SNAP Transparency Act of 2013

To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to require retail food stores to collect, and report to the Secretary of Agriculture, detailed information that identifies food items purchased with benefits provided under the supplemental nutrition assistance program; and to require the Secretary to compile and publish such information. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the SNAP Transparency Act of 2013 2. Establishing a uniform reporting system Section 4 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 ( 7 U.S.C. 2013 (d) Issuance of uniform reporting guidelines (1) Reporting guidelines for retail food stores Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of the SNAP Transparency Act of 2013, the Secretary shall issue guidelines in accordance with paragraph (2) that establish a uniform reporting system regarding the food items purchased partially or completely with benefits from the supplemental nutrition assistance program that can be applied with reasonable consistency by each retail food store that redeems such benefits. Such guidelines should be issued according to best practices of monitoring and evaluation studies and analyses. (2) Objectives of Guidelines (A) In general The guidelines issued under paragraph (1) shall provide direction to retail food stores that redeem benefits under this program on how to report on a quarterly basis the complete range, identities, sizes, quantites, and costs of particular food items purchased with such benefits. This uniform reporting system shall ensure that the reports from each retail food store are comparable. (B) Objectives Specifically, the guidelines shall provide direction on what information to include to comply with the reporting requirements established under paragraph (1): (i) The established uniform, quarterly reporting system or form to be made available to participating retail food stores. (ii) The identity (including label and brand name) of each food item purchased with such benefits in the reporting period. (iii) The size of each food item purchased with such benefits in the reporting period. (iv) The number of units of each identical food item purchased with such benefits in the reporting period. (v) The aggregate cost of each identical food item purchased with such benefits in the reporting period. (vi) The address of the retail food store in which the food item was purchased with such benefits in the reporting period. (vii) Application of rigorous monitoring and evaluation methodologies to ensure that— (I) the total value of benefits redeemed by each reporting retail food store is equal to the total retail cost of food items purchased with such benefits reported in the reporting period; and (II) the accuracy of the information reported in the reporting period. (e) Submission and publication of reports (1) Submission of reports by retail food stores Not later than 60 days after end of each calendar quarter, or earlier if determined by the Secretary, and in accordance with rules issued by the Secretary, each retail food store that redeems benefits under the supplemental nutrition assistance program shall submit to the Secretary a report that complies with subsection (d). (2) Publication of reports by Secretary Not later than 90 days after the end of each calendar quarter, or earlier if determined by the Secretary, the Secretary shall compile, and shall publish on the Internet in a format searchable by the public as compiled, the information received in the reports submitted under paragraph (1) for such quarter. Such information so compiled shall include— (A) a comprehensive, timely, comparable, and accessible information on the food items purchased with benefits from the supplemental nutrition assistance program, using the reporting requirements established by the Secretary under subsection (d)(1); (B) the identity (including label and brand name) of each food item purchased with such benefits in the reporting period; (C) the size of each food item purchased with such benefits in the reporting period; (D) the number of units of each identical food item purchased with such benefits in the reporting period; (E) the aggregate cost of each identical food item purchased with such benefits in the reporting period; (F) the address of the retail food store in which the food item was purchased with such benefits in the reporting period; and (G) with respect to each type of particular food item identified, the average retail sale price of the item purchased with such benefits. . 3. Congressional briefings if requirements are not met If the information described in section 4(e)(2) of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2013(e)(2)) with respect to food items purchased with benefits from the supplemental nutrition assistance program is not provided as required under section 4(e) of such Act ( 7 U.S.C. 2013(e) 4. Offset Of the amount appropriated to carry out the supplemental nutrition assistance program for each fiscal year, up to 5 percent shall be a available to carry out the amendment made by section 2 of this Act. 5. Effective dates (a) General effective date Except as provided in subsection (b), this Act and the amendment made by this Act shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act. (b) Delayed effective date Subsection (e) of section 4 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 ( 7 U.S.C. 2013

Summary: SNAP Transparency Act of 2013 - Amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to: (1) establish a uniform reporting system to enable retail stores participating in the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly the food stamp program) to collect and provide the Secretary with detailed information on SNAP-purchased food items, and (2) publish such information on the Internet.