I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6208 
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to authorize additional 
funds to expand the nutritional assistance program in the Commonwealth 
of Puerto Rico; and to require the Secretary of Agriculture to permit 
such assistance to be provided by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico 
in the form of cash during periods for which the Secretary determines 
that access to such assistance is limited or unavailable as a result 
of a natural disaster. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 25, 2018 
Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to authorize 
additional funds to expand the nutritional assistance pro-
gram in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and to re-
quire the Secretary of Agriculture to permit such assist-
ance to be provided by the Commonwealth of Puerto 
Rico in the form of cash during periods for which the 
Secretary determines that access to such assistance is 
limited or unavailable as a result of a natural disaster. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Puerto Rico Flexibility 
in Food Assistance Act of 2018’’. 
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR 
BLOCK GRANT FOR THE COMMONWEALTH OF 
PUERTO RICO. 
Section 19(a)(2) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 
2008 (7 U.S.C. 2028(a)(2)) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) and 
(D) as subparagraphs (D) and (E), respectively, and 
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(C) 
AUTHORIZATION
AND
ADVANCE 
AVAILABILITY OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA-
TIONS.—In addition to funds made avail-
able under subparagraph (B), there is au-
thorized to be appropriated $635,000,000 
for each of the fiscal years 2020 and 2021 
for payment to the Commonwealth of 
Puerto Rico for the provision of the assist-
ance described in subparagraph (B). 
‘‘(ii) APPROPRIATION IN ADVANCE.— 
Except as provided in clause (iii), only 
funds appropriated under clause (i) in ad-
vance specifically for the provision of the 
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assistance described in subparagraph (B) 
shall be available for payment to the Com-
monwealth of Puerto Rico for the provision 
of the assistance described in subpara-
graph (B). 
‘‘(iii) OTHER FUNDS.—Funds appro-
priated under clause (i) shall be in addition 
to funds made available under subpara-
graph (B).’’. 
SEC. 3. AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE CASH BENEFITS DURING 
NATURAL DISASTERS. 
Section 19(e)(3)(B) of the Food and Nutrition Act 
of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2028(e)(3)(B)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘Secretary, informed’’ and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘Secretary— 
‘‘(i) informed’’, 
(2) by striking the period at the end and insert-
ing ‘‘; and’’, and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(ii) shall approve the modification of 
such plan by the Commonwealth of Puerto 
Rico to allow participants, or categories of 
participants, to receive benefits in the form 
of cash immediately after a determination 
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by the Secretary that access to such bene-
fits is limited or unavailable as a result of 
a natural disaster, and during specific pe-
riods for which the Secretary has made 
such a determination.’’. 
Æ 
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