I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4529 
To direct the Federal Communications Commission to establish a program 
to make grants to States to inform Medicaid enrollees and SNAP partici-
pants of potential eligibility for the Lifeline program of the Commission. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 
Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To direct the Federal Communications Commission to estab-
lish a program to make grants to States to inform Med-
icaid enrollees and SNAP participants of potential eligi-
bility for the Lifeline program of the Commission. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Promoting Access to 
Broadband Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. LIFELINE ENROLLMENT OUTREACH GRANTS. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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(1) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 
means the Federal Communications Commission. 
(2) COVERED
INDIVIDUALS.—The term ‘‘cov-
ered individuals’’ means— 
(A) in the case of a State applying for a 
grant to inform Medicaid enrollees of potential 
Lifeline program eligibility, Medicaid enrollees; 
(B) in the case of a State applying for a 
grant to inform SNAP participants of potential 
Lifeline program eligibility, SNAP participants; 
and 
(C) in the case of a State applying for a 
grant to inform both Medicaid enrollees and 
SNAP participants of potential Lifeline pro-
gram eligibility, Medicaid enrollees and SNAP 
participants. 
(3) ELIGIBLE-BUT-NOT-ENROLLED.—The term 
‘‘eligible-but-not-enrolled’’ means, with respect to an 
individual, that the individual is eligible for the Life-
line program but is not enrolled in the Lifeline pro-
gram. 
(4) LIFELINE PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Lifeline 
program’’ means the Lifeline program of the Com-
mission. 
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(5) MEDICAID
ENROLLEE.—The term ‘‘Med-
icaid enrollee’’ means, with respect to a State, an in-
dividual enrolled in the State plan under title XIX 
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) 
or a waiver of that plan. 
(6) REACH.—The term ‘‘reach’’ means, with re-
spect to an individual, to inform the individual of po-
tential eligibility for the Lifeline program and to 
provide the individual with information about the 
Lifeline program, as described in subsection (e). 
(7) SNAP PARTICIPANT.—The term ‘‘SNAP 
participant’’ means an individual who is a member 
of a household that participates in the supplemental 
nutrition assistance program under the Food and 
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.). 
(8) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each 
State of the United States, the District of Columbia, 
each commonwealth, territory, or possession of the 
United States, and each federally recognized Indian 
Tribe. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Commission shall estab-
lish a competitive program to make grants to States to 
inform Medicaid enrollees or SNAP participants, or both, 
of potential eligibility for the Lifeline program. 
(c) APPLICATION.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission may only 
award a grant under this section to a State that 
submits an application at such time, in such form, 
and with such information and assurances as the 
Commission may require. 
(2) MATTERS REQUIRED TO BE INCLUDED.— 
An application submitted by a State under para-
graph (1) shall include— 
(A) the number of covered individuals in 
the State; 
(B) a plan for the activities that the State 
will conduct using grant funds, including a list 
of each agency within the State that will assist 
in carrying out those activities; and 
(C) an estimate of the percentage of eligi-
ble-but-not-enrolled individuals in the State who 
will be reached by those activities. 
(d) SELECTION.— 
(1) MINIMUM OF 5 STATES.—The Commission 
shall award grants under this section to not fewer 
than 5 States. 
(2) FACTORS FOR CONSIDERATION.—In award-
ing grants under this section, the Commission shall 
give favorable consideration— 
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(A) to States that have higher numbers of 
covered individuals; and 
(B) to States proposing, in the plans sub-
mitted under subsection (c)(2)(B), to conduct 
activities that have the potential to reach higher 
percentages of eligible-but-not-enrolled individ-
uals in those States, as determined by the Com-
mission, taking into consideration the estimates 
submitted under subsection (c)(2)(C). 
(3) GEOGRAPHIC
DIVERSITY.—In awarding 
grants under this section, the Commission shall, to 
the maximum extent practicable, select States from 
different geographic regions of the United States. 
(e) USE OF FUNDS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—A State that receives a 
grant under this section shall use grant funds, in ac-
cordance with the plan included in the application of 
the State under subsection (c)(2)(B), to— 
(A) inform Medicaid enrollees or SNAP 
participants, or both, and organizations or 
agencies that serve those individuals, as the 
case may be under the terms of the grant 
awarded to the State, of potential eligibility for 
the Lifeline program; 
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(g) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after 
establishing the grant program under this section, 
the Commission shall submit to Congress a report 
evaluating the effectiveness of the grant program. 
(2) CONTENTS.—The report submitted under 
paragraph (1) shall include— 
(A) the number of individuals notified of 
Lifeline program eligibility by States receiving 
grants under this section; 
(B) the number of new applicants to the 
Lifeline program from States receiving grants 
under this section, including the number of 
those applicants whose Lifeline program appli-
cations were approved and the number of those 
applicants whose Lifeline program applications 
were denied; and 
(C) the cost-effectiveness of the grant pro-
gram established under this section. 
(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Commission such 
sums as may be necessary to carry out this section for 
the first 5 full fiscal years beginning after the establish-
ment of the grant program under this section. 
Æ 
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