation of producer distribution 
  3.15  networks to establish direct links to low-income consumers; 
  3.16     (3) working with food processing plants in the selected 
  3.17  community to develop the support services needed to make 
  3.18  entry-level jobs accessible to low-income people; and 
  3.19     (4) assisting small grocery stores that serve low-income 
  3.20  and immigrant populations in obtaining authorization to accept 
  3.21  food stamps and Minnesota grown coupons. 
  3.22     Sec. 4.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  3.23     $....... is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  3.24  commissioner of agriculture in fiscal year 1999 for the 
  3.25  Minnesota grown coupon pilot program under section 1. 
  3.26     Sec. 5.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  3.27     Section 1, subdivision 1, clause (3), is effective July 1, 
  3.28  1998.  Section 1, subdivision 1, clauses (1), (2), and (4), are 
  3.29  effective January 1, 1999.