I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2339 

To amend title 37, United States Code, to establish a basic needs allowance 

for low-income regular members of the Armed Forces. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 1, 2021 

Mr. PANETTA (for himself, Mr. YOUNG, Ms. STRICKLAND, Mr. BACON, Mr. 

CARBAJAL, and Mr. BAIRD) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To amend title 37, United States Code, to establish a basic 

needs allowance for low-income regular members of the 

Armed Forces. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Military Hunger Pre5 vention Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. BASIC NEEDS ALLOWANCE FOR LOW-INCOME REG2 ULAR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 7 of title 37, United 

4 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 402a 

5 the following new section: 

6 ‘‘§ 402b. Basic needs allowance for low-income reg7 ular members of the armed forces 

8 ‘‘(a) ALLOWANCE REQUIRED.—(1) Subject to para9 graph (2), the Secretary of Defense shall pay to each cov10 ered member a basic needs allowance in the amount deter11 mined for such member under subsection (b). 

12 ‘‘(2) In the event a household contains two or more 

13 covered members entitled to receive the allowance under 

14 this section in a given year, only one allowance may be 

15 paid for that year to a covered member among such cov16 ered members whom such covered members shall jointly 

17 elect. 

18 ‘‘(b) AMOUNT OF ALLOWANCE FOR A COVERED

19 MEMBER.—(1) The amount of the monthly allowance pay20 able to a covered member under subsection (a) for a year 

21 shall be the aggregate amount equal to— 

22 ‘‘(A) the aggregate amount equal to— 

23 ‘‘(i) 130 percent of the Federal poverty 

24 guidelines of the Department of Health and 

25 Human Services for the location and number of 


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1 persons in the household of the covered member 

2 for such year; minus 

3 ‘‘(ii) the gross household income of the 

4 covered member during the preceding year; and 

5 ‘‘(B) divided by 12. 

6 ‘‘(2) The monthly allowance payable to a covered 

7 member for a year shall be payable for each of the 12 

8 months following— 

9 ‘‘(A) in the case of an individual whom the Di10 rector of the Defense Finance and Accounting Serv11 ice first notifies in a given year under subsection 

12 (c)(3)(A), March of such year; or 

13 ‘‘(B) in the case of an individual whom the Di14 rector of the Defense Finance and Accounting Serv15 ice first notifies in a given year under subsection 

16 (c)(3)(B), September of such year. 

17 ‘‘(c) NOTICE OF ELIGIBILITY.—(1)(A) Not later than 

18 June 30 and December 31 each year, the Director of the 

19 Defense Finance and Accounting Service shall notify, in 

20 writing, each individual whom the Director determines will 

21 be a covered member during the following year, regarding 

22 the potential entitlement of that individual to the allow23 ance described in subsection (a) for that following year. 

24 ‘‘(B) The preliminary notice under subparagraph (A) 

25 shall include information regarding financial management 


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1 and assistance programs administered by the Secretary of 

2 Defense for which a covered member is eligible. 

3 ‘‘(2) Not later than January 31 each year, each indi4 vidual who seeks to receive the allowance for such year 

5 (whether or not subject to a notice for such year under 

6 paragraph (1)) shall submit to the Director such informa7 tion as the Director shall require for purposes of this sec8 tion in order to determine whether or not such individual 

9 is a covered member for such year. 

10 ‘‘(3) The Director shall notify, in writing, each indi11 vidual the Director determines will be a covered member 

12 in the following year not later than— 

13 ‘‘(A) February 28 of each year; and 

14 ‘‘(B) August 31 of each year. 

15 ‘‘(d) ELECTION NOT TO RECEIVE ALLOWANCE.—(1) 

16 A covered member otherwise entitled to receive the allow17 ance under subsection (a) for a year may elect, in writing, 

18 not to receive the allowance for such year. Any election 

19 under this subsection shall be effective only for the year 

20 for which made. Any election for a year under this sub21 section is irrevocable. 

22 ‘‘(2) A covered member who does not submit informa23 tion described in subsection (d)(2) for a year as otherwise 

24 required by that subsection shall be deemed to have elect25 ed not to receive the allowance for such year. 


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1 ‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

2 ‘‘(1) The term ‘covered member’ means a reg3 ular member of the armed forces— 

4 ‘‘(A) who has completed initial entry train5 ing; 

6 ‘‘(B) whose gross household income during 

7 the most recent year did not exceed an amount 

8 equal to 130 percent of the Federal poverty 

9 guidelines of the Department of Health and 

10 Human Services for the location and number of 

11 persons in the household of the covered member 

12 for such year; and 

13 ‘‘(C) who does not elect under subsection 

14 (d) not to receive the allowance for such year. 

15 ‘‘(2) The term ‘gross household income’ of a 

16 covered member for a year for purposes of para17 graph (1)(B) does not include any basic allowance 

18 for housing received by the covered member (and 

19 any dependents of the covered member in the house20 hold of the covered member) during such year under 

21 section 403 of this title. 

22 ‘‘(f) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of Defense shall 

23 prescribe regulations for the administration of this section. 

24 Subject to subsection (e)(2), such regulations shall specify 

25 the income to be included in, and excluded from, the gross 


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1 household income of individuals for purposes of this sec2 tion.’’. 

3 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

4 at the beginning of chapter 7 of such title is amended by 

5 inserting after the item relating to section 402a the fol6 lowing new item: 

‘‘402b. Basic needs allowance for low-income regular members of the armed 

forces.’’. 

Æ 


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