Puerto Rico Nutrition Assistance Fairness Act
This bill sets out a process to enable Puerto Rico to participate as a state in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Under current law, a state receives SNAP funding based on the number of participating households in the state whereas Puerto Rico receives a block grant to fund its nutrition assistance program.
The bill requires Puerto Rico to submit to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) a plan of operation to transition away from the consolidated block grant program to SNAP. USDA must provide appropriate training and technical assistance to enable Puerto Rico to formulate such plan.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 253 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 253
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to transition the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to the supplemental nutrition assistance
program, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 10, 2023
Miss Gonzalez-Colon (for herself, Mrs. Radewagen, Ms. Houlahan, Mr.
McGovern, Mr. Moylan, and Mr. Soto) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to transition the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to the supplemental nutrition assistance
program, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Puerto Rico Nutrition Assistance
Fairness Act''.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE FOOD AND NUTRITION ACT OF 2008.
(a) Definitions.--Section 3 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008
(7 U.S.C. 2012) is amended--
(1) in subsection (r) by inserting ``Puerto Rico,'' after
``Guam,'', and
(2) in subsection (u)(2) by inserting ``, Puerto Rico,''
after ``Hawaii''.
(b) Eligible Households.--Section 5 of the Food and Nutrition Act
of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b) by inserting ``Puerto Rico,'' after
``Guam,'',
(2) in subsection (c)(1) by striking ``and Guam'' and
inserting ``Guam, and Puerto Rico'', and
(3) in subsection (e)--
(A) in paragraph (1)(A) by inserting ``Puerto
Rico,'' after ``Hawaii,'' each place it appears, and
(B) in paragraph (6)(B) by inserting ``Puerto
Rico,'' after ``Guam,''.
SEC. 3. SUBMISSION OF PLAN OF OPERATION; TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE;
DETERMINATION AND CERTIFICATION BY SECRETARY OF
AGRICULTURE.
(a) Submission of Plan of Operation.--On designating an agency of
the kind described in section 3(s)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act of
2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012(s)(1)), the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall have
60 days to submit to the Secretary of Agriculture (in this Act referred
to as the ``Secretary'') its plan of operation, including a plan to
transition to the supplemental nutrition assistance program under
section 4(a) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 5(a)) as a request to participate in
the supplemental nutrition assistance program under of the Food and
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.).
(b) Technical Assistance.--Within the 60-day period specified in
subsection (a) and upon request from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,
the Secretary shall provide appropriate training and technical
assistance to enable the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to formulate a
plan of operation described in subsection (a).
(c) Determination by the Secretary of Agriculture.--Not later than
180 days after receiving a plan of operation described in subsection
(a), the Secretary shall approve if such plan satisfies the
requirements for a supplemental nutrition assistance program State plan
in accordance with subsections (d) and (e) of section 11 of the Food
and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2020). If the Secretary does not
approve such plan, the Secretary shall provide, not later than 30 days
after disapproval, a statement that specifies each of the requirements
that were not satisfied by such plan.
(d) Certification by the Secretary of Agriculture.--If the
Secretary approves the plan submitted by the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the Congress,
not later than 60 days thereafter, a certification that the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico qualifies to participate in the
supplemental nutrition assistance program as a State as defined in
section 3(r) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012(r)).
SEC. 4. TRANSITION FROM THE CONSOLIDATED BLOCK GRANT FOR PUERTO RICO.
(a) Covered Period.--The Secretary may continue to implement the
then most recent approved consolidated block grant specified in section
19(b)(1)(A) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C.
2028(b)(1)(A)) for a period ending no later than 5 years after the
effective date of the amendments made by this Act, or on the date the
Secretary determines that the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico no longer
needs to operate the consolidated block grant to complete the
transition described in section 3(a), whichever occurs first.
(b) Report.--For each year a plan is continued under subsection
(a), the Secretary shall submit to the Congress an annual report on the
operation of such plan. The Secretary shall include in such report
information related to increases in funding that are required to
accommodate the transition of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from the
receipt of block grant payments to the implementation of supplemental
nutrition assistance program.
SEC. 5. CONSOLIDATED BLOCK GRANT FOR PUERTO RICO AND AMERICAN SAMOA.
Section 19 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2028) is
amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (1)(A) by inserting ``until the
end of the period described in section 4(a) of the
Puerto Rico Nutrition Assistance Fairness Act,'' after
``(A)'',
(B) in paragraph (2)--
(i) in subparagraph (A)--
(I) in clause (i) by striking
``and'' at the end, and
(II) in clause (ii)--
(aa) by inserting ``, and
ending at the end of the period
described in section 4(a) of
the Puerto Rico Nutrition
Assistance Fairness Act'' after
``thereafter'',
(bb) by striking the period
at the end and inserting ``;
and'', and
(cc) by adding at the end
the following:
``(iii) subject to the availability of
appropriations under section 18(a), for each
fiscal year beginning after the end of the
period described in section 4(a) of the Puerto
Rico Nutrition Assistance Fairness Act, 0.4
percent of the aggregate amount specified in
clause (i) and adjusted under clause (ii), as
further adjusted by the percentage by which the
thrifty food plan has been adjusted under
section 3(u)(4) between June 30 of the
penultimate fiscal year preceding such
effective date and June 30 of the fiscal year
for which the adjustment is made under this
clause.'',
(ii) in subparagraph (B)(i) by inserting
``ending at the end of the period described in
section 4(a) of the Puerto Rico Nutrition
Assistance Fairness Act'' after ``thereafter'',
and
(iii) in subparagraph (C)--
(I) by striking ``For'' and
inserting the following:
``(i) For'',
(II) by inserting ``ending at the
end of the period described in section
4(a) of the Puerto Rico Nutrition
Assistance Fairness Act'' after
``thereafter'', and
(III) by adding at the end, the
following:
``(ii) For each fiscal year beginning after
the end of the period described in section 4(a)
of the Puerto Rico Nutrition Assistance
Fairness Act, the Secretary shall use 100
percent of the funds made available under
subparagraph (A) for payment to American Samoa
to pay 100 percent of the expenditures by
American Samoa for a nutrition assistance
program extended under section 601(c) of Public
Law 96-597 (48 U.S.C. 1469d(c)).'', and
(C) in paragraph (3) by striking ``year,'' and
inserting ``year ending at the end of the period
described in section 4(a) of the Puerto Rico Nutrition
Assistance Fairness Act, and'' after ``year'', and
(2) in subsection (b)(1)(A) by inserting ``and ending at
the end of the period described in section 4(a) of the Puerto
Rico Nutrition Assistance Fairness Act'' after ``year'' the
first place it appears.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act such
sums as may be necessary until the end of the period described in
section 4(a).
SEC. 7. EFFECTIVE DATES.
(a) In General.--Except as provided in subsection (b), this Act
shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act.
(b) Effective Date of Amendments.--The amendments made by this Act
shall take effect on October 1 of the 1st fiscal year that begins 1
year after the Secretary submits to Congress the certification
described in section 3(d) of this Act.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture.
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