Title: A bill to amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to require consideration of the assets of a household for broad-based categorical eligibility for the supplemental nutrition assistance program.
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
This bill revises eligibility requirements under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) to require certain household assets (e.g., available cash, stock, savings bonds, mutual funds) to be considered when making a categorical eligibility determination for SNAP benefits.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2359 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2359

To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to require consideration of 
 the assets of a household for broad-based categorical eligibility for 
             the supplemental nutrition assistance program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 31, 2019

  Mr. Kennedy introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to require consideration of 
 the assets of a household for broad-based categorical eligibility for 
             the supplemental nutrition assistance program.

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

SECTION 1. ASSETS AS INCOME FOR CATEGORICAL ELIGIBILITY FOR THE 
              SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Section 5(a) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2014(a)) is amended--
            (1) in the fourth sentence, by striking ``Assistance'' and 
        inserting the following:
            ``(4) Availability of assistance.--Assistance'';
            (2) in the third sentence, by striking ``Except'' and 
        inserting the following:
            ``(3) General assistance programs.--Except'';
            (3) in the second sentence--
                    (A) by striking ``Notwithstanding'' and inserting 
                the following:
            ``(2) Categorical eligibility.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), and 
                notwithstanding''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) Consideration of assets.--
                            ``(i) Definition of nonincome asset.--In 
                        this subparagraph, the term `nonincome asset' 
                        means available cash (including in a savings 
                        account or checking account), a stock, a 
                        savings bond, a mutual fund, a pension fund, 
                        and a real estate holding (other than a primary 
                        home).
                            ``(ii) Consideration of assets.--A 
                        household described in subparagraph (A) shall 
                        not be eligible to participate in the 
                        supplemental nutrition assistance program if 
                        the total nonincome assets of the household are 
                        valued at not less than--
                                    ``(I) $2,250; or
                                    ``(II) in the case of a household 
                                that includes an elderly or disabled 
                                member, $3,500.''; and
            (4) by striking ``(a) Participation'' and inserting the 
        following:
    ``(a) In General.--
            ``(1) Eligible households.--Participation''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Section 11(i)(2) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
        (7 U.S.C. 2020(i)(2)) is amended by striking ``the second 
        sentence of section 5(a)'' and inserting ``section 5(a)(2)''.
            (2) Section 17(b)(1)(B)(iv)(III)(bb) of the Food and 
        Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C 2026(b)(1)(B)(iv)(III)(bb)) is 
        amended by striking ``the last sentence of section 5(a)'' and 
        inserting ``section 5(a)(4)''.
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