I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4121 
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to provide greater access 
to the supplemental nutrition assistance program by reducing duplicative 
and burdensome administrative requirements, authorize the Secretary 
of Agriculture to award grants to certain community-based nonprofit 
feeding and anti-hunger groups for the purpose of establishing and imple-
menting a Beyond the Soup Kitchen Pilot Program for certain socially 
and economically disadvantaged populations, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 19, 2015 
Mr. SERRANO (for himself, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. MEEKS, Mrs. 
NAPOLITANO, and 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 provide 
greater access to the supplemental nutrition assistance 
program by reducing duplicative and burdensome admin-
istrative requirements, authorize the Secretary of Agri-
culture to award grants to certain community-based non-
profit feeding and anti-hunger groups for the purpose 
of establishing and implementing a Beyond the Soup 
Kitchen Pilot Program for certain socially and economi-
cally disadvantaged populations, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Anti-hunger Empower-
ment Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) In 2014 the number of Americans facing 
hunger or food insecurity was 48,100,000, and 
15,300,000 children lived in these households. 
5,400,000 seniors ages 60 and up were also experi-
encing food hardship. 
(2) In August 2015 approximately 45,500,000 
people participate in the supplemental nutrition as-
sistance program (SNAP). In fiscal year 2014 on a 
monthly average, 47,600,000 people participated in 
this program, about 15 percent of the United States 
population. SNAP, the Special Supplemental Nutri-
tion Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and 
Children (WIC), and the National School Lunch 
Program (NSLP) are the largest nutrition assist-
ance programs, and 61 percent of food-insecure 
households participated in 1 or more of the 3 pro-
grams. 
(3) Administrative burdens involved in securing 
supplemental nutrition assistance benefits are par-
ticularly burdensome for working families. 
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(4) Each year tens of millions people in the 
United States, including children and seniors, are 
forced to rely on soup kitchens, food pantries, and 
other charitable feeding programs. 
(5) The charitable food distribution system in 
the United States would benefit from increased co-
ordination and technical assistance. 
(6) Helping those who use feeding programs to 
move ‘‘beyond the soup kitchen’’, by promoting the 
values of community, opportunity, and responsibility, 
is a national priority. 
TITLE I—AMENDMENTS TO THE 
FOOD AND NUTRITION ACT 
OF 2008 
SEC. 101. AMENDMENTS TO THE FOOD AND NUTRITION ACT 
OF 2008. 
(a) ADMINISTRATIVE COST SHARING AND QUALITY 
CONTROL.—Section 16(k) of the Food and Nutrition Act 
of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2025(k)) is amended by striking sub-
section (k) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(k) ADMINISTRATIVE COST FOR INCREASING AC-
CESS.—Notwithstanding any other provision of this sec-
tion, the Secretary is authorized to pay to each State 
agency an amount equal to 75 percent of the administra-
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tive costs incurred by the State agency in carrying out 
new activities not previously funded by the State— 
‘‘(1) to increase the number of hours that sup-
plemental nutrition assistance offices are open on 
weekends and nights if there is neither a decrease in 
the total number of supplemental nutrition assist-
ance offices that are open in the State nor a de-
crease in the number of hours such offices are open 
during the regular work week; 
‘‘(2) to conduct verifiable activities to reduce 
the average wait time that applicants spend at sup-
plemental nutrition assistance offices or to reduce 
the average number of office visits required of appli-
cants; 
‘‘(3) to accept applications for supplemental nu-
trition assistance benefit by means of the Internet; 
‘‘(4) to upgrade computer systems and tech-
nology in ways that specifically increase access to 
the supplemental nutrition assistance program; 
‘‘(5) at the time of application, to provide appli-
cants with a checklist listing all documents required 
for a complete supplemental nutrition assistance ap-
plication.’’. 
(b) REDUCTION OF BURDENSOME AND DUPLICATIVE 
OFFICE VISITS; PROHIBITION
OF FINGERPRINTING.— 
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Section 11(e)(2) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2020(e)(2)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A) by striking the period 
at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’, 
(2) in subparagraph (B) by striking ‘‘In’’ and 
inserting ‘‘that in’’, 
(3) in subparagraph (D) by inserting the fol-
lowing before the semicolon at the end: ‘‘, and the 
fingerprint of any member of a household shall not 
be required for the purpose of participating in the 
supplemental nutrition assistance program or for 
issuance of benefits for which the household would 
otherwise be eligible’’, 
(4) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) and 
(D) as subparagraphs (D) and (E), respectively, and 
(5) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(C) that the State agency shall inform house-
holds, at the time of application, that— 
‘‘(i) household members are not required 
to appear in person at the time of application, 
or at any other time, unless— 
‘‘(I) expressly required by this Act; or 
‘‘(II) in accordance with clause (ii); 
and 
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‘‘(ii) if the State agency has a basis to rea-
sonably believe that information provided by a 
household is incorrect or that a household has 
failed to provide information required for par-
ticipation in the supplemental nutrition assist-
ance program, then the State agency shall— 
‘‘(I) provide to the household a writ-
ten statement notifying the household of 
such belief; specifying the factual basis of 
such belief, informing the household of the 
applicable information that is believed to 
be incorrect or missing, and instructing the 
household how to correct or to provide the 
appropriate information; and 
‘‘(II) not require any member of such 
household to appear in person unless either 
the household fails to provide the appro-
priate information or the State agency can-
not verify the accuracy of information the 
household provides in response to the re-
quest made under this subparagraph by 
the State agency;’’. 
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SEC. 102. COMPARATIVE PROGRESS REPORT. 
Section 18 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2027) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(i) The Secretary shall submit a single, unified, an-
nual report to the appropriate committees of the Congress 
on the comparative progress of States in improving access 
to the supplemental nutrition assistance program. The fol-
lowing statistics shall be included in the report with re-
spect to each particular State: 
‘‘(1) The percentage of supplemental nutrition 
assistance program applications processed within the 
30-day period required by this Act. 
‘‘(2) The average number of days required to 
process expedited applications for supplemental nu-
trition assistance benefits. 
‘‘(3) The average number of days required to 
process regular applications for supplemental nutri-
tion assistance benefits. 
‘‘(4) The average number of office visits that 
each applicant makes to receive supplemental nutri-
tion assistance benefits. 
‘‘(5) Statewide negative errors rates. 
‘‘(6) The overall participation rate of house-
holds that are eligible to participate in the supple-
mental nutrition assistance program. 
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‘‘(7) The information specified in paragraphs 
(1) through (6) for a particular geographical area in 
such State.’’. 
TITLE II—ANTI-HUNGER GRANTS 
PROGRAM 
SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE. 
This title may be cited as the ‘‘Beyond the Soup 
Kitchen Grants Program Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 202. BEYOND THE SOUP KITCHEN PILOT PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PILOT PROGRAM.—The Sec-
retary shall establish a pilot program, to be known as the 
‘‘Beyond the Soup Kitchen Pilot Program’’, in accordance 
with this title. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the pilot program 
are— 
(1) to provide grant assistance to a primary 
community-based nonprofit feeding and anti-hunger 
group in each pilot community for purposes of allo-
cating subgrants to other community-based non-
profit feeding and anti-hunger groups in such com-
munity; and 
(2) to provide technical assistance grants. 
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SEC. 203. SELECTION OF PRIMARY COMMUNITY-BASED 
NONPROFIT 
FEEDING 
AND 
ANTI-HUNGER 
GROUPS AND SUBGRANTEES. 
(a) GRANTS TO PRIMARY COMMUNITY-BASED NON-
PROFIT FEEDING AND ANTI-HUNGER GROUPS.—Under 
the pilot program and for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall 
award not more than 30 grants to primary community- 
based nonprofit feeding and anti-hunger groups, in ac-
cordance with this section. 
(b) APPLICATION.—To be eligible for an award of a 
grant for a fiscal year under this section, a community- 
based nonprofit feeding and anti-hunger group shall sub-
mit to the Secretary an application that contains a de-
scription of how the applicant proposes to use the grant 
funds to implement the components of the pilot program 
listed in subsection (c) in the pilot community of the com-
munity-based nonprofit feeding and anti-hunger group. 
The application shall be submitted in such form, at such 
time, and containing such other information as the Sec-
retary may require. 
(c) PILOT PROGRAM COMPONENTS.—An application 
for a grant under this section shall contain the following 
components: 
(1) PROGRAMS COMPONENT.—A program com-
ponent that describes, with respect to a target popu-
lation of a pilot community and in accordance with 
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section 204, programs designed for the following 
purposes: 
(A) To reduce hunger in such target popu-
lation. 
(B) To increase the use of nutrition assist-
ance and anti-poverty programs by such target 
population. 
(C) To bolster food security within such 
target population. 
(D) To assist individuals and families 
within such target population to develop assets. 
(E) To promote the economic independence 
of individuals and families within such target 
population. 
(F) To improve the nutrition of such tar-
get population. 
(G) To reduce the occurrence of obesity in 
such target population. 
(2) COMMUNITY FOOD COUNCIL.—A community 
food council component that describes the formation 
and operation of a community food council designed 
to engage emergency feeding groups, Federal, State, 
and local government agencies, the cooperative ex-
tension system, land-grant colleges and universities, 
and historically African-American, Hispanic, and 
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American Indian educational institutes for the pur-
poses described under paragraph (1). 
(3) SUBGRANTS
COMPONENT.—A subgrants 
component that describes a plan for the allocation of 
grants funds to subgrantees by the primary commu-
nity-based nonprofit feeding and anti-hunger group, 
in accordance with subsection (e). 
(d) CRITERIA.—In evaluating an application of a 
community-based nonprofit feeding and anti-hunger 
group, the Secretary shall consider, in addition to such 
other criteria as the Secretary determines appropriate, the 
extent to which the application of the group demonstrates 
the following: 
(1) The capacity to serve as a leader for other 
community-based nonprofit feeding and anti-hunger 
groups in the pilot community and to successfully 
provide technical assistance and other assistance to 
the greatest number of such groups. 
(2) Successful experience— 
(A) in conducting a program described in 
section 204(b); 
(B) in working with a national service, 
community service, or volunteer service group 
that conducts a program described in section 
204(b); 
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(C) in managing and using Federal grant 
funds, including grants for community food and 
nutrition programs authorized under section 
681(a) of the Community Services Block Grant 
Act (42 U.S.C. 9922(a)); 
(D) in working cooperatively with a nutri-
tion assistance and anti-poverty program, other 
community-based nonprofit feeding and anti- 
hunger groups, and faith-based and other com-
munity programs in the pilot community; and 
(E) in researching, monitoring, and evalu-
ating the hunger problems in the pilot commu-
nity of such organization and nutrition assist-
ance and anti-poverty programs. 
(3) In the case of a community-based nonprofit 
feeding and anti-hunger group with a large budget, 
the existence of a financial mechanism to implement 
the proposal and staff expertise to handle large Fed-
eral and private grants, or in the case of a commu-
nity-based nonprofit feeding and anti-hunger group 
with a small budget, proven effectiveness in the de-
livery and coordination of a program described in 
section 204(b). 
(4) The ability to influence other community, 
government, and private resources to assist in the 
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creation and implementation of the pilot program in 
the pilot community of the community-based non-
profit feeding and anti-hunger group. 
(e) SUBGRANTS.— 
(1) SELECTION BY PRIMARY COMMUNITY-BASED 
NONPROFIT FEEDING AND ANTI-HUNGER GROUP RE-
QUIRED.—Under the pilot program, the Secretary 
shall require a primary community-based nonprofit 
feeding and anti-hunger group that is awarded a 
grant under subsection (a) to select at least 10, but 
no more than 200, subgrantees to carry out sub-
grants under the grants. Such subgrants shall be 
used in support of the pilot program in the pilot 
community of such group, in accordance with section 
204. 
(2) SELECTION OF SUBGRANTEES.—A primary 
community-based nonprofit feeding and anti-hunger 
group shall select subgrantees for purposes of para-
graph (1)— 
(A) by selecting the subgrantee in the ap-
plication submitted under subsection (b); or 
(B) in consultation with the Secretary of 
Agriculture after evaluating proposals sub-
mitted by subgrantee applicants. 
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