House Bill 1535 would enable vendors who sell produce at a farmers' market to connect to the electronic benefits transfer (EBT) system through wireless point-of-sale terminals. "My legislation would benefit both food stamp recipients and farmers' market vendors," Rep. Koch said. "Low-income Hoosiers would benefit from having both more purchasing power without the retail markup and access to locally-grown, healthy fresh fruits and vegetables. Farmers' market vendors would benefit from both an increased consumer market and customer convenience, while the terminals would enable use of credit and debit cards in addition to food stamps through the EBT system." Rep. Koch serves House District 65, which includes parts of Bartholomew, Brown, Jackson, and Lawrence counties, and serves as assistant Republican caucus chairman. -30- |