Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2019

To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to require that supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits be calculated with reference to the cost of the low-cost food plan as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2019 2. Amendments (a) Calculation of program benefits The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 ( 7 U.S.C. 2011 (1) in section 3 ( 7 U.S.C. 2012 (A) by striking subsection (u), (B) by redesignating subsections (n) through (t) as subsections (o) through (u), respectively, and (C) by inserting after subsection (m) the following: (n) Low-cost food plan (1) make household-size adjustments (based on the unrounded cost of such diet) taking into account economies of scale; (2) make cost adjustments in the low-cost food plan for Hawaii and the urban and rural parts of Alaska to reflect the cost of food in Hawaii and urban and rural Alaska; (3) make cost adjustments in the separate low-cost food plans for Guam, and the Virgin Islands of the United States, to reflect the cost of food in those States, but not to exceed the cost of food in the 50 States and the District of Columbia; and (4) on October 1, 2019, and each October 1 thereafter, adjust the cost of the diet to reflect the cost of the diet in the immediately preceding June, and round the result to the nearest lower dollar increment for each household size. , (2) in section 8(a) ( 7 U.S.C. 2017(a) (A) by striking thrifty food plan low-cost food plan (B) by striking 8 percent 10 percent (3) in section 16(c)(1)(A)(ii) ( 7 U.S.C. 2025(c)(1)(A)(ii) (A) in subclause (I) by striking for fiscal year 2014, at an amount not greater than $37 for fiscal year 2019, at an amount not greater than $50 (B) in subclause (II)— (i) by striking June 30, 2013 June 30, 2019 (ii) by striking thrifty food plan low-cost food plan (4) in section 19(a)(2)(A) ( 7 U.S.C. 2028(a)(2)(A) (A) in clause (i) by striking and (B) in clause (ii)— (i) by striking each fiscal year thereafter each of the fiscal years 2004 through 2019 (ii) by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon, and (C) by adding at the end the following: (iii) for fiscal year 2020, $2,650,000,000; and (iv) subject to the availability of appropriations under section 18(a), for each fiscal year thereafter, the amount determined under clause (iii), as adjusted by the percentage by which the low-cost food plan has been adjusted under section 3(n)(4) between June 30, 2019, and June 30 of the immediately preceding fiscal year. . (b) Standard medical expense deduction Section 5(e)(5) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 ( 7 U.S.C. 2014(e)(5) (1) in subparagraph (A) by striking an excess medical a standard medical deduction or to a medical expense deduction of actual costs for the allowable medical expenses incurred by the elderly or disabled member, exclusive of special diets. (2) by adding at the end the following: (D) The standard medical expense deduction shall be equal to $140 for fiscal year 2020, and for each subsequent fiscal year shall be equal to the applicable amount for the immediately preceding fiscal year as adjusted to reflect changes for the 12-month period ending the preceding June 30 in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Medical Care published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor, except that for any such fiscal year the State agency may establish a greater standard medical expense deduction that satisfies cost neutrality standards established by the Secretary for such fiscal year. . (c) Elimination of cap of excess shelter expenses Section 5(e)(6) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 ( 7 U.S.C. 2014(e)(6) (1) by striking subparagraph (B), and (2) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) and (D) as subparagraphs (B) and (C), respectively. (d) Snap eligibility for full and part-Time students; students’ responsible for care of disabled members of households Section 6 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 ( 7 U.S.C. 2015 (1) by striking subsection (e); and (2) in subsection (d)(2)(C) by striking (except that any such person enrolled in an institution of higher education shall be ineligible to participate in the supplemental nutrition assistance program unless he or she meets the requirements of subsection (e) of this section) (e) Conforming amendments (1) Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 ( 7 U.S.C. 2011 (A) in section 10 ( 7 U.S.C. 2019 3(o)(4) 3(p)(4) (B) in section 11 ( 7 U.S.C. 2012 (i) in subsection (a)(2) by striking 3(s)(1) 3(t)(1) (ii) in subsection (d)— (I) by striking 3(s)(1) 3(t)(1) (II) by striking 3(s)(2) 3(t)(2) (C) in section 19(a)(2)(A)(ii) (7 U.S.C. (a)(2)(A)(ii)) by striking 3(u)(4) 3(n)(4) (D) in section 27(a)(2) ( 7 U.S.C. 2036(a)(2) (i) in subparagraph (C) by striking 3(u)(4) 3(n)(4) (ii) in subparagraph (E) by striking 3(u)(4) 3(n)(4) (2) Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 Section 2605(f)(2)(A) of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 ( 42 U.S.C. 8624(f)(2)(A) (A) by striking 5(e)(6)(C)(iv)(I) 5(e)(6)(B)(iv)(1) (B) by striking ( 7 U.S.C. 2014(e)(6)(C)(iv)(I) ( 7 U.S.C. 2014(e)(6)(B)(iv)(I) (f) Technical corrections The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 ( 7 U.S.C. 2011 (1) in section 5(a) ( 7 U.S.C. 2014(a) 3(n)(4) 3(m)(4) (2) in section 8(f)(1)(A)(i) ( 7 U.S.C. 2017(f)(1)(A)(i) 3(n)(5) 3(m)(5) (3) in section 17(b)(1)(B)(iv)(III)(aa) (7 U.S.C. 2016(b)(1)(B)(iv)(III)(aa)) by striking 3(n) 3(m) 3. Effective date; application of amendments (a) Effective date Except as provided in subsection (b), this Act and the amendments made by this Act shall take effect on October 1, 2019. (b) Application of amendments The amendments made by subsections (b), (c), and (f)(2) shall not apply with respect to certification periods that begin before October 1, 2019.

Summary: Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2019 This bill revises the requirements for calculating Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) benefits. Specifically, the bill increases the minimum SNAP benefit and requires that benefits be calculated using a low-cost food plan (i.e., the diet required to feed a family of four); directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to determine the requirements for the low-cost food plan; requires USDA to make adjustments to the plan to account for household size, changes in the cost of the diet, and the costs of food in specified areas; revises the amounts authorized for nutrition assistance block grants for Puerto Rico and American Samoa and requires that the amounts be modified based on adjustments to the low-cost food plan; modifies the requirements for calculating household income to determine SNAP eligibility by authorizing a standard medical expense deduction for households containing an elderly or disabled member and eliminating the cap on the deduction for excess shelter expenses; and revises eligibility requirements under SNAP for certain students enrolled in institutions of higher education.