PRINTER'S NO. 3442
No. 2454 Session of 1986
INTRODUCED BY PIEVSKY, BARBER, WESTON, RUDY, ITKIN, CAPPABIANCA,
HAGARTY, DUFFY, FEE, TIGUE, FREEMAN, YANDRISEVITS, KUKOVICH,
RYBAK, CALTAGIRONE, STABACK, MAYERNIK, MARKOSEK, MORRIS,
FISCHER, D. R. WRIGHT, CAWLEY, KOSINSKI, SALOOM, SCHULER,
LINTON, DeWEESE, PETRONE, PETRARCA, HOWLETT, TRUMAN,
O'DONNELL, SWEET, WAMBACH, WOZNIAK, SERAFINI, BATTISTO,
JOSEPHS, COWELL, BORTNER, McVERRY, HARPER, J. TAYLOR,
F. TAYLOR, DOMBROWSKI, TRELLO, ACOSTA, ANGSTADT,
J. L. WRIGHT, NAHILL, ARTY, MILLER, BOOK, WIGGINS, HERSHEY,
McCLATCHY, AFFLERBACH, CIVERA, VAN HORNE, MICHLOVIC, FATTAH,
PRESTON, PRESSMANN, WILSON, CARN, BELARDI, LETTERMAN, DeLUCA,
SEVENTY, R. C. WRIGHT, VEON, PERZEL, KENNEY, WOGAN, O'BRIEN,
D. W. SNYDER, SEMMEL, GRUPPO, LANGTRY, DURHAM, BURD, BOOK,
BRANDT, JOHNSON, E. Z. TAYLOR, SIRIANNI, BOYES, RAYMOND,
MICOZZIE, FLICK AND HONAMAN, MAY 6, 1986
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND WELFARE, MAY 6, 1986
AN ACT
1 Providing for the use of State funds to expand a special
2 supplemental food program for women, infants and children.
3 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
4 hereby enacts as follows:
5 Section 1. Short title.
6 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Women's,
7 Infants' and Children's Nutrition Improvement Act.
8 Section 2. Declaration of purpose.
9 It is the purpose of this act to allow for the provision of
10 State funds for use in the expansion of the WIC Program to
11 unserved pregnant women, infants and children experiencing
1 nutritional deficiencies, nutritionally related health problems
2 and other maladies which might adversely affect the proper
3 growth and development of persons potentially eligible for WIC
4 services.
5 Section 3. Definitions.
6 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
7 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
8 context clearly indicates otherwise:
9 "Department." The Department of Health of the Commonwealth.
10 "Food package." A food package containing nutritious foods
11 which include eggs, milk, high protein cereals, fruit juice and
12 infant formula. Peanut butter, beans and similar high iron and
13 nutrient foods may be used as a substitute in certain cases.
14 "Secretary." The Secretary of Health of the Commonwealth.
15 "State WIC supplement." State funds which are added to the
16 Commonwealth's Federal WIC grant for the expansion of services
17 to WIC-eligible persons.
18 "WIC eligibles." Persons who meet Federal nutritional risk
19 criteria, whose family income falls below 185% of poverty and
20 who fall into one of the following categories:
21 (1) Pregnant or postpartum and breast-feeding women.
22 (2) Infants.
23 (3) Children under five years of age.
24 "WIC Program." The special supplemental food program for
25 women, infants and children, authorized by section 17 of the
26 Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-642, 42 U.S.C §
27 1786).
28 Section 4. State supplement.
29 (a) Determination by General Assembly.--The General Assembly
30 shall provide a State supplement to increase the percentage of
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1 WIC Program participation above the level which would be
2 achieved without the State WIC supplement.
3 (b) Allocation of funds.--Of the funds appropriated by the
4 General Assembly, at least 80% shall be utilized for food and no
5 more than 20% shall be utilized for State and local
6 administration.
7 (c) Report by local WIC provider.--Each local WIC provider
8 shall report to the department annually the information on the
9 State-funded program which is required to be reported by the
10 Federal WIC Program.
11 (d) Report by department.--The secretary shall provide an
12 annual report to the General Assembly, no later than January 1
13 of each year, which covers the State-administered WIC program
14 for the prior fiscal year.
15 (e) Outreach program.--From the moneys available for
16 administration, the department shall fund a Statewide outreach
17 project and an evaluation of the effectiveness of WIC services
18 in meeting the stated goals of the program in this Commonwealth.
19 Section 5. Program operation.
20 (a) Eligibility of participants.--Participants in the WIC
21 Program enrolled through the use of funds available under the
22 State supplement shall be subject to the same eligibility
23 criteria prescribed by the Federal Government for the existing
24 WIC Program.
25 (b) Areas for expansion.--The department shall utilize its
26 case load expansion plan, as required by section 17 of the Child
27 Nutrition Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-642, 42 U.S.C. § 1786) and
28 published in its annual State Agency Plan of Program Operation
29 and Administration, in distributing additional case loads to
30 counties with the highest relative need.
19860H2454B3442 - 3 -
1 Section 6. Effective date.
2 This act shall take effect immediately.
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