II 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3614 

To require semiannual indexing of mandatory Federal food assistance 

programs. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 26 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 17), 2008 

Mr. CASEY introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

A BILL 

To require semiannual indexing of mandatory Federal food 

assistance programs. 

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 ‘‘National Hunger Re5 lief Act of 2008’’. 

6 SEC. 2. NUTRITION PROGRAMS. 

7 (a) SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PRO8 GRAM.—Section 3(u) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 

9 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012(u)) is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking ‘‘(u) ‘Thrifty food plan’ means’’ 

2 and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(u) THRIFTY FOOD PLAN.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘thrifty food 

5 plan’ means’’; 

6 (2) in the second sentence— 

7 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) 

8 through (4) as subparagraphs (A) through (D), 

9 respectively, and indenting appropriately; 

10 (B) by striking ‘‘The cost of such diet’’ 

11 and inserting the following: 

12 ‘‘(2) ADJUSTMENTS.—The cost of the diet de13 scribed in paragraph (1)’’; and 

14 (C) by striking subparagraph (D) (as re15 designated by subparagraph (A)) and inserting 

16 the following: 

17 ‘‘(D)(i) on October 1, 2009, adjust the 

18 cost of the diet to reflect 102 percent of the 

19 cost of the diet in the preceding June, and 

20 round the result to the nearest higher dollar in21 crement for each household size, except that the 

22 Secretary may not reduce the cost of the diet 

23 below that in effect during the immediately pre24 ceding fiscal year; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) on October 1, 2010, adjust the cost of 

2 the diet to reflect 102.5 percent of the cost of 

3 the diet in the preceding June, and round the 

4 result to the nearest higher dollar increment for 

5 each household size, except that the Secretary 

6 may not reduce the cost of the diet below that 

7 in effect during the immediately preceding fiscal 

8 year; and 

9 ‘‘(iii) on October 1, 2011, and each Octo10 ber 1 thereafter, adjust the cost of the diet to 

11 reflect 103 percent of the cost of the diet in the 

12 preceding June, and round the result to the 

13 nearest higher dollar increment for each house14 hold size, except that the Secretary may not re15 duce the cost of the diet below that in effect 

16 during the immediately preceding fiscal year.’’. 

17 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

18 (1) Section 19(a)(2)(A)(ii) of the Food and Nu19 trition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2028(a)(2)(A)(ii)) is 

20 amended by striking ‘‘3(u)(4)’’ and inserting 

21 ‘‘3(u)(2)’’. 

22 (2) Section 27(a)(2)(C) of the Food and Nutri23 tion Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2036(a)(2)(C)) is 

24 amended by striking ‘‘3(u)(4)’’ and inserting 

25 ‘‘3(u)(2)’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. SCHOOL MEALS. 

2 (a) COMMODITIES.—Section 6(c)(1) of the Richard 

3 B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 

4 1755(c)(1)) is amended— 

5 (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘on July 

6 1, 1982, and each July 1 thereafter’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘in accordance with subparagraph (B)’’; and 

8 (2) by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting 

9 the following: 

10 ‘‘(B) ADJUSTMENT.—The Secretary shall— 

11 ‘‘(i) on each January 1, increase the value of 

12 food assistance for each meal by the annual percent13 age change in a 3-month average value of the Price 

14 Index for Foods Used in Schools and Institutions for 

15 September, October, and November each year; 

16 ‘‘(ii) on each July 1, increase the value of food 

17 assistance for each meal by the annual percentage 

18 change in a 3-month average value of the Price 

19 Index for Foods Used in Schools and Institutions for 

20 March, April, and May each year; and 

21 ‘‘(iii) round the result of each increase to the 

nearest higher 1 22 ⁄4 cent.’’. 

23 (b) OVERALL ADJUSTMENT.—Section 11(a) of the 

24 Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 

25 1759a(a)) is amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘98.75 cents’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘the amount computed under para3 graph (3)’’; and 

4 (2) in paragraph (3)— 

5 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

6 (i) in the matter before clause (i), by 

7 striking ‘‘July 1, 1982, and on each subse8 quent July 1, an annual adjustment’’ and 

9 inserting ‘‘each January 1 and July 1, a 

10 semiannual increase’’; and 

11 (ii) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘(as es12 tablished under paragraph (2) of this sub13 section)’’; 

14 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 

15 (i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘annual 

16 adjustment’’ and inserting ‘‘semiannual in17 crease’’; 

18 (ii) in clause (ii)— 

19 (I) by striking ‘‘annual adjust20 ment’’ and inserting ‘‘semiannual in21 crease’’; and 

22 (II) by striking ‘‘12-month pe23 riod’’ and inserting ‘‘6-month period’’; 

24 and 


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1 (iii) by striking clause (iii) and insert2 ing the following: 

3 ‘‘(iii) ROUNDING.—On each January 

4 1 and July 1, the national average pay5 ment rates for meals and supplements 

6 shall be— 

7 ‘‘(I) increased to the nearest 

8 higher cent; and 

9 ‘‘(II) based on the unrounded 

10 amount previously in effect.’’. 

11 (c) PAYMENTS TO SERVICE INSTITUTIONS.—Section 

12 13(b)(1) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch 

13 Act (42 U.S.C. 1761(b)(1)) is amended by striking sub14 paragraph (B) and inserting the following: 

15 ‘‘(B) ADJUSTMENTS.—The Secretary 

16 shall— 

17 ‘‘(i) on each January 1, increase each 

18 amount specified in subparagraph (A) as 

19 adjusted through the preceding July 1 to 

20 reflect changes for the 6-month period end21 ing the preceding November 30 in the se22 ries for food away from home of the Con23 sumer Price Index for All Urban Con24 sumers published by the Bureau of Labor 

25 Statistics of the Department of Labor; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) on each July 1, increase each 

2 amount specified in subparagraph (A) as 

3 adjusted through the preceding January 1 

4 to reflect changes for the 6-month period 

5 ending the preceding May 31 in the series 

6 for food away from home of the Consumer 

7 Price Index for All Urban Consumers pub8 lished by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of 

9 the Department of Labor; 

10 ‘‘(iii) base each increase on the 

11 unrounded amount previously in effect; 

12 and 

13 ‘‘(iv) round each increase described in 

14 clauses (i) and (ii) to the nearest higher 

15 cent increment.’’. 

16 (d) REIMBURSEMENT OF FAMILY OR GROUP DAY

17 CARE HOME SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS.— 

18 (1) TIER I.—Section 17(f)(3)(A)(ii)(IV) of the 

19 Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 

20 U.S.C. 1766(f)(3)(A)(ii)(IV)) is amended by striking 

21 subclause (IV) and inserting the following: 

22 ‘‘(IV) ADJUSTMENTS.—On each 

23 July 1 and January 1, the Secretary 

24 shall— 


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1 ‘‘(aa) increase each reim2 bursement factor under this sub3 paragraph to reflect the changes 

4 in the Consumer Price Index for 

5 food at home for the most recent 

6 6-month period for which the 

7 data are available; 

8 ‘‘(bb) base each increase on 

9 the unrounded amount previously 

10 in effect; and 

11 ‘‘(cc) round each increase 

12 described in item (aa) to the 

13 nearest higher cent increment.’’. 

14 (2) TIER II.—Section 17(f)(3)(A)(iii)(I) of the 

15 Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 

16 U.S.C. 1766(f)(3)(A)(iii)(I)) is amended by striking 

17 item (bb) and inserting the following: 

18 ‘‘(bb) ADJUSTMENTS.—On 

19 each July 1 and January 1, the 

20 Secretary shall increase the reim21 bursement factors to reflect the 

22 changes in the Consumer Price 

23 Index for food at home for the 

24 most recent 6-month period for 

25 which the data are available, base 


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1 the increases on the unrounded 

2 amount previously in effect, and 

3 round the increases to the near4 est higher cent increment.’’. 

5 (e) SPECIAL MILK PROGRAM.—Section 3(a) of the 

6 Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1772(a)) is 

7 amended— 

8 (1) by striking paragraph (7) and inserting the 

9 following: 

10 ‘‘(7) MINIMUM RATE OF REIMBURSEMENT.— 

11 For each school year, the minimum rate of reimbursement for a 1 12 ⁄2 pint of milk served in schools 

13 and other eligible institutions shall be not less than 

14 minimum rate of reimbursement in effect on Sep15 tember 30, 2008, as increased on a semiannual basis 

16 each school year to reflect changes in the Producer 

17 Price Index for Fresh Processed Milk published by 

18 the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of 

19 Labor.’’; and 

20 (2) in paragraph (8), by inserting ‘‘higher’’ 

21 after ‘‘nearest’’. 

22 SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

23 The amendments made by this Act take effect on Oc24 tober 1, 2008. 

Æ 


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