Title: Results Through Innovation Act of 2017
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Results Through Innovation Act of 2017
This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to require the Department of Agriculture to establish and carry out a program that provides grants on a competitive basis to states to carry out three-year projects to provide targeted employment and training services for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) beneficiaries or hard-to-serve populations such as homeless and recently incarcerated individuals.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3577 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3577

To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to establish a competitive 
    grant program to provide grants to States to carry out targeted 
                   employment and training projects.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 28, 2017

Mr. Costa (for himself, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New 
   Mexico, and Ms. DelBene) introduced the following bill; which was 
                referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to establish a competitive 
    grant program to provide grants to States to carry out targeted 
                   employment and training projects.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Results Through Innovation Act of 
2017''.

SEC. 2. TARGETED EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING PROJECTS.

    Section 16(h)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
2025(h)(1)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(G) Targeted employment and training projects.--
                            ``(i) Establishment of program.--The 
                        Secretary shall establish and carry out a 
                        program that provides grants, on a competitive 
                        basis, to States to carry out 3-year projects 
                        as determined by the Secretary to provide 
                        targeted employment and training services 
                        designed--
                                    ``(I) to raise short-term and long-
                                term employment and increase earnings 
                                for members of households that receive 
                                supplemental nutrition assistance 
                                program benefits by using innovative 
                                approaches to remove barriers to 
                                employment and training;
                                    ``(II) to support a holistic, 2-
                                generation approach to serving 
                                households;
                                    ``(III) to explore alternative 
                                integrated models for providing 
                                supportive services; or
                                    ``(IV) to target hard-to-serve 
                                populations such as homeless 
                                individuals, recently incarcerated 
                                individuals, or individuals with other 
                                substantial barriers to employment.
                            ``(ii) Eligibility requirements for 
                        applicants.--To be eligible to receive in a 
                        fiscal year a grant under clause (i) to carry 
                        out a project, a State shall submit to the 
                        Secretary a separate application for such 
                        project that--
                                    ``(I) contains such terms and 
                                conditions as the Secretary may 
                                require;
                                    ``(II) except as provided in this 
                                subparagraph, proposes to carry out a 
                                project that satisfies the requirements 
                                of sections 6(d) and 20;
                                    ``(III) proposes to carry out a 
                                project that provides at least one of 
                                the following--
                                            ``(aa) services or benefits 
                                        authorized under section 
                                        6(d)(4) or 20;
                                            ``(bb) other services or 
                                        benefits designed to remove 
                                        barriers or provide enhanced 
                                        case management for--

                                                    ``(AA) members of 
                                                households 
                                                participating in the 
                                                supplemental nutrition 
                                                assistance program who 
                                                are employed or 
                                                participating in an 
                                                allowable employment 
                                                and training activity;

                                                    ``(BB) members of 
                                                households 
                                                participating in the 
                                                supplemental nutrition 
                                                assistance program who 
                                                formerly participated 
                                                in employment and 
                                                training and who are 
                                                employed for a period 
                                                of up to 180 days after 
                                                an individual who 
                                                received employment and 
                                                training services under 
                                                the program gains 
                                                employment, or 90 days 
                                                after the household has 
                                                exceeded the gross 
                                                income limit for 
                                                program eligibility, 
                                                whichever occurs first; 
                                                or

                                                    ``(CC) household 
                                                members of individuals 
                                                described in subitem 
                                                (AA) or (BB) if such 
                                                benefits or services 
                                                are necessary for 
                                                supporting the 
                                                employment or 
                                                employment and training 
                                                activities of an 
                                                individual described in 
                                                subitem (AA) or (BB); 
                                                and

                                            ``(cc) technical assistance 
                                        for other States, local 
                                        governments, or employment and 
                                        training providers to assist in 
                                        expanding or replicating proven 
                                        approaches;
                                    ``(IV) specifies that such project 
                                will provide for the voluntary 
                                participation in employment and 
                                training programs by members of 
                                households that do not include an 
                                individual who receives cash assistance 
                                under part A of title IV of the Social 
                                Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
                                    ``(V) provides that such project 
                                will be carried out by the State agency 
                                directly, or through a State or local 
                                government entity or a nonprofit 
                                private entity; and
                                    ``(VI) provides that the State 
                                agency may use not more than 5 percent 
                                of such grant for activities associated 
                                with administering the project, such as 
                                oversight and data reporting.
                            ``(iii) Selection criteria.--In selecting 
                        for approval on a competitive basis 
                        applications for grants under this 
                        subparagraph, the Secretary shall--
                                    ``(I) consider the capacity and 
                                relevant experience of the State agency 
                                (and the State or local government 
                                entity or the nonprofit private entity 
                                (if any)) that is proposed to carry out 
                                the project to achieve the goals of 
                                such project specified in the 
                                application, in providing effective 
                                employment and training programs 
                                (including employment and training 
                                programs under this Act and part A of 
                                title IV of the Social Security Act (42 
                                U.S.C. 601 et seq.)) for low-skill 
                                individuals;
                                    ``(II) consider whether such 
                                project has relevance for and could be 
                                replicated in other States;
                                    ``(III) consider the capacity of 
                                the applicant to measure the outcomes 
                                of such project;
                                    ``(IV) ensure that the projects, 
                                when considered as a group, will be 
                                carried out in a range of rural and 
                                urban areas, including those with high 
                                levels of poverty; and
                                    ``(V) in order to expand the number 
                                of households served or replicate 
                                successful strategies in other areas, 
                                give priority to--
                                            ``(aa) projects with proven 
                                        results under the pilot 
                                        projects authorized by 
                                        subparagraph (F); and
                                            ``(bb) other successful 
                                        programs, as measured by 
                                        increased employment and 
                                        earnings under the reporting 
                                        requirements in paragraph (5).
                            ``(iv) Reporting.--
                                    ``(I) Performance reports by grant 
                                recipients.--States that receive grants 
                                made under this subparagraph shall--
                                            ``(aa) measure and report 
                                        the performance of their 
                                        projects in accordance with 
                                        paragraph (5);
                                            ``(bb) include a cost-
                                        benefit analysis that shows the 
                                        benefits to project 
                                        participants and to taxpayers 
                                        under this Act; and
                                            ``(cc) satisfy any other 
                                        reporting requirements the 
                                        Secretary considers to be 
                                        appropriate.
                                    ``(II) Annual report by the 
                                secretary.--The Secretary shall submit 
                                to the Committee on Agriculture of the 
                                House of Representatives and the 
                                Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 
                                and Forestry of the Senate an annual 
                                report that includes a description of 
                                the outcomes measured by each State 
                                operating a project (during the project 
                                period and any subsequent evaluation 
                                period as determined by the Secretary) 
                                and of the extent to which such State 
                                achieved the goals of the project.
                            ``(v) Funding.--
                                    ``(I) Authorization of 
                                appropriations.--There are authorized 
                                to be appropriated to carry out this 
                                subparagraph--
                                            ``(aa) $300,000,000 for 
                                        fiscal year 2019;
                                            ``(bb) $350,000,000 for 
                                        fiscal year 2020;
                                            ``(cc) $300,000,000 for 
                                        each of the fiscal years 2021 
                                        and 2022;
                                            ``(dd) $400,000,000 for 
                                        each of the fiscal years 2023 
                                        and 2024;
                                            ``(ee) $500,000,000 for 
                                        each of the fiscal years 2025 
                                        and 2026; and
                                            ``(ff) $600,000,000 for 
                                        each of the fiscal years 2027 
                                        and each fiscal year 
                                        thereafter.
                                    ``(II) Maintenance of effort.--
                                Funds made available under this 
                                subparagraph may be used by States only 
                                to supplement, not to supplant, Federal 
                                or non-Federal funds used to provide 
                                current employment and training 
                                activities and services.''.
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