I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3055 
To reform the Federal supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) 
so that States have the option of conducting pilot projects to require 
that able-bodied individuals participate in work activities as a condition 
of receiving benefits under such program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 2, 2013 
Mr. SOUTHERLAND (for himself, Mr. REED, Ms. JENKINS, Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT 
of Georgia, Mr. BENTIVOLIO, Mr. PRICE of Georgia, Mr. WESTMORE-
LAND, Mrs. BLACKBURN, and Mr. KINGSTON) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To reform the Federal supplemental nutrition assistance pro-
gram (SNAP) so that States have the option of con-
ducting pilot projects to require that able-bodied individ-
uals participate in work activities as a condition of re-
ceiving benefits under such program. 
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 ‘‘Providing Relief to 
Individuals Desiring Employment (PRIDE) Act of 2013’’. 
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SEC. 2. PILOT PROJECTS TO PROMOTE WORK AND IN-
CREASE STATE ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE 
SUPPLEMENTAL 
NUTRITION 
ASSISTANCE 
PROGRAM. 
Effective October 1, 2013, section 17 of the Food and 
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2026) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following: 
‘‘(l) PILOT PROJECTS TO PROMOTE WORK AND IN-
CREASE STATE ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE SUPPLEMENTAL 
NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry 
out pilot projects to develop and test methods allow-
ing States to run a work program with certain fea-
tures comparable to the State program funded under 
part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 601 et seq.), with the intent of increasing 
employment and self-sufficiency through increased 
State accountability and thereby reducing the need 
for supplemental nutrition assistance benefits. 
‘‘(2) AGREEMENTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out this 
subsection, the Secretary shall enter into coop-
erative agreements with States in accordance 
with pilot projects that meet the criteria re-
quired under this subsection. 
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‘‘(B) APPLICATION.—To be eligible for a 
cooperative agreement under this paragraph, a 
State shall submit to the Secretary a plan that 
complies with requirements of this subsection 
beginning in fiscal year 2014. The Secretary 
may not disapprove applications which meet the 
requirements of this subsection as described 
through its amended supplemental nutrition as-
sistance State Plan. 
‘‘(C) ASSURANCES.—A State shall include 
in its plan assurances that its pilot project 
will— 
‘‘(i) operate for at least three 12- 
month periods but not more than five 12- 
month periods; 
‘‘(ii) have a robust data collection sys-
tem for program administration that is de-
signed and shared with project evaluators 
to ensure proper and timely evaluation; 
and 
‘‘(iii) intend to offer a work activity 
described in paragraph (4) to adults as-
signed and required to participate under 
paragraph (3)(A) and who are not exempt 
under paragraph (3)(F). 
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‘‘(D) NUMBER OF PILOT PROJECTS.—Any 
State may carry out a pilot project that meets 
the requirements of this subsection. 
‘‘(E) EXTENT OF PILOT PROJECTS.—Pilot 
projects shall cover no less than the entire 
State. 
‘‘(F) OTHER PROGRAM WAIVERS.—Waivers 
for able-bodied adults without dependents pro-
vided under section 6(o) are void for States cov-
ered by a pilot project carried out under para-
graph (1). 
‘‘(3) WORK
ACTIVITY.—(A) For purposes of 
this subsection, the term ‘work activity’ means any 
of the following: 
‘‘(i) Employment in the public or private 
sector that is not subsidized by any public pro-
gram. 
‘‘(ii) Employment in the private sector for 
which the employer receives a subsidy from 
public funds to offset some or all of the wages 
and costs of employing an adult. 
‘‘(iii) Employment in the public sector for 
which the employer receives a subsidy from 
public funds to offset some or all of the wages 
and costs of employing an adult. 
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‘‘(iv) A work activity that— 
‘‘(I) is performed in return for public 
benefits; 
‘‘(II) provides an adult with an oppor-
tunity to acquire the general skills, knowl-
edge, and work habits necessary to obtain 
employment; 
‘‘(III) is designed to improve the em-
ployability of those who cannot find unsub-
sidized employment; and 
‘‘(IV) is supervised by an employer, 
work site sponsor, or other responsible 
party on an ongoing basis. 
‘‘(v) Training in the public or private sec-
tor that is given to a paid employee while he or 
she is engaged in productive work and that pro-
vides knowledge and skills essential to the full 
and adequate performance of the job. 
‘‘(vi) Job search, obtaining employment, or 
preparation to seek or obtain employment, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(I) life skills training; 
‘‘(II) substance abuse treatment or 
mental health treatment, determined to be 
necessary and documented by a qualified 
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medical, substance abuse, or mental health 
professional; or 
‘‘(III) rehabilitation activities; 
supervised by a public agency or other respon-
sible party on an ongoing basis. 
‘‘(vii) Structured programs and embedded 
activities— 
‘‘(I) in which adults perform work for 
the direct benefit of the community under 
the auspices of public or nonprofit organi-
zations; 
‘‘(II) that are limited to projects that 
serve useful community purposes in fields 
such as health, social service, environ-
mental protection, education, urban and 
rural redevelopment, welfare, recreation, 
public facilities, public safety, and child 
care; 
‘‘(III) that are designed to improve 
the employability of adults not otherwise 
able to obtain unsubsidized employment; 
‘‘(IV) that are supervised on an ongo-
ing basis; and 
‘‘(V) with respect to which a State 
agency takes into account, to the extent 
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possible, the prior training, experience, and 
skills of a recipient in making appropriate 
community service assignments. 
‘‘(viii) Career and technical training pro-
grams (not to exceed 12 months with respect to 
any adult) that are directly related to the prep-
aration of adults for employment in current or 
emerging occupations and that are supervised 
on an ongoing basis. 
‘‘(ix) Training or education for job skills 
that are required by an employer to provide an 
adult with the ability to obtain employment or 
to advance or adapt to the changing demands 
of the workplace and that are supervised on an 
ongoing basis. 
‘‘(x) Education that is related to a specific 
occupation, job, or job offer and that is super-
vised on an ongoing basis. 
‘‘(xi) In the case of an adult who has not 
completed secondary school or received such a 
certificate of general equivalence, regular at-
tendance— 
‘‘(I) in accordance with the require-
ments of the secondary school or course of 
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study, at a secondary school or in a course 
of study leading to such certificate; and 
‘‘(II) supervised on an ongoing basis. 
‘‘(xii) Providing child care to enable an-
other recipient of public benefits to participate 
in a community service program that— 
‘‘(I) does not provide compensation 
for such community service; 
‘‘(II) is a structured program de-
signed to improve the employability of 
adults who participate in such program; 
and 
‘‘(III) is supervised on an ongoing 
basis. 
‘‘(B) PROTECTIONS.—Work activities under 
this subsection shall be subject to all applicable 
health and safety standards. Except as described in 
clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) of subparagraph (A), the 
term ‘work activity’ shall be considered work prepa-
ration and not defined as employment for purposes 
of other law. 
‘‘(4) PILOT PROJECTS.—Pilot projects carried 
out under paragraph (1) shall include interventions 
to which adults are assigned that are designed to re-
duce unnecessary dependence, promote self suffi-
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ciency, increase work levels, increase earned income, 
and reduce supplemental nutrition assistance benefit 
expenditures among households eligible for, applying 
for, or participating in the supplemental nutrition 
assistance program. 
‘‘(A) Adults assigned to interventions by 
the State shall— 
‘‘(i) be subject to mandatory partici-
pation in work activities specified in para-
graph (4), except those with 1 or more de-
pendent children under 1 year of age; 
‘‘(ii) participate in work activities 
specified in paragraph (4) for a minimum 
of 20 hours per week per household; 
‘‘(iii) be a maximum age of not less 
than 50 and not more than 60, as defined 
by the State; 
‘‘(iv) be subject to penalties during a 
period of nonparticipation without good 
cause ranging from, at State option, a 
minimum of the removal of the adults from 
the household benefit amount, up to a 
maximum of the discontinuance of the en-
tire household benefit amount; and 
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‘‘(v) not be penalized for nonparticipa-
tion if child care is not available for 1 or 
more children under 6 years of age. 
‘‘(B) The State shall allow certain individ-
uals to be exempt from work requirements— 
‘‘(i) those participating in work pro-
grams under a State program funded 
under part A of title IV of the Social Secu-
rity Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) for an 
equal or greater number of hours; 
‘‘(ii) 1 adult family member per 
household who is needed in the home to 
care for a disabled family member; 
‘‘(iii) an adult who is receiving tem-
porary or permanent disability benefits 
issued by governmental sources; and 
‘‘(iv) those with a good cause reason 
for nonparticipation, such as victims of do-
mestic violence, as defined by the State. 
‘‘(5) EVALUATION AND REPORTING.— 
‘‘(A) EVALUATION.— 
‘‘(i) INDEPENDENT EVALUATION.— 
‘‘(I) IN
GENERAL.—The Sec-
retary shall provide for each State 
that enters into an agreement under 
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paragraph (2) an independent, longi-
tudinal evaluation of its pilot project 
under this subsection to determine 
total program savings over the entire 
course of the pilot project with results 
reported in consecutive 12-month in-
crements. 
‘‘(II) PURPOSE.—The purpose of 
the evaluation is to measure the im-
pact of interventions provided by the 
State under the pilot project on the 
ability of adults in households eligible 
for, applying for, or participating in 
the supplemental nutrition assistance 
program to find and retain employ-
ment that leads to increased house-
hold income and reduced dependency. 
‘‘(III) 
REQUIREMENT.—The 
independent evaluation under sub-
clause (I) shall use valid statistical 
methods which can determine the dif-
ference between supplemental nutri-
tion assistance benefit expenditures, if 
any, as a result of the interventions as 
compared to a control group that— 
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‘‘(aa) is not subject to the 
interventions provided by the 
State under the pilot project 
under this subsection; and 
‘‘(bb) 
maintains 
services 
provided under 16(h) in the year 
prior to the start of the pilot 
project under this subsection. 
‘‘(IV) 
OPTION.—States 
shall 
have the option to evaluate pilot 
projects by matched counties or 
matched geographical areas using a 
constructed control group design to 
isolate the effects of the intervention 
of the pilot project. 
‘‘(V) DEFINITION.—Constructed 
control group means there is no ran-
dom assignment, and instead program 
participants (those subject to inter-
ventions) and non-participants (con-
trol) are equated using matching or 
statistical procedures on characteris-
tics that may be associated with pro-
gram outcomes. 
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‘‘(B) REPORTING.—Not later than 90 days 
after the end of fiscal year 2014 and of each 
fiscal year thereafter, until the completion of 
the last evaluation under subparagraph (A), the 
Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Ag-
riculture of the House of Representatives and 
the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
Forestry of the Senate, a report that includes 
a description of— 
‘‘(i) the status of each pilot project 
carried out under paragraph (1); 
‘‘(ii) the results of the evaluation com-
pleted during the previous fiscal year; and 
‘‘(iii) to the maximum extent prac-
ticable— 
‘‘(I) baseline information relevant 
to the stated goals and desired out-
comes of the pilot project; 
‘‘(II) the impact of the interven-
tions on appropriate employment, in-
come, and public benefit receipt out-
comes among households participating 
in the pilot project; 
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‘‘(III) 
equivalent 
information 
about similar or identical measures 
among control or comparison groups; 
‘‘(IV) the planned dissemination 
of the report findings to State agen-
cies; and 
‘‘(V) the steps and funding nec-
essary to incorporate into State em-
ployment and training programs the 
components of pilot projects that dem-
onstrate increased employment and 
earnings. 
‘‘(C) PUBLIC
DISSEMINATION.—In addi-
tion to the reporting requirements under sub-
paragraph (B), evaluation results shall be 
shared broadly to inform policy makers, service 
providers, other partners, and the public in 
order to promote wide use of successful strate-
gies, including by posting evaluation results on 
the Internet website of the Department of Agri-
culture. 
‘‘(6) FUNDING.— 
‘‘(A) AVAILABLE FUNDS.—From amounts 
made available under section 18(a)(1), the Sec-
retary shall make available— 
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‘‘(i) up to $1,000,000 for each of the 
fiscal years 2014 through 2017 for evalua-
tions described in paragraph (5) to carry 
out this subsection, with such amounts to 
remain available until expended; and 
‘‘(ii) amounts equal to one-half of the 
accumulated supplemental nutrition assist-
ance benefit dollars saved over each con-
secutive 12-month period according to the 
evaluation under paragraph (5) for bonus 
grants to States under paragraph (7)(B). 
‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—A State operating a 
pilot project under this subsection shall not re-
ceive more funding under section 16(h) than 
the State received the year prior to commencing 
a project under this subsection and shall not 
claim funds under 16(a) for expenses that are 
unique to the pilot project under this sub-
section. 
‘‘(C) 
OTHER
FUNDS.—Any 
additional 
funds required by a State to carry out a pilot 
project under this subsection may be provided 
by the State from funds made available to the 
State for such purpose and in accordance with 
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State and other Federal laws, including the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(i) Section 403 of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 603). 
‘‘(ii) The Workforce Investment Act 
of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 9201 et seq.). 
‘‘(iii) The Child Care and Develop-
ment Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C 
9858 et seq.) and section 418 of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 618). 
‘‘(iv) The social services block grant 
under subtitle A of title XX of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397 et seq.). 
‘‘(7) USE OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(A) SPECIFIC
USES.—Funds provided 
under this subsection for evaluation of pilot 
projects shall be used only for— 
‘‘(i) pilot projects that comply with 
this subsection; 
‘‘(ii) the costs incurred in gathering 
and providing information and data used 
to conduct the independent evaluation 
under paragraph (5); and 
‘‘(iii) the costs of the evaluation under 
paragraph (5). 
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‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—Funds provided for 
bonus grants to States for pilot projects under 
this subsection shall be used only for— 
‘‘(i) pilot projects that comply with 
this subsection; 
‘‘(ii) amounts equal to one-half of the 
accumulated supplemental nutrition assist-
ance benefit dollars saved over each con-
secutive 12-month period according to the 
evaluation under paragraph (5); and 
‘‘(iii) any State purpose, not to be re-
stricted to the supplemental nutrition as-
sistance program or its beneficiary popu-
lation.’’. 
SEC. 3. IMPROVED WAGE VERIFICATION USING THE NA-
TIONAL DIRECTORY OF NEW HIRES. 
Effective October 1, 2013, section 11(e) of the Food 
and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2020(e)) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in paragraph (3) by inserting ‘‘and after 
compliance with the requirement specified in para-
graph (24)’’ after ‘‘section 16(e) of this Act’’, 
(2) in paragraph (22) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end, 
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(3) in paragraph (23 by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’, and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(24) that the State agency shall request wage 
data directly from the National Directory of New 
Hires established under section 453(i) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 653(i)) relevant to deter-
mining eligibility to receive supplemental nutrition 
assistance program benefits and determining the 
correct amount of such benefits.’’. 
Æ 
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