Title: COVID-19 WIC Response Act of 2020
Policy area: Health

Summary:
COVID-19 WIC Response Act of 2020
This bill modifies food and nutrition programs of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to allow certain waivers and deferments of requirements under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) during public health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) outbreak.
Specifically, USDA may
USDA authority under this bill expires on July 31, 2020.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6298 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6298

To waive and defer certain requirements under the special supplemental 
   nutrition program for women, infants, and children during certain 
                  emergencies, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 19, 2020

 Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania (for himself and Ms. Schrier) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education 
                               and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To waive and defer certain requirements under the special supplemental 
   nutrition program for women, infants, and children during certain 
                  emergencies, and for other purposes.

    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 ``COVID-19 WIC Response Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. PHYSICAL PRESENCE WAIVER UNDER WIC DURING CERTAIN PUBLIC HEALTH 
              EMERGENCIES.

    (a) Waiver Authority.--
            (1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law, the Secretary may grant a request described in paragraph 
        (2) to--
                    (A) waive the requirement under subsection 
                (d)(3)(C)(i) of section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act 
                of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786(d)(3)(C)(i)); and
                    (B) defer anthropometric and bloodwork requirements 
                necessary to determine nutritional risk under such 
                section.
            (2) Request.--A request described in this paragraph is a 
        request made to the Secretary by a State agency to waive, on 
        behalf of the local agencies served by such State agency, the 
        requirements described in paragraph (1) during any portion of 
        the emergency period (as defined in paragraph (1)(B) of section 
        1135(g) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b-5(g))) 
        beginning on or after the date of the enactment of this 
        section.
    (b) Reports.--
            (1) Local agency reports.--Each local agency that uses a 
        waiver pursuant to subsection (a) shall, not later than 1 year 
        after the date such local agency uses such waiver, submit a 
        report to the State agency serving such local agency that 
        includes the following:
                    (A) A summary of the use of such waiver by the 
                local agency.
                    (B) A description of whether such waiver resulted 
                in improved services to women, infants, and children.
            (2) State agency reports.--Each State agency that receives 
        a waiver under subsection (a), shall, not later than 18 months 
        after the date such State agency received such waiver, submit a 
        report to the Secretary that includes the following:
                    (A) A summary of the reports received by the State 
                agency under paragraph (1).
                    (B) A description of whether such waiver resulted 
                in improved services to women, infants, and children.

SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS WAIVER UNDER WIC.

    (a) Waiver Authority.--
            (1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law, the Secretary may, if requested by a State agency, modify 
        or waive any qualified administrative requirement with respect 
        to such State agency.
            (2) Qualified administrative requirement.--In this section, 
        the term ``qualified administrative requirement'' means an 
        administrative requirement under section 17 of the Child 
        Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786) that the Secretary 
        determines--
                    (A) cannot be met by a State agency due to COVID-
                19; and
                    (B) the modification or waiver of which is 
                necessary to provide assistance under such section.
    (b) State Agency Reports.--Each State agency that receives a waiver 
under subsection (a)(1), shall, not later than 1 year after the date 
such State agency received such waiver, submit a report to the 
Secretary that includes the following:
            (1) A summary of the use of such waiver by the State 
        agency.
            (2) A description of whether such waiver resulted in 
        improved services to women, infants, and children.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Local agency.--The term ``local agency'' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 17(b) of the Child Nutrition 
        Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786(b)).
            (2) Nutritional risk.--The term ``nutritional risk'' has 
        the meaning given the term in section 17(b) of the Child 
        Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786(b)).
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.
            (4) State agency.-- The term ``State agency'' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 17(b) of the Child Nutrition 
        Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786(b)).

SEC. 5. SUNSET.

    The authorities under this Act shall expire on July 31, 2020.
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