[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6534702,"mediaKeyId","3526304-0183af3ae33d845bc677ef65b48c7073","parentId",3526304,"title","Bill would fund AI-driven app to target perishable discounts to SNAP recipients; supporters tout pilot results, food-pantries raise concerns","audioSeconds",1179,"startMs",1686375,"endMs",2865770,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3526304-0183af3ae33d845bc677ef65b48c7073&start=1686&end=2865","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3526304-0183af3ae33d845bc677ef65b48c7073/thumbnail_1686375.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6534702/Nevada/Bill-would-fund-AI-driven-app-to-target-perishable-discounts-to-SNAP-recipients-supporters-tout-pilot-results-food-pantries-raise-concerns","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6534702-f09204857b4e737ad7b4833af65cadc1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771137289&Signature=ZVXosBdxypzTyniiLrfnwC3y-MQoI~nwY32qcYFkIVaXk7SEENZBG0zLLwBM8hge-e-5P-C~HGrjeynS4dlVViNHOqocUNcu1kgPvZsGyItf-TVkOB35AsB88UlCxC7I4UALD94IB6DOIcQDnGyvwZVFL2CqUQt4fkDpNnN4BZVckVEtKPFwh0-JHgQuvp8WYoRz~wn1jZtBeTTIBVisL7cHkMj4f79UDjZ5goI16bXEIP8S~-aXJj6c1pnVwyIwM1H-S4T9WrSO0xaAQ7pysOeaWuShiSw-DUWApdBC2H0HpRZJTafYk5Z78doL9PY1cUX0XnMdyBHlOMrVLbSUig__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Nevada State Legislature","date","2025-05-26T16:18:50Z","article","Assembly Bill 474 would create a Surplus Food Assistance Account in the state general fund and authorize a $5 million request to deploy a private-sector AI-driven couponing application intended to help grocers better target perishable inventory and offer discounts to SNAP recipients, presenters told the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services on May 20, 2025.

Jason Frierson, with Cornerstone Government Affairs representing R4 Technologies, said the program deploys AI to help grocers adjust perishable ordering and to integrate couponing so SNAP participants can buy discounted items at their regular store. \"The ask is $5,000,000,\" Frierson told the committee when asked about funding, and he described the funds as covering app development, deployment, cloud hosting, hotline support and ongoing data reporting.

Former Delaware governor Bethany Hall-Long, who participated virtually, described Delaware's experience with a similar public–private program and said the effort aimed to deliver healthier perishable items to vulnerable populations while reducing landfill waste. \"For us, it was a public private partnership to begin to look at food waste, food security, and also our landfill and climate. It was 3 wins,\" Hall-Long said. She and Frierson said early rollouts elsewhere have shown increases in benefits value for participants; Frierson said preliminary launch data from other states indicated \"upwards of a 30% increase in the value of the benefits they get from SNAP\" though he also said the program was still gathering data from pilots.

Supporters included the Retail Association of Nevada and a University of Nevada, Reno student who described high campus food insecurity. Opponents and concerned stakeholders included Wendy Mattson of Healthy Communities Coalition (Lyon and Story Counties), who said local food pantries rely on donated perishable proteins, dairy, fruits and bread and worried that shifting perishable inventory toward discounted sales could reduce donations to pantries that serve seniors, homebound residents and food-desert communities.

During committee Q&A members asked how the app works, who would maintain proprietary rights and how discounts are implemented. Presenters said the program integrates with grocers' couponing systems so grocers can adjust orders based on local ZIP-code purchasing patterns and then offer discounts to SNAP users; Frierson and Hall-Long emphasized that the program targets the front end (ordering and inventory decisions), not after-the-fact donations when food is near expiration.

One pantry representative said many of her clients are seniors who receive limited SNAP benefits (she cited $23 per month for some seniors) and that donated perishable food is currently provided at no cost — she warned introducing a discounted-but-not-free marketplace could harm some low-income households who rely on free donations. Frierson and Hall-Long responded that the program is intended to expand access to fresh food at reduced prices for SNAP participants and that federal waivers (through the Food and Nutrition Service / USDA) enable discounted offerings as part of a pilot.

Why it matters: proponents argue the program can reduce food waste, increase the value of SNAP benefits for participants, and improve access to fresh perishable foods; critics fear the changes could reduce free donations to food pantries and create barriers for seniors and homebound clients who rely on free food distribution.

Next steps: the sponsor requested funding and asked the committee to consider the program; no committee vote on AB 474 is recorded in the transcript. The bill includes an administrative structure using the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services to manage an account in the state general fund and to administer the program if funded.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","5/27/2025 - Senate Committee on Health and Human Services","oneSentenceSummary","Assembly Bill 474 requests $5 million to fund an AI-driven couponing program that would help grocers target perishable orders and offer discounted perishable items to SNAP recipients, proponents told the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature NV, Nevada","taxId",78440,"location","Nevada","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6534707,"Bill would raise Nevada cottage food sales cap to $100,000 and move oversight to Department of Agriculture",726,992420,1718970,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3526304-0183af3ae33d845bc677ef65b48c7073&start=992&end=1718","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3526304-0183af3ae33d845bc677ef65b48c7073/thumbnail_992420.jpg","/articles/6534707/Nevada/Bill-would-raise-Nevada-cottage-food-sales-cap-to-100000-and-move-oversight-to-Department-of-Agriculture","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6534707-1b6273532c469428134d3fff5d130744/orig.mp4?Expires=1771137289&Signature=UN7BLHNXFm4Ulu8Vjgau5-cy3KZfwHZSLotZqhMsJgRkzbE6rGaOhxx4eede9h-HR57XkDR4OcSYs6NKLwK45Ca8oOMFcCOgSGaVsuTC5Y70pAiL15ZxrJj3u9qFMRGudKPSrPIC~98bkc01P~8MVcnhyMPBo~cwXkODgmp457dYEfNaxdTRXh4Oq56XEwOjdPn9yj-vS~zqmOqdzZ0zNHHGTcfS0R-F0t2BrU2b-9tdOicel2xabe2JqxmgbKXEvIeNa93WM5appYXA0TNHFxdDex4Kay8x7YSGKCHQdvv6ROlarTalDYstTfsfzj76rvji-wwbSEaqEdA1WTnWYg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Assembly Bill 352 would increase the annual gross-sales cap for Nevada cottage food operations from $35,000 to $100,000 and move licensing oversight to the State Department of Agriculture, Assemblymember Nathal Anderson told the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services on May 20, 2025.

\"AB 352 is proposing to increase that gross to a hundred thousand,\" Assemblymember Nathal Anderson said, describing the bill as an effort to \"streamline and help our cottage food operations and the cottage food industry.\" Anderson said the proposal would also allow online and mail-order sales and align cottage food rules with recent changes to cosmetic regulations.

Presenters and supporters said the change is intended to make it easier for small, home-based entrepreneurs — including women, rural families and others with limited startup capital — to grow microbusinesses. Ellen Hamlet of the Institute for Justice testified in support, calling cottage-food sales a \"cost effective way for entrepreneurs with big dreams but little capital to get started.\" Shane Piccinini of the Food Bank of Northern Nevada and Brian Wachter (testifying as senior vice president of the Bridal Association of Nevada) also spoke in support.

Provisions described in committee: Anderson said craft food operations, separately regulated by the Department of Agriculture, are currently allowed to prepare acidified foods (for example, canned or pickled goods with pH 4.6 or less), while cottage food operations are licensed by local health authorities. She told the committee that regulatory adoption at the State Department of Agriculture could take about six months to implement. Anderson also agreed to a conceptual amendment to allow an EIN or business identification in place of a Social Security number for cosmetic-operation licensure paperwork.

The bill drew no recorded opposition in the hearing; three written and in-person supporters testified. Committee members asked clarifying questions about the meaning of \"gross sales\" (Anderson defined it as total revenue before deductions) and about the policy rationale for the $100,000 cap (Anderson said the figure was chosen as a middle ground after reviewing other states and to align with federal reporting thresholds used in related regulation changes).

Why it matters: Raising the sales cap and consolidating oversight to a single state agency could expand opportunities for home-based food entrepreneurs and change how local health authorities and the department interact with small-scale producers. The bill also touches public-health distinctions between non-acidified cottage foods and acidified craft foods.

Next steps: AB 352 was presented, received public support testimony, and the sponsor agreed to provide a written conceptual amendment regarding business identification documentation; no committee vote appears in the transcript.","Assembly Bill 352 would raise Nevada's cottage food gross-sales cap from $35,000 to $100,000 and move oversight of cottage food operations to the State Department of Agriculture.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6534710,"Bill would rename Nevada Medicaid advisory body and add beneficiary council to meet new federal rules",58,790055,848680,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3526304-0183af3ae33d845bc677ef65b48c7073&start=790&end=848","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3526304-0183af3ae33d845bc677ef65b48c7073/thumbnail_790055.jpg","/articles/6534710/Nevada/Bill-would-rename-Nevada-Medicaid-advisory-body-and-add-beneficiary-council-to-meet-new-federal-rules","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6534710-00797e4ce41ef4daf2e91cbf18f51801/orig.mp4?Expires=1771137289&Signature=QK1FP0ATG85uVbRp9B9UN3b5O0LlNmT0378KT7VX8Wk8MhFZP5tOzW532wXo8cUesaX6nYQgs0pHWp68OtsdccG6EiA-m2Oc8YSYUDb~dYENBLbs2vuWGe2hYwL9fIMtexwu8gI~gcOlvUwZhModat3mB7XcO0L39tJvA3lWGBUCFt7StrBRpuohmAM6ynOmPKpVsNWd3gNKI5TL6v0YMO5tG6SxXTvhY68Bbr4Wd3LIxgV3DNElnRc7Jf8Jv3tsSv6MxnHElE0UUBjbDf~zaM~RIoeK~vN4K13cRiKky7AbfeA9XxZTT4GM3Gp0aNNpNd1c21SNxp5PjjEE9UunaA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Assembly Bill 556 would rename Nevada's Medical Care Advisory Committee and create a separate Beneficiary Advisory Council under the Division of Healthcare Financing and Policy, proponents told the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services on May 20, 2025. Melinda Southard, deputy administrator for the division, said the changes respond to new federal requirements from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

\"AB 556 revises provisions related to and renames the current Medical Care Advisory Committee, and it adds a new beneficiary advisory council,\" Southard said. She told the committee that the federal rule requires states to ensure at least 25% of committee membership are people with lived Medicaid experience and to provide financial assistance to support beneficiary participation.

The bill text cited by Southard would place the new beneficiary-engagement allowances in specific statutory sections for the advisory committees (section 6, subsection 6 and section 9, subsection 5, as described by the presenter). Southard said the changes reflect CMS direction that states both establish a Medicaid advisory committee and a distinct beneficiary advisory council and provide financial supports to enable meaningful participation by beneficiaries and direct caregivers.

Committee members asked no questions at the hearing, and no members of the public testified for, against, or in neutral at the committee hearing. No vote on AB 556 was recorded in this transcript; the matter was presented and left open for committee consideration.

Why it matters: the federal CMS direction is intended to increase consumer representation in state Medicaid advisory structures. The bill would change Nevada statute and administrative practice to create a separate venue specifically for beneficiary input and to authorize financial supports intended to remove barriers to participation.

Next steps: AB 556 was presented and taken under consideration by the committee; a formal committee amendment or a vote is not recorded in the provided transcript.","Assembly Bill 556 would rename Nevada's Medical Care Advisory Committee and create a separate Beneficiary Advisory Council under the Division of Healthcare Financing and Policy.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6534697,"Committee approves work-session recommendations: AB 551 do pass; SB 466 amend and do pass (1 nay)",487,619955,1107810,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3526304-0183af3ae33d845bc677ef65b48c7073&start=619&end=1107","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3526304-0183af3ae33d845bc677ef65b48c7073/thumbnail_619955.jpg","/articles/6534697/Nevada/Committee-approves-work-session-recommendations-AB-551-do-pass-SB-466-amend-and-do-pass-1-nay","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6534697-192cc885e542216dbba85bc14f63dba0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771137289&Signature=jkLb27RGXLX93HMO2l~TrJjBh8foTeIp4OgRqQSGWSMO~8L7jyG-bQK3SY9f8U7dHDwkU-F-ZN4B61DHetboaQRqLzE-tKucmBFixy7V1oJpqaRTKB0hVOhlmNTHRpvSbMZmQpqxIbZbcopBy36GvcP8OfDLERab3w2JAs66Y7qCL1XCIgAiGkd2We52k8lM6gDP-UbXB8-PsYBZbT0dk-1BVL3eoKQcJfC7sTGyflEcALjsElZRFWuFihM6QZ3Y-35tHrL6Qz0l2IYMD6ODxoVcv-PBmZpPsjE8-5dsJPy6pbOsMMBvhnJaWUtxEC~nLRgOyKnbeMwsPGI472GB8A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services took two formal work-session actions at the start of its May 20, 2025 meeting.

AB 551: Committee staff presented Assembly Bill 551, which requires background investigations of employees, prospective employees, contractors and prospective contractors of the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services and requires transmittal of certain documentation to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The committee made a motion to \"do pass.\" Vice Chair Taylor moved the motion and Senator Stone seconded it. Committee members voted by voice; the motion \"carried,\" and committee staff indicated they would prepare a floor statement.

SB 466: Senate Bill 466 was presented as a transfer of authority item moving regulation and permitting for food establishments, cottage food operations and farm-to-fork events to the State Department of Agriculture and proposing revisions to existing assessments (including review under NRS 439.4905). The committee moved to \"amend, do pass.\" The vice chair moved the motion and Senator Lang seconded. The committee approved the motion by voice vote with one recorded nay: Senator Titus voted \"nay.\" The motion carried; a floor statement will be prepared.

Votes at a glance (as recorded or implied in the transcript):
- AB 551 — Motion: do pass. Mover: Vice Chair Taylor. Second: Senator Stone. Outcome: approved (motion carried). Recorded tally: yes: 5; no: 0; abstain: 0 (committee indicated all present members voted aye and no nays were recorded in the transcript).
- SB 466 — Motion: amend, do pass. Mover: Vice Chair Taylor. Second: Senator Lang. Outcome: approved (motion carried). Recorded tally: yes: 4; no: 1 (Senator Titus); abstain: 0.

Why it matters: AB 551 would add background-check requirements for Division of Welfare and Supportive Services staff and contractors and includes transmittal to the FBI; SB 466 moves certain food-regulation authority to the State Department of Agriculture and directs a statutory review of assessments pursuant to NRS 439.4905.

Documentation: committee staff said they would take floor statements for both items; the transcript records the motions, seconders, and the one recorded nay for SB 466.","During the May 20, 2025 work session, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee moved AB 551 to 'do pass' and SB 466 to 'amend and do pass'. AB 551 passed by voice vote with no opposition recorded; SB 466 passed with one recorded nay from Senator Titus.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Bill would fund AI-driven app to target perishable discounts to SNAP recipients; supporters tout pilot results, food-pantries raise concerns

Bill would raise Nevada cottage food sales cap to $100,000 and move oversight to Department of Agriculture

Bill would rename Nevada Medicaid advisory body and add beneficiary council to meet new federal rules

Committee approves work-session recommendations: AB 551 do pass; SB 466 amend and do pass (1 nay)