Title: Emergency SNAP Staffing Flexibility Act of 2021
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Emergency SNAP Staffing Flexibility Act of 2021
This bill authorizes a state agency to hire contractors to administer parts of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) if the state experiences an increase in SNAP applications or an inability to timely process the applications because of workforce shortages, emergencies, or disasters.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6203 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6203

   To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to allow for blended 
 workforces to carry out the supplemental nutrition assistance program 
                       under certain conditions.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 9, 2021

  Mr. Bacon introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                        Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to allow for blended 
 workforces to carry out the supplemental nutrition assistance program 
                       under certain conditions.

    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 ``Emergency SNAP Staffing Flexibility 
Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. TEMPORARY EMERGENCY SNAP STAFFING FLEXIBILITY.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding section 11(e)(6)(B) of the Food 
and Nutrition Act of 2008, a State agency (as defined in section 3 of 
the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008) may, by contract with the State 
agency at a reasonable cost in accordance with the State agency's 
standard contracting rules, hire a contractor to undertake supplemental 
nutrition assistance program certification or carry out any other 
function of the State agency under such program.
    (b) Use.--A State agency may use the authority provided in 
subsection (a) when the State experiences increases in supplemental 
nutrition assistance program applications or an inability to timely 
process such applications from causes that include--
            (1) pandemics and other health emergencies,
            (2) seasonal workforce cycles,
            (3) temporary staffing shortages, and
            (4) weather or other natural disasters.
    (c) Requirements.--A State agency that hires a contractor under 
subsection (a) shall ensure such action--
            (1) is consistent with all principles under section 900.603 
        of title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations; and
            (2) does not supplant existing merit-based personnel in the 
        State.
    (d) Notification.--A State agency shall notify the Secretary of 
Agriculture of the intent to use the authority provided in this 
section.
    (e) Duration.--To the maximum extent practicable, any new contract 
entered into, or any contract modified, under subsection (a) shall 
terminate not later than the date on which the cause for the increase 
in supplemental nutrition assistance program applications or an 
inability to timely process such applications subsides.
    (f) Program Design.--Any action taken by a State agency under 
subsection (a) shall not be--
            (1) considered to be a major change in the operations of 
        such State agency for the purposes of section 11(a)(4) of the 
        Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2020(a)(4)), or
            (2) subject to any requirement specified in such section.
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