August 19, 2015
To the Honorable
Members of
The Illinois House of
Representatives,
99th General Assembly:
Today
I return House Bill 6027, which establishes the Healthy Local Food Incentives
Program administered by the Illinois Department of Human Services.
The
purpose of the program is to increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables for
Illinois residents that receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
benefits. The bill authorizes, subject to appropriation, the Department of
Human Services to make an annual grant of $1,000,000 to a qualified non-profit
organization, which would then distribute the funds to participating farmers
market. The funds would be used to match benefit amounts spent on fruits and
vegetables at participating farmers markets.
I
thank the sponsors for their work to expand access to fresh produce and
encourage heathy eating. I am concerned, however, that the bill allows up to 40%
of the funds to be used for administrative funds. All of the funds should be
directed to help SNAP beneficiaries. I also believe that this program should be
limited to a $500,000 grant and a pilot program while we study its
effectiveness and ensure that the funds are used to achieve the desired
outcomes.
Therefore,
pursuant to Section 9(e) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I
hereby return House Bill 6027, entitled “AN ACT concerning public aid”, with
the following specific recommendations for change:
On page 3, line 3, by replacing “$1,000,000”
with “$500,000”; and
On page 3, by replacing line 25 with the
following: “(f) One-hundred percent of the moneys deposited into the Fund”;
and
On page 4, by replacing lines 1 through 6 with
the following: “for healthy local food incentives.”; and
On page 5, immediate after line 3, by
inserting the following: “(i) This section is repealed on June 30, 2018.”
With
these changes, House Bill 6027 will have my approval. I respectfully request
your concurrence.
Sincerely,
Bruce Rauner
GOVERNOR