(a) The Department of Social Services shall administer a supplemental nutrition assistance employment and training program, authorized under the federal Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended from time to time, to provide employment and training activities, support services and other programs and services for recipients of the supplemental nutrition assistance program. The program shall provide for the receipt of federal matching funds to the state from the United States Department of Agriculture for funds expended on behalf of supplemental nutrition assistance recipients by state agencies, local governments, nonprofit entities, institutions of higher education and other eligible supplemental nutrition assistance employment and training providers for employment and training activities that qualify for such matching funds under federal law and regulations. The department shall seek to maximize the use of the federal matching funds provision under the program to the fullest extent permitted by federal law.
(b) Federal grants received under the program shall be used in accordance with federal law and regulations to fund supplemental nutrition assistance employment and training activities.
(c) The department shall select providers whose employment and training activities qualify for reimbursement under federal law and regulations to participate in the federal matching funds provision of the supplemental nutrition assistance employment and training program. Providers shall be selected in a form and manner prescribed by the Commissioner of Social Services. In selecting providers, the department shall give priority to providers who are members of a supplemental nutrition assistance employment and training community collaborative and whose strategies are aligned with the recommendations of the Child Poverty and Prevention Council and its plan to reduce child poverty developed pursuant to section 4-67x.
(d) The department shall distribute to providers pursuant to subsection (c) of this section federal matching funds in accordance with section 17b-105h. Such funds shall be used for poverty reduction strategies.
(P.A. 08-161, S. 2; P.A. 09-9, S. 33.)
History: P.A. 09-9 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing “food stamp” with “supplemental nutrition assistance” and replacing “Food Stamp Act of 1977” with “Food and Nutrition Act of 2008”, and amended Subsecs. (b) and (c) by replacing “food stamp” with “supplemental nutrition assistance”, effective May 4, 2009.