HR 762Agriculture and Food
Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act This bill requires states to recoup any overpayments of benefits made to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients and adjusts the formula for determining a state's liability rate for overpayments. As background, the SNAP quality control system measures how accurately SNAP state agencies determine a household’s eligibility and benefit amount and determines overpayments of benefits and underpayments. States that have comparatively high payment error rates for two consecutive years are assessed a penalty (i.e., liability amount). The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) must use a statutory formula to determine the liability amount. Under current law, FNS must set a tolerance level for excluding small payment errors in the calculation of payment error rates (e.g., $56 or less in FY2024). This bill reduces the tolerance level for excluding small errors to $0 for FY2025 and each succeeding fiscal year. The bill also requires state agencies to recoup any overpayments of benefits made to SNAP beneficiaries. The bill adjusts the liability rate formula to reduce the state payment error rate based on the percentage of overpayments recouped by the state. Further, the bill increases the multiplier used in the liability rate formula to 25% (from 10%).
Introduced Jan 28, 2025Updated Feb 28, 2025
Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.
HR 793Agriculture and Food
SNAP Benefits Fairness Act of 2025 This bill repeals the shelter deduction cap for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit, thereby allowing a household to deduct all allowable housing expenses (e.g., rent or mortgage, electricity, and water costs) that exceed 50% of a household's income after other deductions when calculating net income to determine SNAP benefits. Under current law, the shelter deduction is capped (unless at least one household member is an elderly or disabled individual), and the cap is adjusted annually for inflation. In FY2025, the shelter deduction is capped at $712 for households in the contiguous 48 states and the District of Columbia.
Introduced Jan 28, 2025Updated Feb 28, 2025
Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.
HR 813Agriculture and Food
Funding is Zero for Zero Nutrition Options (FIZZ-NO) Act of 2025 This bill revises the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to prohibit the use of SNAP benefits to purchase soda. Under the bill, soda means a carbonated beverage that contains more than 1 gram of added sugar, artificial sweetener, or flavoring per serving.
Introduced Jan 28, 2025Updated Feb 28, 2025
Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.
HR 734Agriculture and Food
This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide a notice and comment period prior to making certain substantive changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) quality control system, with exceptions. As background, the SNAP quality control system measures how accurately SNAP state agencies determine a household’s eligibility and benefit amount and determines overpayments of benefits and underpayments. State agencies must conduct quality control reviews of their SNAP caseloads and report these findings to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. The bill requires USDA to provide a notice and public comment period of at least 60 days prior to finalizing any new or updated guidance that proposes substantive changes for conducting quality control reviews. This applies to any proposed guidance reasonably expected to require state agencies to make changes to systems, procedures, or staffing pertaining to quality control reviews or that impact verification requirements for SNAP recipients. In the case of an urgent and immediate need, USDA may issue interim final guidance simultaneously with the notice and comment requirements.
Introduced Jan 24, 2025Updated Feb 28, 2025
Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.
HR 620Foreign Trade and International Finance
Foreign Adversary Risk Management Act or the FARM Act This bill places the Secretary of Agriculture on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). It also requires CFIUS to review any investment that could result in foreign control of any U.S. agricultural business. Further, the bill includes agricultural systems and supply chains in the definitions of critical infrastructure and critical technologies for the purposes of reviewing such investments. The Department of Agriculture and the Government Accountability Office must each annually analyze and report on foreign influence in the U.S. agricultural industry.
Introduced Jan 22, 2025Updated Feb 28, 2025
Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.
HR 372Social Welfare
Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients Act This bill requires states participating in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and specified public housing programs to subject applicants to substance abuse testing or screening and to deny benefits for individuals who test positive for a controlled substance. Specifically, states administering these programs must determine whether an adult applicant for benefits has been arrested for a drug-related offense within the past five years. Applicants who have been arrested for such an offense must be tested for at least one controlled substance and must test negative to receive benefits. Applicants who have not been arrested for such an offense must be screened (via an interview, questionnaire, or other instrument) for risk of substance abuse. Applicants determined to be at high risk for substance abuse must be tested for at least one controlled substance and must test negative to receive benefits. Applicants who are determined not to be at high risk do not have to undergo testing. Applicants who test positive for a controlled substance at any point during this process are ineligible for benefits for one year, until they complete a treatment program, or until they test negative for the substance, whichever is later. Family members and households of individuals disqualified from receiving benefits under these provisions may generally continue to receive support. States that fail to enforce these provisions are subject to reduced federal funding for these programs the following fiscal year.
Introduced Jan 13, 2025Updated Feb 20, 2025
Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.
HR 479Agriculture and Food
Healthy SNAP Act of 2025 This bill amends the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to redefine the foods eligible for purchase with SNAP benefits. Under the bill, SNAP benefits may not be used for soft drinks, candy, ice cream, or prepared desserts, such as cakes, pies, cookies, or similar products. Further, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) must designate by regulation foods and food products to include in the SNAP definition of the term food . USDA must consider food and products that (1) based on nutrition research, contain nutrients lacking in the diets of people in the United States; and (2) promote the health of the population served by SNAP, based on relevant nutrition science, public health concerns, and cultural eating patterns. USDA must also, to the maximum extent practicable, ensure that the fat, sugar, and salt content of the food and food products are appropriate. At least every five years, USDA must review and amend the list. In addition, prepared meals purchased with SNAP benefits must have nutritional values consistent with standards developed by USDA for the list of food and food products. A state agency may substitute different foods for food USDA designated under this bill, with USDA approval, so long as the foods are nutritionally equivalent; this is permitted to allow for different cultural eating patterns.
Introduced Jan 16, 2025Updated Feb 14, 2025
Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.
HR 484Agriculture and Food
Food Deserts Act This bill establishes a grant program within the Department of Agriculture to reduce food deserts. Under the program, grants are provided to states for revolving funds that support the establishment and operation of grocery stores in underserved communities. Underserved communities are communities that have (1) limited access to affordable, healthy foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables, in grocery retail stores or farmer-to-consumer direct markets; and (2) a high rate of hunger, a high rate of food insecurity, or a high poverty rate. The bill requires states to use such funds for loans that support grocery stores in underserved communities, including for opening a store (excluding new construction), or supporting an existing store. In order to qualify for loans, grocery stores must meet criteria enumerated in the bill. For example, grocery stores must (1) emphasize unprocessed, healthful foods; (2) provide staple foods and a variety of raw fruits and vegetables; and (3) charge affordable prices at or below market values. Further, states must prioritize loan applications from entities that meet criteria related to hiring workers from the underserved community, providing classes or educational information about a healthful diet, sourcing food from local urban farms and gardens, and demonstrating existing supply chain relationships in the grocery industry.
Introduced Jan 16, 2025Updated Feb 14, 2025
Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development.