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‘‘(1) any’’;
(3) by indenting each of paragraphs (2) through
(18) so as to align with the margin of paragraph (1)
(as amended by paragraph (1));
(4) by striking the comma at the end of each of
paragraphs (1) through (16) and inserting a semi-
colon;
(5) in paragraph (3)—
(A) by striking ‘‘like (A) awarded’’ and in-
serting ‘‘like—
‘‘(A) awarded’’;
(B) by striking ‘‘thereof, (B) to’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘thereof;
‘‘(B) to’’; and
(C) by striking ‘‘program, and (C) to’’ and
inserting ‘‘program; and
‘‘(C) to’’;
(6) in paragraph (11), by striking ‘‘)), or (B) a’’
and inserting ‘‘)); or
‘‘(B) a’’;
(7) in paragraph (17), by striking ‘‘, and’’ at the
end and inserting a semicolon;
(8) in paragraph (18), by striking the period at
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
(9) by adding at the end the following:
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‘‘(19) any additional payment under chapter 5
of title 37, United States Code, or otherwise des-
ignated by the Secretary to be appropriate for exclu-
sion under this paragraph, that is received by or from
a member of the United States Armed Forces deployed
to a designated combat zone, if the additional pay—
‘‘(A) is the result of deployment to or service
in a combat zone; and
‘‘(B) was not received immediately prior to
serving in a combat zone.’’.
SEC. 
4102. 
STRENGTHENING 
THE 
FOOD 
PURCHASING
POWER OF LOW-INCOME AMERICANS.
Section 5(e)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2007
(7 U.S.C. 2014(e)(1)) is amended—
(1) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by striking ‘‘not less
than $134’’ and all that follows through the end of the
clause and inserting the following: ‘‘not less than—
‘‘(I) for fiscal year 2008, $140,
$239, $197, and $123, respectively;
and
‘‘(II) for fiscal year 2009 and
each fiscal year thereafter, an amount
that is equal to the amount from the
previous fiscal year adjusted to the
nearest lower dollar increment to re-
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flect changes for the 12-month period
ending on the preceding June 30 in the
Consumer Price Index for All Urban
Consumers published by the Bureau of
Labor Statistics of the Department of
Labor, for items other than food.’’;
(2) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by striking ‘‘not
less than $269’’ and all that follows through the end
of the clause and inserting the following: ‘‘not less
than—
‘‘(I) for fiscal year 2008, $281;
and
‘‘(II) for fiscal year 2009 and
each fiscal year thereafter, an amount
that is equal to the amount from the
previous fiscal year adjusted to the
nearest lower dollar increment to re-
flect changes for the 12-month period
ending on the preceding June 30 in the
Consumer Price Index for All Urban
Consumers published by the Bureau of
Labor Statistics of the Department of
Labor, for items other than food.’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
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‘‘(C) 
REQUIREMENT.—Each 
adjustment
under subparagraphs (A)(ii)(II) and (B)(ii)(II)
shall be based on the unrounded amount for the
prior 12-month period.’’.
SEC. 4103. SUPPORTING WORKING FAMILIES WITH CHILD
CARE EXPENSES.
Section 5(e)(3)(A) of the Food and Nutrition Act of
2007 (7 U.S.C. 2014(e)(3)(A)) is amended by striking ‘‘,
the maximum allowable level of which shall be $200 per
month for each dependent child under 2 years of age and
$175 per month for each other dependent,’’.
SEC. 4104. ENCOURAGING RETIREMENT AND EDUCATION
SAVINGS AMONG FOOD STAMP RECIPIENTS.
(a) ALLOWABLE
FINANCIAL
RESOURCES.—Section
5(g) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2007 (7 U.S.C.
2014(g)) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘(g)(1) The Secretary’’ and in-
serting the following:
‘‘(g) ALLOWABLE FINANCIAL RESOURCES.—
‘‘(1) TOTAL AMOUNT.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’;
(2) in subparagraph (A) (as designated by para-
graph (1))—
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(A) by striking ‘‘$2,000’’ and inserting
‘‘$3,500 (as adjusted in accordance with sub-
paragraph (B))’’; and
(B) by striking ‘‘$3,000’’ and inserting
‘‘$4,500 (as adjusted in accordance with sub-
paragraph (B))’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(B) ADJUSTMENT FOR INFLATION.—
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Beginning on Octo-
ber 1, 2008, and each October 1 thereafter,
the amounts in subparagraph (A) shall be
adjusted and rounded down to the nearest
$250 to reflect changes for the 12-month pe-
riod ending the preceding June in the Con-
sumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers
published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics
of the Department of Labor.
‘‘(ii) 
REQUIREMENT.—Each 
adjust-
ment under clause (i) shall be based on the
unrounded amount for the prior 12-month
period.’’.
(b) EXCLUSION OF RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS FROM AL-
LOWABLE FINANCIAL RESOURCES.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 5(g)(2)(B)(v) of the
Food and Nutrition Act of 2007 (7 U.S.C.
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2014(g)(2)(B)(v)) is amended by striking ‘‘or retire-
ment account (including an individual account)’’ and
inserting ‘‘account’’.
(2) MANDATORY
AND
DISCRETIONARY
EXCLU-
SIONS.—Section 5(g) of the Food and Nutrition Act
of 2007 (7 U.S.C. 2014(g)) is amended by adding at
the end the following:
‘‘(7) EXCLUSION
OF
RETIREMENT
ACCOUNTS
FROM ALLOWABLE FINANCIAL RESOURCES.—
‘‘(A) MANDATORY
EXCLUSIONS.—The Sec-
retary shall exclude from financial resources
under this subsection the value of—
‘‘(i) any funds in a plan, contract, or
account, 
described 
in 
sections 
401(a),
403(a), 403(b), 408, 408A, 457(b), and
501(c)(18) of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986 and the value of funds in a Federal
Thrift Savings Plan account as provided in
section 8439 of title 5, United States Code;
and
‘‘(ii) any retirement program or ac-
count included in any successor or similar
provision that may be enacted and deter-
mined to be exempt from tax under the In-
ternal Revenue Code of 1986.
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‘‘(B) DISCRETIONARY
EXCLUSIONS.—The
Secretary may exclude from financial resources
under this subsection the value of any other re-
tirement plans, contracts, or accounts (as deter-
mined by the Secretary).’’.
(c) EXCLUSION OF EDUCATION ACCOUNTS FROM AL-
LOWABLE FINANCIAL RESOURCES.—Section 5(g) of the
Food and Nutrition Act of 2007 (7 U.S.C. 2014(g)) (as
amended by subsection (b)) is amended by adding at the
end the following:
‘‘(8) EXCLUSION OF EDUCATION ACCOUNTS FROM
ALLOWABLE FINANCIAL RESOURCES.—
‘‘(A) MANDATORY
EXCLUSIONS.—The Sec-
retary shall exclude from financial resources
under this subsection the value of any funds in
a qualified tuition program described in section
529 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or in
a Coverdell education savings account under sec-
tion 530 of that Code.
‘‘(B) DISCRETIONARY
EXCLUSIONS.—The
Secretary may exclude from financial resources
under this subsection the value of any other edu-
cation programs, contracts, or accounts (as de-
termined by the Secretary).’’.
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SEC. 4105. FACILITATING SIMPLIFIED REPORTING.
Section 6(c)(1)(A) of the Food and Nutrition Act of
2007 (7 U.S.C. 2015(c)(1)(A)) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘reporting by’’ and inserting ‘‘re-
porting’’;
(2) in clause (i), by inserting ‘‘for periods short-
er than 4 months by’’ before ‘‘migrant’’;
(3) in clause (ii), by inserting ‘‘for periods short-
er than 4 months by’’ before ‘‘households’’; and
(4) in clause (iii), by inserting ‘‘for periods
shorter than 1 year by’’ before ‘‘households’’.
SEC. 4106. ACCRUAL OF BENEFITS.
Section 7(i) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2007
(7 U.S.C. 2016(i)) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
‘‘(12) RECOVERING ELECTRONIC BENEFITS.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A State agency shall es-
tablish a procedure for recovering electronic ben-
efits from the account of a household due to inac-
tivity.
‘‘(B) BENEFIT STORAGE.—A State agency
may store recovered electronic benefits off-line in
accordance with subparagraph (D), if the house-
hold has not accessed the account after 6 months.
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‘‘(C) BENEFIT EXPUNGING.—A State agency
shall expunge benefits that have not been accessed
by a household after a period of 12 months.
‘‘(D) NOTICE.—A State agency shall—
‘‘(i) send notice to a household the ben-
efits of which are stored under subpara-
graph (B); and
‘‘(ii) not later than 48 hours after re-
quest by the household, make the stored ben-
efits available to the household.’’.
SEC. 4107. ELIGIBILITY FOR UNEMPLOYED ADULTS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 6(o) of the Food and Nutri-
tion Act of 2007 (7 U.S.C. 2015(o)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (2), in the matter preceding
subparagraph (A) by striking ‘‘3 months’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘6 months’’; and
(2) in paragraph (5), by striking subparagraph
(C).
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by sub-
section (a) take effect on October 1, 2008.
SEC. 4108. TRANSITIONAL BENEFITS OPTION.
Section 11(s)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2007
(7 U.S.C. 2020(s)(1)) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘benefits to a household’’; and in-
serting ‘‘benefits—
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‘‘(A) to a household’’;
(2) by striking the period at the end and insert-
ing ‘‘; or’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(B) at the option of the State, to a house-
hold with children that ceases to receive cash as-
sistance under a State-funded public assistance
program.’’.
SEC. 4109. MINIMUM BENEFIT.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 8(a) of the Food and Nutri-
tion Act of 2007 (7 U.S.C. 2017(a)) is amended by striking
‘‘$10 per month’’ and inserting ‘‘10 percent of the thrifty
food plan for a household containing 1 member’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by sub-
section (a) takes effect on October 1, 2008.
SEC. 4110. AVAILABILITY OF COMMODITIES FOR THE EMER-
GENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 27(a) of the Food and Nu-
trition Act of 2007 (7 U.S.C. 2036(a)) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘(a) PURCHASE
OF COMMOD-
ITIES’’ and all that follows through ‘‘through 2007’’
and inserting the following:
‘‘(a) PURCHASE OF COMMODITIES.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), for
fiscal year 2008 and each fiscal year thereafter’’; and
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(2) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(2) AMOUNTS.—In addition to the amounts
made available under paragraph (1), for fiscal year
2008 and each fiscal year thereafter, from amounts
made available to carry out this Act, the Secretary
shall use to carry out this subsection $110,000,000.’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by sub-
section (a) take effect on the date of enactment of this Act.
PART III—IMPROVING PROGRAM OPERATIONS
SEC. 4201. TECHNICAL CLARIFICATION REGARDING ELIGI-
BILITY.
Section 6(k) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2007
(7 U.S.C. 2015(k)) is amended—
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as
subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, and indent-
ing appropriately;
(2) by striking ‘‘No member’’ and inserting the
following:
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—No member’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(2) PROCEDURES.—The Secretary shall issue
consistent procedures—
‘‘(A) to define the terms ‘fleeing’ and ‘ac-
tively seeking’ for purposes of this subsection;
and
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‘‘(B) to ensure that State agencies use con-
sistent procedures that disqualify individuals
whom law enforcement authorities are actively
seeking for the purpose of holding criminal pro-
ceedings against the individual.’’.
SEC. 4202. ISSUANCE AND USE OF PROGRAM BENEFITS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 7 of the Food and Nutri-
tion Act of 2007 (7 U.S.C. 2016) is amended—
(1) by striking the section designation and head-
ing and all that follows through ‘‘subsection (j)) shall
be’’ and inserting the following:
‘‘SEC. 7. ISSUANCE AND USE OF PROGRAM BENEFITS.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection
(i), EBT cards shall be’’;
(2) in subsection (b)—
(A) by striking ‘‘(b) Coupons’’ and inserting
the following:
‘‘(b) USE.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Benefits’’;
(B) in paragraph (1) (as designated by sub-
paragraph (A)), by striking the second proviso;
and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(2) STUDY.—As soon as practicable after the
date of enactment of this paragraph, the Comptroller