SB 817

This bill provides $1,000,000 in fiscal year 2025-26 and $1,000,000 in fiscal year 2026-27 for the healthy food incentive program. The bill also requires the Department of Health Services to provide electronic benefit transfer (EBT) and credit and debit card processing equipment and services to farmers’ markets and farmers who sell directly to consumers as a payment processing program. The bill specifies that the EBT processing equipment and services must include equipment and services for the food stamp program, which is known as FoodShare. Under the bill, the vendor that processes the EBT and credit and debit card transactions must also process any local purchasing incentives. The bill provides $735,000 for this payment processing program, and included in that amount is funding for a portion of a full-time employee position for DHS to coordinate and provide other services for the payment processing program.