I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5915 
To amend the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation 
Act of 1996 to repeal a certain disqualification to receive benefits under 
title IV of the Social Security Act and benefits under the Food and 
Nutrition Act of 2008; and to amend the Food and Nutrition Act 
of 2008 to provide that incarcerated individuals who are scheduled to 
be released from an institution within 30 days shall be considered to 
be a household for purposes of such Act. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 14, 2020 
Mr. COHEN (for himself, Ms. NORTON, Mr. RUSH, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, 
Ms. ADAMS, and Ms. BARRAGA´N) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Com-
mittee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined 
by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity 
Reconciliation Act of 1996 to repeal a certain disquali-
fication to receive benefits under title IV of the Social 
Security Act and benefits under the Food and Nutrition 
Act of 2008; and to amend the Food and Nutrition 
Act of 2008 to provide that incarcerated individuals who 
are scheduled to be released from an institution within 
30 days shall be considered to be a household for pur-
poses of such Act. 
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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 ‘‘Making Essentials 
Available and Lawful (MEAL) Act of 2020’’. 
SEC. 2. TANF ASSISTANCE AND SNAP BENEFITS. 
(a) REPEAL OF BAN ON ASSISTANCE.—Section 115 
of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Rec-
onciliation Act of 1996 (21 U.S.C. 862a) is repealed. 
(b) EFFECT ON STATE ELECTIONS TO OPT OUT OR 
LIMIT PERIOD OF PROHIBITION.— 
(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection— 
(A) the term ‘‘State’’ has the meaning 
given the term in section 115(e) of the Personal 
Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconcili-
ation Act of 1996 (21 U.S.C. 862a(e)) (as in 
effect on the day before the date of enactment 
of this Act); and 
(B) the term ‘‘TANF assistance or SNAP 
benefits’’ means assistance or benefits referred 
to in section 115(a) of the Personal Responsi-
bility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act 
of 1996 (as in effect on the day before the date 
of enactment of this Act). 
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(2) EFFECT.—A law enacted by a State under 
the authority under subparagraph (A) or (B) of sub-
section (d)(1) of section 115 of the Personal Respon-
sibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 
1996 (21 U.S.C. 862a) (as in effect on the day be-
fore the date of enactment of this Act), and any 
State law or regulation enacted to carry out the re-
quirements of such section (as then in effect), that 
imposes conditions on eligibility for TANF assist-
ance or SNAP benefits shall have no force or effect. 
SEC. 3. MODIFICATION OF DEFINITION OF HOUSEHOLD 
FOR THE PURPOSE OF DETERMINING SNAP 
BENEFITS. 
Section 3(m)(5) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 
2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012(m)(5)) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(H) Incarcerated individuals are who 
scheduled to be released from an institution 
within 30 days.’’. 
Æ 
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