Anti-Hunger Empowerment Act of 2019
Latest action · Mar 27, 2019 Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedFeb 28, 2019
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Anti-hunger Empowerment Act of 2019
This bill reduces administrative requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program), authorizes funding to increase access to SNAP offices, and authorizes grants for community-based nonprofits to expand anti-hunger activities.
The bill repeals existing provisions regarding administrative costs and authorizes the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to pay 75% of the administrative costs for state agencies to carry out new activities to increase the operating hours of SNAP offices, reduce wait times, accept online applications, upgrade technology, and provide a checklist of required documents.
If a state agency believes that information provided by a SNAP applicant is incorrect or incomplete, the agency must notify the applicant in writing and include instructions for providing the required information. A state may not require an appplicant to appear in person unless the information is not provided in response to the request or cannot be verified. State agencies may not require fingerprints for any member of a household to participate in SNAP or receive benefits.
USDA must report annually to Congress on the comparative progress of states in improving access to SNAP.
The bill also establishes a Beyond the Soup Kitchen Pilot Program to provide grants to community-based nonprofit feeding and anti-hunger groups for programs and technical assistance to reduce hunger, increase the use of nutrition assistance and anti-poverty programs, bolster food security, assist individuals and families to develop assets, promote economic independence, improve nutrition, and reduce obesity.
Cosponsors 11
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Feb 28, 2019.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NY | Adriano Espaillat | Original | Feb 28, 2019 |
| D-FL | Alcee L. Hastings | Original | Feb 28, 2019 |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | Original | Feb 28, 2019 |
| D-MS | Bennie G. Thompson | Original | Feb 28, 2019 |
| D-IL | Bobby L. Rush | Original | Feb 28, 2019 |
| D-NJ | Bonnie Watson Coleman | Original | Feb 28, 2019 |
| D-OR | Earl Blumenauer | Original | Feb 28, 2019 |
| D-MN | Ilhan Omar | Original | Feb 28, 2019 |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Original | Feb 28, 2019 |
| D-NY | Jerrold Nadler | Original | Feb 28, 2019 |
| D-NY | Nydia M. Velázquez | Original | Feb 28, 2019 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Agriculture Committee | Referred Feb 28, 2019 |
| Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee | Referred Mar 27, 2019 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 27, 2019Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations.
- Feb 28, 2019Introduced in House
- Feb 28, 2019Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 165, no. 37, February 28, 2019, page H2316.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 1189 | Anti-hunger Empowerment Act of 2017 | Reintroduction of | Mar 10, 2017 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to provide greater access to the supplemental nutrition assistance program by reducing duplicative and burdensome administrative requirements, authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to award grants to certain community-based nonprofit feeding and anti-hunger groups for the purpose of establishing and implementing a Beyond the Soup Kitchen Pilot Program for certain socially and economically disadvantaged populations, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Anti-Hunger Empowerment Act of 2019
- Short Title(s) as Introduced for portions of this bill
- Beyond the Soup Kitchen Grants Program Act of 2019
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Agriculture and Food.
- Agriculture and Food
- Alaska
- California
- Caribbean area
- Child health
- Congressional oversight
- Connecticut
- District of Columbia
- Food assistance and relief
- Food supply, safety, and labeling
- Georgia
- Government information and archives
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Intergovernmental relations
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Maryland
- Missouri
- New York City
- New York State
- Nutrition and diet
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Performance measurement
- Poverty and welfare assistance
- Puerto Rico
- Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations
- State and local finance
- State and local government operations
- Texas
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Feb 28, 2019Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
