Relating to programs that address food insecurity, making appropriations, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions

This bill relates to programs that address food insecurity. The bill requires the department of health and human services (HHS), in coordination with the department of education, to immediately upon the effective date of the bill submit a letter of intent to apply for and participate in the summer electronic benefits transfer (EBT) for children program made permanent by the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, administered by the United States department of agriculture food and nutrition service (USDA) during summer 2024, to coordinate with the USDA to develop a successful management and administration plan for the summer EBT program for children, and to submit the plan to the USDA by February 15, 2024. The bill appropriates moneys from the general fund of the state to HHS for fiscal year 2023-2024 to be used for administration of the summer EBT for children program during summer 2024. The bill authorizes the use of a portion of the funds appropriated for HHS to contract with the Iowa institute of public health research and policy at the university of Iowa college of public health to evaluate the nutritional and other health impacts of the summer EBT for children program. The bill also appropriates moneys from the general fund of the state to HHS for fiscal year 2023-2024 to support the double up food bucks program administered by the Iowa healthiest state initiative to coordinate the double up food bucks program with the summer EBT for children program. The bill authorizes the use of up to percent of the amount appropriated for promotion of the programs and public education. The bill takes effect upon enactment and is retroactively applicable to July 1, 2023.