Making Essentials Available and Lawful (MEAL) Act of 2020

Bill: 116-hr-5915
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9]
Introduced: 2020-02-14
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Drug trafficking and controlled substances

Food assistance and relief

Poverty and welfare assistance

State and local government operations
Latest action: action_date: 2020-03-05
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations.

Summaries:
action_date: 2020-02-14
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Making Essentials Available and Lawful (MEAL) Act of 2020</b></p> <p>This bill repeals a lifetime ban that prohibits individuals convicted of certain offenses related to the possession, use, or distribution of controlled substances from receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits or assistance under programs funded by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grants. In addition, individuals who are incarcerated and scheduled to be released within 30 days shall qualify as individual households for purposes of SNAP eligibility. Under current law, unless specifically excepted, individuals residing in institutions do not constitute a household. </p> <p>Existing state laws that removed or modified the federal ban at the state level shall have no force or effect.</p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5915 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 14, 2020 Mr. Cohen (for himself, Ms. Norton , Mr. Rush , Mr. Carson of Indiana , Ms. Adams , and Ms. Barragán ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture , and in addition to the Committee 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 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.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Making Essentials Available and Lawful (MEAL) Act of 2020 . 2. Tanf assistance and snap benefits (a) Repeal of ban on assistance Section 115 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation 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 Reconciliation 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 Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this Act). (2) Effect A law enacted by a State under the authority under subparagraph (A) or (B) of subsection (d)(1) of section 115 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 ( 21 U.S.C. 862a ) (as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this Act), and any State law or regulation enacted to carry out the requirements of such section (as then in effect), that imposes conditions on eligibility for TANF assistance or SNAP benefits shall have no force or effect. 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. .